Here’s my pick of this week’s new hardback/paperback fiction titles. In some cases the eBook might already be available. My source is primarily The Bookseller, but I’ve started to include other sources to broaden the selection.
Just a reminder, I don’t have access to a complete list of titles being published, and, as I don’t see any advance copies, my choices are based on the cover, blurb, gut instinct and what takes my fancy at the time.
(NB This post features Affiliate links from which I earn a small commission on qualifying purchases)
Index
Historical (I tend to take this as pre 1960’s ie not in my lifetime!)
Historical
Homeseeking by Karissa Chen
There are moments when a single choice can define an entire life. Haiwen and Suchi are teenage sweethearts in 1940s Shanghai; their childhood friendship has blossomed into young love, and they believe that they are soulmates. But when Haiwen secretly decides to enlist in the army to keep his brother from the draft, their shared future is shattered. Their paths take them far afield from each other, with the exception of one pivotal chance encounter on the Hong Kong ferry in 1966.
Sixty years later, Haiwen, now in his late seventies, is bagging bananas at a 99 Ranch in Los Angeles when he lifts his head to once more see Suchi. As they begin to rekindle their friendship, it feels like they might have a second chance to live the life they were supposed to have together. But the weight of the past lives with them at every moment, and only time will tell if they are able to forge something new.
Told in alternating narratives, Homeseeking spans seven decades, through the most tumultuous period of modern Chinese history up to contemporary times, tracing the separated lovers as they migrate from Shanghai to Hong Kong, Taiwan, and America.
The Portrait Artist by Dani Heywood-Lonsdale
One morning in 1890, a painting wrapped in brown paper appears on the steps of the National Gallery and causes a sensation. It’s clearly by Timothy Ponden-Hall, whose paintings were celebrated and debated not just for their beauty, but for the rumours behind them: they were believed to immortalise the souls of their subjects. But Ponden-Hall has been thought dead for the last 50 years. . .
In a bid to quiet the gossip and rumours that swirl around the streets of London, the gallery brings in renowned and reluctant art historian Solomon Oak to investigate. Oak is assisted by an unlikely aide: his daughter Alice. A passionate but sheltered student, Alice has worldly desires which eclipse the life she’s expected to lead. Together they discover that exposing Ponden-Hall’s legacy will prove more controversial than they could ever have imagined for their family, and for Victorian society.
Set between London and Oxford, The Portrait Artist is a twisting debut exploring race, fame and long-kept secrets.
The Queen and the Countess by Anne O’Brien
KEEP THY FRIENDS CLOSE,
THY ENEMIES CLOSER…
England 1450s
Queen Margaret knows she must protect the crown – and her son Prince Edward’s claim to it – at all costs. With her husband, King Henry, increasingly frail, it is up to Margaret to fight for their inheritance. And as the Wars of the Roses rage on, her enemies and their wives lurk close, threatening to unravel everything she is trying to protect.
Anne, Countess of Warwick has long striven to be a loyal and accomplished wife to the Earl of Warwick. But when she develops an unlikely alliance with the Lancastrian Queen Margaret, her husband’s adversary, she wonders how much power now lies in her hands to determine the course of history.
Crossing enemy lines, the pair strike up a thorny friendship – yet in the midst of treachery and the turmoil of battle, can the two women trust each other?
Or is it only a matter of time before war drives a sword between them…
The Lost Passenger by Frances Quinn
In the chaos of that terrible night, her secret went down with the Titanic. But secrets have a way of floating to the surface…
Trapped in an unhappy aristocratic marriage, Elinor Coombes sees only lonely days ahead of her. So a present from her father – tickets for the maiden voyage of a huge, luxurious new ship called the Titanic – offers a welcome escape from the cold, controlling atmosphere of her husband’s ancestral home, and some precious time with her little son, Teddy.
When the ship goes down, Elinor realises the disaster has given her a chance to take Teddy and start a new life – but only if they can disappear completely, listed as among the dead. Penniless and using another woman’s name, she has to learn to survive in a world that couldn’t be more different from her own, and keep their secret safe.
An uplifting story about grabbing your chances with both hands, and being brave enough to find out who you really are.
Forgotten Child by Katie Flynn
Scotland, 1940: Isla Donaghue is just sixteen when her mother dies, and her idyllic life comes to an abrupt end. Unable to cope, Isla’s father sends her to the poorhouse when he joins the merchant navy.
Horrified at the harsh conditions of the poorhouse, Isla is determined to escape. Enlisting the help of her newfound friends Meg and Sophie, she devises a plan to flee to Liverpool.
Despite the difficulties of her new life and the dangers of the Luftwaffe, Isla falls in love for the first time. But her beau is not all that he seems… Will true love prevail or will secrets from the past put an end to their happiness?
The Great Western Railway Girls by Jane Lark
September, 1939.
When war is declared, Lily sees an opportunity to escape her domineering father: she will join the Great Western Railway factory to win her financial independence and move out of home.
Maggie doesn’t want to simply follow in her sisters’ footsteps and work in the laundries at the GWR. So, when the chance comes to volunteer for men’s work in the machine shop, she’s the first to raise her hand.
Catherine, a clerk in the GWR office, has been helping with London’s evacuation efforts, organising trains to move children out of the city. But when her task is completed, will she defy her family and fiancé’s wishes and sign up for a more dangerous role?
Taking on demanding new duties, Lily, Maggie and Catherine – and others – develop an unexpectedly close bond.
But will friendship be enough to carry them through the ups and downs of life at war?
The Last American Heiress by Stephen Greco
The press dubs them “the Gold Dust twins.” Born within a week of one another in Manhattan in 1912, Doris Duke and Barbara Hutton both inherit unimaginable fortunes. By the time of their lavish
coming-out balls, they are two of the richest women in the world. Barbara, heiress to the Woolworth millions, amasses seven husbands over her lifetime. Doris, meanwhile, has a sophistication and financial savvy that Barbara tries endlessly to emulate.
When filmmaker Emma Radetsky begins researching her new documentary about prominent women and their jewelry collections, she’s familiar with the lore surrounding both Doris and Barbara—the couture gowns, exotic homes, and romantic interludes—including sequential marriages to the same notorious playboy. And of course, the priceless jewels they acquire as easily as candy.
Yet delving into their backgrounds with the help of one of Doris’s closest companions, Oliver Wendell Shaw, Emma encounters a deeper story—of a private game to manipulate the media, and a hidden, life-long kinship between two complex women who understood each other as no one else could.
The Lost Diamond by Kathleen McGurl
A hidden jewel. A buried past. A secret waiting to break free.
India, 1947: Celia Fforbes-Whyte remembers little about her beloved mother, but she will never forget how the family’s prized diamond, the Chamakta Sitara, glistened at her throat. The diamond has been part of the family for as long as she can remember, but growing voices begin to ask whether it should ever have belonged to them at all?
With danger closing in on the eve of Indian independence, Celia’s father makes a drastic choice – to protect his family, the diamond must disappear without a trace. But in doing so, will he create a curse that lasts a lifetime …
London, 2024: Heartbroken and desperate for an escape, Lisa Statton retreats to the comfort of the Alps. But when she stumbles across a sparkling gem and an unopened letter, embedded in a glacier, Lisa finds herself thrust into a mystery more devastating than she could ever imagine …
The Rebel Daughters by Cecil Cameron
“It was the season of the beliye nochi when the sun never set and days slipped effortlessly into pearlescent nights. Tiny stars appeared, clusters of yellow in a paper sky. When you looked again, they were gone…”
Young Anna Brianski has led a charmed life between St Petersburg and the peace of the Russian countryside, until one terrible day in December 1825. It’s a day that starts with winter sun and ends with blood on the snow. Until now, the only thing Anna has risked has been her naïve heart. But one day – the Decemberist Revolt – changes everything. Her family, her freedom and her friends are all in grave danger, as she sees the caprice and cruelty of the Tsar at first hand.
Sweeping from high society to the frozen gulag, from the embrace of a lover to the tears of friends separated friends, The Rebel Daughters tells the story not just of the brave women who defied everyone by following the revolutionaries into the wilds of Siberia, but also how courage comes in many forms, the price we pay for defiance and how love can be greatest rebellion of all.
Our Sweet Violet by Rosie Goodwin
Hull, 1905
As the much doted-on daughter of the local doctor Violet Stroud had a comfortable, happy childhood – despite a distinct lack of love from her cold-hearted mother. But when her father unexpectedly dies, Violet’s life is turned upside down. As secrets about the family come to light, Violet finds herself homeless and with no one to turn to apart from Edie, the family’s gentle and loving housekeeper.
Violet and Edie set out on their own to run a café by the docks and life, while humble, starts to settle down. Perhaps, Violet may find happiness again and even . . . love? But when Violet’s brother, Oliver, comes back on the scene, chaos follows at every turn, and while walking home alone one night, something unthinkable happens. With her contented existence and her chance at true love under threat, Violet must summon all the strength she has to put her life back together. Will she ever find the peace that she so desperately desires?
Romance
Same Time Next Week by Milly Johnson
Welcome to Spring Hill, home to a square of independent shops and cafes, a thriving local community and nearby the newest venture, Ray’s Diner. Here a group of women meet once a week over a cup of something warming.
Amanda is primary carer to her elderly mother and one of the only women in a male-dominated company. Used to being second-best all her life, is this her time to finally break ranks and shine?
Sky works at the repair shop, patching up old teddy bears, and their owners’ hearts. But her heart beats for the one man who is strictly off-limits.
Mel has been a loyal and loving wife to Steve for thirty years. Then when he goes to his old school reunion, life as she knows it will never be the same again.
Erin is trying to get over a traumatic loss where her guilt weighs more than her grief. Can she find the first step to healing lies in sharing an hour with strangers once a week?
Astrid is feeling in need of a change and a challenge. But when a fantastic opportunity presents itself, who is around to convince her she is worthy enough to take the risk?
Can these women find the answers to their worries, acceptance, courage, support here? Join them at the same time next week to find out…
Bad Publicity by Bianca Gillam
Yesterday they were just exes.
Today they’re a writer and a publicist… on tour in Europe… for a month.
When Andie lands her dream job as a senior book publicist, she’s ready to take the world of New York publishing by storm.
Until her first day, when she discovers that her biggest author is Jack Carlson – the same Jack who ruined her life in university. Who she hasn’t spoken to in five years. Who is not only still infuriatingly hot but incredibly successful. And whose campaign she definitely cannot mess up, if she wants to keep her job.
To make matters even worse, the central part of this career-defining campaign is a book tour. For a month, Andie will have to travel across Europe with the man who, if she were being totally honest, she’d like to hit with her car.
But she will not lose this opportunity, especially not because of him. One month on tour with Jack Carlson, visiting some of the most romantic spots in Europe. Deep breath. She can do this.
Book Boyfriend by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka
Is enemies-to-lovers romance only for books, or can Jennifer and Scott bring that fantasy to life?
Jennifer Worth works in Publishing, but lives to escape into the world of her favourite romantasy series, Elytheum Courts, where the romance is swoony and the men are brave, chivalrous . . . and winged. Newly single and craving connection, she travels to an immersive fan experience, only to see the last face she expected: Scott Daniels, her work nemesis.
Except the Scott she encounters there, in his second hand cosplay outfit, is . . . different. Swaggering, flirtatious, confident. Unlucky in romance himself, Scott is determined to remake himself into the perfect book boyfriend.
Jennifer has no interest in helping the man who vexes her every workday and dismisses her fictional fantasies, but as the convention activities force the unlikely pair together, they’re surprised to discover magic like none Jennifer has ever read about.
On Her Terms by Amy Spalding
What if her Hollywood happy ending is right in front of her?
For bisexual Clementine, dating girls has never really been on the cards. She was loved up with her boyfriend, until she wasn’t. But a chance encounter with the chaotic Chloe Lee makes her wonder if new experiences could be closer than she thought.
However, Chloe isn’t actually interested in Clementine, or at least not for a real relationship. Her friends have recently announced their engagement and she’s now the last single woman. So Chloe proposes a deal: Clem acts as her girlfriend until the wedding is over, and Chloe will help her through her baby gay era so she can start dating for real.
As Chloe and Clem embark on a fake relationship to fool everyone around them, is it possible that they might just be fooling themselves instead…
The Charlie Method by Elle Kennedy
Welcome back to Briar U!
Discover the next generation in this icy-hot spin-off series from The Queen of Hockey Romance, Elle Kennedy!
College senior Charlotte Kingston is living two lives – and she’s nailing both of them. By day, she’s the perfect sorority girl, a STEM student in biomedical engineering, and the adopted daughter of an overachiever family. At night, she’s Charlie: a risk-taking daredevil looking for fun who finds herself chatting on a dating app with two anonymous hotties.
Will Larsen may seem like the breezy boy next door, but his congressman father is a constant thorn in his side. After a scandal hits another Division 1 hockey program, Will’s dad is determined to distance his son from it, hiring a journalist to prove how squeaky-clean Will and his team are. Which means the last thing Will wants is for anyone to find out he and his best friend Beckett Dunne – a laidback Aussie shielding secret heartache – sometimes share girls in the bedroom.
When Charlie finally meets them in person and realizes she’s been chatting with two gorgeous Briar U hockey players, things get steamy – fast. But all their messy secrets are piling up, and real life soon threatens to shatter the fantasy. With Charlie, Will, and Beckett all coming to terms with what they want and what others want for them, difficult decisions will need to be made.
Especially when lust starts to look a lot like love.
No Saint by Donna Alam
He steals hearts left and right. Hers is the first one he wants to keep.
Did you hear the one about the wedding planner who took the bride’s place? No? Maybe that’s because it’s never happened before.
Until now.
I’ll do a lot of things to keep my business afloat and a roof over my grandmother’s head. So when the bride from my latest gig says she needs a decoy to fool the press and offers me a hefty bonus, I jump at the chance.
It’s not like she asked me to fake marry the groom, just his best man. Charming, sophisticated, Mr. Sin-in-a-Suit, Fin DeWitt. A man who once kissed away the worst day of my life.
He’s so far out of my league it’s not even funny. And how I wake up next to him—thoroughly honeymooned—I’ll never understand.
Then I spot the wedding certificate, signed in our own names…
The closer we get, the more the lines blur. So much for fake when we discover some knots are impossible to untie.
Mr Swoony by Piper Rayne
Hockey players were never my type.
At least, that’s what I thought—until I met Conor Nilsen. In truth, I didn’t know he was the goalie for the Chicago Falcons when he struck up a conversation the night of my bachelorette party.
He proved he wasn’t just some hot guy looking to score when he helped me get my drunk bridesmaid safely back to our hotel. That’s when he discovered my 30-before-30 bucket list—a list I hadn’t managed to check a single item off.
What was meant to be a night of stargazing turned into so much more. The chemistry between us was undeniable, and after one innocent night together, I started to question everything—especially my upcoming wedding to a man I wasn’t sure loved me.
Fast forward to my wedding day, and just as I’m standing at the altar, Conor bursts through the church doors to object. And now, somehow, I’m his roommate. Yikes.
One Night at the Chateau by Veronica Henry
One night to fall in love.
One summer to change everything…
Over the last few months, Connie’s whole world has fallen apart. Her husband’s run off with an older woman, the magazine she works for has gone bust and she’s having to sell the family home. So when her beloved godmother, Lismay, begs her to help run the beautiful Château Villette, it couldn’t come at a better time…
No one knows the château quite like Connie. She spent a blissful summer there in her twenties, learning to cook delicious French food for the guests, ironing the lavender-scented sheets – and trying to resist the very handsome neighbour, Remy.
As soon as she arrives, it’s clear that the château is close to crumbling and Connie knows she’s going to have her work cut out. Could it be the fresh start she didn’t even know she needed – and will she find a way to save the château, before it’s too late?
So that’s all for this week.
Happy Reading!
