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The Impersonators
by Angela ChadwickIMPERSONATION SERVICES AVAILABLE NEAR YOU. Need someone to stand in as a partner, colleague or relative? Make the right impression by hiring a professional actor today. Complete discretion assured.After a decade of waiting for the call that would change everything, Lucy's dreams are shattered when her agent drops her. But returning to the life she's spent ten years running from isn't an option.Determined to keep her acting career alive, Lucy and her best friend Jack launch an Impersonation Agency, stepping into the lives of strangers and playing everything from supportive partners at family gatherings to charming plus-ones at corporate events.It all seems harmless enough, despite the lies they're paid to spin - until they meet Zelda. A wealthy woman who was abandoned by her ex-boyfriend, Zelda's not just seeking a performance; she's out for revenge. 'I want to destroy him.'Before they know it, Lucy and Jack are forced to question how far they're willing to go, and just what they've let themselves in for... Because when you're selling lies for a living, can you ever be sure who's really in control?A totally unputdownable and twist-packed page-turner, perfect for fans of Bella Mackie and Katy Brent.
Costanza: 'Striking fictional retelling of this true history' – Sunday Times
by Rachel Blackmore'In Blackmore's striking fictional retelling of this true history, Costanza refuses to accept a fate as nothing more than a victim of male exploitation' SUNDAY TIMES, BEST HISTORICAL FICTION'Emotionally intense' DAILY MAIL'A stunning, visceral portrait of a woman and her life and a story as relevant now as it was then. I was gripped' JENNIE GODFREY'Wonderful... This novel took over my life for the time I was buried in it. Powerful and deeply affecting' PATERSON JOSEPHRome, 1636: In the scorched city of Rome, the cobbled streets hum with gossip and sin...Costanza Piccolomini is a respectable young wife - until she meets Gianlorenzo Bernini, the famed sculptor and star of Roman society, whose jet-black gaze matches his dark temper. From the second they set eyes upon each other, a fatal attraction is born.Their secret love burns with a passion that consumes them. But with every stolen kiss and illicit tryst, Costanza's reputation is at stake. Meanwhile, Bernini has a dangerous desire: he wants to make Costanza immortal. He vows to possess her not just in body and soul, but also in marble.When Bernini unveils his sculpture of Costanza, she is exposed as his lover, marking the undoing of their affair - and the beginning of a scandal which will rock Roman society. For Bernini would rather destroy Costanza than let her go.Betrayed. Abandoned. Banished. This was meant to be the end of Costanza's story. But Costanza is no ordinary woman: from the ashes, she will rise...History calls her a Muse. Temptress. Fallen woman. This is her story. Costanza is a dizzying, sensual novel that brings to life a feminist icon who has been written out of history. This utterly addictive tale of desire and betrayal is perfect for fans of The Marriage Portrait and The Miniaturist.'I loved it... Rich and evocative in its portrayal of 17th Century Rome. A fabulous, evocative novel' Elizabeth Chadwick'From the first page I was hooked. Love, lust, fury and betrayal leap from the page. This is a must-read for anyone who wants to read a true feminist retelling' Louise Hare, author of This Lovely City'This has to be my book of the year! Full of passion and desire... A story of the resilience of women in the face of male power' Sheila O'Flanagan, author of The Honeymoon Affair'A gorgeous tale of female resilience steeped in the glamour and danger of renaissance-era Rome. Blackmore restores the lively Costanza from a footnote in Bernini's story to the heroine of her own' Luna McNamara, author of Psyche and Eros'A revelation... A splendid debut - brava! And a super summer read' Ellen Alpsten, author of Tsarina'Sumptuous, immersive and bold, Costanza breathes life into a woman frozen in marble for three hundred years, finally giving her a chance to speak... Costanza is both a cathartic cry and a clarion call for justice for generations of forgotten women' Hesse Phillips, author of Lightborne'I was mesmerised by Costanza, a searing, fierce tale of obsession, revenge, and resilience. An unforgettable debut novel' Naomi Kelsey, author of The Burnings
Costanza: 'Striking fictional retelling of this true history' – Sunday Times
by Rachel Blackmore'In Blackmore's striking fictional retelling of this true history, Costanza refuses to accept a fate as nothing more than a victim of male exploitation' SUNDAY TIMES, BEST HISTORICAL FICTION'Emotionally intense' DAILY MAIL'A stunning, visceral portrait of a woman and her life and a story as relevant now as it was then. I was gripped' JENNIE GODFREY'Wonderful... This novel took over my life for the time I was buried in it. Powerful and deeply affecting' PATERSON JOSEPHRome, 1636: In the scorched city of Rome, the cobbled streets hum with gossip and sin...Costanza Piccolomini is a respectable young wife - until she meets Gianlorenzo Bernini, the famed sculptor and star of Roman society, whose jet-black gaze matches his dark temper. From the second they set eyes upon each other, a fatal attraction is born.Their secret love burns with a passion that consumes them. But with every stolen kiss and illicit tryst, Costanza's reputation is at stake. Meanwhile, Bernini has a dangerous desire: he wants to make Costanza immortal. He vows to possess her not just in body and soul, but also in marble.When Bernini unveils his sculpture of Costanza, she is exposed as his lover, marking the undoing of their affair - and the beginning of a scandal which will rock Roman society. For Bernini would rather destroy Costanza than let her go.Betrayed. Abandoned. Banished. This was meant to be the end of Costanza's story. But Costanza is no ordinary woman: from the ashes, she will rise...History calls her a Muse. Temptress. Fallen woman. This is her story. Costanza is a dizzying, sensual novel that brings to life a feminist icon who has been written out of history. This utterly addictive tale of desire and betrayal is perfect for fans of The Marriage Portrait and The Miniaturist.'I loved it... Rich and evocative in its portrayal of 17th Century Rome. A fabulous, evocative novel' Elizabeth Chadwick'From the first page I was hooked. Love, lust, fury and betrayal leap from the page. This is a must-read for anyone who wants to read a true feminist retelling' Louise Hare, author of This Lovely City'This has to be my book of the year! Full of passion and desire... A story of the resilience of women in the face of male power' Sheila O'Flanagan, author of The Honeymoon Affair'A gorgeous tale of female resilience steeped in the glamour and danger of renaissance-era Rome. Blackmore restores the lively Costanza from a footnote in Bernini's story to the heroine of her own' Luna McNamara, author of Psyche and Eros'A revelation... A splendid debut - brava! And a super summer read' Ellen Alpsten, author of Tsarina'Sumptuous, immersive and bold, Costanza breathes life into a woman frozen in marble for three hundred years, finally giving her a chance to speak... Costanza is both a cathartic cry and a clarion call for justice for generations of forgotten women' Hesse Phillips, author of Lightborne'I was mesmerised by Costanza, a searing, fierce tale of obsession, revenge, and resilience. An unforgettable debut novel' Naomi Kelsey, author of The Burnings
Costanza: Based on a true story, a completely unputdownable historical fiction page-turner set in 17th Century Rome
by Rachel Blackmore'Wonderful... This novel took over my life for the time I was buried in it. Powerful and deeply affecting' Paterson JosephRome, 1636: In the scorched city of Rome, the cobbled streets hum with gossip and sin...Costanza Piccolomini is a respectable young wife - until she meets Gianlorenzo Bernini, the famed sculptor and star of Roman society, whose jet-black gaze matches his dark temper. From the second they set eyes upon each other, a fatal attraction is born.Their secret love burns with a passion that consumes them. But with every stolen kiss and illicit tryst, Costanza's reputation is at stake. Meanwhile, Bernini has a dangerous desire: he wants to make Costanza immortal. He vows to possess her not just in body and soul, but also in marble.When Bernini unveils his sculpture of Costanza, she is exposed as his lover, marking the undoing of their affair - and the beginning of a scandal which will rock Roman society. For Bernini would rather destroy Costanza than let her go.Betrayed. Abandoned. Banished. This was meant to be the end of Costanza's story. But Costanza is no ordinary woman: from the ashes, she will rise...History calls her a Muse. Temptress. Fallen woman. This is her story. Costanza is a dizzying, sensual novel that brings to life a feminist icon who has been written out of history. This utterly addictive tale of desire and betrayal is perfect for fans of The Marriage Portrait and The Miniaturist.'I loved it... Rich and evocative in its portrayal of 17th Century Rome. A fabulous, evocative novel' Elizabeth Chadwick'From the first page I was hooked. Love, lust, fury and betrayal leap from the page. This is a must-read for anyone who wants to read a true feminist retelling' Louise Hare, author of This Lovely City'This has to be my book of the year! Full of passion and desire... A story of the resilience of women in the face of male power' Sheila O'Flanagan, author of The Honeymoon Affair'A gorgeous tale of female resilience steeped in the glamour and danger of renaissance-era Rome. Blackmore restores the lively Costanza from a footnote in Bernini's story to the heroine of her own' Luna McNamara, author of Psyche and Eros'A revelation... A splendid debut - brava! And a super summer read' Ellen Alpsten, author of Tsarina'Sumptuous, immersive and bold, Costanza breathes life into a woman frozen in marble for three hundred years, finally giving her a chance to speak... Costanza is both a cathartic cry and a clarion call for justice for generations of forgotten women' Hesse Phillips, author of Lightborne'I was mesmerised by Costanza, a searing, fierce tale of obsession, revenge, and resilience. An unforgettable debut novel' Naomi Kelsey, author of The Burnings'I sat up into the early hours, unable to drag myself away from Costanza - what a joy! Rachel Blackmore rescues Costanza, wronged and defiant, from the shadows of history' Karen Powell, author of Fifteen Wild Decembers'Like all the best writers of historical fiction, Blackmore uses her examination of the past to shed light on the present day, in this searing indictment of the treatment and objectification of women. Meticulously researched, atmospheric and beautifully observed, this is a heartbreaking but ultimately triumphant story of one woman's determination to follow her own path' Bridget Walsh, author of The Innocents'A shocking story. Deeply felt... Quite apart from anything else, I will look at Bernini in a new light' Elizabeth Buchan, author of The Museum of Broken Promises'Costanza is such a stunner of a novel - still thinking about it and I've been recommending it to everyone! Get it on your summer reading lists, people!!' Penelope Slocombe, author of Sunbird
XOXO, Cody: An Opinionated Homosexual's Guide to Self-Love, Relationships, and Tactful Pettiness
by Cody RigsbyThe beloved Peloton instructor chronicles his journey from small-town North Carolina to New York City stardom in an empowering story that reveals his secret to success: not taking yourself-or life-too seriously.Cody Rigsby has a lot of opinions: Kevin is the hottest Backstreet Boy; grape jelly is a crime against nature; if you wear flip-flops in New York City, you do not love yourself. But if there is one opinion-one truth-that he holds above all others, it's that we shouldn't let the fear of looking stupid or being judged hold us back from living our best lives.Cody didn't always feel this way. In XOXO, Cody, he opens up about his journey toward accepting himself, from growing up gay and poor in the South to his migration to New York City, where he went from broke-ass dancer to fitness icon. He intimately details what it was like to lose both his father and best friend to addiction and how he began to repair his relationship with his mom as an adult. He recounts his time working at a nightclub on the Lower East Side and his decision to audition for Peloton on a whim, and dishes about competing against Sporty Spice on Dancing with the Stars.With raw and inspiring stories about learning how to handle the scary sh*t, XOXO, Cody is a bold and heartfelt reminder that sometimes laughing at yourself is the best medicine. Remember: It ain't that deep, boo.
The Last Immortal: Book 1 (The Last Immortal #1)
by Alex MarlowePercy Jackson meets The League of Extraordinary Gentleman meets SherlockIn Victorian London, 13-year-old Luke Frankenstein dreams of joining The Immortals - a supernatural crime-fighting squad, founded by his father Victor. But when Luke secretly follows the Immortals on a mission against the Dark Pharaoh Sanakhte, he is killed.Luke's body is preserved for 160 years before he is reanimated in the modern day, his body bestowed with superhuman powers and fitted with modern upgrades. Sanakhte has returned and Luke must reunite the scattered Immortals. But to destroy Sanakhte, Luke must uncover a terrible secret hidden in his past....Inside cover printing features a comic strip detailing more of the Last Immortals' adventures!Now shortlisted for the Bolton Children's Fiction Award 2017
Soul Hunter: Book 2 (The Last Immortal #2)
by Alex MarloweEven the dead can't escape their past...Luke always wanted to become a member of the Immortals. Now his dream his become a reality - brought back from the dead, his body rebuilt with superhuman abilities and high-tech modern attachments.But achieving immortality doesn't make him indestructible. When corpses turn up in London's backstreets, the crime-fighting team descends into a dark adventure. The Immortals' strength will be tested to its limits as they track an ancient evil to the swamps of Louisiana. There they will battle their greatest foe yet: Draka, the Soul Hunter.Inside cover printing features a comic strip detailing more of the Last Immortals' adventures!
The Corrupted: Book 3 (The Last Immortal #3)
by Alex MarloweFollowing the shocking events of the previous book, The Immortals are disheartened and cracks are beginning to show in their alliance. Then a new face brings secrets from Luke's past to light, turning everything he thought he knew upside-down.Which makes it the perfect moment for their enemies to strike...
The Grizzly Games: Book 11 (Frankie's Magic Football #11)
by Frank LampardFrankie and his team love playing football. There's always time for a game - especially when it's a tournament!When Frankie and his friends are whisked to the Canadian Rockies they land with a splash - straight into a freezing river. Thank goodness for a giant rescue dog who turns up just in time. To return the favour, the friends save the dog's owner, Danni, from a grizzly bear. But when they get back to school, they realize their mission isn't over yet. Something has followed them through the portal... Can they return a large, furry creature to Canada, and help their new friend win the tournament of her life?
Meteor Madness: Book 12 (Frankie's Magic Football #12)
by Frank LampardFrankie and his team love playing football. There's always time for a game - especially in space!When Frankie and his friends climb into a broken Galaxy Quest ride, the shuttle sends them flying beyond the stars! Can Frankie and his team win a game against aliens, and save their new friends from a meteor? Frankie needs to win like never before!
The Great Santa Race: Book 13 (Frankie's Magic Football #13)
by Frank LampardFrankie and his team love playing football. There's always time for a game, even when it's Christmas!It looks like it's not going to be a white Christmas for Frankie and his friends. But then the magic football accidentally awakens an evil penguin, who wants to create a snowy winter that will never end! Can Frankie and the team stop him before it's too late for a very special Santa to enter the Great Santa Race?
Team T. Rex: Book 14 (Frankie's Magic Football #14)
by Frank LampardFrankie and his team love playing football. There's always time for a game. And now that they have their magical football they're playing against teams they never imagined!While on holiday at a summer camp, Frankie, Charlie, Louise and Max the dog are transported to a prehistoric land of dinosaurs. Can they reunite a baby pterodactyl with its mum, and avoid being eaten by a hungry T-Rex? The friends will need to use all their football skills to get home in one piece!
Deep Sea Dive: Book 15 (Frankie's Magic Football #15)
by Frank LampardFrankie and his team love playing football. There's always time for a game. And now that they have their magical football they're playing against teams they never imagined! During a visit to a holiday park, Frankie and his friends discover a theme park with a difference - each ride is a portal into an amazing fantasy world. This time, the magic football takes them all on an underwater adventure that asks Max to swim his best doggy paddle, and makes playing football a game against the tide!
Monster High: Frights, Camera, Action!
by Perdita FinnWhen Draculaura is led to believe she's the rightful heir to the vampire throne, she and her best ghoulfriends are whisked away to Transylvania for a royal coronation to die for. But they soon discover the hunt for the queen is not over yet. The Ghouls must locate an ancient artifact known as the Vampire's Heart in order to discover the identity of the true Vampire Queen. It's a fangtastic adventure that will lead them from the Tower of Londoom, to a haunted river boat in New Goreleans and finally to the glamorous boo-vie lots of Hauntlywood. Could this be the moment when Draculaura finally receives her vampire powers and discovers screams really can come true? Based on the Monster High movie: Frights, Camera, Action! Contains eight pages of full-colour images in addition to the story. Don't miss the other books based on Monster High movies: Haunted and Freaky Fusion.
Monster High: Freaky Fusion
by Perdita FinnDuring the Bite-Centennial, the ghouls discover an old scientist's workshop and travel back two hundred years to the beginning of Monster High. But when they try to get home, they go through a vortex that fuses some of the ghouls together! With the help of the Hybrids, the new monsters in school, they learn how to control their combined flaws and together face their greatest challenge . . . saving Frankie! This novelisation of the Monster High animated special includes an eight-page full-colour insert of fangtastic images!
Queen Red Riding Hood's Guide to Royalty (The Land of Stories #1)
by Chris ColferFrom bestselling author Chris Colfer comes a new book about a beloved character: Queen Red Riding Hood.The young queen gives us her take on politics, government, health, love, and of course, what it means to be royalty.A must-have for new and old fans alike.
The Mother Goose Diaries (The Land of Stories #1)
by Chris ColferFrom New York Times bestselling author Chris Colfer comes a new book about a beloved character: Mother Goose. Mother Goose's diary entries over the last five hundred years take readers on a journey to learn buried secrets. A must-have for new and old fans alike.
An Author's Odyssey: Book 5 (The Land of Stories #5)
by Chris ColferThe 5th book in the No.1 New York Times bestselling series by Chris ColferIn the highly anticipated continuation of the Land of Stories series, Conner learns that the only place to fight the Masked Man's literary army is inside his own short stories! When the twins and their friends enter worlds crafted from Conner's imagination, finding allies no one else could have ever dreamed of, the race begins to put an end to the Masked Man's reign of terror. Can the twins finally restore peace in the fairy tale world?
Tales from the Fatherland: Two Dads, One Adoption and the Meaning of Parenthood
by Ben FergussonA pause. 'Ah, Herr Fergusson. It's Frau Schwenk.' Our social worker, I now understood. 'Thank you for getting back to me. I'm calling because we have a little boy, four weeks old, who needs a family.'In 2018, after the introduction of marriage equality in Germany, Ben Fergusson and his German husband Tom became one of the first same-sex married couples to adopt in the country. In Tales from the Fatherland Fergusson reflects on his long journey to fatherhood and the social changes that enabled it. He uses his outsider status as both a gay father and a parent adopting in a foreign country to explore the history and sociology of fatherhood and motherhood around the world, queer parenting and adoption and, ultimately, the meaning of family and love.Tales from the Fatherland makes an impassioned case for the value of diversity in family life, arguing that diverse families are good for all families and that misogyny lies at the heart of many of the struggles of straight and queer families alike.
Mr Wigg
by Inga SimpsonJack used to say that a good orchard was like a well-lived life. The one up at the old farm, with its hundred-year-old pears leaning over the entrance gates, held more Wigg history than anything written down.It's the summer of 1971, not far from the stone-fruit capital of New South Wales, where Mr Wigg lives on what's left of the family farm. He spends his time working in the orchard, cooking and preserving his produce and, when it's on, watching the cricket. It's a full life.Things are changing though, with Australia and England playing a one-day match, and his new neighbours planting grapes for wine. His wife died a few years ago, his daughter never visits, and his son thinks he should move into town. But Mr Wigg has trees and chickens to look after on the farm. His grandchildren visit often: to cook, eat and hear stories. And he has a project to finish...
Rob Delaney: Mother. Wife. Sister. Human. Warrior. Falcon. Yardstick. Turban. Cabbage.
by Rob DelaneyRob Delaney is a father, a husband, a comedian, a writer. He is the author of an endless stream of beautiful, insane jokes on Twitter. He is sober. He is sometimes brave. He speaks French. He has bungee-jumped off the Manhattan Bridge. He enjoys antagonizing political figures, powerful retailers and the Kardashians. He listens to metal while he works out. He broke into an abandoned mental hospital with his mother. He played Sir Lancelot in Camelot. He has battled depression. He is funny as s***. He cleans up well. He and Margaret Atwood have a thing going on Twitter. He is lucky to be alive.
Further Joy: A Short Story Collection
by John BrandonIn eleven expertly crafted stories, John Brandon gives us a stunning assortment of men and women at the edge of possibility - gamblers and psychics, wanderers and priests, all of them on the verge of finding out what they can get away with, and what they can't. Ranging from haunted deserts to alligator-filled swamps, these are stories of foul luck and strange visitations, delivered with deadpan humour by an unforgettable voice.The New York Times praised Brandon's last novel for a style that combined Elmore Leonard and Charles Portis, and now Brandon brings that same darkly American artistry to his very first story collection, demonstrating once again that he belongs in the top ranks of contemporary writers.
Hild: A Novel
by Nicola Griffith'Truly, truly remarkable' Karen Joy Fowler'Extraordinary...resonates to many of the same chords as Beowulf, the legends of King Arthur, The Lord of the Rings, and Game of Thrones' Neal Stephenson'You are a prophet and seer with the brightest mind in an age. Your blood is that of the man who should have been king ...That's what the king and his lords see. And they will kill you, one day'In seventh century Britain, a new religion is coming ashore while small kingdoms are merging, frequently and violently. Hild is the king's youngest niece, with a glittering mind and natural authority, She is destined to become one of the pivotal figures of the early Middle Ages: Saint Hilda of Whitby. But for now she has only the powerful curiosity of a child and the precarious advantage of a plotting uncle, Edwin of Northumbria, who will stop at nothing to beome king of the Angles. Hild establishes herself at her uncle's side as the king's seer, and becomes indispensable - as long as all goes well for Edwin. The stakes are high - life and death - for Hild, her family and for all those who seek the protection of this strange girl who seems to see the future. In this vivid, utterly compelling novel, Nicola Griffith has brought the Early Middle Ages to life in an extraordinary act of alchemy, transporting the reader into a mesmerising, unforgettable world.
Murder in Mississippi: The True Story Of How I Met A White Supremacist, Befriended His Black Killer And Wrote This Book
by John SafranIn 2009 John Safran, a controversial Australian journalist, spent an uneasy few days interviewing one of Mississippi's most notorious white supremacists. A year later, he hears that the man has been murdered by a young black man. But this is far from a straightforward race killing. Safran flies back to Mississippi in a bid to discover what really happened, immersing himself in a world of clashing white separatists, black lawyers, police investigators, oddball neighbours and the killer himself. In the end, he discovers just how profoundly complex the truth about someone's life - and death - can be.A brilliantly innovative true-crime story. Safran paints an engrossing and revealing portrait of race, money, sex and power in the modern American South. 'John Safran's captivating inquiry into a murder in darkest Mississippi is by turns informative, frightening and hilarious' - John Berendt, author of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Everything I Never Told You: 'a taut tale of ever deepening and quickening suspense' O, the Oprah Magazine
by Celeste Ng'There is much here that might impress Pulitzer and Man Booker judges...Ng brilliantly depicts the destruction that parents can inflict on their children and on each other' Mark Lawson, Guardian 'This intriguing tale of unhappy families will have you gripped from the opening line . . . No wonder it beat Hilary Mantel and Stephen King to win Amazon's book of the year' StylistLydia is the favourite child of Marilyn and James Lee; a girl who inherited her mother's bright blue eyes and her father's jet-black hair. Her parents are determined that Lydia will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue - in Marilyn's case that her daughter become a doctor rather than a homemaker, in James's case that Lydia be popular at school, a girl with a busy social life and the centre of every party. But Lydia is under pressures that have nothing to do with growing up in 1970s small town Ohio. Her father is an American born of first-generation Chinese immigrants, and his ethnicity, and hers, make them conspicuous in any setting. When Lydia's body is found in the local lake, James is consumed by guilt and sets out on a reckless path that may destroy his marriage. Marilyn, devastated and vengeful, is determined to make someone accountable, no matter what the cost. Lydia's older brother, Nathan, is convinced that local bad boy Jack is somehow involved. But it's the youngest in the family - Hannah - who observes far more than anyone realises and who may be the only one who knows what really happened. And if you loved Everything I Never Told You and Little Fires Everywhere, pre-order Celeste Ng's brilliant new novel, Our Missing Hearts, nowWhat readers are saying:'Devastating...A truly tragic but devastatingly well written book''Ng is a true craftsman. I implore you to read this. Also my favourite ending of a novel so far this year''This is the best book I have read this year''Really enjoyed this book, deeply moving, sad and thought provoking'