Leah Fleming

The secrets in a woman's heart are deeper than the ocean… For May Smith, travelling with her husband and baby girl Ellen, stepping foot on the Titanic marks the start of an incredible journey, one which is destined to take her from the back streets of Bolton to the land of opportunity: the United States. But when the 'unsinkable' Titanic hits an iceberg one cold dark night, May's dreams are instantly shattered. Jumping from the sinking ship at the last minute, May loses sight of Joe and Ellen. Distraught, she is pulled into a lifeboat. Minutes later, the real-life Captain Smith swims to the lifeboat and hands May a baby swaddled in blankets. Beside herself, and in virtual darkness, May believes the baby to be Ellen. This rescue is witnessed by fellow survivor, Celeste Parkes, married to an American industrialist who is on her way back to Ohio after her mother's funeral. In horror, they both watch the death throes of the mighty ship; May traumatised, knowing her husband has drowned, Celeste wishing her bully of a husband had been on board and out of her life. As the dawn comes up, and the two women are rescued by the Carpathia, a friendship is formed, one which is destined to transcend the Atlantic and social differences between them and last a lifetime. Then May makes a shocking discovery and a split-second decision which will change the lives of so many.

The Captain's Daughter

FROM THE ACCLAIMED AUTHOR OF THE LAST PEARL AND DANCING AT THE VICTORY CAFE, this is a beautiful novel about dark family secrets, betrayal, love and redemption. 1666. A child is born in the farmhouse at Windebank, in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Named Rejoice (Joy) by her dying father, Joy grows up witness to the persecution of the farming community for following a banned faith. Defying the authority of the local priest, she joins a group of Yorkshire pioneers travelling to the New World to form a colony close to Philadelphia - a passionate, rebellious and courageous woman fighting against the constraints of the time. Will she find peace and love? 2014. A leather-bound book is found buried in the walls of the Meeting House in Good Hope, Pennsylvania. Its details trace the owner back to a Yorkshire farm in the Dales. And so a correspondence begins between Rachel Moorside and the man who found the journal, Sam Storer, as Rachel uncovers the tumultuous secrets of her family’s history. Praise for Leah Fleming 'I enjoyed it enormously.It's a moving and compelling story about a lifetime's journey in search of the truth' RACHEL HORE 'A born storyteller' KATE ATKINSON

The Glovemaker's Daughter

The noise of bombs in the distance kept her awake... Nothing would ever be the same again.

Orphans of War

La carte postale

An ebook novella from the bestselling author of The Postcard 'I found the photograph album by chance when we were clearing out the old coach house. It must have been sitting on the garage shelf for years among all the other family rejects.' When a woman finds a lost photo album in a garage clearout, she is drawn to the images of her ancestors. But one image in particular stands out: a baby sitting in the lap of its mother, both draped from head to toe in a cotton lace curtain or something, completely enveloped and unrecognizable. Who are they and what has happened to them? In a story that moves between 2012 and 1850, the shocking secrets of one family are gradually revealed…

The Lady in the Veil

Winter's Children

"On the beautiful island of Santaniki, close to Crete, it's not all white sands and sunshine. When retired bookseller Ariadne Blunt suggests the English residents form a choir, there are groans of resistance. After a little persuasion, the group gather in Ariadne's olive garden to rehearse for a seasonal concert, but each member of this choir has their own anxieties and secrets. Ariadne's partner, Hebe, is in failing health. Clive struggles to accept the loss of his wife while Natalie hides her shameful secret in baking for comfort. Della, the Pilates teacher drinks too much and Chloe, Queen Bee of the village society, faces a family dilemma. Then there is Mel, the real songbird amongst them, English wife of a taverna owner who hides her talent until the choir inspires her to raise her voice once more. In this tiny community, the choir brings the residents together like never before in a bittersweet tale of love and loss - and how life can begin again when you let go of the past."--Publisher's description.

The Olive Garden Choir

L'enfant du Titanic : roman

At her father’s funeral, a woman makes a shocking discovery that will send her across oceans and into the past…how far will one woman journey to uncover a long-lost family secret? 2002, Australia. When Melissa discovers a postcard addressed to a man named Desmond among her recently deceased father’s effects, she is determined to discover this person’s identity and his relationship to her father. She soon embarks on a journey that will take her across oceans and into the past… 1930s, London. Caroline grew on a secluded Scottish estate with her Aunt Phoebe. Now, the shocking realization that Phoebe is actually her mother fuels a rebellious streak in Caroline, who elopes to Cairo to get married. But her marriage quickly turns sour and leads to an affair with an old lover, and to a baby boy, Desmond. With her personal life in tatters and WWII approaching, she volunteers as a secret agent, smuggling valuable information into Europe for the British government. When Caroline finally returns from the war, Desmond is gone; he was secretly taken to Australia by his nanny years before. Will Caroline be able to track him down? And how will her journey to find her son lead to Melissa’s mission to uncover her father’s past?

The Postcard

"Sara Loveday ditches her cheating fiancé at the altar and flees with her best friend to the beautiful island of Santaniki. Here, amid the olive groves, the sun-drenched fishing villages and the glittering Mediterranean sea, Sara vows to change her life. Spotting a gap in the local tourist market, she sets up a wedding planning business specializing in "second time around" couples. Griff becomes manager of an artist's retreat owned by a famous novelist. After the failure of his business back in London he is determined to make this new venture a success. But when Griff loans the retreat's olive garden to Sara for her first big wedding, things do not go to plan: family feuds, rowdy guests and resentful locals derail her carefully prepared event. When a stranger from Sara's past arrives on the island spreading vicious lies, will Griff and Sara's new found closeness survive?"--Provided by publisher.

A Wedding in the Olive Garden

Années 1930. Dans un manoir écossais, Callie mène une vie privilégiée auprès de sa tante actrice. Sa rencontre avec Toby Lloyd-Jones va tout bouleverser. Fascinée par ce séduisant homme d'affaires, Callie l'épouse et le suit en Egypte. Mais sous le soleil du Caire couve un drame : elle vient de recroiser son amour d'enfance... Quelques mois plus tard, c'est une Callie hagarde et enceinte qui rentre en Angleterre, alors que résonnent les premiers échos de la guerre. Début des années 2000. En Australie, Melissa Boyd se voit confier une mission par son père mourant : retrouver cette élégante Anglaise qui, soixante ans plus tôt, l'a placé dans une famille de fermiers australiens, alors qu'il n'était qu'un petit garçon. Seul indice, une carte postale et ces mots : "Maman rentrera bientôt"...

2002, Australia. When Melissa discovers a postcard addressed to 'Desmond' among her recently deceased father's effects, she is determined to discover this person's identity and his relationship to her father. She soon embarks on a journey that will take her across oceans and into the past… 1930's, London. Caroline grew on a secluded Scottish estate with her 'Aunt' Phoebe. Now, the shocking realisation that Phoebe is actually her mother fuels a rebellious streak in Caroline, who elopes to Cairo to get married. But her marriage quickly turns sour and leads to an affair with an old lover, and to a baby boy, Desmond. With her personal life in tatters and WWII approaching, she volunteers as a secret agent, smuggling valuable information into Europe for the British government. When Caroline finally returns from the war, Desmond is gone; he was secretly taken to Australia by his nanny years before. Will Caroline be able to track him down? And how will her journey to find her son lead to Melissa's mission to uncover her father's past?

In the Heart of the Garden

Wedding Dress Maker

A heart-warming story of female friendship in the tumultuous days of the Suffragette movement... Sophia Seddon and Grace Thompson are poles apart - the one a member of the notorious Seddons of Plover Street, the other the vicar's spoilt only child. But their childhood friendship is revived when they find themselves fighting a common cause: women's rights. And the ties of friendship prove stronger and more enduring than those of background or family, even in the face of danger. Both incredibly moving and engrossing, this is period drama for fans of Dilly Court, Margaret Dickinson and Annie Murray, from an experienced and acclaimed storyteller.

The Cotton Town Girls

FROM THE ACCLAIMED AUTHOR OF THE LAST PEARL AND DANCING AT THE VICTORY CAFE, this is a beautiful novel about family secrets and redemption. How far will one woman journey to uncover a long-lost family secret? 1930s, London. Having grown up on a secluded Scottish estate with her aunt Phoebe, Caroline is shocked to discover that Phoebe is actually her mother and flees to Egypt in rebellion. Quickly finding herself in an unhappy marriage, Caroline has an affair with an old flame, but soon finds herself pregnant with his child. With her personal life in tatters and WWII approaching, she volunteers to smuggle valuable information into Europe for the British government. But when Caroline finally returns from war, her baby is gone. Will she be able to track him down? 2002, Australia. When Melissa discovers a postcard addressed to 'Desmond' among her recently deceased father's effects, she is determined to discover this person's identity and his relationship to her father. She embarks on a journey that will take her across oceans to discover more about her family's past . . . Praise for Leah Fleming: 'I enjoyed it enormously. It's a moving and compelling story about a lifetime's journey in search of the truth' RACHEL HORE, bestselling author of LAST LETTER HOME 'A born storyteller' KATE ATKINSON

the perfect holiday read for summer 2019

The ones you leave behind are the ones that stay with you forever...

FROM THE ACCLAIMED AUTHOR OF THE LAST PEARL AND DANCING AT THE VICTORY CAFE, this is a beautiful novel about family secrets, wartime betrayals and redemption. May 1941 and the island of Crete is invaded by paratroopers from the air. After a lengthy fight, thousands of British and Commonwealth soldiers are forced to take to the hills or become escaping PoWs, sheltered by the Cretan villagers. Sixty years later, Lois West and her young son, Alex, invite feisty Great Aunt Pen to a special eighty-fifth birthday celebration on Crete, knowing she has not been back there since the war. Penelope George - formerly Giorgidiou - is reluctant to go but is persuaded by the fact it is the 60th anniversary of the Battle. It is time for her to return and make the journey she never thought she'd dare to. On the outward voyage from Athens, she relives her experiences in the city from her early years as a trainee nurse to those last dark days stranded on the island, the last female foreigner. When word spreads of her visit, and old Cretan friends and family come to greet her, Lois and Alex are caught up in her epic pilgrimage and the journey which leads her to a reunion with the friend she thought she had lost forever - and the truth behind a secret buried deep in the past... Praise for Leah Fleming 'I enjoyed it enormously.It's a moving and compelling story about a lifetime's journey in search of the truth' RACHEL HORE 'A born storyteller' KATE ATKINSON

The Girl Under the Olive Tree

From the French Riviera between the wars to a terrifying endgame in World War 2 Occupied France, a story of doomed but triumphant love.

Leah Fleming

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