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Using never before seen sources, Once a King is a fresh, revelatory and gripping insight into the Duke of Windsor - King Edward VIII - who gave up the throne to marry the woman he loved, twice divorced American Wallis Simpson. Considering Edward VIII's travels and interests as Prince of Wales as well as his relationship with Wallis Simpson and the course of events leading up to his abdication and subsequent exile, Once a King offers a previously unexplored lens through which we encounter two of the twentieth century's most iconic Royal figures: the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.

Only fourteen, Stella Infuriati is the youngest member of her town's resistance network during World War II. Risking imprisonment and death, she relays messages, supplies, and weapons to partisan groups in the Tuscan Hills. Her parents have no idea, consumed instead by love and fear for their beloved son, Achille, a courier and unofficial mechanic for a communist brigade fighting the fascists.

1527: At seventeen, Thomasin Marwood is plunged into court society when a husband is found for her elder sister, Cecilia. But the mood at court is tense. It is split between the conservative Catholics, loyal to Queen Catherine of Aragon, and the fashionable Francophiles, enthralled by King Henry's mistress, Anne Boleyn. While her parents sympathize with the old queen and her faith, Thomasin cannot help but be drawn to the glamour and vitality Anne represents. And her head is soon turned by the tall, dark and handsome Rafe Danvers who seems equally entranced with her.

The mansion of larger-than-life business magnate Titus McAvoy hums with the energy of his servants Nessa and Aoife, two Irish maids bonded through their journey to America, and a dream of escape. When preparation for one of Titus's famous parties sends the pair to the beach, Aoife stumbles upon a strange find on the shoreline. She instinctively pockets it, unaware that it is the key to her and Nessa's freedom. Ambergris holds more worth than silver or gold.

From an irresponsible baron whose body is discovered beneath a silver birch tree, to a classic detective duo solving a historic case as the lights go out across Europe, and an exclusive Tony Hill and Carol Jordan story, the characters McDermid conjures are enigmatic and dangerous. These evocative, atmospheric tales will shock and delight.

1585, London: Queen Elizabeth is gravely ill and her spymaster, Francis Walsingham, has received intelligence that there is a plot to assassinate her. He sends his protege Kit Scarlett and Scottish agent Iomhar Blackwood to gather information. To their horror, they discover there is a plot to blow up Hampton Court Palace. With Queen Elizabeth too unwell to be moved from the palace, it is imperative the plot is foiled as quickly as possible. A search of Hampton Court is launched, with Iomhar leading the way, while Kit is given the task of guarding the queen.

Amsterdam, at the turn of the 18th century. For as long as she can remember, Dorothea Graff has lived in service to her mother, Maria Sibyilla Merian, one of the greatest naturalists in Europe. But as she collects insects and colours illustrations for Maria's world-famous publications, Dorothea longs for a life that is truly her own. When Maria becomes entranced by the plant and insect life of Suriname, she is determined to record it for herself, taking Dorothea with her. All the family's savings are ploughed into the dangerous expedition, but greatness is never achieved without sacrifice. 

Meet Henri and Louise. Two strangers, travelling alone, on the train from Belgrade to Istanbul. Except this isn't the first time they have met. It's the 1960s, and Louise is running. From her past in England, from the owners of the money she has stolen—and from Henri, the person who has been sent to collect it. Across the Continent—from Granada to Paris, from Belgrade to Istanbul—Henri follows. He's desperate to leave behind his own troubles and the memories of his past life as a gendarme in Algeria. But Henri soon realises that Louise is no ordinary traveller.

Zara is an unwilling thief, trapped by fate in an abandoned castle whose brutally scarred king resents her presence as deeply as she longs to escape. But after an unimaginable betrayal, they will have no choice but to work together, and in the process, find a love they would risk anything to keep.

Melanie Summers presents Book 6 in the Paradise Bay Romantic Comedy series. Contains mature themes.

Three full-length fairy tales filled with intrigue, romance, and suspense! This collection contains: Traitor's Masque: A Retelling of Cinderella, Goldheart: A Retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, and Pirouette: A Retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses.

It is the summer of 1927 and Hotel Portofino is prospering under Bella’s stewardship. As the season begins, Bella is keenly looking forward to her son Lucian’s imminent arrival and the chance to discuss with him her plans to convert the hotel’s basement into a spa. But then Bella’s husband Cecil turns up unannounced. Over the course of several hot weeks in the middle of the Italian summer, Bella is forced to confront the reality of her relationship with Cecil and to decide to what extent she is prepared to go against social convention to get what she wants.

1528: Escaping from her family's scandalous involvement with Anne Boleyn's circle, Thomasin Marwood is beginning a new life in the service of Queen Catherine of Aragon. Thomasin is trying to forget Rafe Danvers, the man who stole her heart and then betrayed her, and when a group of Venetians arrive at court, she is drawn to the sophisticated Nico. But a great danger is lurking. The dreaded sweating sickness has returned, which claimed the life of Catherine's first husband, Prince Arthur, many years ago.

What is a maiden to do when her prince is not a prince, her hair won’t stop growing, and someone has cursed her to sleep for 300 years? In Polyhymnia’s case, it seems expedient to get up with the help of a kiss or two, trailing her hair behind her, and find out who did it. Nothing quite works out as planned, however, and Poly can’t be sure if that’s because she never seems to be able to remember things like the mysterious spindle that keeps showing up around her, or if it’s the fault of the wizard who woke her but never stops long enough to explain anything.

Mairead's world is falling apart. Recently separated, she has returned to her beautiful childhood home in Ireland to nurse her dying mother. But as Brigid sits pale and papery thin, looking out over the Atlantic Ocean, she has one last request for her only daughter. Brigid hands Mairead a stunning turquoise necklace and a small black-and-white photograph of her mother, Ellen, a woman she never met. She begs Mairead to go to New York, the last place Ellen was seen alive, and find out what became of her. Mairead cannot ignore her mother's dying wish.

Caroline, Marchioness of Chesleigh, has been married for six years—at least in name. In fact, Caro has hardly seen her husband since the early days of their union. Scarred and reclusive, Maxim wasn’t ready to trust his wife with his secrets—or his heart. Instead, he quickly resumed his life of espionage in France, believing Caro was better off alone. When the spy who left her returns upon inheriting the Dukedom, he finds his wife is not the girl she once was. Yet the desire that once ignited between them burns as hotly as ever.

1793, England. After a not-so-relaxing holiday in Tunbridge Wells, Lady Ottilia and Lord Francis Fanshawe have returned to their home with a young orphaned girl, Pertesia "Pretty" Brockhurst. After losing both her parents in tragic circumstances, Pretty had been abandoned by the rest of her family and the childless Fanshawes have delighted in having her around. But when her estranged grandfather turns up on their doorstep, Ottilia is worried she will lose the child she is growing so close to.

It's summer in Bliss Bay. Ladybirds have descended upon the village, and event organizer Megan Fallon has a diary as clear as the sky. Although her wedding to American fiance Jack Windsor is a year away, excitement surrounding the biggest event of her life (after the birth of her daughter Evie, of course) is already building, and she's determined that nothing will take the edge off it. However, when a visitor to the village is found dead in suspicious circumstances, the police are left scratching their heads. 

Princess Altagracia has lost everything. After a bloody civil war, her twin sister has claimed not just the crown of their planet Szayet but the Pearl of its prophecy, a computer that contains the immortal soul of their god. Stripped of her birthright, Altagracia prepares to flee the planet—just as Matheus Ceirran, Commander of the interstellar Empire of Ceiao, arrives in deadly pursuit. Princess Altagracia sees an opportunity to win back her planet, her god, and her throne...if she can win over the Commander and his distrustful right-hand officer, Anita.

Lorelei did what she was supposed to do: cut the King's throat, liberate a kingdom, and then fade into the darkness once more. But this time, she can't leave. The rebellion wants to use her as a figurehead in their mad plan to steal a kingdom from a bloodline, and Lore has other more pressing matters at hand. The King survived, and within his clutches are the last dragon eggs in all of Umbra.