The Summer of the Spanish Woman

by Catherine Gaskin

  ‘Joanna,’ he said quietly. ‘I’m Jonathan – your father, Jonathan Roswell.’

  The Property of a Gentleman … a poignant and thrilling tale of intrigue, mystery and romance, set in the dramatic landscape of England’s Lake District. From the internationally bestselling author Catherine Gaskin.

  Shortly after her mother’s death in a Swiss plane crash, Jo Roswell is sent from the London auction house where she works to the remote and mysterious Thirlbeck – stately home of the Earl of Askew. Jo’s task is to evaluate the house’s contents for a sale, but she soon finds herself drawn into the complex lives of Thirlbeck’s past and present inhabitants, each with their own secrets and desires.

  Robert Birkett, the Earl of Askew, has returned to Thirlbeck after many years abroad. A decorated war hero, he has also spent time in prison after a fatal car accident for which he was blamed. Carlota, the Spanish Condesa, is the Earl’s sophisticated yet possessive companion.

  Meanwhile, Nat Birkett, a distant cousin of the earl, is the reluctant heir to Thirlbeck. A local farmer, his passion is for the land rather than titles and possessions. Following his wife’s mysterious demise at Thirlbeck, he is also the single father of two young boys.

  George Tolson is Thirlbeck’s brooding keeper, who jealously guards the property from unwelcome strangers. By Tolson’s side is Jessica, his intelligent but fragile granddaughter, who must be protected from herself.

  During her stay, Jo is absorbed by the tragic story of The Spanish Lady, whose young life was cut short at Thirlbeck many centuries before. She also encounters La Española, the brilliant diamond which, according to legend, brings disaster to all who try to possess it. And she is shocked to learn of her own mother’s connection to Thirlbeck.

  Jo will struggle with difficult discoveries as she unlocks the puzzles which link Thirlbeck’s past and present residents.

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  Sara Dane by Catherine Gaskin

  The international bestseller available as an ebook for the first time

  Sara Dane is the story of an eighteenth-century young Englishwoman who is sentenced for a crime she did not commit and transported to Australia. The novel follows Sara’s struggle to raise herself from the status of a convict to a position of wealth and power. She faces many challenges, from the savage voyage aboard a convict ship to the corruption and prejudice rife in New South Wales. Life in the Colony is harsh, and Sara has to contend with natural disasters and convict outbreaks, as well as the snobbery of the high society she wishes to enter.

  Sara’s life is also influenced in often surprising ways by the men who love her, childhood sweetheart Richard Barwell, ship’s officer-turned-landowner Andrew Maclay, Frenchman Louis de Bourget and the Irish political prisoner Jeremy Hogan. Sara Dane is a sweeping historical novel full of adventure, romance, rivalries, double-dealing and murder.

  During her lifetime Catherine Gaskin’s books sold over 40 million copies worldwide, and she was known as ‘The Queen of Storytellers’. Sara Dane is arguably her best known work, an international bestseller, it was also made into a popular TV mini-series. This is the first digital edition of Sara Dane, published to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the novel’s début.

  ‘A fine sweep of urgent vitality.’ The Times

  ‘Most readable. A big book with a sustained dramatic power.’ London Evening Standard

  ‘A grand story.’ Yorkshire Evening Post

  ‘A magnificent piece of evocative writing.’ Glasgow Herald

  ‘Rarely a story of the lands down under has this quality.’ Kirkus Reviews

  ‘An extremely readable novel.’ Argus (Melbourne)

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  Wonder Cruise by Ursula Bloom

  A witty, heartwarming read with great romantic and comic characters. This warm, feel-good tale will make you smile, and you’ll be rooting for Ann to find lasting love and happiness. A moving portrait of an unforgettable 1930’s woman; Ann Clements will stay with you long after the last page.

  Ann Clements is thirty-five and single, and believes nothing exciting will ever happen to her. Then, she wins a large sum of money in a sweepstake and suddenly can dare to dream of a more adventurous life. She buys a ticket for a Mediterranean cruise, against the wishes of her stern brother, the Rev. Cuthbert, who has other ideas about how she should spend her windfall. Anne steps out of the shadows of her mundane life into the heat of the Mediterranean sun. Travelling to Gibraltar, Marseilles, Naples, Malta and Venice, Anne’s eyes are opened to people and experiences far removed from her sheltered existence in the offices at Henrietta Street, and Mrs. Puddock’s lodging house. As Anne blossoms, discovering love and passion for the very first time, the biggest question is, can there be any going back?

  ‘Brightly told and very readable.’ Woman’s Journal

  ‘… with every book she adds something to her reputation … related with all Miss Bloom’s liveliness and easy skill.’ Daily Telegraph

  ‘Ursula Bloom writes in a delightful way, with a deep understanding of human nature and a quick eye for the humorous things in life. Wonder Cruise … is one of the most entertaining novels we have read for a long time.’ Cambridge Daily News

  ‘Vividly entrancing.’ Scotsman

  ‘She has always been able to tell a story … Miss Bloom is to be heartily congratulated.’ Everyman

  Now available as an ebook and paperback on Amazon.

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  The Wine Widow by Tessa Barclay

  A gripping family saga – the first in the captivating Wine Widow trilogy. A compelling tale of one woman’s triumphs and tragedies which you will not be able to put down.

  Young peasant girl Nicole Berthois works hard to support her family in a wine-making village in Champagne. Her life changes forever when she falls in love with handsome aristocrat Philippe de Tramont. The young lovers marry despite his mother’s objections, and Nicole’s strength and determination help her husband to follow his dreams. But then tragedy strikes; Philippe is killed and Nicole must struggle to raise their two small children as a young widow. She faces many challenges as she tries to win her mother-in-law’s approval, and build her husband’s legacy into a great champagne dynasty. But will illicit passions, war and a shocking family secret destroy all she has worked to achieve?

  ‘Tessa Barclay always spins a fine yarn. Her novels are gripping and entertaining.’ Wendy Craig

  ‘Filled with fascinating historical detail and teeming with human passions.’ Marie Joseph

  ‘A red hot contender for the Romantic Novelist of the Year Award.’ Daily Mirror

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  The Ruby Ring by Grace Macdonald

  A spellbinding timeslip story of two young women, each with a secret. A ring unites them, a century divides them. An international bestseller, set in a seaside town in Devon in Victorian times and the present day.

  After a whirlwind romance, Laura Marchmont marries the charming Charles Haywood. Leaving her old life behind, she struggles to fit into Charles’s world, and to be accepted by his young daughters from his first marriage. Laura also hides a terrible secret from her new husband, which casts a shadow over her life. Then, she discovers the story of a young girl who lived more than a century before. Laura is compelled to uncover the fate of Mary Rose.

  1886. When Mary Rose Marchmont’s widowed father remarries it signals the end of her childhood. A series of tragic events leads Mary Rose to be accused of a shocking crime,
after which her life will never be the same again.

  A moving family story of history, romance and secrets.

  Grace Macdonald is a pen name of the hugely popular romantic fiction author Sophie King.

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  Lily’s Daughter by Diana Raymond

  A poignant coming of age story set in 1930s England, told with warmth and wit.

  ‘Diana Raymond is an observant, sensitive writer whose characters come alive.’ The Daily Telegraph

  Seventeen year old Jessica Mayne suddenly finds herself alone and unable to pay her rent, when a chance discovery leads to help from unexpected quarters. A new life beckons, while Jessica learns about past family secrets, and falls in love for the first time, all under the shadow of the advancing war in Europe.

  Being Lily’s daughter has never been easy. Jessica has long had to cope with her mother’s fragile mental state, and a hand to mouth existence. When she finally makes the decision to have her mother committed, Jessica must face an uncertain future alone.

  But there is the promise of a different kind of life when Jessica arrives at Huntersmeade, the home of her estranged Aunt Imogen. It is here that she meets her dashing cousin, Guy, and Deirdre, the wealthy young woman he is expected to marry. Meanwhile, Imogen’s house-guest Aaron, a Polish Jew, has a deeper understanding than the English youngsters of how the world they know will soon change forever.

  For Jessica, there will be difficult lessons to learn about her family’s secrets, and how falling in love for the first time can be a bitter-sweet experience with far-reaching consequences.

  Diana Raymond was the author of 24 novels, theatre criticism and poems. She was married to the celebrated novelist Ernest Raymond. Her most popular novel Lily’s Daughter is now reprinted in an ebook edition for the first time.

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  Hardacre by CL Skelton

  Hardacre is the sweeping rags to riches story of the Hardacre family. This dramatic family saga follows generations of the Hardacres from Victorian times to the 1950s. Set against the backdrop of major historical events, Hardacre traces the family’s humble beginnings to their position of great wealth.

  Sam Hardacre makes a tough yet honest living as a fish gutter. But he has ambitions for a life far removed from the harsh existence on the quays of the north English coast. Through drive and determination he builds a business empire and amasses a fortune. His wife, Mary, once a poor street urchin, must learn to adapt to her new role as mistress of a grand house in Yorkshire.

  Sam’s sons, Joe and Harry, inherit some but not all of their father’s qualities. Their opposing personalities lead them to make very different choices about their futures. Meanwhile, their younger sister, Jane, is born into a life of privilege and has no experience of her family’s early struggles.

  The three siblings and their offspring will know love, hate, passion and tragedy, as they live through the dramatic events of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The lives of the Hardacres are shaped by the extraordinary events of the Boer War, the Great War, the Wall Street Crash, the Second World War, Hitler’s Germany and the London Blitz.

  Hardacre is a gripping page-turner; a tale of ambition, fate and family ties.

  Praise for the bestselling Hardacre:

  ‘History comes alive … innocents, rascals and middling humans ‒ an authentic bunch to set against tempestuous times.’ Publishers Weekly

  ‘This skilfully written, always entertaining family saga … rich in plot, pace and character … polished storytelling.’ Newsagent and Bookshop

  ‘The best family saga since Penmarric.’ Manchester Evening News

  For fans of rich and dramatic family sagas from the Forsyte Saga to Downton Abbey.

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  A Shaft of Light by John Finch

  The poignant story of four young people growing up during the beginning of the Second World War.

  Life in a Yorkshire mining village is tough, as families struggle to survive the harsh deprivations of working class life, and to keep hope, spirit and dignity alive.

  Denis and Ted are best friends, but in some ways their lives are world's apart. Shopkeeper’s son Denis questions what the future may hold for him. The advent of war shows him the possibilities of a life far from all he knows. Yet Ted, from the poorest part of the village, dreams only of becoming a man and starting to work down the pit, like his father before him. Both boys are drawn to Jean, a bold, spirited young woman from their village, but only one of them can win her heart.

  The four youngsters face the challenges and responsibilities of growing up, as they experience love, death and desire, and the consequences which will change their lives forever.

  From the acclaimed creator and writer of the classic television family sagas A Family at War and Sam, and former Coronation Street scriptwriter, John Finch. Previously published as Cuddon Return.

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