Search Results for: The last woman in the world

A fatherless girl grows up a virtual prisoner in the shabby backwater of Kensington Palace, despised by her relations, bullied and insulted by her foolish mother’s evil genius. Only the core of stubbornness in her nature sustains her as she waits for the day of deliverance – the day she will become Queen of England.

She is Victoria; this is her story, recorded in her own words in the last troubled year of her life.
With humanity and humour the Queen Empress of half the world looks back over eighty crowded years, remembering domestic crisis and public triumph, war, revolution and the fall of dynasties; remembering most of all the great and abiding love that illuminated every aspect of her life.

This is the autobiography Queen Victoria might have written, and reveals the private woman behind the public mask – quick tempered, proud and incurably honest; shy, vulnerable and always, indefatigably, amused.

It will take a Christmas miracle to melt her heart.
Resort developer Madison Lane is about to lose the one thing she loves most in the world – her job. Dubbed “The Grinch Who Killed Christmas,” Madison spoiled a deal that would turn quaint Christmas, Colorado, into a tourist’s winter wonderland. Now the citizens want her fired but the company gives her one last chance, sending Madison to the small town to restore the holiday cheer.

For Sheriff Gage McBride, no hotshot executive from New York City is going to destroy the dreams of the people he loves. But one look at this beautiful woman and it’s his heart that may be broken. In just a few days, Madison causes more trouble than he’s had to deal with all year. He can’t decide if she’s naughty or nice, but one thing is for certain – Christmas will never be the same again . . .

An aging New Yorker, a writer named Nick, feels life ebbing out of him. The world has gone to hell and Nick is so sick of it all that he can’t even have a glass of champagne. Then one night he meets a tantalizing young woman who agrees to come back to his apartment. Their encounter is the most strangely extraordinary of his life. Propelled by uncontrollable, primordial desires, he enters a new and unimagined dimension of the forbidden and is filled with a sexual and spiritual ecstasy that is as intense as it is unholy. Suddenly Nick’s senses are alive. He feels strong, unconquerable, beyond all inhibition and earthly morality. He indulges in life’s pleasures, pure and perverse, sublime and dangerous, from the delicate flavors of the perfect tomato to the fleshy beauty of a woman’s thigh. But Nick’s desire to sustain his rapture leads him to a madness and a darkness far greater and dreadful than have ever ridden the demon mares of night. Writing in a lineage that includes Dante, William S. Burroughs, Charles Bukowski, Hubert Selby, Jr., and Hunter S. Thompson, Nick Tosches may be America’s last real literary outlaw — a fearless, uncensorable seeker of our deepest secret truths and desires, from the basest to the most beautiful.Me and the Devil is outrageous, disturbing, and brilliant, a raw and blazing novel truly unlike any other. Like the man said: Read him at your peril.”A raw and blazing novel by “the single, most brain-searingly dangerous man of letters. Read him at your peril.” — Anthony Bourdain

If you think baby brain is bad for you, think again – because neuroscientist Dr Sarah McKay (author of The Women’s Brain Book) has looked at studies and talked to experts from all over the world and the proof is in: giving birth is one of the best things to ever happen to a woman’s brain.

Moreover, the positive effects of baby brain last well beyond the baby stage – even into old age, with elderly mothers’ brains showing resilience to ageing. Plus, the benefits of baby brain show up for non-birth parents – even fatherhood has a profound effect on the hormones and brains of men.

This fascinating book weaves together baby brain research and interviews with neuroscientists and women’s health specialists – many of whom are mothers – with personal experiences from parents concerning baby brain, nesting, maternal instinct, social support, anxiety and sleep. In each aspect the conclusion is clear: having a baby improves a mother’s memory, and makes her smarter and more empathetic, intuitive and socially savvy.

Baby Brain contains the ultimate good-news story about mothers’ brains, backed up by scientific research from leading experts and presented in highly readable bite-sized sections by one of Australia’s leading science communicators.

‘A pirate romance, filled with epic adventures, fantastical creatures and an epic romance. What’s not to love?’ Fortress of Books

To catch evil, it takes evil.

Enter Devyl Bane – an ancient dark warlord returned to the human realm as one of the most notorious pirates in the New World. A man of many secrets, Bane makes a pact with Thorn – an immortal charged with securing the worst creations the ancient gods ever released into our world. Those powers have been imprisoned for eons behind enchanted gates . . . gates that are beginning to buckle. At Thorn’s behest, Bane takes command of a crew of Deadmen: humanity’s last hope to restore the gates.

But things are never so simple. And one of Bane’s biggest problems is the ship they sail upon. For the Sea Witch isn’t just a vessel, she’s also a woman born of an ancient people he wronged – a woman who is also sister to their primary target. Now Marcelina, the Sea Witch, must choose. Either she remains loyal to her evil sister and watches humanity fall, or she puts her faith in an enemy who has already betrayed her. Her people over the totality of humanity? Let’s hope Bane can sway her favour. . .

A brand new historical fantasy series set in the Dark-Hunter World, from #1 NYT bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon.

Discover the dark magic of the Dark Hunter series:

‘Kenyon boldly goes where no author has gone before and claims yet another genre as her own’ Publishers Weekly

‘Brisk, ironic and relentlessly imaginative. These are not your mother’s vampire novels’ Boston Globe

‘Kenyon blew me away with her imagination‘ Goodreads reviewer

‘Intense and thrilling’ Goodreads reviewer

‘Fantastically fun romance’ Goodreads reviewer

‘A fantastic start to the trilogy’ Goodreads reviewer

‘Angels. Demons. Sirens. Goddesses. The undead. Pirates. Mermen. Dragons. This book has it all!’ Goodreads reviewer

12 short months…that’s how long photographer Caroline Rogers has until she gets her life back. 6 years since her parents passed away, leaving her to take care of her two younger siblings. But now it’s only a year until her sister Macie starts college and Caroline has visions of working in exotic locations around the world. She’s excited and terrified but she’s ready…or so she thought until she sees the moving van in front of her old family farm. For when her parents passed away and an older woman bought their home, Caroline vowed to get it back one day. She never expected Mick Larson to snatch it up from right under her nose.
Mick Larson knew he had to get out of Chicago and start a new life. Leaving a thriving career in psychiatry and a broken heart, he moved back home and bought the Rogers’ farm. The last thing he needs right now is this fiery-haired woman in his kitchen, demanding answers from him. But he sees a strength in Caroline’s eyes and a warmth in her smile that he desperately needs in his life. Could this farm be the answer to his prayers in more ways than one?

A Scottish MP celebrates making period products freely available. A father admits embarrassment at buying pads for his daughter. A Jewish grandmother describes getting her first period in front of Nazi soldiers. A trans woman, a trans man and a non-binary person share their stories. And a marathon runner makes crimson waves.

From the first red flag to the last goodbye, from Indigenous rites to medical frontiers, from miscarriages to menopause, from pain to pride, from ‘free bleeding’ in public to bleeding behind bars – the underwear, the oversight, period poverty and protests – Our Red Book takes us to every corner of the globe and every voice yet unheard.

Featuring contributions from Gloria Steinem, Judy Blume, Madame Gandhi, and Florence Given, Our Red Book is a collection of oral histories, written and visual testimonies from extraordinary people around the world, gathered especially by the New York Times bestselling editor of My Little Red Book.

In this spellbinding novel about a woman whose past is catching up with her, #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts dazzles readers ‘a story you won’t be able to put down’ (Library Journal)
Naomi Carson is a survivor. As a child, her family was torn apart by a shocking crime. It could have destroyed her, but Naomi has grown up strong, with a passion for photography that has taken her all around the world.

Now, at last, she has decided to put down roots. The beautiful old house on Point Bluff needs work, but Naomi is looking forward to making a home of her own.

But as Naomi plans for the future, her past is catching up with her. Someone in town knows her terrifying secret – and won’t let her forget it…
‘A read to be savored . . . Roberts has an unparalleled ability to paint a picture with words . . . and the story is expertly executed.’ –Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Sometimes being the grim reaper really is, well, grim. And since Charley’s last case went so awry, she has taken a couple of months off to wallow in the wonders of self-pity. But when a woman shows up on her doorstep, convinced someone is trying to kill her, Charley has to pull herself together.

In the meantime, the sexy, sultry son of Satan, Reyes Farrow, is out of prison and out of Charley’s life, as per her wishes and several perfectly timed death threats. But his absence has put a serious crimp in her sex life. While there are other things to consider, like the fact that the city of Albuquerque has been taken hostage by an arsonist, Charley is having a difficult time staying away. Especially when it looks like Reyes may be involved.

Just when life was returning to normal, Charley is thrust back into the world of crime, punishment and the devil in blue jeans in this hilarious fourth instalment in the New York Times bestselling series.

‘An author who makes history come gloriously alive’ The Times
‘Meticulous research and strong storytelling’ Woman & Home
‘A sumptuous ride’ Toby Clements, Daily Telegraph
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Eleanor of Aquitaine
A loving mother. A betrayed wife. A queen beyond compare.

1154
Eleanor of Aquitaine, one of the most powerful women in Europe, is crowned queen of England beside her young husband Henry II. While Henry battles their enemies and lays his plans, Eleanor is an adept acting ruler and mother to their growing brood of children. But she yearns for more than this – if only Henry would listen.

Instead, Henry pushes Eleanor to the sidelines, involving himself with a young mistress and denying Eleanor her rightful authority. As matters reach a crisis, Eleanor becomes caught up in a family rebellion. And even a queen must face the consequences of treason…

Award-winning author Elizabeth Chadwick continues the fascinating story of a queen fighting for her rightful place in a world of divided loyalties and passionate betrayals.

The first and last books in this trilogy – The Summer Queen and The Autumn Throne – are available to buy NOW in paperback and ebook.

Praise for Elizabeth Chadwick

‘Enjoyable and sensuous’ Daily Mail

‘Stunning grasp of historical details… Her characters are beguiling and the story is intriguing and very enjoyable’ Barbara Erskine

‘Renowned historical novelist Chadwick tells this battle-of-the-sexes story from a woman’s point of view’ New York Post

In an idyllic neighbourhood of Copenhagen, a young woman, Susanne Hansson, is discovered in her apartment bound and gagged, the victim of an extraordinarily brutal rape attack. Detective Inspector Louise Rick soon learns that Susanne met the rapist on a popular online dating site, something Susanne shamefully tries to hide.

Events quickly spiral out of control as a horrified Louise realises that the rapist is using the website to target specific women for future attacks. It’s not long before the next assault leads to its victim’s death and Louise finds herself in the middle of a full-blown murder investigation.

Undercover and in danger in a world of faceless dating, Louise must try and stop a murderer who has shocked Copenhagen to its core. But how much is she willing to risk in order to catch a killer?

Danish number one bestseller Sara Blaedel brings you a heart-pounding thriller that will have you gripped until the very last page and make you ask yourself who you’re really talking to online.

FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF REBECCA

‘One of the last century’s most original literary talents’ DAILY TELEGRAPH

‘Wickedly readable . . . every woman instinctively wants to read her’ NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

‘ Somehow more personal than Daphne du Maurier’s other novels’ KIRKUS REVIEWS

‘When people play the game: Name three or four persons whom you would choose to have with you on a desert island – they never choose the Delaneys. They don’t even choose us one by one as individuals. We have earned, not always fairly we consider, the reputation of being difficult guests . . . ‘

Maria, Niall and Celia have grown up in the shadow of their famous parents. Their father is a flamboyant singer and their mother is a talented dancer. Now pursuing their own creative dreams, all three siblings feel an undeniable bond, but it is Maria and Niall who share the secret of their parents’ pasts.

Alternately comic and poignant, The Parasites is based on the artistic milieu its author knew best and draws the reader effortlessly into that magical world.

Dying billionaire, Trevor Stone hires private detectives, Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro to find his missing daughter. Grief-stricken over the death of her mother and the impending death of her father, Desiree Stone has been missing for three weeks. So has the first investigator, Trevor Stone hired to find her: Jay Becker, Patrick’s mentor. As Patrick and Angie begin their search, they are led down a trail of half-truths and corruption into a world in which a therapeutic organization may be fronting for a dangerous cult; a hi-tech private investigation firm may be covering up lethal crimes; and a stolen cache of millions in illegal funds may be tied to both disappearances and a tanker full of heroin. Nothing is remotely what it seems as the detectives travel from the wind-blown streets of Boston to the rum-punch sunsets of Florida’s Gulf Coast and back again, searching for a woman and a man who could be saints or sinners, victims or victimizers, alive or dead. And the more Patrick and Angie discover, the more they realize that on this case, any wrong step will certainly be their last.

Condemned by the gods to live out his existence without emotions, Xypher chose the pursuit of sensations, to feel again in the dreams of humans, only to find himself condemned to death. But he is given one last chance at a reprieve. Made human for a month, he must redeem himself within that time or Hades will return him to Tartarus and his torture.

Simone Dubois is a coroner who isn’t scared by much, especially since she’s psychic and can see and hear the people she’s working on. When they wheel in another victim, she doesn’t think much about it, until he gets up from her table and starts to leave.

Xypher doesn’t have time to spend with this human woman and her questions. But it’s not long before mysterious attempts on Simone’s life force Xypher to stand between the woman who is beginning to touch the heart he thought had died a long time ago and the danger that is threatening her life.

‘A beautifully illustrated tome honouring 100 exceptional women dating back to 630BC’ Red

A Stylist Must-read Book of 2018

‘This finely illustrated book is brimful of startling anecdotes about females who flouted traditional gender roles’ Observer

‘Short, snappy and inspiring, these mini biographies celebrate women who headed out into the world determined to make a difference’ Psychologies

‘Essential reading for anyone…this beautifully illustration collection…deserves to be framed in every woman’s living room – an inspiration for any situation’ Diva

In this luminous volume, New York Times bestselling writer Julia Pierpont and artist Manjit Thapp match short, vibrant and surprising biographies with stunning full-colour portraits of secular female ‘saints’: champions of strength and progress. These women broke ground, broke ceilings and broke moulds – including

Maya Angelou – Jane Austen – Ruby Bridges – Rachel Carson – Shirley Chisholm – Hillary Clinton – Marie Curie & Irene Joliot Curie – Isadora Duncan – Amelia Earhart – Artemisia Gentileschi – Grace Hopper – Dolores Huerta – Frida Kahlo – Billie Jean King – Audre Lorde – Wilma Mankiller – Toni Morrison – Michelle Obama – Sandra Day O’Connor – Sally Ride – Eleanor Roosevelt – Margaret Sanger – Sappho – Nina Simone – Gloria Steinem – Kanno Sugako – Harriet Tubman – Mae West – Virginia Woolf – Malala Yousafzai

Open to any page and find daily inspiration and lasting delight.

Amanda Quick, the bestselling author of ‘Til Death Do Us Part, transports readers to 1930s California, where glamour and seduction spawn a multitude of sins . . .

When Hollywood moguls and stars want privacy, they head to an idyllic small town on the coast, where the exclusive Burning Cove Hotel caters to their every need. It’s where reporter Irene Glasson finds herself staring down at a beautiful actress at the bottom of a pool . . .

The dead woman had a red-hot secret about up-and-coming leading man Nick Tremayne, a scoop that Irene couldn’t resist – especially since she’s just a rookie at a third-rate gossip rag. But now Irene’s investigation into the drowning threatens to tear down the wall of illusion that is so deftly built around the famous actor, and there are powerful men willing to do anything to protect their investment.

Seeking the truth, Irene finds herself drawn to a master of deception. Oliver Ward was once a world-famous magician – until he was mysteriously injured during his last performance. Now the owner of the Burning Cove Hotel, he can’t let scandal threaten his livelihood, even if it means trusting Irene, a woman who seems to have appeared in Los Angeles out of nowhere four months ago . . .

With Oliver’s help, Irene soon learns that the glamorous paradise of Burning Cove hides dark and dangerous secrets. And that the past – always just out of sight – could drag them both under . . .

Anna Caldwell has spent the last few days in a blur. She’s seen her brother’s dead body, witnessed the shooting of innocent civilians, and been shot at herself. Now she has nowhere to turn-and only one person she can possibly call.
Since Anna dumped him, it seems waiting is all Josiah Wolfe has done. Now, she’s calling, and she needs his help, or rather, the ‘talents’ she once ran away from. As a liquidation agent, Josiah knows everything about getting out of tough situations. He’ll get whatever she’s carrying to the proper authorities, then settle down to making sure she doesn’t leave him again.
But the story Anna’s stumbled into is far bigger than even Josiah suspects. Anna wants to survive, Josiah wants Anna back, and the powerful people chasing her want the only thing worth killing for — immortality. An ancient evil has been trapped, a woman is in danger, and the world is going to see just how far a liquidation agent will go . . .

Lizzy Logan has every right not to trust men, but why throw out the whole barrel of apples if only one is rotten? With one twirl on the dance floor, Toby Dawson has her ready to forget her ex-boyfriend blues and jump back in the saddle again. She has no illusions about the new cowboy over on the Lucky Penny Ranch, though: Toby’s a player through and through. And for three weeks, she experiences some hot cowboy nights that come close to burnin’ down the whole town of Dry Creek, Texas. But Toby will never be the one to give her a husband and family, and that’s what Lizzy so desperately wants.

Toby never considered himself the settling-down type. But when Lizzy breaks off their fling just as they get to the good parts, he can’t help reconsidering. The last thing he wants is a commitment-minded woman, but suddenly his whole world has been turned upside down and inside out. And he’ll do whatever it takes to convince Lizzy that her luck with men is about to change…

The definitive history of Hollywood’s most legendary costume designer, featuring an insightful biography and previously unseen sketches, ephemera, and photos behind the scenes of hundreds of iconic films.

All About Eve. Funny Face. Sunset Blvd. Rear Window. Sabrina. A Place in the Sun. The Ten Commandments. Scores of cinema classics of the last century had one thing in common: Edith Head (1897-1981). She racked up an unprecedented 35 Oscar nods and 400 film credits over the course of a fifty-year career, and changed the fashion world forever with her timeless creations that continue to resonate and inspire present-day designers, fashion followers, and film-lovers.

This one-of-a-kind survey of her life and work reveals the woman behind the famous dark glasses and brings together a spectacular collection of rare and never-before-seen sketches, costume test shots, behind-the-scenes photos, and ephemera. Stunningly illustrated with more than 350 images and packed with information, this is both the most comprehensive work on Edith Head ever published and a lavish history of Hollywood in the twentieth century.

‘About half way through this beautiful, expertly-stitched novel, I thought to myself, “Every woman needs to read this book”; by the end, I thought, “every human”. Moving, thought-provoking and profound, it’s one of my favourite reads of the last few years’ Louise Candlish, author of Our House

Fifteen years ago, Kate walked out on her family. Moving across the world, from the suburbs of England to glamorous LA, she cut all ties to her former existence and started afresh. Her ex-husband Andrew was left to pick up the pieces, caring for their disabled daughter and angry, confused son. But Kate’s past has finally caught up with her. Now, she must return to the life she abandoned and reckon with what she did.

Following a fractured family over a period of twenty years, This Could Be Us is an extraordinarily moving story of family, guilt, love and hope.

‘Brave, brilliantly structured, and beautifully written’ – Laura Barnett, author of The Versions of Us
‘So truthful and rewarding’ – Ian Rankin, author of the Inspector Rebus series
‘Captivating’ – Irish Independent

Adam Hardesty has a serious problem. The secrets of his past are in danger of being exposed, and in the course of investigating his would-be blackmailer, he discovers the dead body of a prominent psychic. To make matters worse, her house has been torn apart, and the diary containing Adam’s secrets is missing. His only lead is a list of the psychic’s last visitors. The most likely suspect is a woman named Mrs. Caroline Fordyce, whom he confronts in her parlour, only to discover an inconvenient attraction to the beautiful young widow. Alarmed by Adam’s insinuations and questions, Caroline concludes that she must conduct her own investigation- if she can discover the true killer, Adam will have no reason to expose her connection to the dead psychic, which would cause a scandal she and her aunts could ill-afford. Besides, her life has been boringly uncomplicated for too long, and the exciting tension she feels around Adam presents a welcome alternative to her mundane daily routine. But as Caroline and Adam journey deeper into the shadowy world of psychics, mediums and con artists, they find that the only ones they can count on are each other.

They say you can never go home again…but when “Life Coach to the Stars” Jocelyn Bloom is embroiled in scandal, she has to try. She left Barefoot Bay — and the boy next door who knows all her secrets — years ago and never looked back. But nothing about the tiny island off the coast of Florida is quite how she remembers it, especially Will Palmer. He’s even more gorgeous, more tempting, and still capable of turning her world inside out.

Will Palmer’s life is in a holding pattern. A knee injury knocked him off the path to professional baseball stardom, and coaching jobs are hard to come by. In the meantime, he’s been working construction, living in his parents’ old house, and keeping an eye on his elderly neighbor. Will would like to think he’d look out for anyone suffering from Alzheimer’s, but Guy Bloom is more than that — he’s the last connection to Jocelyn, the woman Will has loved since they were teenagers.

When Jocelyn comes home, the reunion doesn’t go quite the way Will expected. Unprepared for the change in her father’s personality, Jocelyn struggles to reconcile the abusive monster of her childhood with the sweet, confused man Will has grown close to. And even though the chemistry between Will and Jocelyn is as electrifying as ever, suddenly they’re clashing about everything, especially her father’s future. Will’s capable hands can build almost anything, but can he forge a bridge to forgiveness for Jocelyn and her father? If not, the woman who’s guided countless clients to happiness will never be able to escape the rainy days of her past for a sunny new future with the man who loves her.

A young Native American woman remembers her volatile childhood as she searches for her lost brother in the Canadian wilds in an extraordinary, critically acclaimed debut novel

As she races along Canada’s Douglas Channel in her speedboat – heading toward the place where her younger brother Jimmy, presumed drowned, was last seen – twenty-year-old Lisamarie Hill recalls her younger days. A volatile and precocious Native girl growing up in Kitamaat, the Haisla Indian reservation located five hundred miles north of Vancouver, Lisa came of age standing with her feet firmly planted in two different worlds: the spiritual realm of the Haisla and the sobering “real” world with its dangerous temptations of violence, drugs, and despair. From her beloved grandmother, Ma-ma-oo, she learned of tradition and magic; from her adored, Elvis-loving uncle Mick, a Native rights activist on a perilous course, she learned to see clearly, to speak her mind, and never to bow down. But the tragedies that have scarred her life and ultimately led her to these frigid waters cannot destroy her indomitable spirit, even though the ghosts that speak to her in the night warn her that the worst may be yet to come.

Easily one of the most admired debut novels to appear in many a decade, Eden Robinson’s Monkey Beach was immediately greeted with universal acclaim and earning nominations for numerous literary awards before receiving the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize. Evocative, moving, haunting, and devastatingly funny, it is an extraordinary read from a brilliant literary voice.

***50 MILLION TERRY BROOKS COPIES SOLD AROUND THE WORLD***

THE SHANNARA CHRONICLES IS NOW A MAJOR TV SERIES

‘Terry’s place is at the head of the fantasy world’ Philip Pullman

Wren Ohmsford, Scion of Shannara, came from the Westlands, where she lived the life of a Rover. Now she, like her kinsmen, Par and Walker Boh, has been called upon to help the shade of Allanon fight the totalitarian power of the Federation. She must find the Elves, who disappeared from their strongholds more than one hundred years ago . . . But even knowledge of the Elves is hard to find – only a blind, wise woman of the West knows something of their location. On her advice, Wren and her Rover companion, Garth, journey to the coast of the Blue Divide, where they build a fire and let it burn for three days. With the unexpected help that their blaze attracts, they reach the isle of Morrowindle and near their goal – to find the last of the Elves. But they also find dangers such as they could not have imagined, and Wren will make a discovery that will change her life forever.


Praise for Terry Brooks:

‘A master of the craft . . . required reading’ Brent Weeks

‘I can’t even begin to count how many of Terry Brooks’s books I’ve read (and re-read) over the years’ Patrick Rothfuss, author of The Name of the Wind

‘I would not be writing epic fantasy today if not for Shannara’ Peter V. Brett, author of The Painted Man

‘If you haven’t read Terry Brooks, you haven’t read fantasy’ Christopher Paolini, author of Eragon


The Heritage of Shannara series:

THE SCIONS OF SHANNARA
THE DRUID OF SHANNARA
THE ELF QUEEN OF SHANNARA
THE TALISMANS OF SHANNARA