Cirrus@Austlit

'1917: America’s declaration of war against Germany gives Grace Winter, a keen-eyed New York Times investigative reporter, a much sought after opportunity to make her mark on the Western Front, albeit in ways she had never expected. But by 1918 the gruesome reality of trench warfare has set in, and an invisible new enemy – The Spanish Flu – is killing allied soldiers in their droves.

'Father Jude is no ordinary priest. He’s proven himself as fearless on the battlefield as any soldier, and as compassionate as any man of the cloth. He is willing to put himself in the line of fire to save the souls of young men on both sides of the barbed wire. But things get complicated when he renders assistance to the sharp-witted war correspondent, Grace.

'As their mission to filter secrets back through enemy lines become increasingly perilous, so too does their attraction. And when Grace catches the priest taking an obsessive interest in a tiny silver music box gifted to her by an unknown soldier, she suspects the good Father may be keeping a devastating secret. Grace must trust her instincts and make an impossible choice, between the life of one man and the lives of many men.

'Set against the backdrop of World War One and spanning three continents, this is a heart- stopping story of forbidden love and courage that explores the nature of faith, the quest for redemption and the true meaning of grace.' (Publication summary)

'The Suffragette meets The Greatest Showman in this story ofpassion and courage, as a young feminist fights against the rules of society to find her place in the world.

'New York, 1897. The richest city in the world.

'Beautiful, young and privileged, Rose Kingsbury Smith is expected to play by the strict rules of social etiquette, to forfeit all career aspirations and to marry a man of good means. But she has a quietly rebellious streak and is determined to make her own mark on Manhattan’s growing skyline. When the theft of a precious heirloom plunges her family into financial ruin, Rose becomes her family’s most tradeable asset. She finds herself fighting for her independence and championing the ideal of equality for women everywhere.

'Enigmatic Ethan Salt’s inglorious circus days are behind him. He lives a quiet life on Coney Island with his beloved elephant Daisy and is devoted to saving animals who’ve been brutalised by show business. As he struggles to raise funds for his menagerie, he fears he will never build the sanctuary of his dreams … until a chance encounter with a promising young architect changes his life forever.

'Just when Rose is on the verge of seeing her persistence pay off, the ghosts of her past threaten to destroy everything she holds dear. In the face of heartbreaking prejudice and betrayal, she must learn to harness her greatest wonder within.

'From Fifth Avenue mansions to Lower East Side tenements and the carnivals of Coney Island, The Eighth Wonder explores the brilliance and brutality of one of the world’s most progressive eras and celebrates the visionaries who dare to rebel.' (Publication summary)