Historical Homes

After renowned London fashion designer Cressida Westcott loses both her home and her design house in the Blitz, she has nowhere to go but the family manor house she fled decades ago. She arrives with nothing but the clothes she stands in, at a loss as to how to rebuild her business from a quaint country village. Before long, Cressida’s spirit and ambition galvanises the village group into action, and they find themselves mending wedding dresses not only for local brides, but for brides across the country.

1988 doesn’t end well for Jessica Abraham. In just one week, she turns 30, loses her day job, and loses the role of Ophelia to a younger actress. Rallying, she goes after a part at a theater outside of the city, but the director’s plan to hide her beauty behind hair, makeup, and wardrobe from Cosmo’s “Don't'' column shakes her confidence to the core. For the first time in her acting career, she won’t be able to rely on her carefully managed physical charms. Only her craft will count.

A tale of two cities Gloucester and London. A tale of two boys Toby, saved from an African slave ship, and Aaron, the illegitimate son of the heir to a great estate. A tale of fathers and sons Otis, dealing in the vilest trade of all, and his son Meshak, not quite of this world; Sir William Ashbrook, landowner, and Alexander, the son he disinherits... An epic journey fraught with every danger and excitement, until love triumphs over hate and corruption, from bestselling author Jamila Gavin.

Mildred Crenshaw's latest match in the Westward Home and Hearts Mail-Order Brides series. The accident that kills her parents leaves Sookie Donaldson mute. She grasps at the chance to be a mail-order bride. The only catch is that she must also be able to teach school. Since Sookie taught school for a number of years that is no problem. Hopefully in Nebraska, people will welcome any trained teacher - even one who cannot speak. She fits all the requirements outlined by Milly Crenshaw, the matchmaker. The man in Nebraska is a perfect match. She hopes.

Norma Hayes has always tried to make Christmas special for her family, but 1944 will make that more difficult with money being tight and wartime rationing making everything hard to come by. Aware of his mother's hardships and the worry from having her eldest son at war, Norma's second son, Dennis, is determined to buy his mother a special gift this Christmas: a lavender blue dress he hopes will bring her comfort.

Almost overnight, they take over the Springerville. They snatch up the real estate. Turn old-fashioned stores into fancy boutiques. Transform the schools. And bring crime and corruption with them. Now one of these invaders—a predatory media mogul from New York—is running for mayor and plans to turn Springerville into a sprawling urban enclave . . . just like the ones the northerners left behind . . . Not if Gus Fuller can stop it. A former army sergeant and lifelong townie, Gus runs the old luncheonette his grandfather built—and plans to give the media mogul a run for his money.

Jack recalls 1974, when Henry Aaron was only one hit away from tying the great Babe Ruth for most career home runs and only two home runs away from breaking Ruth's record. Aaron's pursuit of the record has such a powerful influence on fans' imaginations that Jack thinks his best friend Joe hit a home run on a freight train. And just like with Aaron's home run (that is earning him death threats and has placed him under FBI protection), Joe's home run reveals deep-seated divisions among everyone in Jack's hometown, even his own family.

A fire kills Jessie Parsons’ family and leaves her an orphan at age 13 during the Great Depression. The fire also leaves her both physically and emotionally scarred. Amid her struggles to adjust to life on a farm orphanage, she tries to help an elephant calf that has escaped from the circus. Jessie and the elephant bond as Jessie tries to care for the elephant. The calf is eventually returned to the circus, but Jessie discovers her love for animals and, in particular, elephants. When she is 16 years old, Jessie joins the Conroy & Pepperidge Circus as an animal handler, but quickly becomes...

Norfolk, 1940. As war rages on, the residents of Great Plumstead are doing all they can to help the war effort, from running the mobile canteen for the Women's Voluntary Service to organising clothing drives and collecting salvage. When a young German girl seeks refuge at the local hall, many welcome her with open arms, while others treat her with suspicion. But when the government try to send her back, it'll take the whole community to keep her safe from war.

When Simon, an orphaned young cat, is smuggled on board HMS Amethyst, his simple life amidst the streets of Hong Kong is transformed into an adventure fit for heroes. Bringing joy and compassion to those on board, Simon is the only puss to have been awarded the PDSA Dickin Medal, the highest honour for animal gallantry in wartime.

Four girls. Four generations. One family. The second entry in the beautiful new series from Ann M. Martin. Dana is Abby's daughter - but she's always been much closer to her father, Zander. He's a celebrated New York author who encourages Dana's artistic talents...even if he sometimes drinks too much. Dana is on his side in any argument, regardless of whether he's wrong. And then her father dies. After years of moving, often with her mother and three siblings, Dana is angry at Abby, and wants nothing more than to leave her family and get back to New York City.

Spring 1940. As the war rages on, Vickers steelworks is busier than ever, which is proving tough for Nancy as she juggles working long hours and looking after two young children, all while waiting for her husband to return home safely. Betty is determined to roll up her sleeves and joins the Women’s Voluntary Service to keep busy and from fretting about her fiancé. But Patty is left worrying about someone closer to home. Sweetheart Archie has been keeping a secret from her, and one that puts him in great danger. Will it threaten to pull them apart for good?

St Saviours children’s home in London’s East End has provided a safe refuge for local children for decades, and Sister Beatrice and her team are as busy as ever. New staff member Jinny is glad to escape the lewd advances of her drunken and slovenly mother’s rotten boyfriends, but can she prove she isn’t a chip off the old block? As ever, the staff are tested when orphaned brother and sister Andy and Beth are brought to the home - they are clearly terrified of something, and Andy refuses to be sent home, but can Sister Beatrice get to the bottom of their story before they are returned to their stepfather?

In 1939, Hitler's tyranny approaches western Poland. A prosperous Jewish family - Julius and Josefina Kohn and their two teenage children Peter and Suzanna - flee their homeland, embarking on an unexpected odyssey of 6,000 arduous miles. They evade Nazi capture, only to be arrested by the Soviets, who have invaded Poland from the east. Deported to northern Russia, they endure savage conditions during 18 months of forced labor in a prison camp, where death lurks around every corner.

The eighth novel in the Tropical Frontier series, The Good Dog is the prequel to The Cow Hunters. This is the story of one dog's journey to discover a place called home.

Young Mikey Quinn, scavenging on the streets of Hull, is thrown into prison for stealing a rabbit from the butcher. His chief accuser, a well-to-do lawyer, has a daughter, Eleanor, whom he badly mistreats. When Mikey is released he finds that his mother has died and his brothers taken into the workhouse - determined to find a better life for his family, he walks all the way to London to seek his fortune.

On her 10th birthday, Leah receives a surprise gift from glamorous Aunt Olivia, Mama's only sister, who lives in Los Angeles. It is a red rose box. Not many people in 1958 Louisiana have seen such a beautiful traveling case, covered with red roses, filled with jewelry, silk bedclothes, expensive soaps...and train tickets to California.

Two years into the Second World War, and German U-boats are frequently disrupting Britain's supply of food. In an effort to help housewives with food rationing, a BBC radio program launches a new cooking contest–and the grand prize is a job as the program’s first-ever female co-host. For young widow Audrey winning the competition could be a chance to pay off her husband’s debts and keep a roof over her children’s heads. However, her estranged sister, Gwendoline, is equally set on success even if her own kitchen maid, Nell, is competing against her.

We follow in the footsteps of the intrepid British traveller as they explore the world both at home and abroad, told entirely in the words of those who were there. In two volumes: The Traveller at Home Gazette and The Traveller Abroad Gazette. Performed by an outstanding company of award-winning actors including Dame Eileen Atkins, Cheryl Campbell, Nigel Davenport, Alex Jennings, Richard Johnson OBE, Hugh Laurie CBE, Michael Maloney, Geoffrey Palmer OBE, Michael Pennington, Prunella Scales CBE, Samuel West, John Wood CBE and full supporting cast.

A dashing young man appears at Lady Brockenhurst's soiree - but who is he and why is he so favored by their hostess? Belgravia is the story of a secret. A secret that unravels behind the porticoed doors of London's grandest postcode. The story behind the secret will be revealed in weekly bite-sized installments complete with twists and turns and cliff-hanger endings. Set in the 1840s when the upper echelons of society began to rub shoulders with the emerging industrial nouveau riche, Belgravia is peopled by a rich cast of characters.