FICTION

A collection of delightful short stories from one of Ireland's greatest ever writers, Brian Friel 'A fake! A quack! A charlatan! Get a grip on yourself, woman! We'll say another rosary and then I'll leave you home.'Stories of Ireland is a brilliant, colourful compendium of mid-century Irish experience from one of Ireland's greatest ever writers, Brian Friel. Demonstrating all of Friel's peerless instinct for voice, scene, and the uncanny mystery found in the everyday, these tales tell of beauty, struggle and discovery- from the drowning of a man in the bog-black waters of Lough Keeragh, to the camaraderie of teenage potato gathers in County Tyrone, and from the careful work of the German War Graves Commission in Glenn na fuiseog, to trawlermen's talk of sunken gold off the coast of Donegal.Selected by Friel himself, and introduced by acclaimed author Louise Kennedy, this delightful, heartful collection truly offers some of the best stories ever written.

An ultimatum- her or me. A gunshot. A betrayal. From the author of The Flames, a passionate story set in Paris and the French Riviera, about three women whose lives are set on a collision course when they meet the enigmatic artist Henri Matisse.On France's golden Riviera, the wife of an artist gives him an ultimatum- her or me. The dazzling new novel from Sophie Haydock, author of The Flames 'Deliciously immersive . . . Think of Haydock as the art world's answer to Philippa Gregory . . . I took Madame Matisse on a wet, grey holiday and it swept me into a world of startling, splashy colour' The Spectator' A sizzling story of the art world, where sidelined women take centre stage. It's an immersive tale of muses, betrayal, sex and bad behaviour' Daily MailThis is the story of three women - one an orphan and refugee who finds a place in the studio of a famous French artist, the other a wife and mother who has stood by her husband for nearly forty years. The third is his daughter, caught in the crossfire between her mother and a father she adores.Amelie is first drawn to Henri Matisse as a way of escaping the conventional life expected of her. A free spirit, she sees in this budding young artist a glorious future for them both. Ambitious and driven, she gives everything for her husband's art, ploughing her own desires, her time, her money into sustaining them both, even through years of struggle and disappointment.Lydia Delectorskaya is a young Russian emigree, who fled her homeland following the death of her mother. After a fractured childhood, she is trying to make a place for herself on France's golden Riviera, amid the artists, film stars and dazzling elite. Eventually she finds employment with the Matisse family. From this point on, their lives are set on a collision course....Marguerite is Matisse's eldest daughter. When the life of her family implodes, she must find her own way to make her mark and to navigate divided loyalties.Based on a true story, Madame Matisse is a stunning novel about drama and betrayal; emotion and sex; glamour and tragedy, all set in the hotbed of the 1930s art movement in France. In art, as in life, this a time when the rules were made to be broken...

Second Chance Family A moving and heart-warming new rural romance from internationally acclaimed author Barbara Hannay that proves it's never too late to start over. Callie Madden, a grieving widow and single mother of three, is stunned to learn she's inherited one half of Hawkridge, a beautiful acreage in the Misty Mountains of Far North Queensland. A potential family scandal surrounds the reasons for this bequest and there are additional complications. Callie is to share the inheritance with Ben Galbraith, a Scotsman, who'd helped Hawkridge's owner in his final years. Also, the property can't be sold for twelve months. Callie's life is in Townsville with her teenage twin daughters and six year old son. Ben plans to return to Scotland. How can they negotiate an entire year of caring for Hawkridge? And as they try to work together, is there more at stake than the property's future? Set on the picturesque hinterland of Australia's tropical far north, this is a deeply moving and uplifting story about making the most of the unexpected opportunities life throws your way. Ideal for fans of Tricia Stringer and Fiona Lowe.

A Thousand Blues From a massive rising star in the world of Korean female sci-fi comes the gripping, heartrending tale of how two sisters train a worn-out racehorse to run the slowest race of its life - for fans of KLARA AND THE SUN and CONVENIENCE STORE WOMAN THE #1 KOREAN INSTANT BESTSELLER AND PRIZEWINNER Discover the original and uplifting sensation for fans of CONVENIENCE STORE WOMAN and KLARA AND THE SUN 'A stunning story of love, care and sacrifice' - Bora Chung, author of Cursed Bunny  'Feels like a feather softly descending and tickling my heart' - Reader review ***** 'A breath of fresh air' - Reader review ***** 'Full of human warmth' - ***** From its perch on top of a pile of junk inside a shed, Coli, a robot with powerful observational qualities, waits patiently for someone to find it. Coli is special among AI robots. This is because Coli has the capacity for emotion. Today, Coli is feeling particularly in awe - of the sky in all its wondrous shades of blue. Luckily for Coli, a young girl is about to pass by. She is obsessed with robots. Together, they will save a life. But first, they must make friends, put themselves at risk, and pull off the mother of all deceptions. 'Engaging, touching, subtly disturbing' - K-Lit Review 'A stunningly crafted novel, evoking a myriad emotions' - Kim Bo-young 'A dazzling, warm novel that shows us how to move forward as a society without leaving anyone or anything behind' - Choi Jin-young, author of To the Warm Horizon

Caught Up From the author of TikTok's favourite dark and steamy romance, Lights Out, comes Navessa Allen's second book in the New York Times bestselling Into Darkness trilogy  I want this woman, and I'm a man who always gets what he wants. Nico 'Junior' Trocci knows Lauren Marchetti is off limits. Men like him don't get to have women like her. It's why he pushed her away in high school and still keeps his distance. But Junior follows Lauren online, and now that the shy, bookish girl he remembers is gone, he can't stop obsessing over the strikingly beautiful woman who has taken her place. He's ruthless; a walking red flag. Good thing red is my favorite color. Lauren 'Lo' Marchetti knows Junior is dangerous. He broke her heart once and she won't let him do it again. But as their flirtatious encounters escalate, Lauren starts to remember why she fell for the brooding antihero all those years ago. As old obstacles resurface, Junior and Lauren are forced to face their true feelings for each other and decide just how far they're willing to go for a second chance at love. Caught Up is a fast-paced dark romance with a morally grey male lead. Some themes and scenes may be disturbing to readers. Please check the content warning at the beginning of the book. 18+ mature content. Not suitable for younger readers. Readers LOVE Caught Up!  ''Deliciously hot, emotionally deep, and incredibly paced' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  'Darker, sexier, and somehow even more addictive. I couldn't put it down' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Had me hot under the collar. Stunning. 10/10. Perfection' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Sexy, fun, full of tension and so much chemistry' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Intense and unforgettable' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Whisky Valley From the intriguing Echo Lake, Rose McHugh, curious historian-turned-detective, returns to solve her next compelling mystery in the moody Southern Highlands.

New Skin A powerful debut about first love and second chances from a stunning new voice in Australian fiction

Cockatoo Cove is a charming rural romance filled with new friends, family, and community spirit. From the bestselling author of Wallaby Lane, this story is delightfully packed with love and camaraderie.

CleopatraFrom the international bestselling author comes an unmissable new un-telling of the life of one of the most captivating and misrepresented female figures in history.

A Beautiful Family  An eventful summer forever changes the lives of a family in the most engrossing debut you'll read this year.

Aftertaste: Feast Upon This Year'S Most Delicious Debut Novel'A Fun Romp Through New York'S Food Scene' Sunday Times'Practically exploding with love, life and flavour' LOUISE KENNEDY'Bitingly inventive, written with humour and heart' ELIZABETH DAY'A hauntingly evocative journey through the realms of pain, pleasure and the power of food' NIGELLA LAWSON A food story to binge. A ghost story to devour. A love story to savour. When dead-end dishwasher Kostya discovers the ability to summon spirits through the food he cooks, he embarks on a journey to open a New York City restaurant that serves closure something he's craved for as long as he can remember. There are just three problems-1. Kostya has some ghosts of his own.2. His advancing menu of spirit cuisine is threatening the stability of the Afterlife itself.3. He's falling in love with Maura, a party psychic with her own secret connection to the Afterlife who also happens to be the one person who knows he must be stopped. A bittersweet cocktail of humour and heart, Aftertaste is an imaginative odyssey through food and love, life and death- the things that sustain us, connect us, transport us, and remind us who we are.

A Dance Of Lies: 'Romantic, Heartrending, And Riveting' Sue Lynn Tan, #1 Sunday Times Bestselling Author Of Immortal The epic, unmissable new romantic fantasy. 2025's most-anticipated debut romantasy is filled with hope after heartbreak, secrets, betrayal, dancing - and the touch of a goddess of death.. My protector is gone, revealed to be a monster. But I remind myself that I am not a damsel. I'm no princess bound within a tower. I am a shadow. Vasalie Moran was once a dancer in King Illian's court - until he framed her for murder. Barely surviving her two years in the dungeons, she's suddenly called to face her King. He offers her a deal- become his spy at the month-long royal Gathering and he'll grant her freedom. As Illian's orders grow bloody and dangerous, forcing her to harm and betray those around her, Vasalie discovers the monster she serves may be aligned with a bigger monster - one far closer to home. With her world threatened, Vasalie enlists the help of Illian's brother and greatest adversary, the King of the East. As the rivalry between brothers escalates with Vasalie caught in the middle, the truth of her past comes to light. If she wants to survive, she must decide who to trust, who to fight for, and how much of her soul she's willing to damn in the process.

Notes On Infinity Normal People meets The Dropout with a dash of Tomorrow x3 in this epic love story of two young Harvard students with a shared dream who are drawn into the vortex of American start-up culture. When Zoe and Jack meet in a chemistry classroom in Harvard, they couldn't be more different- she's the daughter of a renowned MIT professor, he's escaping an upbringing steeped in poverty - but they are immediately drawn to one another. Neither knows it yet, but in two years' time, they will have dropped out of college and become business partners in a billion-dollar company that promises longer life. But as they become wrapped up in a maelstrom of insatiable ambition, greed and ultimately deceit, their love for each other will be tested to its very limit...

An Academic Affair The Love Hypothesis meets The Hating Game in a new standalone rom-com from New York Times acclaimed author and romance academic Jodi McAlister. Sadie Shaw and Jonah Fisher have known each other for fifteen years – and they’ve disliked each other for every one of them. It started with a minor altercation in an undergrad literature class, but as their academic careers developed, so did the intensity of their arguments. By the time they graduate with their doctorates, they’re embroiled in a full-on rivalry. So when a position comes up that Sadie and Jonah are both perfect for, their ongoing enmity explodes into a red-hot competition. But as Sadie fights to secure her future, she realises there might be a way for both of them to get their dream job. There's just one catch –they'll have to get married first. When things get personal, though, Sadie will have to keep her eye on the prize. A fake marriage isn't worth jeopardising her real career over, is it?

This House Of Burning Bones Stuart MacBride is the Sunday Times number one bestselling author of the Logan McRae and Ash Henderson novels. He has also published standalones, novellas and short stories, as well as a slightly twisted children's picture book for slightly twisted children. Stuart lives in the north-east of Scotland with his wife, Fiona, their cats, Gherkin, Onion and Beetroot, some hens, some horses and an impressive collection of assorted weeds.