The Clockmaker’s Wife

Daisy Wood 

WHEN their London home is demolished in the wartime Blitz, Nell Spelman is forced to escape to the countryside with her baby daughter. But it means leaving behind her beloved husband Arthur, the clockmaker who literally keeps Big Ben ticking… and when he mysteriously disappears, she is determined to head back to the city and find him, wherever that may lead.

In her first published novel for adults, Daisy Wood – otherwise known as Jennie Walters, author of the Swallowcliffe Hall young adult series – brings readers a thrilling tale of love, survival, daring and espionage during the dark days of the Second World War.

At the heart of the story is the Palace of Westminster’s iconic Big Ben, the landmark whose chimes came to represent freedom and better times to come when it tolled on BBC wireless broadcasts both at home and in prison camps, cellars, attics and back rooms across Nazi-occupied Europe. In this gripping novel, which unfolds across two timelines, Wood (pictured below) keeps readers glued to the page as a young mother becomes caught up in a deadly conspiracy to destroy Big Ben on New Year’s Eve in 1940, a move that might well have shattered the nation’s morale.

Born in England to German/Jewish parents, clockmaker Arthur Spelman’s job is to maintain the clocks at Westminster, including Big Ben. He winds and adjusts the hundreds of clocks that mark the hours as Parliament goes about its business.

In 1939, he falls madly in love with Eleanor (Nell) and by November of 1940, the two are married, are parents to baby Alice and are living in a terraced house in Vauxhall where bombs rain down every night in a seemingly endless wave of German air raids.

And one fateful night, as the family sleep in a nearby air raid shelter, the terror of the Blitz literally comes home when their house is demolished in a direct hit. Arthur and Nell had always pledged that whatever the war threw at them, they would face it side by side but now Nell and Alice are forced to move to rural Oxfordshire to live with her parents. When Arthur disappears shortly after making a mysterious, panic-stricken phone call to Nell, she becomes desperate to find him and she heads back to London alone but her search will lead her into far darker places than she had ever imagined.

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In New York in 2021, Ellie is watching her mother Alice sinking into old age in a nursing home and knows from the ‘blankness’ in her eyes that it won’t be long before her mother’s memories will be lost forever. When Ellie discovers a beautiful watch that had once belonged to Eleanor Spelman, the grandmother she never knew but whom she was named after, she decides to travel to

The Perfect Life

Nuala Ellwood

AFTER the trauma of her mother’s death when she was only ten, Nessa Adams has been desperate to find the perfect home and the perfect life. So when real life gets tough, she adopts a false name and different persona and takes tours of the kind of luxury homes she could never afford to buy… until a man who lives in one of these houses is murdered and all the evidence points to Nessa.

Nuala Ellwood – who was chosen as one of The Observer’s New Faces of Fiction 2017 for her brilliant debut novel My Sister’s Bones, and has followed up that success with stunning thrillers Day of the Accident and The House on the Lake – returns with a dark, disturbing page-turner tingling with psychological tension and jaw-dropping plot twists. 

The Perfect Life takes readers on an emotional, chilling and utterly unpredictable rollercoaster ride through the past and present as a web of secrets, lies, and startling truths spin out like an unstoppable coiled spring. Using her storytelling artistry, her gift for creating complex, compelling characters, and a tempo that accelerates with each chapter and each mind-blowing revelation, Ellwood (pictured below) lures her readers into the mind of a young woman discovering that her idea of a dream life might just be a perfect nightmare.

Despite landing herself a good job as marketing manager for a London cosmetics company, and secure in the unwavering love and care of her older, reliable sister Georgie, Nessa has never fully recovered from the sudden death of her beloved mother from a brain haemorrhage over twenty years ago.

Naturally shy and introspective, Nessa has also found comfort in her close friendship with Lottie, the university friend with whom she now shares a London apartment. Lottie is the ‘light’ to Nessa’s ‘darkness’… they ‘balance each other out’ and are like a married couple ‘without the boring relationship complications.’ But then Nessa meets handsome, charming Connor Dawkins, an art director for a PR company, who makes her feel like she can be ‘completely myself’ and whose magnetic attraction is ‘like some strange and powerful drug.’

Two years later, Nessa is living with Connor but life isn’t turning out be the perfect existence she had longed for so she is indulging herself by pretending to be somebody different, somebody better. And it’s so easy… all she has to do is throw on some smart clothes, adopt a new accent and convince estate agents that she is a bona fide buyer looking for that perfect luxury home in the most expensive areas of the city.

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Nessa knows she’s looking round houses she could never afford but she views it as just a ‘harmless curiosity,’ until the day she visits Holly Maze House, home to Geoffrey Rivers, a famous

The Evening and the Morning

Ken Follett

THIRTY-TWO years ago, Ken Follett set aside his thriller writing to lay the foundations of a remarkable historical novel which would become a worldwide phenomenon selling over 27 million copies. The Pillars of the Earth – a truly epic tale about the building of a 12^th century cathedral in the fictional town of Kingsbridge – stunned both readers and critics with its rich period detail, extensive architectural research, and brilliant storytelling, and was turned into a major television series, produced by Ridley Scott, in 2010.

Avid fans had to wait until 2007 for the sequel, World Without End, another voluminous blockbuster which followed the fortunes of Kingsbridge families in the 14^th century. And ten years later, Follett  (pictured below) weighed in again with, A Column of Fire, a magnificent Kingsbridge drama set amidst the tumultuous events of the Tudor period. Now this master storyteller has wound back the clock to the 10^th century and the end of the Dark Ages for a thrilling, action-packed prequel which transports us back to the brutal days when England was under attack from the Welsh and the Vikings, and the hardy folk of a tiny hamlet on the south coast sowed the seeds of a town that would one day become the mighty cathedral city of Kingsbridge.

And it’s an unforgettable journey which once again highlights Follett’s grasp of both history and humans, his ability to weave together fact and fiction, and the power of his prodigious imagination which allows him to fill in a largely unrecorded period of the past when Britain was finally starting to see the light after a steep 500-year decline in the aftermath of the Romans’ departure.

It’s 997and life is hard in the small coastal hamlet of Combe. The poor are slaves, while those with power wield it harshly, bending justice according to their will, and often in conflict with their weak and vacillating King Ethelred. With his grip on the country fragile and with no clear rule of law, only chaos reigns in Ethelred’s kingdom.

In this uncertain world, three people’s lives are set to become intertwined. Eighteen-year-old Edgar is the youngest son of Combe’s boatbuilder. With his intuitive sense of how forms fit together to make a stable structure, Edgar has a natural talent and dreams of building himself a better future. But on the night he plans to run away with his married lover, a devastating Viking raid shatters his life. With Combe burned down, the shipyard destroyed, his precious boat stolen, and their stock of timber reduced to ash, Edgar and what is left of his family stake their future on an abandoned farm near the river at a hamlet called Dreng’s Ferry.

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Across the sea, the Norman Count of Cherbourg’s daughter, Lady Ragna, has reached the age where she must marry or face life in a nunnery. Haughty, clever and so straight talking that she scares off any suitors, Ragna has always wanted a romance that made her ‘heart sing,’ but is warned by her mother that ‘we women must settle for what we can.’

When the tall, powerful and self-confident Englishman, Wilwulf, ealdorman of Shiring, visits her father, Ragna falls for his ‘masculine magnetism’ and despite his initial indifference to her, they

CHILDREN'S BOOKS: A rugby rampage, cartoons chaos and monstrous myths

Learn to love the game of rugby, share laughs as cartoons spring to life, discover some of the most exciting stories ever told, and marvel at adventures starring roaring dinosaurs and daring knights in a glittering array of children’s books

Age 7 plus
Rampaging Rugby
Robin Bennett and Matt Cherry

FOR over two hundred years, the game of rugby has been thrilling both players and spectators. From Tahiti to Tonga, Scotland to Spain and Kazakhstan to Kurdistan, this raucous, rampaging sport has won hearts, minds and sports fans, and is now attracting girls, as well as boys, to get rucking and mauling.

In the first in a series of fantastic chapter books from award-winning independent children’s and YA publisher, Firefly Press, the spotlight is firmly on rugby with cartoons, player tips, irreverent explanations, fascinating facts and funny stories to bring the game to life. The aim of the series is to teach kids about sports, but with a light touch that highlights the spirit of the game as well as the rules. Launching alongside this title is the Stupendous Sports website (www.stupendoussports.com) which promotes the fun side of sports for children, with giveaways, special offers and guest appearances from sporting stars.

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In Rampaging Rugby, written by rugby-mad Robin Bennett, illustrated by Matt Cherry, and with a foreword and pro tips by Conrad Smith, ex-All Black and double World Cup winner, youngsters enjoy tips your coach won’t tell you, loads of facts, and some intriguing offbeat stories.

Did you know that rugby started when Webb Ellis picked up a football during a game and ran with it (he cheated, basically!), that basketball was created by a rugby coach who wanted an indoor sport to keep his players fit off-season, and that rugby is played in 119 countries and has over 400 million fans? Stupendous Sports aims to do for Wednesday afternoon sport what Horrible Histories did for Year 7 History, so what are you waiting for… the whistle has blown and the game is on!
(Firefly Press, paperback, £6.99)

Age 8 plus
The Cartoons That Came to Life
Tom Ellen and Phil Corbett

IMAGINE if your book of cartoons came to life! That’s exactly what happens in this raucous romp from the top double act of author Tom Ellen and illustrator Phil Corbett who combine their skills to bring youngsters a big-hearted, comic-style adventure full of thrills, spills and laughter.

Finn loves drawing comic strips featuring his two cartoon heroes, Arley and Tapper. But after being teased at school, he finds he can’t draw them any more… and is shocked to see them climbing out of his sketchbook for real. With the help of his friend Isha, Finn needs to find a way to draw them back to their comic world… and quickly!

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There are lots of giggles to enjoy and a big helping of slapstick fun in this action-packed, madcap adventure but Ellen also tackles some serious subjects – like children’s insecurities, worries and the debilitating effect of anxiety – with the lightest of touches. Ideal for reluctant readers and guaranteed to keep youngsters glued to the page (unlike those pesky cartoon heroes!), this is a joy for any child who loves mayhem and mischief!
(Chicken House, paperback, £6.99)

Age 6 plus
Myths, Monsters and Mayhem in Ancient Greece
James Davies 

DISCOVER some of the oldest and most exciting stories ever told in this richly detailed and fabulously illustrated comic book from Welsh author and illustrator James Davies. The Greek myths are simply amazing stories of deadly monsters, heroes and gods and, like many other ancient civilisations, the Greeks told fantastical stories to teach lessons about right and wrong, tell the history of their gods and explain the world around them… from why the seasons change to where human beings come from.

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And this striking collection – brimming with Davies’ uniquely bold, graphic style illustrations influenced by old cartoons and retro picture books – is the perfect introduction to the world of the gods, containing six tales full of love, loss, greed, envy and bravery.

Journey down to the Underworld with Orpheus, open Pandora’s famous Box and join Theseus in his quest to defeat the dreaded Minotaur as you enter a world like no other. Bursting with awesome facts, eye-opening illustrations and humour, Davies’ retelling of the Greek myths will delight readers of all ages.
(Big Picture Press, hardback, £14.99)

Age 7 plus
Dino Knights: Panterra in Peril
Jeff Norton and Jeff Crosby

PICK two favourite themes – dangerous dinosaurs and daring knights – blend them together, and what do you have? Dino Knights of course! In the first of his fabulous, action-packed chapter book series, Jeff Norton transports youngsters to a thrilling medieval land where dinosaurs still roam and brave knights ride into adventures on the back of roaring dinosaurs.

Norton, loved for his stories which create compelling characters, awesome escapades, and immersive worlds, is on his best form in this tale starring lowly stable boy Henry Fairchild who races into action on the back of a T-rex.

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When Henry’s homeland is threatened, and his master Lord Harding is thrown into danger, Henry's gift at making the dinos obey him means the Dino Knights really need him. But will they accept a stable boy into their elite group? After minimal training, Henry is launched into battle and his quick wits, daring and kindness win the day.

With Jeff Crosby’s atmospheric black and white illustrations to bring Norton’s world-building to vivid life, a gallery of amazing characters, a map, playful heraldic chapter headings and a dinosaur field guide, this exciting story of bravery, loyalty, friendship and family is perfect for all fearless young adventurers.
(Scallywag Press, paperback, £6.99)

Age 6 plus
Mega Robo Bros: Power Up
Neill Cameron

BRACE yourself for a rocket-powered graphic novel adventure courtesy of David Fickling Books’ highly popular The Phoenix Presents series… and comic books creator Neill Cameron. Part of an amazing all-colour story strip series, Power Up is a republished version of Mega Robo Bros, but now fully remastered and adapted into a new chunky format with lots of extra bonus content.

Packed with action-packed fun and comedy, this supercharged tale of two robot brothers facing a Machiavellian rogue robot will delight young readers and help to encourage a love of books and good storytelling.

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London in the future… Alex and Freddy are just like any other brothers. They are always squabbling and forever finding new ways to drive their adopted parents crazy. There’s only one difference... they are also the most powerful robots on Earth. In this epic story, Alex and Freddy soon discover that they are not the only super-powered robots around. The evil Robot 23 is hatching sinister plans to take over country. No one is safe and the lives of the brothers will soon be far from peaceful. Get ready for giant robot beefeaters, flying tube trains and rocket-powered sibling rivalry as battle commences!

And in Double Threat, the republished version of Mega Robo Rumble, there’s a new enemy in town and he’s determined to take down the Mega Robo Bros.

Duty calls Alex and Freddy because they are now agents of R.A.I.D., an elite government unit that protects the world from robotic attacks. This new and terrifying giant drill-bot is destroying London and if that’s not enough to deal with, Freddy has somehow become an internet celebrity. Can the brothers save the day as the mysterious robot from Team Robotix, genius inventors, is twisted with rage and intent on ruthlessly exacting his revenge on R.A.I.D?

With flying tube trains, sibling rivalry, big explosions, family drama and two madcap brothers saving the day, these superhero thrillers are ideal for your own young techno wizards…
(David Fickling Books, paperback, £8.99 each)

Age 5 plus
Seven Sisters
Ayisha Malik and Erika Meza

WARRING sisters learn to celebrate their differences in an enchanting illustrated story from creative storyteller Ayisha Malik and Mexican illustrator Erika Meza. High up in the trees seven sisters swing, swoop and swirl – each totally different and brilliant in their own way but too busy arguing and fighting to accept each other’s likes and wants. 

Consequently the treetops are full of music, colour, life and noisy disagreements! Until one day the ground trembles and the trees shake. Birds fly from their nests and insects scuttle about. Something is changing but no one knows what...

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As each sister learns to accept their differences, and to understand that it isn’t a place or its space but its people that made a home, their world starts to possess a brighter and more inclusive harmony. With Meza’s stunning illustrations and Malik’s creative, inspirational story, Seven Sisters is a beautiful gift book that speaks loudly to children everywhere.
(Little Tiger Press, hardback, £12.99)

Age 5 plus
Lottie Loves Nature: Bird Alert
Jane Clarke and James Brown

NATURE isn’t just fascinating… it’s positively awesome! Join a girl who loves every little thing on our planet in this inventive and entertaining children’s fiction series which makes learning an adventure full of knockabout fun and comes from Five Quills, a small independent publisher with big ideas about books for younger readers. Five Quills is on a mission to fill its books with lively illustrations and carefully written stories, making them perfect for reading aloud and sharing with both new and experienced readers.

Lottie Loves Nature: Bird Alert stars Lottie Boffin, twin sister of Al Boffin, the star of author Jane Clarke and illustrator James Brown’s brilliant Al’s Awesome Science series which explores science principles through fun stories and (often hilariously messy!) experiments.

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Lottie loves wildlife and dreams of becoming a nature show presenter like Samira Breeze, host of her favourite programme Every Little Thing. And in her new eco-adventure, Lottie wants to help wildlife and is taking a bird count to see how many types of birds visit her garden. She finds sparrows nesting in the ivy, but the neighbour’s cat is on the prowl and is trying to reach the little fledglings. Lottie must save the birds!

Expect lots of fascinating facts and plenty of mishaps as Clarke works her storytelling magic while Brown’s charismatic black and white illustrations add extra comedy and energy to this inspirational series. With amazing birds to enjoy, conservation tips, and instructions on how to make fat cakes and a bird bath, this is the perfect way to have fun while learning!
(Five Quills, paperback, £6.99)

Age 2 plus
10 Silly Children
Jon Lander 

AND now for something completely different… a book for very sensible children only! If you think that sounds silly, then you’d be correct because the ten children inside this glorious picture book are behaving in some VERY silly ways.

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10 Silly Children comes from the creative mind of author and illustrator Jon Lander whose trademark freehand artwork using watercolours and ink are loved for their sense of spontaneity and originality. And youngsters will love this freewheeling story with its lift-the-flap fun and joyous celebration of all things silly as we discover just what slapstick fun is hidden behind every seemingly peaceful, sedate scene. The 10 children appear to be behaving sensibly… painting quietly, helping with the washing, brushing their teeth and tending to their plants. But what is under the flap? Are they making a mess? Dressing up a lion? Brushing the teeth of a crocodile? How silly, close that flap as quick as you can!

Ideal for teaching children their first ten numbers, 10 Silly Children is guaranteed to hold their attention with the interactive flap-out page design, the minimal use of illustration, and the use of repetitive and simple phrases. It would be silly not to join in the fun!
(Pavilion Children’s Books, paperback, £7.99)

The Heights

Louise Candlish

TWO years on, Ellen Saint is still haunted by the face of the man whose toxic friendship led to the death of her teenage son… But just how far can a mother go to avenge the death of her beloved child, and is it right to take matters into your own hands?

Suburban noir doesn’t come better than this nail-biting, mind-bending thriller from award-winning Louise Candlish (pictured below), the queen of moral dilemma novels and a clever and exciting storyteller with the sharpest eye in the business when it comes to the complexities of human relationships.

In this twisting, turning new masterpiece, she sets her sights on the domestic fall-out from a corrosive friendship between two sixth-form students from opposite sides of the tracks… a relationship which becomes every parent’s worst nightmare and spills over into obsession, disaster and tragedy.

To Ellen Saint, Kieran Watts is ‘the monster who destroyed my life.’ He walked into her 16-year-old son Lucas’s life when the two boys were at the same sixth-form college. Lucas was an academic with a reputation for being ‘a team player’ and was assigned to brash Kieran, who lived in care, as a ‘buddy.’

At their first meeting, Ellen could feel bad vibes from Kieran… he was ‘bristling with dislike and contempt’ and gave her a glare ‘so deadly, so chilling’ that she physically shivered. But the two teenagers were soon inseparable, ‘joined at the hip’ and sharing gaming sessions, parties, hangouts, and even skipping off school. 

Ellen voiced her fears to both her husband Justin, Lucas’s stepfather, and to Vic Gordon, Lucas’s natural dad who lives not far from them. Vic is sympathetic over Kieran’s ‘toxic’ influence on their son but has always thought his ex-wife is too hysterical, while good-natured Justin tries to see the best in everyone.

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As Lucas is increasingly away from home and neglecting his studies, Ellen becomes convinced that they would never forget the name Kieran Watts and when a terrible tragedy strikes, she is proved right.

Several years later, lighting consultant Ellen is visiting a client in an apartment block in the London riverside area of Shad Thames when she looks over at The Heights, an apartment building directly opposite, and sees a man on the roof terrace. He’s a man she would recognise

The Girl with the Silver Clasp

Juliet Greenwood 

THREE young women are determined to defy convention in the aftermath of the dark days of the First World War… but will they find the courage to follow their dreams?

Lancaster University graduate and historical novelist Juliet Greenwood (pictured below) sweeps us away to beautiful Cornwall and bustling London for a lyrical and lovely tale of ambition, heartache, love and loss starring three charismatic women from different backgrounds.

Born into the very different social classes of England in the early part of the century, their paths cross as they share a desire to defy all expectations, and forge their own destinies in a rapidly changing world.

It’s 1916 and17-year-old Jess Morgan is working at the forge in the Cornish coastal village near St Ives where she lives with her widowed harbourmaster father. With her nimble fingers, sharp eyes and clever brain, she had always hoped to become a celebrated silversmith but as a girl, she is expected to marry, have babies and keep the menfolk happy. All she can do is cling on to her dreams and the memory of a delicate, unique silver clasp that she once created for a society bride.

Meanwhile, Rachel Bellamy from Enys Hall, the mansion that owns and overlooks the harbour, is frustrated that she is seen as nothing more than ‘a feeble do-gooder’ seeking only to secure a husband to keep her in unthinking comfort for the rest of her life.

Instead, Rachel volunteers as an ambulance driver on the front line in France but on return, finds a very different world to the one she left and it will be up to her to save the family home and picturesque harbour from her wealthy brother-in-law before it’s too late.

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And also contemplating her future is Giselle Harding who fought her way up from poverty to become a Hollywood movie star. She is discovering that even the most beautiful jewels she owns will never replace the man she lost.

As the lives of the three women collide, will they be able to overcome their differences and fight together for the dreams they once held so close? From a small coastal village near St Ives to the battlefields of France and the glitz and glamour of London in the Twenties, this is an enthralling and enchanting story full of brave and talented women, and rich, authentic period detail.

Greenwood excels at scene setting and characterisation, and The Girl with the Silver Clasp delivers not just a moving, inspirational tale about the healing power of friendship but a fascinating exploration of the burgeoning artistic community springing up in post-war St Ives and the intricate skill of fashioning enamelled jewellery. Beautifully written, expertly plotted and with a breathtaking sense of time and place, this is the perfect read for long and lazy summer days.
(Orion, paperback, £8.99)

Those Hamilton Sisters

Averil Kenny 

IF your sunshine disappears behind a wall of cloud, escape to the lush tropics of Australia’s Far North Queensland in a super, sweeping family saga. An irresistible story of family, secrets and love, Aussie author Averil Kenny’s emotionally-charged and captivating novel stars three sisters whose future is threatened by their mother’s scandalous past.

The Sunday train which snaked into Noah Vale that midwinter afternoon brought with it fire, sending an inferno of small-town gossip roaring up the valley… and all because beautiful, irrepressible Esther Hamilton once had a reputation in the small Queensland town of Noah Vale.

Twenty years ago, Esther ran away under a cloud of shame but it’s now 1955 and following their mother’s death, the Hamilton sisters – Sonnet, Fable and little Plum – have returned to Noah Vale to live near their aunt and uncle.

Sonnet, twenty years old and legal guardian to her siblings, has never set foot in Noah Vale, yet has been the talk of the town for decades. Fable, at twelve-years-old, is a talented artist and lovelier than even her heartbreaking mother had been. 

And three-year-old Plum is just a little girl who has lost her mother and been taken away from the only home she has ever known. As the years pass, the three sisters settle into their new life, working in the town, going to school and swimming in the perfect waterfalls nearby. But suspicion and judgment continue to follow the Hamilton sisters wherever they go.

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In a small town where everyone thinks they know everything about each other, it’s hard to escape the past. And when Fable falls in love with Noah Vale’s golden boy, is history destined to repeat itself?

Set against a stunning, evocative backdrop of rainforest, golden sunshine, misty vales and soaring mountains, Those Hamilton Sisters features three charismatic and vibrant girls, each portrayed with exquisite precision as they blossom under the Queensland sunshine. As they find their place in the world, they must use every ounce of their determination and courage, and overcome the small town prejudices where their mother’s reputation has coloured the views of the close-knit, suspicious community. A fresh and imaginative coming-of-age story for all lovers of family sagas.
(Zaffre, paperback, £8.99)

The Wishing Tree Beside the Shore

Jaimie Admans 

LAUGHTER and tears are never far away when you steep yourself in this fabulous summer read from Jaimie Admans (pictured below), author of a string of fabulous, feelgood romantic comedies.

And happiness is certainly written all over The Wishing Tree Beside the Shore, a sizzling, summertime confection of storytelling magic, picture perfect scenery and heart-melting romance.

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Fifteen years ago, Felicity Kerr threw caution to the wind and kissed her colleague Ryan Sullivan under the ancient wishing tree along the coast. When Ryan failed to respond to her kiss, Felicity was mortified that she had read his signals horrendously wrong and she left Lemmon Cove for good.

But now Felicity’s job brings her back to her home town, and face to face with Ryan who is leading a band of octogenarians rallying to save their beloved 300-year-old sycamore from being bulldozed by property developers.

The spark with Ryan is still there, but Felicity is guarding a secret and as much as she wants to join the protest by his side, she can’t help but hold back. Will Felicity be able to mend her broken heart and find happiness with Ryan beside the sea?

If you believe in fairy tales and adore stories that feature love with a capital L then Admans’ rom-com should be on your must-read list this holiday season. All those favourite ingredients – lost love, drama, comedy, fun and friendship – come sprinkled with the stardust of a magical tree which might just make all your wishes come true!

(HQ, paperback, £8.99) 

The Beginner’s Guide to Loneliness

Laura Bambrey 

WARMTH, wisdom and wellbeing go hand-in-in hand in this enchanting debut novel from book blogger and women’s fiction reviewer Laura Bambrey. Using her experience and knowledge, Bambrey (pictured below) has written a tale of our times starring a woman struggling with being alone and desperate to return to some sort of normality after a tragedy in her life.

Full of compassion, understanding, and a cast of characters that readers cannot help but fall for, The Beginner’s Guide to Loneliness is both a moving exploration of finding love and hope in friendship, and an uplifting read for anyone in need of self-help inspiration.

Tori Williamson is alone. After a tragic event left her isolated from her loved ones, she’s been struggling to find her way back to herself. That’s why she set up her blog, The Beginner’s Guide to Loneliness, as a way of – anonymously – connecting with the outside world and reaching others who just need a little help sometimes.

When she’s offered a free spot at The Farm, a wellbeing retreat, in exchange for a review on her blog, Tori is anxious about opening herself up to new surroundings. But after her three closest friends – who she talks to online but has never actually met – convince her it will do her some good, she reluctantly agrees and heads off for three weeks in the wilds at a farm in Wales.

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From the moment she arrives, Tori is sceptical and quickly finds herself attracted to fellow sceptic Than, the retreat’s dark and mysterious latecomer. But as the beauty of The Farm slowly comes to light she realises that opening herself up might not be the worst thing. And sharing a yurt with fellow retreater Bay definitely isn’t. Will the retreat be able to fix Tori? And will she finally learn that being lonely doesn’t mean she’s broken?

Bambrey proves to be an exciting new voice in women’s fiction as readers’ hearts and minds are drawn into the lives of a group of disparate people who confront their problems and their fears, and discover that friendship is one of life’s greatest healers. Beautifully written and threaded through with fun, emotion and romance, this is the perfect read for long summer days.
(Simon & Schuster, paperback, £7.99)

Trust Me

T.M. Logan

WHEN Ellen Devlin is left holding an abandoned baby on a train heading into London, it’s just the start of a terrifying journey… The baby’s flustered young mother said she needed to make an urgent telephone call but now Ellen has just seen the woman leave the train at the next stop, and walk away without looking back.

One of the most exciting authors currently writing for the ever-busy crime thriller market, T.M. Logan (pictured below) is back with another of his ingeniously imagined and perfectly executed plots, and this one is guaranteed to blow your mind!

Trust Me – a compulsive, menacing, high-octane story full of authentic characters, gobsmacking twists and with Logan’s trademark this-could-happen-to-me premise – is an addictive thrill ride into a dangerous, deadly and definitely untrustworthy world.

Even the doctors don’t fully understand why 41-year-old Ellen can’t get pregnant but on her way home, after hearing their devastating verdict, she knows for certain that her infertility has ended her marriage and made her ‘a prisoner of my own biology.’

And that makes it even more painful for Ellen when young mother Kathryn and her unbearably and impossibly cute baby girl sit down opposite her on the train. She can’t help but notice the ‘pulse of unease’ just beneath the surface of the woman, and when her phone rings, Ellen agrees to hold three-month-old baby Mia for a few minutes while Kathryn moves down the train to take the call. She is more than willing to help a stranger, even though the weight of the child in her arms is making Ellen’s heart ache for what she can never have. But then five and now ten minutes have passed and as the train pulls into the last stop before Marylebone, Ellen is stunned to look out at the platform and see the mother mouth the word ‘sorry’ to her before walking briskly out of the station. Ellen is about to raise the alarm when she discovers a note in the baby’s bag… three desperate lines scrawled hastily on a piece of paper: ‘Please protect Mia, Don’t trust the police, Don’t trust anyone.’

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Recalling the fear she had seen in her last glimpse of Kathryn, and asking herself why a mother would abandon her child to a stranger, Ellen makes a split second choice… but she is about to discover that the baby in her arms might hold the key to an unspeakable crime, and doing the right thing might just cost her everything.

There won’t be a moment’s pause for readers when they are pulled mercilessly into Ellen’s perilous battle to protect baby Mia, and her intrepid search for the truth behind her mother’s abrupt departure on that fateful journey to Marylebone. But beware because Logan loves to confound his readers’ expectations and Trust Me – a tale teeming with those who would have Ellen put their trust in them – is a brilliantly played game of lies, cruelty and subterfuge.

Fortunately, our unexpectedly resolute and resourceful hero Ellen proves to be more than ready to put up a fierce fight against foes, both seen and unseen, for the baby that has been unexpectedly thrust into her care. Her emotional investment in Mia – fuelled by her own heartbreaking inability to bear a child – transforms Ellen into a long-dormant lioness defending her cub, and takes her to some of humankind’s darkest and most disturbing places. Fast-paced throughout and bristling with suspense, you won’t trust your own judgments until the final, explosive last act!
(Zaffre, paperback, £8.99)