The Christmas Orphans Club

The Christmas Orphans Club
Author: Becca Freeman
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 369
Release: 2023-09-26
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0143138030

From bookfluencer and host of the BAD ON PAPER podcast, a riotous holiday rom-com about four friends in NYC who hold onto their unconventional Christmas tradition even when their paths diverge—but the changes they fear might be exactly what they need… Hannah and Finn have spent every Christmas together since college. Neither has anywhere else to go—Hannah’s parents died, and Finn’s disowned him when he came out. Their tradition of offbeat holiday adventures only grows more outrageous with time. When the pair starts their adult lives in New York City, they add stylish Priya and mysterious Theo to the group, solidifying a found family and sense of belonging they’ve always craved. But now, when Finn announces a move to L.A., this Christmas may be their last. Hannah is terrified of losing the family she’s built for herself, even as her boyfriend nudges her toward commitment. Meanwhile, Finn struggles with the things he’s about to leave behind—namely, his unexpressed feelings for Theo. Does growing up mean growing apart? This Christmas the changes these friends fear may be exactly what they need. . . .

The Orphans of St Halibut's

The Orphans of St Halibut's
Author: Sophie Wills
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Total Pages: 304
Release: 2020-10-01
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1529013380

Stolen cakes, major explosions and an unforgettable cast of characters – dive into The Orphans of St Halibut's, a hilarious caper from debut author Sophie Wills and million-copy bestselling illustrator, David Tazzyman. Perfect for fans of Roald Dahl and Lemony Snicket. Life has been perfect ever since the orphans of St Halibut's buried their matron – don't look like that, it was an accident! Tig, Stef, Herc, and Pamela the goat just have to make sure nobody finds out they're on their own. Discovering that an Inspector is on his way, they'll need to convince him that everything is peachy or they'll be sent to the Mending House – where badly behaved orphans go, never to return. But the Inspector is not quite what he seems and things very quickly go from bad to spectacularly out of hand . . . Can these crafty kids outsmart the adults and save their home? 'This book reminded me of an old fashioned film caper – a little like St Trinians meets Oliver with a twist of Matilda thrown in' Year 6 Teacher and Parent ‘I would recommend this book to people that like spooky, funny and adventurous stories’ Reader, aged 8

The Warsaw Orphan

The Warsaw Orphan
Author: Kelly Rimmer
Publisher: Harlequin
Total Pages: 436
Release: 2021-06-01
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1488078084

Instant New York Times bestseller! Inspired by the real-life heroine who saved thousands of Jewish children during WWII, The Warsaw Orphan is Kelly Rimmer’s most anticipated novel since her bestselling sensation, The Things We Cannot Say. “Gripping… This one easily stands on its own.” —Publishers Weekly “Heart-stopping.” – Lisa Wingate, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author “A surefire hit.” – Kristin Harmel, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author In the spring of 1942, young Elzbieta Rabinek is aware of the swiftly growing discord just beyond the courtyard of her comfortable Warsaw home. She has no fondness for the Germans who patrol her streets and impose their curfews, but has never given much thought to what goes on behind the walls that contain her Jewish neighbors. She knows all too well about German brutality--and that it's the reason she must conceal her true identity. But in befriending Sara, a nurse who shares her apartment floor, Elzbieta makes a discovery that propels her into a dangerous world of deception and heroism. Using Sara's credentials to smuggle children out of the ghetto brings Elzbieta face-to-face with the reality of the war behind its walls, and to the plight of the Gorka family, who must make the impossible decision to give up their newborn daughter or watch her starve. For Roman Gorka, this final injustice stirs him to rebellion with a zeal not even his newfound love for Elzbieta can suppress. But his recklessness brings unwanted attention to Sara's cause, unwittingly putting Elzbieta and her family in harm's way until one violent act threatens to destroy their chance at freedom forever. From Nazi occupation to the threat of a communist regime, The Warsaw Orphan is the unforgettable story of Elzbieta and Roman's perilous attempt to reclaim the love and life they once knew. Don’t miss Kelly Rimmer’s next historical suspense, The Paris Agent, coming July 2023! For more by Kelly Rimmer, look for: Before I Let You Go The Things We Cannot Say Truths I Never Told You The German Wife

Orphan Train

Orphan Train
Author: Christina Baker Kline
Publisher: HarperLuxe
Total Pages: 432
Release: 2019-01-08
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9780062887870

From Christina Baker Kline comes a novel about two women: one about to age out of the foster care system, the other 90 years old and carrying both a tremendous secret and a story of a life formed by a part of American history almost entirely forgotten: the Orphan Trains Molly Ayer has one last chance, and she knows it. Close to being kicked out of her foster home -- just months from turning 18 and “aging out” of the system -- Molly should be grateful that her boyfriend found her a community service project: helping an old lady clean out her home. Molly can’t help but think that the 50 hours will be tedious, but at least they’ll keep her out of juvie, and right now that’s all she cares about. Ninety-one-year-old Vivian Daly has lived a quiet life on the coast of Maine for decades. But in her attic, hidden in trunks, are keys to a turbulent past. Molly is about to discover -- as she and Vivian unpack her possessions, and memories -- that Vivian’s story is a piece of America’s tumultuous history now largely forgotten: the tale of a young Irish immigrant, orphaned in New York City and put on a train to the Midwest with hundreds of other orphaned children whose destiny would be determined by luck and chance. As Molly digs deeper, she finds surprising parallels in her own experience as a Penobscot Indian and Vivian’s story -- and Molly realizes that she has the power to help Vivian find answers to mysteries that have haunted her for her entire life. Rich in detail and epic in scope, THE TRAIN RIDER is a powerful novel of upheaval and resilience, of second chances, of unexpected friendships, and of the secrets we carry with us that keep us from finding out who we are.

Grounds for Murder

Grounds for Murder
Author: Tara Lush
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Total Pages: 304
Release: 2020-12-08
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1643856197

Barista Lana Lewis's sleuthing may land her in a latte trouble as Tara Lush launches her new Coffee Shop mysteries. When Lana Lewis' best -- and most difficult -- employee abruptly quits and goes to work for the competition just days before the Sunshine State Barista Championship, her café's chances of winning the contest are creamed. In front of a gossipy crowd in the small Florida town of Devil's Beach, Lana's normally calm demeanor heats to a boil when she runs into the arrogant java slinger. Of course, Fabrizio "Fab" Bellucci has a slick explanation for jumping ship. But when he's found dead the next morning under a palm tree in the alley behind Lana's café, she becomes the prime suspect. Even the island's handsome police chief isn't quite certain of her innocence. But Lana isn't the only one in town who was angry with Fabrizio. Jilted lovers, a shrimp boat captain, and a surfer with ties to the mob are all suspects as trouble brews on the beach. With her stoned, hippie dad, a Shih Tzu named Stanley, and a new, curious barista sporting a punk rock aesthetic at her side, Lana's prepared to turn up the heat to catch the real killer. After all, she is a former award-winning reporter. As scandal hangs over her beachside café, can Lana clear her name and win the championship -- or will she come to a bitter end?

The French Photographer

The French Photographer
Author: Natasha Lester
Publisher: Hachette UK
Total Pages: 339
Release: 2019-03-26
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0733640036

Inspired by the incredible true story of Lee Miller, Vogue model turned one of the first female war photojournalists, the new novel by the bestselling author of The Paris Seamstress Manhattan, Paris, 1942: When Jessica May's successful modelling career is abruptly cut short, she is assigned to the war in Europe as a photojournalist for Vogue. But when she arrives the army men make her life as difficult as possible. Three friendships change that: journalist Martha Gellhorn encourages Jess to bend the rules, paratrooper Dan Hallworth takes her to places to shoot pictures and write stories that matter, and a little girl, Victorine, who has grown up in a field hospital, shows her love. But success comes at a price. France, 2005: Australian curator D'Arcy Hallworth arrives at a beautiful chateau to manage a famous collection of photographs. What begins as just another job becomes far more disquieting as D'Arcy uncovers the true identity of the mysterious photographer -- and realises that she is connected to D'Arcy's own mother, Victorine. Crossing a war-torn Europe from Italy to France, The French Photographer is a story of courage, family and forgiveness, by the bestselling author of The Paris Seamstress and A Kiss from Mr Fitzgerald. PRAISE FOR NATASHA LESTER 'Lester deftly darts from Paris in 1941 to New York' The Australian Women's Weekly 'Weaves real characters, events, places and a love of fashion into her captivating tale' Herald Sun 'A fantastically engrossing story. I loved it' KELLY RIMMER

The Perfect Couple

The Perfect Couple
Author: Elin Hilderbrand
Publisher: Little, Brown
Total Pages: 480
Release: 2018-06-19
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9780316375269

From New York Times bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand, comes a novel about the many ways family can fill our lives with love...if they don't kill us first. It's Nantucket wedding season, also known as summer-the sight of a bride racing down Main Street is as common as the sun setting at Madaket Beach. The Otis-Winbury wedding promises to be an event to remember: the groom's wealthy parents have spared no expense to host a lavish ceremony at their oceanfront estate. But it's going to be memorable for all the wrong reasons after tragedy strikes: a body is discovered in Nantucket Harbor just hours before the ceremony-and everyone in the wedding party is suddenly a suspect. As Chief of Police Ed Kapenash interviews the bride, the groom, the groom's famous mystery-novelist mother, and even a member of his own family, he discovers that every wedding is a minefield-and no couple is perfect. Featuring beloved characters from The Castaways, Beautiful Day, and A Summer Affair, The Perfect Couple proves once again that Elin Hilderbrand is the queen of the summer beach read.

The Love of My Life

The Love of My Life
Author: Rosie Walsh
Publisher: Picador
Total Pages: 368
Release: 2022-06-23
Genre:
ISBN: 9781529020359

From the bestselling author of The Man Who Didn't Call, The Love of My Life is a story about what happens when you discover the person you trust most in the world isn't who they say they are . . .

She Regrets Nothing

She Regrets Nothing
Author: Andrea Dunlop
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 400
Release: 2018-02-06
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1501155997

Named a “Must-Read” by Town & Country * Elite Daily * InStyle “The love child of Gossip Girl and Crazy Rich Asians, plus the social climbing of a Gatsby party.” —Refinery29 In the tradition of The Emperor’s Children and The House of Mirth, the forgotten granddaughter of one of New York’s wealthiest men is reunited with her family just as she comes of age—and once she’s had a glimpse of their glittering world, she refuses to let it go without a fight. When Laila Lawrence becomes an orphan at twenty-three, the sudden loss unexpectedly introduces her to three glamorous cousins from New York who show up unannounced at her mother’s funeral. The three siblings are scions of the wealthy family from which Laila’s father had been estranged long before his own untimely demise ten years before. Two years later, Laila has left behind her quiet life in Grosse Point, Michigan to move to New York City, landing her smack in the middle of her cousins’ decadent world. As the truth about why Laila’s parents became estranged from the family patriarch becomes clear, Laila grows ever more resolved to claim what’s rightfully hers. Caught between longing for the love of her family and her relentless pursuit of the lifestyle she feels she was unfairly denied, Laila finds herself reawakening a long dead family scandal—not to mention setting off several new ones—as she becomes further enmeshed in the lives and love affairs of her cousins. But will Laila ever, truly, belong in their world? Sly and sexy, She Regrets Nothing is a sharply observed and utterly seductive tale about family, fortune, and fate—and the dark side of wealth.

A Christmas Memory

A Christmas Memory
Author: Truman Capote
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Total Pages: 49
Release: 2014-10-28
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0385392761

A reminiscence of a Christmas shared by a seven-year-old boy and a sixtyish childlike woman, with enormous love and friendship between them.