The year is 937. England is a nation divided, ruled by minor kings and Viking lords. Each vies for land and power. The Wessex king Æthelstan, grandson of Alfred the Great, readies himself to throw a spear into the north. As would-be kings line up to claim the throne, one man stands in their way. Dunstan, a fatherless child raised by monks on the moors of Glastonbury Tor, has learned that real power comes not from God, but from discovering one's true place on Earth. Fearless in pursuit of his own interests, his ambition will take him from the courts of princes to the fields of battle, from exile to exaltation. For if you cannot be born a king, or made a king, you can still anoint a king. Under Dunstan's hand, England may come together as one country - or fall apart in anarchy . . . From Conn Iggulden, one of our finest historical writers, Dunstan is an intimate portrait of a priest and murderer, liar and visionary, traitor and kingmaker - the man who changed the fate of England.

The young and idealistic brother to the war-hardened Strahd von Zarovich loves beautiful Tatyana, but so does Strahd. To win her hand, Strahd will do anything--even enter a pact with death and seal it with his brother's blood. Chapter illus.

Vergilius, Viscount Summerton, has watched his wife grow more and more distant, and he's determined that this year the marriage will start moving in a better direction. Penelope, Lady Summerton, is also determined that this year will be different. She slips off to a seaside cottage, intending that to be her first step toward a new life free of marital difficulties. Gill ends up at the same seaside inn, where he hopes to plot a wooing no wife can resist. He's determined to reconcile; she's determined to pack his bags, but then the magic of the Siren's Retreat begins to steal over them both...

Being the Duchess of Bisby is not everything it is cracked up to be for lonely Drusilla. Humiliated by her indifferent husband's neglect, she finds an unexpected passion when she surrenders to the attentions of his ever-watching and oh-so-very-handsome valet, Jacob Dunnett.

Ever wanted to know MORE about dogs? Do normal books not tell you enough? Use big words with no explanations? Well, this book is just right for you! In 10 pages it explains facts, breeds and puppies in simple yet clever facts!Ropo is a Nigerian living in North Yorkshire; he has just been covered in toxic waste and become a super hero. Unfortunately for him he is a lizard and it has all come as rather a shock!In this comic short story hear about the birth of a new super hero, even though he is not quite sure exactly what that entails.The story was written to help promote National Short Story Week in a secondary school in England.

Chinon-chateau of legend, steeped in the history of France and England. It is to Chinon that Emily goes on a long-awaited holiday, to meet her charming but unreliable cousin, Harry. Harry wanted to explore the old town and the castle, where Queen Isabelle, child bride of King John, had withstood the siege of Chinon many centuries ago, and where, according to legend, she hid her casket of jewels. But when Emily arrives at her hotel she finds that Harry has disappeared, and as she tries to find him she becomes involved with some of the other guests and learns of a mystery dating from the German occupation during the Second World War. Another Isabelle, a chambermaid at the hotel, fell in love with a German soldier, with tragic results. Emily becomes increasingly aware of strange tensions, old enmities and new loves; as she explores the city, with its labyrinthine dungeons and tunnels and its ancient secrets, she comes ever closer to the mystery of what happened to both the Isabelles of Chinon's history.

How do you find a new way to approach a story as familiar as any in the English language? If you're Jack Whyte, you begin your retelling of the Arthurian saga by taking one giant step backward to the latter days of the Roman Empire in Britain, sometime between the first breaching of Hadrian's Wall and the legendary days of King Arthur. Publius Varrus is the last legionnaire in Britain, and The Skystone is in many ways his story. He is a common man with aristocratic friends, and successful both as a soldier and an ironsmith. As the Roman world slowly crumbles around them, and Publius becomes involved in a political and personal vendetta, he and his friends seek to establish a refuge, a valley where the old Roman virtues will be kept alive and the empire's many faults be avoided. A finely crafted historical novel, The Skystone pays close attention to the details of everyday life in fourth-century Britain. As the first book in Whyte's Camulod Chronicles, it makes few allusions to the usual details of the Arthurian legends until Publius comes into contact with a sword, a stone, a lake, and a Celtic tribe who name themselves Pendragon. Greg L. Johnson

"Scanning the maddening scene around her, Trisha sighed under her breath, 'So it has come to pass... Hell is delivered to Heaven’s heights. Look and see! I am Death, Destruction my lover! Today I set the universe ablaze. Phoenix will burn, and the gods will bow low to the Children of Damnation!'""Scanning the maddening scene around her, Trisha sighed under her breath, 'So it has come to pass... Hell is delivered to Heaven’s heights. Look and see! I am Death, Destruction my lover! Today I set the universe ablaze. Phoenix will burn, and the gods will bow low to the Children of Damnation!'"Phoenix... Across the globe, legends of old tell of a majestic, beautiful bird known from antiquity, its age measured in centuries and beyond...a symbol of peace and justice, dying in flames only to be reborn anew from its charred remains. And so it is with this most ancient of civilizations that existed in what seemed eternal peace, breached by rebellion, its innocence smoldering midst the ashes of destruction of all held dear. Children from two realms band together, knowing that the past must perish like the Phoenix, and they the ones to make it burn as they struggle together against the most evil of foes - the oldest one among all of Lowenah’s children - and his hordes of followers. If they find success, the Phoenix will rise again, stronger and more resolute...determined to destroy all that is evil and build anew an existence where love, freedom and peace reign, not only for them, but for those who rest in the Field of the Minds and those yet to be born."The Chronicles of Heaven’s War” saga continues to unfold with this, Book II, “Burning Phoenix”... Come with Trisha as she leads courageous men and women of the Children's Empire into a 'cauldron of Hell', not knowing the outcome, but all determined to stand to the last person for love, freedom, and all things good...and honor Lowenah, the One whose heart is tied in to their success or failure...along with all that exists. Ride with them as they charge the line, fierce and unyielding, unwavering in their quest to destroy all who are evil and return peace, their hope that Phoenix will rise once more...

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Wife comes an atmospheric novel of intertwined destinies and heart-wrenching suspense: A detective hiding away from the world. A series of disappearances that reach into her past. Can solving them help her heal? “[An] absolutely incredible literary thriller.”— Good Morning America online “A powerhouse of a novel that is guaranteed to keep the reader up all night.”—Kristin Hannah, author of The Four Winds Anna Hart is a seasoned missing persons detective in San Francisco with far too much knowledge of the darkest side of human nature. When tragedy strikes her personal life, Anna, desperate and numb, flees to the Northern California village of Mendocino to grieve. She lived there as a child with her beloved foster parents, and now she believes it might be the only place left for her. Yet the day she arrives, she learns that a local teenage girl has gone missing. The crime feels frighteningly reminiscent of the most crucial time in Anna’s childhood, when the unsolved murder of a young girl touched Mendocino and changed the community forever. As past and present collide, Anna realizes that she has been led to this moment. The most difficult lessons of her life have given her insight into how victims come into contact with violent predators. As Anna becomes obsessed with saving the missing girl, she must accept that true courage means getting out of her own way and learning to let others in. Weaving together actual cases of missing persons, trauma theory, and a hint of the metaphysical, this propulsive and deeply affecting novel tells a story of fate, necessary redemption, and what it takes, when the worst happens, to reclaim our lives—and our faith in one another.

A dead woman. Secrets. Three abandoned children.Do you every really know anyone? While Emma discovers that even the dead have secrets, she isn't about to let that prevent her from taking care of what her friend left behind. But the children they take on board the Mary B prove to have secrets of their own. Despite their resentment at being uprooted, not taking care of them isn't an option for Emma. But when that care brings her face to face with the killer she quickly discovers some secrets are downright dangerous.

Don't miss the second book in the unforgettable House of Falconer series, available to pre-order now!From the bestselling author of A Woman of Substance. London 1889: Victorian London is a place of wealth, privilege and poverty, a city of extremes. For James Falconer, who grew up as a barrow boy on a London market, it is a city of opportunity. Working his way up Henry Malvern's trading company in Piccadilly, James faces fraud and betrayal. A fierce rivalry develops with Henry's daughter and heir Alexis – but their animosity masks a powerful attraction. Embarking on a love affair with the daughter of Russian émigrés, James's life begins to transform. But as treachery and danger threaten, a secret comes to light that will change his life forever. James must decide where his future lies – with Henry Malvern or following his own dream...

A heart-wrenching and nostalgic family saga from the acclaimed author of The Land Girls. Perfect for fans of Katie Flynn and Margaret Dickinson A YOUNG MINER'S DAUGHTER WITH THE VOICE OF AN ANGEL - BUT CAN IT LEAD HER HOME AGAIN? As a poverty-stricken miner's daughter growing up in a small village near Durham, fifteen-year-old Ginny Wilde yearns for adventure. But she gets more than she bargained for when her good looks, fiery spirit and beautiful singing voice catch the eye of the unscrupulous Charlie Parkinson, her employer's brother. Fleeing the wrath of her irate father, after he discovers his daughter's flirtation with the notorious womaniser, Ginny heads for London with Charlie and embarks upon a hugely successful singing career. But with Charlie refusing to marry her, Ginny fears she's just one of many girls to have fallen for his charms, and her life quickly begins to spiral out of control. Will she find the courage to leave Charlie and...