Cirrus@Austlit

'New York in the 1920s — a time when fortunes are made and a woman’s dreams are challenged against all odds in a sweeping historical novel by the international bestselling author of The Light After the War.

'1926, Hyde Park, New York. Born to modest means but befriended by the wealthy, aspiring dress designer Pandora Carmichael has been surrounded by privilege yet never at home in it. That hasn’t stopped her from dreaming—of a romance in a rarified world that could also give her the status and resources to start a business of her own. When she’s introduced to a charismatic Princeton student, Pandora’s future begins to fall into place.

'Marriage provides Pandora with a devoted husband, comfortable love, and the prominence and affluence to open a boutique. It’s a fantasy realised, until scandal and tragedy upend Pandora’s life and she flees Hyde Park with a heart-wrenching secret. As the Depression looms, Pandora must rethink everything she’s ever wanted.

'From sprawling Gilded Age mansions in New York to the seedy underbelly of Greenwich Village and the stunning coastal vistas of the French Riviera, Pandora’s escape is a journey of self-discovery, adventure, true love, and ambition. There are new dreams to be had, and Pandora is betting on herself to make them come true.' (Publication summary)

'A homecoming snares a young woman in a dangerous tangle of lies, secrets, and bad blood in this gripping novel by the bestselling author of An Accusation.

'Running from a bad relationship, journalist Jo Sharpe heads home to Arthurville, the drought-stricken town she turned her back on years earlier. While some things have changed―her relationship with her ailing, crotchety father, her new job at the community newspaper―Jo finds that her return has rekindled the grief and uncertainty she experienced during her childhood following the inexplicable disappearance of her mother and baby sister.

'Returning to Arthurville has its unexpected pleasures, though, as Jo happily reconnects with old friends and makes a few new ones. But she can’t let go of her search for answers to that long-ago mystery. And as she keeps investigating, the splash she’s making begins to ripple outward―far beyond the disappearance of her mother and sister.

'Jo is determined to dig as deep as it takes to get answers. But it’s not long before she realises that someone among the familiar faces doesn’t want her picking through the debris of the past. And they’ll go to any lengths to silence the little bird before she sings the truth.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'His dying wish was to set her free. So why does she feel so trapped?

'Jack had two dying wishes: that his wife scatter his ashes somewhere exotic, and that she not give up on life once he was gone. He intended to spur her on to new adventures, but despite clinging to her red suitcase, Geraldine Verne hasn't left the house for three months.

'It takes an accident for Geri to accept help from her friends, but when Meals on Wheels arrive she is mortified. Yet heartbroken volunteer Lottie brings with her more than cottage pie and custard. Like Geri, she too is struggling to cut loose.

'As a gloriously unlikely friendship blossoms, Geraldine begins to feel a long-lost spark of life and a newfound confidence. Perhaps what both women needed most, after all, was each other.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'One lucky day will change two women's lives - but for better or worse?

'When an unexpected windfall brings together strangers Shauna and Frankie, one woman is popping champagne corks-but the other just wants to cry. For her part, Shauna is pouring celebratory drinks. Since her heart was broken and her dreams shattered, she's been ready for a fresh start. Surely she deserves some good luck at last? But Frankie knows what can happen to families when money moves in and is allowed to take over. Fearing she'll lose the contented-if cash-strapped-life she has built with her husband and their two daughters, she wants to be in control this time. But as money rewrites their life stories and truths emerge among the treasure, both are forced to wonder if their good fortune is just bad luck in disguise...'

Source : publisher's blurb

'Will new friends almost ruined by their husbands find the strength to fight for each other?

'Abi’s life has been turned upside down by her husband’s death—in more ways than she could ever have imagined. With his dodgy business dealings now exposed, gone is her glamorous lifestyle and the trust of her family and friends. How could the man who said he loved her have betrayed her so spectacularly?

'Three women in their thirties. Different backgrounds, different beliefs, different aspirations; same good fortune.

'For Shauna, celebrations surrounding an unexpected windfall are short-lived. Facing a lawsuit, her mother's unpredictable behaviour, and the sudden appearance of a long-lost relative, the shine of good fortune is quick to fade.

'Frankie loves her life. Even living with difficult circumstances her glass is always half-full -- she wouldn't change a thing. When good fortune falls at Frankie's feet, she is loath to embrace it, terrified of the potential disaster it could bring.

'Bec's good fortune pales into insignificance when compared to her husband's indiscretion. The lawyer in her is quick to see the situation in black and white. He's at fault; the marriage needs to end. Bec's haste to move on, coupled with her decision to hide her recent luck, has devastating consequences.

'Good fortune helps form unlikely friendships when the lives of these three women are brought together. Will their combined strength be enough to help solve the problems of their already complicated lives? Or will it further fuel them?'  (Publication summary)

'Are some white lies simply too big to forgive?

'Eve and Leah are identical twins—but beyond that, they’re polar opposites. Struggling journalist Leah envies Eve’s seemingly perfect life—the loyal husband, the beautiful twin daughters, the stellar career—little knowing that what Eve longs for most is Leah’s independence.

'When a shocking event upends their world, one woman seizes a split-second chance to change everything and follow her sister down a different life path. It’s a spontaneous choice, but there’s no going back. How will she deal with the fallout when covering up one untruth means lying to everyone—about everything?

'One thing is clear: both twins have secrets, and both just want to be happy. But what price will they pay to live the life they’ve always wanted?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Tragedy pushed them apart. Can troubled times bring them back together?

'Hannah and Nat were teenagers when their mum died in a terrible accident. The pain of it tore them apart, creating a rift that they've never been able to bridge. Neither is able to understand or appreciate her sister's perspective, each quick to be riled by the other.

'Both women have been indelibly shaped by the tragedy. Hannah is controlling, desperate to protect her loved ones in a way she failed to do with her mum. Meanwhile, Nat is forever running from the 'selfish daughter' label that she was marked with after the accident.

'Now secrets in both women's lives threaten to bring them down. Help may be close at hand, but neither can see it. But with life falling apart and the truth in short supply, can they finally see past their differences to the bond that could bring them together?' (Publication summary)

'His life is perfectly regimented. Is there really room for something as unpredictable as love?

'Oliver Clock has everything arranged just so. A steady job running the family funeral parlour. A fridge stocked with ready meals. A drawer full of colour-coded socks. A plan (of sorts) to stay trim enough for a standard-sized coffin. And in florist Marie, he’s even found the love of his life—not that she’s aware of it.

'When a terrible tragedy takes Marie out of his life but leaves him with her private journal, he discovers too late that she secretly loved him back. Faced now with an empty love life, a family funeral business in trouble, a fast-approaching fortieth birthday and a notebook of resolutions he’s never achieved, Oliver resolves to open himself up to love—and all the mess that comes along with it.

'But, with a habit of burying his feelings, can he learn to embrace his lovability and find the woman who will make him feel whole?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'For Emma and Lucie, the art of lying appears all too easy . .

Emma Wilson has it all. Beauty, wealth, a loving and successful husband. But appearance can be deceptive. Bored and restless, her need for more fuels a dangerous craving; one she intends to keep hidden. Against her husband's wishes and trapped in a deep web of lies, Emma returns to the family and hometown she left seventeen years earlier. Here, her lies magnify, threatening to destroy her marriage and all she holds dear. Widowed and struggling financially and emotionally, Lucie Andrews is pushed to her limits. Delayed grief combined with an obstinate five-year-old drive her to rash decisions and reckless behaviours, the consequences of which she is determined to keep secret. For Lucie, the most dangerous lies are not the one she tells others, but those she tells herself. Thrown together by circumstance, will friendship be strong enough for Emma and Lucie to survive the fallout from their lies, or will the fragile threads of their lives continue to unravel?'

'For some people in post–World War II Germany, the battle is not over.

'August 1945. As Stefano, an Italian POW, heads toward home across war-ravaged Germany, he encounters a young child beside his dead mother. Unable to leave him to an unknown fate, Stefano takes the boy with him, finding refuge in a seemingly abandoned house in a secluded woodland.

'But the house is far from vacant. Stefano wakes at the arrival of its owner, Erich, a former German soldier, who invites the travelers to stay until they can find safe passage home. Stefano cautiously agrees, intrigued by the disarming German, his reclusive neighbor Rosalind, and her traumatized husband, Georg. Stefano is also drawn to Monique, the girl in a photograph on Rosalind’s wall, who went missing during the war.

'But when he discovers letters written by Monique, a darker truth emerges. This place of refuge could be one of reckoning, and the secrets of the past might prevent the travelers from ever getting home.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'From the author of The Unkillable Kitty O’Kane comes a gripping novel about finding the American Dream—and what it costs.

'In 1913, Sarah Levine sails to New York to start a promising new life with her husband, Micha. Unable to conceive, Sarah despairs of ever having a family of her own. Her dream finally comes true when Micha brings home an abandoned baby girl. Overjoyed, Sarah names the foundling Liberty. She never doubts her husband’s story…not until after Micha’s death, when she discovers the truth hidden in his belongings.

'From struggling to raise Liberty alone in a Lower East Side tenement to building a fashion empire, the only constants in Sarah’s life are her love for her daughter and the terrible secret that she must keep. Sarah gives Liberty everything she has, but the truth cannot stay hidden forever. As Liberty grows to womanhood and the world prepares to go to war again, Sarah is asked to make one last impossible choice…'

(Source: publisher's blurb)

'At the height of World War II, Eva Scott's dream comes true. Accepted into the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), she leaves balmy California and the man she loves for gruelling training in Texas, ultimately landing at formidable Camp Davis in North Carolina.

Vastly outnumbered by men and amidst contempt, discrimination, and sabotage, Eva and her closest friends, the unconventional Nina and straightlaced Helena, remain loyal to their mission and to each other. They stay focused on the horizon, determined to prove themselves capable women pilots. Until a fatal mission sends Eva's dream crashing to earth...

Now, decades later, is it possible to discover the truth about the night that changed her life? Is there any hope she'll recover all that she's lost?'

Source: Publisher's blurb. 

'A beguiling painting holds the secrets of a woman’s past and calls into question everything she thought she knew about the man she loved…

'When fiery and idealistic Kitty O’Kane escapes the crushing poverty of Dublin’s tenements, she’s determined that no one should ever suffer like she did. As she sets out to save the world, she finds herself at the forefront of events that shaped the early twentieth century. While working as a maid, she survives the sinking of the Titanic. As a suffragette in New York’s Greenwich Village, she’s jailed for breaking storefront windows. And traveling war-torn Europe as a journalist, she’s at the Winter Palace when it’s stormed by the Bolsheviks. Ultimately she returns to her homeland to serve as a nurse in the Irish Civil War.

'During Kitty’s remarkable journey, she reunites with her childhood sweetheart, Tom Doyle, but Tom doesn’t know everything about her past—a past that continues to haunt her. Will Kitty accept that before she can save everyone else, she needs to find a way to save herself? Or will the sins of her past stop her from pursuing her own happiness?'

(Source: publisher's blurb)

'In 1946, artist Rebecca Swift’s dreams of love and a life free from convention are crashing like the waves of the Australian coast below her. And it’s into those roiling waters that she disappears.

'Four unforgettable characters are tested during a war between Rome and Etruscan Veii.

'Caecilia has long been torn between her birthplace of Rome and her adopted city of Veii. Yet faced with mounting danger to her husband, children, and Etruscan freedoms, will her call to destroy Rome succeed?

'Pinna has clawed her way from prostitute to the concubine of the Roman general Camillus. Deeply in love, can she exert her own power to survive the threat of exposure by those who know her sordid past?

'Semni, a servant, seeks forgiveness for a past betrayal. Will she redeem herself so she can marry the man she loves?

'Marcus, a Roman tribune, is tormented by unrequited love for another soldier. Can he find strength to choose between his cousin Caecilia and his fidelity to Rome?

'Who will overcome the treachery of mortals and gods?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'When Sara Hardy inherits a cottage in the small town of Redemption, it is just the break she needs to draw a line under her past—to begin again, on her own.

'Sara never thought she’d be starting over. She was married, successful, and the mother of a beautiful girl. But the life she thought was on the right path has taken a series of wrong turns…

'Meanwhile Jake Mathieson has a lot on his plate. Still reeling from a tragedy for which he feels responsible, he finds himself unexpectedly caring for his six-year-old nephew. In desperation, he comes to Redemption to enlist the help of his Aunt Cilla, a widow with demons of her own. Jake is intrigued by Cilla’s cautious new neighbor. Like him, Sara is desperate to put the past behind her but not quite sure how to begin. Can Redemption offer either of them a second chance to find hope and happiness—perhaps even to take a risk on new love?'

Source : publisher's blurb

'Rose Mathieson knows the only way is up. It has to be. She’s made some mistakes in her life, but almost losing her son is a wake-up call. More than that: it’s a call to action. It’s time to start again.

'The town of Redemption, Connecticut, seems to offer exactly what she craves: a quiet, stable life for her and her six-year-old son, Olly. But Redemption has changed since she last saw it—or perhaps it’s just Rose who has changed. Her reputation precedes her now, and not everyone is happy to see her back.

'Caden Shoreham is, though. Rose’s childhood neighbor, a preacher’s son, and now the pillar of the community, he’s embarking on an ambitious new path of his own. He had always hoped they might end up more than friends, but Rose Mathieson isn’t quite what his parents and friends had in mind for him.

'Everyone deserves a chance—but has Rose used all her chances up?'

Source : publisher's blurb