When his grandfather Jim Courtney dies, and the mysterious Captain Marston calls into the fort, Rob's passion is ignited and he stows away on Marston's ship as it sails to England. Even the family is divided, with Theo's oldest son Cal an ardent American patriot, while Theo himself feels a strong tie to his mother country, England.
The follow-up to Triumph of the Sun brings together two of Wilbur Smith's most-loved families, The Courtneys and the Ballantynes.
Occhi vispi e sguardo furbo, Bertie ama la sua cuccia calda e le coccole. A poche settimane dal Natale, scopre che il suo padrone non può più prendersi cura di lui e si sente perso. Fortunatamente, il piccolo Sam Green lo sceglie come compagno di giochi, e Bertie spera di trovare una nuova casa e l'affetto che gli manca. Tuttavia, una volta trasferito dai Green, il suo fiuto lo avverte che qualcosa non va. Sam si sente solo e crede che la mancanza della madre sia colpa sua. Ha bisogno di tutto l'affetto possibile, ma il padre, severo e distratto dal lavoro, non riesce a darglielo. Quando Sam, frustrato dai rimproveri, scappa di casa, Bertie decide di intervenire. Non può permettere che incomprensioni separino una famiglia, specialmente durante il Natale, un momento di gioia e unità. Bertie è convinto che non esistano problemi insormontabili e che ci sia sempre una soluzione. Vuole insegnarlo a Sam, trasformando questa esperienza in un regalo per lui e la sua famiglia. E chissà, forse anche loro hanno in serbo una sorpresa per il nuovo amico di casa.
A delightful new novel from the author of "Lost Dogs and Lonely Hearts."Juliet's hiding from her feelings about the recent loss of Ben, the love of her life. If it weren't for having to walk Ben's loyal dog, Minton, she'd never leave their half-finished house. Then her mother asks her to take her elderly lab, Coco, along. One dog leads to another, and soon Juliet's the unofficial town pet-sitter. And when she takes on a lonely spaniel, and gets to know its attractive owner, she realizes that her emotions aren't as easy to handle as her canine charges...
When story-lover Anna takes over Longhampton's bookshop, it's her dream come true. And not just because it gets her away from her three rowdy stepchildren and their hyperactive Dalmatian. Unpacking boxes filled with childhood classics, Anna can't shake the feeling that maybe her own fairytale ending isn't all that she'd hoped for.
In this brand new Courtney Series novel by bestselling author, Wilbur Smith, comes an epic story of tragedy, loss, betrayal and courage that brings the reader deep into the seething heart of the French and Indian War. 1754.
ROMANTIC NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2010. When the abandoned strays from a local dogs' home are matched with brand new owners, it turns out it might not just be the dogs who need rescuing. Rachel's aunt has left her a house, a Border Collie and, despite knowing nothing about dogs, a crowded kennel. But since her life has collapsed she's not sure she can deal with any more lost souls. Zoe's ex-husband has given their children a puppy. The kids are in love, but she's the one stuck training Toffee the impossible Labrador. She's nearly at the end of her tether - until Toffee leads her to a handsome doctor . . . Meanwhile Natalie and Johnny's marriage hasn't been easy since they started trying for a baby. But is a fridge-raiding, sofa-stealing Basset hound like Bertie really the child substitute they're looking for? As the new owners' paths cross on the town's dog-walking circuits, their lives become interwoven. And they - and their dogs - learn some important lessons about loyalty, companionship and unconditional love . . .
'Best historical novelist' - Stephen King'A master storyteller' - Sunday Times'Wilbur Smith is one of those benchmarks against whom others are compared' - The Times'No one does adventure quite like Smith' - Daily MirrorA RUTHLESS ENEMY.
Focusing on the journey of a chef and her students, this national bestseller explores the profound life lessons that food imparts. Through heartfelt narratives and culinary experiences, it delves into themes of love, loss, and growth, making it a poignant read that resonates with anyone who appreciates the connections forged through cooking and shared meals. The author's ability to intertwine these elements creates a rich tapestry of emotions and insights.
In the latest installment of The Vampire Chronicles, Anne Rice summons up dazzling worlds to bring us the story of Armand - eternally young, with the face of a Botticelli angel. Armand, who first appeared in all his dark glory more than twenty years ago in the now-classic Interview with the Vampire, the first of The Vampire Chronicles, the novel that established its author worldwide as a magnificent storyteller and creator of magical realms.Now, we go with Armand across the centuries to the Kiev Rus of his boyhood - a ruined city under Mongol dominion - and to ancient Constantinople, where Tartar raiders sell him into slavery. And in a magnificent palazzo in the Venice of the Renaissance we see him emotionally and intellectually in thrall to the great vampire Marius, who masquerades among humankind as a mysterious, reclusive painter and who will bestow upon Armand the gift of vampiric blood. As the novel races to its climax, moving through scenes of luxury and elegance, of ambush, fire, and devil worship to nineteenth-century Paris and today's New Orleans, we see its eternally vulnerable and romantic hero forced to choose between his twilight immortality and the salvation of his immortal soul.
When Last The Vampire Lestat Was Seen, He Was Rising From The Dead In Present-Day New Orleans To Walk Again Among Anne Rice'S Unforgettable Undead. Now Lestat Lives Again, But In A Twilight World Of Music And Memory. His Charismatic Friend Louis De Pointe Du Lac Is Tortured By The Memory Of The Child Vampire, Claudia, Whom He Loved And Lost. He Calls On Merrick, Young And Gorgeous Mixed-Race By-Blow Of The Rich New Orleans Mayfair Clan. To Save Louis' Sanity, Merrick Must Use Her Black Witchcraft To Call Up The Ghost Of Claudia - However Dangerous This May Be. There Are Other Mayfair Spirits Who Will Not Lie Still, And Her Search Takes Her Close To The Edge, Through Blood And Terror, Ritual And Violence. Sweeping From New Orleans To The Brazilian Jungle And The Island Of Haiti, This Is Vampire Literature At Its Most Tantalising, Sexy And Irresistible.
Lestat is back, saviour and demon, presiding over a gothic story of family greed and hatred through generations, a terrifying drama of blood lust and betrayal, possession and matricide. Blackwood Farm with its grand Southern mansion, set among dark cypress swamps in Louisiana, harbours terrible blood-stained secrets and family ghosts. Heir to them all is Quinn Blackwood, young, rash and beautiful, himself a 'bloodhunter' whom Lestat takes under his wing. But Quinn is in thrall not only to the past and his own appetites but, even more dangerously, to a companion spirit, a 'goblin' succubus who could destroy him and others. Only the unearthly power of Lestat combined with the earthly powers of the Mayfair clan could hope to save Quinn from himself and his ghosts, or to rescue the doomed girl Quinn loves from her own mortality. Shocking, savage and richly erotic, this novel with the deceptively gentle title bring us Anne Rice at her most powerfully disturbing. Here are vampires and witches, men and women, demons and a doppelganger, caught up in a maelstrom of death and destruction, blood and fire, cruelty and fate.
A novel of Ancient Egypt from the bestselling author of River God. Wilbur Smith is a master at the helm of one of the greatest stories of all time.
The small commune of Fogas in the French Pyrenees has been thrown into turmoil by the revelation that the Auberge des Deux Vallees has been bought by an English couple and not by the Mayor's brother-in-law as had been expected. With everyone aghast at the idea of an English run restaurant and the certainty of gastronomic disasters, Mayor Serge Papon is in the mood to take revenge. Within hours of hearing the news, he has called an emergency Committee meeting and his machinations to force out the new owners have begun.But the Mayor hasn't reckoned on one of his deputies, Christian Dupuy, whose conscience always leads his politics. Refusing to condone Mayor Papon's calls to compulsory purchase of the Auberge, he proposes an alternative solution which will prevent the Mayor from getting his own way. Or will it . . .
Nessuno meglio di Annie conosce la magia di certi ingredienti. Mescolando vaniglia, cioccolato, fragole e zucchero, si possono cambiare vite, far nascere amicizie e colmare vuoti del cuore. Sua madre le ha insegnato questa arte, trasmettendole la ricetta segreta delle cupcakes. Annie ricorda le sere trascorse a cucinare nella grande casa dei St. Claire a San Francisco, dove sua madre lavorava come domestica. Quei dolci sono l'unico legame con la madre, scomparsa prematuramente, e con Julie, la primogenita dei St. Claire, che era come una sorella per lei. Tuttavia, un tradimento ha spezzato la loro amicizia. Anni dopo, Annie ha lottato per affermarsi, ribellandosi alle convenzioni e trasformando la sua passione in carriera. Ora è tornata a San Francisco con il sogno di aprire una pasticceria, e l'unica persona che può aiutarla è Julie, che sta per sposarsi e ha avviato una carriera di successo. Nonostante il passato, decide di aiutarla, sperando di riconciliarsi. Ma una serie di misteriosi incidenti inizia a minacciare il loro progetto. Qualcuno sta cercando di sabotarle, rivelando che i conti con il passato non sono chiusi e che un segreto attende ancora di essere svelato.
Once a fortnight, the nomadic settlement of Madidima, set deep in the dusty Kenyan desert, awaits the arrival of three camels laden down with panniers of books. This is the Camel Bookmobile, a scheme set up to bring books to scattered tribes whose daily life is dominated by drought, famine and disease. Into their world comes an unexpected wealth of literature - from the adventures of Tom Sawyer to strange vegetarian cookbooks and Dr Seuss. Kanika, a young girl who lives with her grandmother, devours every book she can lay her hands on. Her best friend is Scar Boy, a child who was mauled at the age of three by a hyena. They are joined by Matani the village teacher, his alluring wife Jwahir and the drummaker Abayomi, as well as Mr Abasi, the camel driver, who is convinced that one of the camels is possessed by the spirit of his dead mother-in-law. The only condition of The Camel Bookmobile is that every book must be returned or else the visits will cease. Then one day a book is stolen...
A tale of ancient alliances and intrigues, of forbidden love and dangerous secrets
Beyond high iron gates fastened shut with a length of chain, lies the stark, beautiful Trawbawn. Here, haunted by a dark, mysterious past and largely ignored by the villagers of nearby Skibbereen, lives the frail Lydia Beauchamp. But old Ma Beauchamp's private existence is interrupted when a stranger arrives.
When Anna's husband dies of anaphylactic shock, from a bee sting she cannot believe it was an accident, nor can she believe that he has left her penniless. But she is not alone for long. From the author of MARY, MARY.
Lilly and Val, friends from childhood, reveal their feelings, secrets, and recipes through a series of letters, until a misunderstanding separates them for years and a death forces them to decide if they want to reconcile.
