New Fiction Books

It was just a game... until the rules changed. Photographer Maggie Redford is happy to watch life from the stands. She's already met and lost the love of her life and would rather spend her time snapping shots of Chicago's MLB team. But Maggie's thrown a curveball when the team signs Tommy Mikals, a tattooed hotshot whose talent for making plays is matched by a playboy reputation. Tommy knows he's on the brink of losing his baseball career for good and that the Cougars are his last shot at redemption. Vowing to give up his party-boy ways, he can't afford any distractions - including one gorgeous team photographer. When a wild team outing leads to a compromising photo between Maggie and Tommy going viral, suddenly they've become the hottest new celebrity couple. With his reputation and her job on the line, they have no choice but to go along with PR's plan of faking a romance to the world. But as their pretend relationship plays out in the spotlight, real feelings come into play. Maggie's already loved and lost; Tommy's never learned to commit: can they even make it past first base? Product Information: • ISBN: 9781471416927 • Author: Ally Wiegand • Publisher: Bonnier Books UK Limited • Format: Paperback     • Pages: 256 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.9 x 1.63 cm

One thing that Nolan Hill needed to learn about me though: I could be just as stubborn as he was when it came to my job. Everyone knows Nolan Hill as the legendary quarterback of the Chicago Bobcats - two-time Super Bowl champ and heartthrob to countless fans. But to Lottie Thompson, he's just the stubborn pain in the ass who refuses her physio treatment. She's worked hard to command respect in a male-dominated industry, and she's not about to let a 6ft, too-handsome-for-his-own-good football player run all over her. But when Nolan's injury threatens his Super Bowl dreams, he and Lottie strike a deal: he'll follow her rehab plan in exchange for helping her tick off her bucket list. As Nolan's performance on the field soars, Lottie finds their partnership off the field heating up too. Somewhere between sweaty morning runs and late-night strategy sessions, their rivalry has turned into the kind of truce that involves lingering touches and stolen kisses. Now Lottie isn't one to back down from a challenge, but can this grumpy quarterback finally break through her defences? A headstrong NFL player meets his match in his new no-nonsense physio therapist in this steamy, tension-filled sports romance. Perfect for fans of Becka Mack, Stephanie Archer and Elsie Silver. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781471416965 • Author: Ally Wiegand • Publisher: Bonnier Books UK Limited • Format: Paperback     • Pages: 288 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.9 x 1.83 cm

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Lightlark Saga, this is Alex Aster's debut romance novel. This edition includes exclusive jacket, foil art and endpapers. Twenty-seven-year-old screenwriter, Elle, has the chance of a lifetime to write a big-budget movie set in New York City. The only problem? She's had writer's block for months, and her screenplay is due by the end of the summer. Desperate for inspiration, Elle returns to NYC – the city she hates – and tries to throw herself into her writing. But then she meets her new neighbour: Parker Warren. He's the city's favourite handsome tech billionaire and he's also the guy Elle hooked up with in a stairwell two years ago. When seeing him again turns into a night of hate-fuelled writing, Elle realises Parker might just be her twisted muse. So, when Parker needs to fake a steady relationship during his company's precarious acquisition and Elle needs to research a list of classic date spots in the city for her screenplay, they suddenly find they might just be exactly what each other needs. Summers always end, and so will this agreement. It's all pretend. Promise. Until it isn't. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781526686923 • Author: Alex Aster • Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc • Format: Hardback     • Pages: 304 • Dimensions: 21.6 x 13.5 cm

Enjoy this 3-book set of Scarlett St. Clair’s Hades Saga. Includes: • A Game of Gods • A Game of Retribution • A Game of Fate Product Information: • ISBN: 9781464241031 • Author: Scarlett St. Clair • Publisher: Penguin DK (Dorling Kindersley) • Format: Box Set

Enjoy this 4-book set of Scarlett St. Clair’s Hades x Persephone series. This set includes: A Touch of Darkness She remembered the words she had whispered to him in the back of the limo after La Rose. "You will worship me, and I won't even have to order you." His request felt sinful and devious, and she reveled in it. She answered, "Yes. "Persephone is the Goddess of Spring in title only. Since she was a little girl, flowers have only shriveled at her touch. After moving to New Athens, she hoped to lead an unassuming life disguised as a mortal journalist. A Touch of Ruin Hades sighed and brushed his finger along her cheek. "Darling, I would burn this world for you. "Persephone's relationship with Hades has gone public and the resulting media storm disrupts her normal life and threatens to expose her as the Goddess of Spring. To add to her troubles, everyone seems eager to warn Persephone away from the God of the Dead by exposing his hellish past. A Touch of Malice "I am not sure who you think I am," she said. "But let me be clear-I am Persephone, future Queen of the Underworld, Lady of Your Fate-may you come to dread my presence." Persephone and Hades are engaged. In retaliation, Demeter summons a snowstorm that cripples New Greece, and refuses to lift the blizzard unless her daughter calls off her engagement. A Touch of Chaos Persephone, Goddess of Spring, never guessed that a chance encounter with Hades, God of the Underworld, would change her life forever-but he did. Now embroiled in a fight for humanity and battles between the gods, Persephone and Hades have entered a world they never thought they would see. To end the chaos, Persephone must draw upon her darkness and embrace who she's become-goddess, wife, queen of the Underworld. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781464241024 • Author: Scarlett St. Clair • Publisher: Penguin DK (Dorling Kindersley) • Format: Box Set

Despite a deathbed warning from her beloved mother, Phoebe Mulligan has no choice but to throw herself on the mercy of her uncle, Edward. Wrenched from all she holds dear, the tragic young girl is delivered to Blackburn town, where she must live in a household terrorised by the cold, forbidding presence of her mother’s brother. Phoebe cannot understand why she is treated so harshly by Edward Dickens. She is not to know the guilty secret that lies in his past, a secret that casts a sinister shadow over his feelings for his lovely niece . . . But Phoebe’s spirit will not be broken. Her natural warmth and cheerfulness win her many friends and although she must endure horror and heartbreak, all the riches a woman can have come within her reach . . . Product Information: • ISBN: 9781035417315 • Author: Josephine Cox • Publisher: Hodder Headline • Format: Paperback     • Pages: 480 • Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 4.6 cm

Friday afternoon, and the traffic is bloody murder. Sergeant Belinda 'Billy' Kidd is driving home from the airport, jet-lagged and ready to resign from a career that has left her traumatised. Menopause has robbed her confidence too - now she's a traffic cop who's afraid to drive. When brake lights haemorrhage up the motorway, the cars grind to a halt. Moments later she finds a dead driver in a black sedan. He has a metal skewer in his neck. But how? The killer can't have left the scene without being spotted by the dozens of witnesses - so he must still be there, among them. If the traffic jam stays put, they're all in danger; if the traffic clears, she'll lose her suspect. The clock is ticking, but she doesn't know how fast. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781804183441 • Author: Jo Furniss • Publisher: Bonnier Books UK Limited • Format: Paperback     • Pages: 352 • Dimensions: 17.78 x 12.7 x 2.29 cm

In a sleepy French village, the body of a man shot through the head is disinterred by the roots of a fallen tree. A week later a famous art critic is viciously murdered in a nearby house. The deaths occurred more than seventy years apart. Asked by a colleague to inspect the site of the former, forensics expert Enzo Macleod quickly finds himself embroiled in the investigation of the latter. Two extraordinary narratives are set in train – one historical, unfolding in the treacherous wartime years of Occupied France; the other contemporary, set in the autumn of 2020 as France re-enters Covid lockdown. And Enzo’s investigations reveal an unexpected link between the murders – the Mona Lisa. The Night Gate spans three generations, taking us from war-torn London, the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, Berlin and Vichy France, to the deadly enemy facing the world in 2020. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781529434798 • Author: Peter May • Publisher: Quercus Publishing plc • Format: Paperback     • Pages: 496 • Dimensions: 19.6 x 13 x 3.4 cm

Angels Cry Sometimes is a heartrending novel of discovering happiness again through heartbreak, grief and despair from the No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling storyteller Josephine Cox. The marriage of Marcia and Curt Ratheter seemed idyllically happy. As much in love as on their wedding day, nothing could mar their joy. But one fateful day in 1931 brought Marcia’s world tumbling about her ears and left her and her two daughters bereft. Barty Bendall had always loved her, he said; and the girls needed a father. Marcia moved to Blackburn with him, where she tried to forget the past. Barty, though, sank into bad ways, tyrannizing the family. In particular he would vent his aggression on Polly, Curt and Marcia’s first-born, blonde as an angel but afflicted since birth with an ominous shadow over her health. Even in troubled times, lovely raven-haired Marcia was a fighter. But the news that Curt Ratheter had reappeared would render her the helpless prey of wildly conflicting emotions. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781035417261 • Author: Josephine Cox • Publisher: Hodder Headline • Format: Paperback     • Pages: 384 • Dimensions: 20.32 x 13.97 x 2.54 cm

Beth is a woman of rare courage and fortitude, but there is danger and heartbreak to be endured before she can find peace and happiness… Beth Ward and Tyler Blacklock share a love they know will last forever. But Beth’s mother, Esther, is jealous of the girl and seizes an opportunity to be rid of her daughter. Banished in disgrace from the family home, Beth takes the northbound train and alights at Blackburn, friendless and alone. On this day, Fortune smiles, for Beth is taken in by warm-hearted Maisie Armstrong, a widow with two children. Money is scarce, but love abounds in the cosy house on Larkhill, and Beth is content there to await the birth of her child. But she cannot forget Tyler, and is tormented by the belief that he has betrayed her. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781035417308 • Author: Josephine Cox • Publisher: Hodder Headline • Format: Paperback     • Pages: 464 • Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 3 cm

She can design the perfect forever home . . . but what about a forever love? Single mum Natalie Parker is firmly focused on her newly resurrected career as a designer. No distractions. When her sister hires Natalie to design her brand-new home with boyfriend Linc, Natalie’s delighted. Enter Linc’s younger brother, video game designer Eugene Kennedy. He’s smart, incredibly good-looking, and a shameless flirt. He’s also younger than her, which makes him totally off-limits. Eugene is captivated by Natalie’s beauty, intelligence, and sense of humour. Pushing her buttons comes way too easy, and he can’t get enough of how she throws it right back. Yet despite their instant chemistry, Natalie keeps trying to push him away – but Eugene never backs down from a challenge. Soon Natalie is running out of reasons to keep Eugene at arm’s length, and breaking all her own rules may just be the thing she needs… Product Information: • ISBN: 9781472299451 • Author: Jaci Burton • Publisher: Hodder Headline • Format: Paperback     • Pages: 352 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.8 x 3 cm

Steph Williams is excited to get her hands stuck into her latest gardening project. This time, she's been commissioned by Lady Clara of Ashford Manor to restore the stately gardens to their former glory. But the estate is suddenly thrown into chaos when a dead body is discovered in one of the rooms. The police rule it as suicide, though Steph's convinced they're barking up the wrong tree. For she knows the deceased better than they do and it could only be one thing: murder. And if the police won't listen to her, then Steph will have to investigate the case herself. As Steph tries to get to the root of the matter, she soon discovers that the manor staff hold secrets of their own, and now she's not sure who she can trust. But one thing is for sure, she's not going to let the murderer lead her up the garden path... Gardener turned amateur sleuth Steph and her adorable dog are on the search for a killer in this highly gripping and unputdownable cosy crime novel. Fans of Richard Coles, Fiona Leitch and Sarah Yarwood-Lovett will be hooked from beginning to end. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781471416200 • Author: Rosie Sandler • Publisher: Bonnier Books UK Limited • Format: Paperback     • Pages: 272 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.9 x 1.73 cm

A woman discovers that not all monsters are her enemy – the opposite, in fact – in this new paranormal romance by Lana Ferguson, author of The Fake Mate. Keyanna ‘Key’ MacKay is used to secrets. Raised by a single father who never divulged his past, it’s only after his death that she finds herself thrust into the world he’d always refused to speak of. With just a childhood bedtime story about a monster that saved her father’s life and the name of her estranged grandmother to go off of, Key has no idea what she’ll find in Scotland. But repeating her father’s mistakes and being rescued by a gorgeous, angry Scotsman – who thinks she’s an idiot – is definitely the last thing she expects. Lachlan Greer has his own secrets to keep, especially from the bonnie lass he pulls to safety from the slippery shore – a lass with captivating eyes and the last name he’s been taught not to trust. He’s looking for answers as well, and Key’s presence on the grounds they both now occupy presents a real problem. It’s even more troublesome when he gets a front row seat to the lukewarm welcome Key receives from her family; the strange powers she begins to develop; and the fierce determination she brings to every obstacle in her path. Things he shouldn’t care about, and someone he definitely doesn’t find wildly attractive. When their secrets collide, it becomes clear that Lachlan could hold the answers Keyanna is after – and that she might also be the key to uncovering his. Up against time, mystery, and a centuries old curse, they’ll quickly discover that magic might not only be in fairy tales, and that love can be a real loch-mess. Product Information: • ISBN: 9780349441429 • Author: Lana Ferguson • Publisher: Little Brown • Format: Paperback     • Pages: 416 • Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.6 x 3.2 cm

Most days, Andrea Walters doesn't know whether she wants to kiss Tanner Hammond or punch him in the gut. He's been hot since the day they met, with insane bedroom eyes and that firefighter's body of his - but he's also a major player, and the two of them have never been able to get along for more than a handful of minutes at a time. Tanner knows he and Andrea are infamous for their love/hate relationship, but lately, he's found himself wanting more love than hate from her. He wants her, period. But the more he gets to know the girl behind the fiery mask, the more it becomes obvious that Andrea has a problem. She's teetering on the edge of disaster, and every time he tries to catch her, she slips through his fingers. Between her drinking and the demons beneath it, Andrea's life is spiralling out of control, and it doesn't matter that Tanner wants to save her - because when everything falls apart and she's speeding toward rock bottom, only she can save herself. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781399744034 • Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout • Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton • Format: Paperback     • Pages: 288 • Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 2.4 cm

What if Nala was compelled to team up with Scar? The Lion King gets the Twisted Tales treatment in the next instalment of this ever-popular series. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781835442715 • Author: Farrah Rochon • Publisher: Igloo Books Ltd • Format: Paperback • Pages: 320 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.9 x 2.5 cm

Nothing's too much trouble - until a body turns up . . . I suppose it would be fitting to explain that I am talking into a dictaphone and the lovely Helen will be typing out my story for you to read . . . This is my account of the Cavengreen Hotel murder. Best we get that bit in early on. The peaceful setting of Cavengreen Hotel has been shattered by a shocking murder. The killer could be anyone, but when once-trusted concierge Hector Harrow finds himself accused of the crime, he turns detective in order to clear his name. Could the real perpetrator be a member of the bridal party who were staying at the hotel? Or the hotel manager, perhaps? Or maybe its brash new owners, who were also visiting at the time of the incident? As suspicions fall on guests and staff alike, Hector must navigate a web of secrets to uncover the truth . . . For fans of Janice Hallett, Richard Osman and Nita Prose, The Concierge tells the story of a man whose job it is to deal with everything life throws at him. Even death. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781785306808 • Author: Abby Corson  • Publisher: Bonnier Books UK Limited • Format: Paperback • Pages: 272 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.9 x 1.7 cm

Can Lucy find her second-chance romance in the glamour of the French Riviera? When aspiring author Lucy attends a rich friend’s 50th birthday party in glamorous Monaco, she has no idea that her life is about to change forever. Heartsore after a broken marriage, she is not looking for love so when she meets Elias, and he offers to take her sailing on his employer’s boat, she agrees only as research for the book she desperately wants to write. They bond over their adult children – who seem to want to clip their wings and force them into living like pensioners – and the chemistry is undeniable. But is he all he seems? And is she ready to trust again? An uplifting, later-in-life romance perfect for fans of Milly Johnson, Jo Thomas and Julie Caplin. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781804369319 • Author: Helga Jensen • Publisher: Canelo Digital Publishing Ltd • Format: Paperback • Pages: 320 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.9 x 2 cm

Being the heiress of Greenway Discoveries, Daphne Green has always lived a life of privilege. But when there is a break-in at her father’s office, he enlists the service of Milosh Petrov to guard her as a precaution. Just a precaution . . . Assertive and straight-talking Milosh takes his job seriously: keep them safe and walk away. But when he’s tasked with posing as a close protection officer for Daphne, walking away starts to feel impossible. And when the threat against her life becomes very real, Milosh vows to do whatever it takes to keep her safe. The perfect read for fans of Ana Huang, Jessa Hastings and Lauren Asher. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781398539686 • Author: Eden Victoria • Publisher: Simon & Schuster • Format: Paperback • Pages: 400 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 13 x 2.37 cm

THE ALL-NEW SMALL-TOWN ROMCOM FROM LUCY SCORE Hazel is given a one-two punch when she’s forced to move out of her Upper East Side apartment and is given a final warning from her publisher. If she doesn’t turn in a book by her next deadline, they’re cutting her loose. Hazel rashly decides to leave what’s left of her city life behind and impulse buys a house in rural Pennsylvania, sight unseen. How better to entertain the loyal readers she still has and rediscover her writing mojo than by immersing herself in small-town life? Too bad this town looks to be on its last legs. At least she’s finding swoon-worthy inspiration from her hot, grumpy contractor Cam and his animal-rescuing, community-involved family. It’s all just research. What could go wrong? Product Information: • ISBN: 9781399750202 • Author: Lucy Score • Publisher: Hodder Headline • Format: Paperback • Pages: 544 • Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 4.2 cm

Fall in love with the brand new spring romance set in Dream Harbor, from the bestselling author of The Pumpkin Spice Cafe and The Cinnamon Bun Book Store As a world-renowned chef, single dad Archer never planned on moving to a small town, let alone running a pancake restaurant. But Dream Harbor needs a new chef, and Archer needs a community to help raise his daughter, Olive. Iris has never managed to hold down a job for more than a few months. So when it’s suggested that Archer is looking for a live-in nanny, she almost runs in the opposite direction. Now, Iris finds herself in a whole new world. One where her gorgeous new boss lives right across the hall and likes to cook topless… Keeping everything strictly professional should be easy, right? The Strawberry Patch Pancake House is a cozy romantic mystery with a single dad and found family dynamic, a small-town setting and a HEA guaranteed! Product Information: • ISBN: 9780008713348 • Author: Laurie Gilmore • Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers • Format: Paperback • Pages: 384 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.9 x 2.8 cm