Lesley Pearse Libri

Londra, 1842. Matilda è una povera fioraia nell'affollato mercato di Covent Garden. Ma un giorno la sua esistenza prende una svolta inaspettata: salva la vita della piccola Tabitha, figlia del reverendo Milson, e i genitori riconoscenti le offrono la possibilità di trasferirsi insieme a loro in America. Dai fumosi sobborghi londinesi Matilda si trova catapultata dapprima nell'affollata New York, quindi nelle sterminate pianure del West, infine nella San Francisco della Corsa all'Oro. Tentando di costruire una vita migliore per sé e per Tabitha nel paese della libertà, Matilda conoscerà la passione e la sofferenza. Ma sarà l'incontro con il capitano James Russell a rivelarle l'amore vero. Un sentimento che resiste alla lontananza, alla guerra e ai pregiudizi. È un difficile cammino quello di Matilda, un percorso che le insegnerà come la vita vada affrontata comunque, anche nel dolore più cupo, tra le difficoltà più aspre. L'importante è non voltarsi mai indietro.

Londra, anni Trenta. Adele Talbot ha solo dodici anni quando la sorellina muore in un incidente stradale e la madre Rose, sconvolta dalla tragedia, inizia a maltrattarla. Tolta alla famiglia, viene chiusa in un orfanotrofio: qui dovrà affrontare terribili esperienze prima di riuscire a scappare. Giunta nel Sussex, va in cerca della nonna Honour, una donna eccentrica e burbera, per nulla felice di doversi accollare la nipotina. Ma Adele la convince a tenerla con sé. Due anni più tardi la ragazza scopre l'amore negli occhi del bel Michael Bailey. Finalmente la sua vita sembra aver imboccato la strada della serenità e, mentre Michael entra nella raf, lei inizia a lavorare come infermiera. Lo scoppio della guerra pone nuovi ostacoli. E come se non bastasse, si rifà viva Rose per svelare alla figlia pericolosi segreti di famiglia che potrebbero minare le basi della fragile felicità di Adele...

Anni Sessanta. Fifi Brown ha deciso di ignorare gli avvertimenti di sua madre Clara e convolare a nozze con il bellissimo Dan Reynolds, muratore senza fissa dimora. Dalla provinciale Bristol gli sposi si trasferiscono a Londra, in un povero appartamento in Dale Street e, nonostante le condizioni di vita difficili, Fifi non rimpiange affatto la sua vita precedente, agiata ma noiosa. Londra è ben più eccitante! E i suoi nuovi vicini la incuriosiscono, soprattutto la famiglia Muckle, i cui traffici non particolarmente limpidi sono sulla bocca di tutti. Un giorno Fifi si trova davanti la più piccola dei Muckle, vittima degli abusi del padre, e se ne prende cura, senza immaginare che con quel semplice gesto caritatevole innescherà una catena di eventi incontrollabili, che metterà in pericolo il suo matrimonio e la vita di tutti gli abitanti di Dale Street.

From a much-loved author, a gripping story about two children sent to an Australian orphanage in the fifties. All her life, people have told little Dulcie Taylor they'll look after her and her sister May. And every time, her trust has been betrayed. Yet when they are given a new start in a young and exciting country, she really believes it will be a fresh chance for them both. But the new life the sisters hoped for turns out to be a vicious illusion. Then Dulcie meets Ross, another orphanage survivor, and finds a kindred spirit - but the pain of the past is always there, and for Dulcie and May it will be a hard struggle to learn to trust again. Unloved, unwanted, does Dulcie have enough strength and spirit to fight for the happiness she deserves, and protect her younger sister?

Set against a background of post-wartime deprivation, glittering showgirls and seedy provincial boarding houses, this is the story of two young girls from different backgrounds. The girls form a strong friendship as they both follow their ambitions to make a living for themselves on the stage.

London, 1914. Belle Reilly finally has the life she's dreamed of thanks to a devoted husband in Jimmy and the hat shop she's wanted to own since she was a child. But as the storm clouds of World War One begin to gather, Belle's already turbulent life is to change in ways she never imagined possible. When Jimmy enlists in the army and leaves for the battlefields of Ypres, her world is shattered and she realises she can no longer stand by and watch, she must volunteer to help the wounded. But her work as a Red Cross ambulance driver in France throws her into the path of Etienne, the enigmatic man who played a significant role in her childhood, and Belle finds herself torn agonisingly between forbidden passion and loyalty to a good man. But the past returns to haunt her present in other - more unpleasant - ways and Belle's character is put to the test like never before. Can she survive this most brutal of wars with her spirit intact? And will destiny finally lead her to lasting happiness even while war rages all around?

Be transported from London to New Orleans and beyond in this powerful, moving historical novel from the international bestseller Lesley Pearse She witnessed a murder - and now her life is in danger . . . Fifteen year-old Belle, though raised in a London brothel, is an innocent young girl. But when she witnesses one of the girls brutally strangled by a client, she is cast into a cruel, heartless world. Snatched from the streets and sold into prostitution, she is made a courtesan in New Orleans. At the mercy of desperate men who crave her beauty and will do anything to keep her, Belle's dreams of home, family and freedom appear futile. Are Belle's courage and spirit strong enough to help her escape? And what will await her at the end of the long, dangerous journey home? Praise for Lesley Pearse 'With characters it is impossible not to care about . . . this is storytelling at its very best' Daily Mail 'Lose yourself in this epic saga' Bella 'Glorious, heartwarming' Woman & Home 'An emotional and moving epic you won't forget in a hurry' Woman's Weekly

How far must you go to find love?The Queen of Storytellers is back - with a triumphant tale of one woman's struggle over adversity.In 1786 a fisherman's daughter from Cornwall called Mary Broad was sentenced to be hung for theft. But her sentence was commuted, and she was transported to Australia, one of the first convicts to arrive there.How Mary escaped the harsh existence of the colony and found true love, and how she was captured and taken back to London in chains, only to be released after a trial where she was defended by no less than James Boswell, is one of the most gripping and moving stories of human endeavour (based on an amazing true story) you will ever read

A suspenseful and emotionally charged thriller, perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell and Jackie Kabler. You believed she was secure. You were mistaken. Alex's three-year-old daughter vanishes at a beach wedding, sparking a global search and casting suspicion on Alex. Driven by love and desperation, Alex fears she must unravel the truth alone. Who abducted Lottie Martini, and will she ever return home? Readers rave about 'Stolen', praising its gripping twists, compelling lead, and heart-stopping suspense.

Can good come from evil?Will Rosie ever escape from her brutal brothers?As a child Rosie Parker spent the war years battling her brutish half-brothers Seth and Norman on the farm under the less-than-watchful eye of her father Cole. But when housekeeper Heather Farley arrives, Rosie finds a mother - and a friend - to look after her.Several years later, Thomas Farley comes to find his sister. Rosie can only tell him that she disappeared in mysterious circumstances, abandoning her small son Alan. Determined to get young Alan and Rosie out of the clutches of Cole and his sons, Thomas helps unearth a terrible truth about the family. A truth that forces Rosie away from the farm and out into a cruel world where she must somehow come to terms with her shocking past. Is it possible that the man who brought ruin on her family might also bring happiness to Rosie?