Orion A Marriage of Fortune O`Brien Anne

A family gathering, a moment of celebration, a time to come together - and fall apart • Recently married Bess should be blissfully happy, but as she plans a party for her husband, the cracks are beginning to show • Jojo, Bess's stepdaughter, has a point to make: Bess has swept into her father's life but she won't ever replace Jojo's late beloved mother • Cousin Cari is a strong career-woman who isn't unnerved by anything - apart from facing the man who left her at the altar - and he's on the guest list • As the party brings them all together, can the Brannigans discover the secrets of a happy marriage before it is too late?

It's almost Christmas. But for Ali, the season of good cheer is the anniversary of her baby's death. As she stands at her son's grave, she is poignantly aware of how dramatically her life has changed. Determined to stand on her own two feet and get through Christmas alone, Ali turns down her ex-husband's unexpected invitation to spend the holiday with him and his father, only to give in to her best friend's cajoling to share the festive season with her. The only trouble is, it means having to be nice to Sarah's awful husband, Trevor • Sarah may be a saint for putting up with Trevor, but Ali is no such thing, and as his cranky behaviour escalates, she takes it upon herself, in an extraordinary act of daring impetuosity, to play God with her friend's incomprehensible marriage

Pretty Amy Curran was just eighteen years old when she met Barney Patterson, the love of her life, on Southport Pier in 1939. Their romantic, passionate marriage was made in heaven - but with the outbreak of war, Barney volunteered to fight, and the couple were separated for five long years. When he returned to Liverpool after VE Day, he wasn't the same person - and neither was Amy • How could things have become so twisted that one day Amy would kill the husband she once so adored? And what happened to their little girl, Pearl, just five years old at the time? • In 1971 Amy is released from prison - although her freedom will change the lives of others, not least that of her daughter. But Pearl has her own demons to exorcise in her quest for happiness

How far would you go for love: a white lie, a small deceit, full-scale fraud • When Charlotte Briggs' husband Ed is sent down for fraud, she cannot find it in her heart to forgive him for what he has done. Ostracised from their social circle, she flees to the wilds of Exmoor to nurse her broken heart. But despite the slower pace of life, she soon finds that she is not the only person whose life is in turmoil • There's Sebastian, enfant terrible of the British art scene, desperately trying to find his muse amongst the empty bottles. Then Fitch, who married the high-spirited Hayley thinking he would find wedded bliss, but instead has found marital hell. And finally Penny, local GP and recent divorcee, who is determined not to hurtle into middle age embittered and lonely

The Might Of Rome • The great general Hannibal Barca is on the verge of defeat. Victory will crown Rome the most powerful empire in the world. While the ambitious senator Flamininus plots his path to power • The Glory Of Greece • Only unconquered Greece stands in the way of glory. King Philip V of Macedon's mighty phalanx is an enemy Rome has long feared, and one that has never known defeat • The Heroes Of History • Demetrios has dreamed of fighting with the phalanx his whole life, but the young villager will soon learn that, in a clash of empires, you're only ever one swing of the sword away from death - or entering legend

Life of the Russian poet who withstood Stalinism and became an inspiration to millions • Anna Akhmatova is recognised as one of the greatest poets of Russian literature, an iconic figure who gave voice to the suffering of the Russian people during the brutal years of Stalin's Terror • Akhmatova began writing at a time when 'to think of a woman as a poet was absurd' but her genius soared above any such category. Hailed as a great beauty, she married three times yet her personal life was shot through with tragedy and her only son and third husband were held captive in the Gulags. Through illness, poverty and repression she maintained her resistance to the regime, with a dignity and composure that led her to be dubbed 'Anna of all the Russias'

India 1928. A land of heat, dust and dreams, and the promise of love • Three young women are on their way to India, each with a new life in mind. Rose, a beautiful but naive bride-to-be, is anxious about leaving her family and marrying a man she hardly knows. Victoria, her bridesmaid couldn't be happier to get away from her overbearing mother, and is determined to find herself a husband. And Viva, their inexperienced chaperone, is in search of the India of her childhood, ghosts from the past and freedom • Each of them has their own reason for leaving their homeland but the hopes and secrets they carry can do little to prepare them for what lies ahead in India

Most cops are trying to right grievous wrongs. Few, however, have to deal with the horrific crimes of their own father • Frank Parrish had a famous father: a Saint of New York, an NYPD detective who helped rid the city of Mafia control in the 1980s. John Parrish is a tough act to follow - a legend in his own right - and Frank already has an insubordination rap to beat • Summoned for daily Police Department interviews, he's also trying to work out how the death of a young heroin dealer might connect to his innocent teenage sister, who's just been found dead • There are more questions than answers, not just as the homicides escalate, but as Frank battles with his own demons. He must find the truth, and bring the trail of murder to an end

The Gardens of Delight brochure promises the opportunity to visit some of the most beautiful gardens in the Lake Como area of Italy. For Lucy, the chance to go to Italy offers more than just gardens. Lake Como is where her father lives and the last time she saw him was when she was just a teenager • Recently married Helen and her wealthy husband have just moved into the Old Rectory. With her husband spending so much time away from home, Helen throws herself into caring for the garden. But Helen needs help - and friends - and so decides to take the plunge and join the local Garden Club • Conrad isn't the least bit interested in gardening. Widowed for five years, his life revolves around work and humouring Mac, his elderly uncle who lives with him, and who has expressed a desire to go on the Gardens of Delight tour

Gangland was a man’s world – but the women knew different • London, 1946 • Alice Diamond, the Queen of the Forty Thieves, rules over her gang of hoisters with a bejewelled fist. Nell is a slum girl from Waterloo, hiding a secret pregnancy and facing a desperately uncertain future • Sensing an opportunity to exploit Nell’s vulnerabilities, Alice takes her under her wing and, before long, Nell is experiencing the secret world of hoisting, with all the dangers – and glamorous trappings – that comes with this underworld existence • Alice has a longstanding feud with Billy Sullivan’s all-male gang in Soho, and thinks Nell could be a useful weapon in her vendetta. But Nell has a secret agenda of her own, and is not to be underestimated. And the more she is exploited by both Alice and Billy, the more her hunger for revenge grows

The village is bedevilled by talk and all is not as it seems in the village of Turnham Malpas • Does pushy newcomer Venetia have her eye on Peter, the handsome rector Is Jeremy, her husband, really making a success of the new health club And why does Willie's new love set a vicious tongue wagging In the Royal Oak, the usual banter has turned to bitter wrangling as the rector's wife Caroline makes a challenge over an ancient country tradition and splits the village her husband had so recently united • As the people of the village use the power of words to reconcile or divide, Peter finds it is what isn't talked about that threatens to cause madness, confusion and tragedy

From Sunday Times Bestselling author Ben Kane comes a collection of short stories • Sands of the Arena • Can a wet-behind-the-ears gladiator survive a bloody contest ordered by Emperor Caligula? • The Shrine • Centurion Tullus discovers that Fate will always hold him in her grip • The Arena • Legionary Piso's much anticipated payday plays out very differently than he expected • Eagles in the East • Caught up in a bloody rebellion, Centurion Tullus battles to keep his men alive • Eagles in the Wilderness • Bored with retirement, Centurion Tullus takes service with an amber merchant, voyaging to unknown, dangerous lands far beyond the empire • Hannibal: Good Omens • History's most famous general seeks the gods' approval before his war with Rome • The March • Romulus and Tarquinius travel to the ends of the earth, searching for their lost friend Brennus