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In the enchanted woods of County Mayo, a young woman must fight the one thing she fears the most - her own heart. Meara Quinn is in trouble. Fiercely independent and scarred by a tough childhood, she is convinced that love is for other people. She is certainly not going to fall for Connor O'Dwyer - her best friend's brother. He may be drop dead gorgeous, with a good heart and a wicked smile, but he's never taken his relationships seriously. Safer for them to stay friends, share the odd pint - nothing more. And loving Connor would be a dangerous business. With his sister Branna and his American cousin Iona, Connor has inherited a dark gift, passed down through generations. The cousins use their powers for good, but they are being hunted by evil. An evil that is determined to destroy them - and everyone they care for...

Feckless, unwashed, charming, penurious Sebastian Balfe Dangerfield, Trinity College Law student, Irish American with an English Accent, maroon in the ould country and dreaming of dollars and ready women, stumbles from the public house to the pawnbrokers, murmuring delusive enticements in the ear of any girl who'll listen, in delirious search of freedom, wealth, and the recognition he feels is his due. Lyrical and ribald, illuminating, poignant and hugely entertaining, The Ginger Man is a work of authentic comic genius.

Amongst the ancient papyri of the Dead Sea, a remarkable scroll is discovered. Written in the first century AD, it purports to be the true account of the life of Jesus, as told by Youdas the sicarios - Judas Iscariot: the missing Gospel of Judas. If authentic, it will be one of the most incendiary documents in the history of humankind. The task of proving - or disproving - its validity falls to Father Leo Newman, one of the world's leading experts in Koine, the demotic Greek of the Roman Empire, and a man the newspapers like to call a 'renegade priest'. But as Leo absorbs himself in Judas' testimony, the stories of his own life haunt him. The story of his forbidden yet irresistible love for a married woman. The story of his mother's passionate and tragic affair amidst the war-time ruins of Rome. They are stories of love and betrayal that may threaten his faith just as deeply as the Gospel of Judas...With a dramatic narrative that spans from the Europe of the Second World War to Jerusalem two thousand years after Jesus' birth, THE GOSPEL OF JUDAS is a compelling and erudite thriller.

'Snuff is entertaining, with all Pratchett's genius on display' Sunday ExpressThe Discworld is very much like our own - if our own were to consist of a flat planet balanced on the back of four elephants which stand on the back of a giant turtle, that is . . . 'The jurisdiction of a good man extends to the end of the world.' It is a truth universally acknowledged that a policeman taking a holiday would barely have had time to open his suitcase before he finds his first corpse.Commander Sam Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch is on holiday in the pleasant and innocent countryside, but not for him a mere body in the wardrobe. There are many, many bodies - and an ancient crime more terrible than murder.He is out of his jurisdiction, out of his depth, out of bacon sandwiches; and out of his mind. But never out of guile. Where there is a crime there must be a punishment. They say that in the end all sins are forgiven.Vimes is about to uncover the exception. _______________Winner of the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic FictionThe Discworld novels can be read in any order but Snuff is the eighth book in the City Watch series.

'This is one of Pratchett's best books. Hilarious and highly recommended' The TimesThe Discworld is very much like our own - if our own were to consist of a flat planet balanced on the back of four elephants which stand on the back of a giant turtle, that is . . .___________________'It was the usual Ankh-Morpork mob in times of crisis; half of them were here to complain, a quarter of them were here to watch the other half, and the remainder were here to rob, importune or sell hotdogs to the rest.'Insurrection is in the air in the city of Ankh-Morpork. The Haves and Have-Nots are about to fall out all over again.Captain Sam Vimes of the city s ramshackle Night Watch is used to this. It s enough to drive a man to drink. Well, to drink more. But this time, something is different the Have-Nots have found the key to a dormant, lethal weapon that even they don t fully understand, and they re about to unleash a campaign of terror on the city. Time for Captain Vimes to sober up.___________________The Discworld novels can be read in any order but Guards! Guards! is the first book in the City Watch series.

Roundworld is in trouble again, and this time it looks fatal. Having created it in the first place, the wizards of Unseen Univeristy feel vaguely responsible for its safety. They know the creatures who lived there escaped the impending Big Freeze by inventing the space elevator - they even intervened to rid the planet of a plague of elves, who attempted to divert humanity onto a different time track. But now it's all gone wrong - Victorian England has stagnated and the pace of progress would embarrass a limping snail. Unless something drastic is done, there won't be time for anyone to invent spaceflight and the human race will be turned into ice-pops.Why, though, did history come adrift? Was it Sir Arthur Nightingale's dismal book about natural selection? Or was it the devastating response by an obscure country vicar called Charles Darwin, whose bestselling Theology of Species made it impossible to refute the divine design of living creatures? Either way, it's no easy task to change history, as the wizards discover to their cost. Can the God of Evolution come to humanity's aid and ensure Darwin writes a very different book? And who stopped him writing it in the first place?

** 'It's the beautifully drawn, vibrant characters that make this smart, compelling novel so irresistible.' Liane Moriarty **From the New York Times Bestselling author of The Vacationers, Emma Straub brings us a sharply observed tale of modern love . . . Twenty years later and they were supposed to be grown-ups...Ditmas Park, Brooklyn. Summer in the city . . . College friends Elizabeth, Zoe and Andrew had a band, grew up, settled in New York and now they were still living round the corner from one another (and in each other's pockets).One hot summer as their kids come of age, making those first hesitant steps into adulthood, it's the parents who find that the lives they've so carelessly stitched together begin to slowly unravel . . .'Has all the pleasures of Anne Tyler's compelling family portraits . . . with a Lorrie Moore-like sense of the absurdities of contemporary life' Michiko Kakutani, New York Times'Really entertaining. The characters are complex and likeable. It's one of those stories that makes you realise that life really does run away from you' Guardian'Straub's characters thrum off the page. The sort of witty and relatable summer title you'll devour with a contented smack of the lips' Independent'Funny yet tart, warm yet incisive. I adored it' Red

He's the only one who can stop America's secrets from falling into enemy hands . . .Dominic Caruso, nephew to president Jack Ryan and operative for top secret intelligence agency The Campus, is working in India when a terrorist hit takes out his trainer. Caruso only just survives - barely intact.Back in Washington, they discover a mole has been leaking US secrets. Soon he is on the tail of Ethan Ross - a man who thinks he's too smart to ever get caught.But Ross has many more secrets on a micro-drive and when he decides to run, it's not just Caruso and the FBI on his trail. The Russians and a few angry terrorist groups will do anything to get to Ross - and the vital information he carries.So it's up to Caruso to get to Ross first...Support and Defend is a thrilling adventure you won't be able to put down. Praise for Tom Clancy:'There's hardly another thriller writer alive who can fuel an adrenaline surge the way Clancy can' Daily Mail'Exhilarating. No other novelist is giving so full a picture of modern conflict' Sunday Times

The third book in the wildly romantic Gabriel's Inferno series by Sylvain Reynard, following on from Gabriel's Inferno and Gabriel's Rapture.Professor Gabriel Emerson has left his position at the University of Toronto to embark on a new life with his beloved Julianne. Together, he's confident that they can face any challenge.But Julianne's graduate program threatens Gabriel's plans for their life together, as the pressures of being a student become all consuming. When she is given the honour of presenting an academic lecture at Oxford, several individuals from their past appear, including an old nemesis intent on humiliating Julia and exposing one of Gabriel's darkest secrets.In an effort to confront his remaining demons, Gabriel begins a quest to discover more about his biological parents - a search that has startling repercussions for himself and for Julianne.Sylvain Reynard is a Canadian writer with an interest in Renaissance art and culture and an inordinate attachment to the city of Florence. Sylvain's previous novels in this series, Gabriel's Inferno and Gabriel's Rapture, are also published by Penguin.

Seven Years to Sin is the smart, sensual story of a young woman's sexual awakening at the hands of a handsome rogue in Regency England . . . Perfect for fans of E. L. James. Seven years ago, on the eve of her wedding, young Lady Jessica Sheffield witnessed a scandalous seduction by the roguish Alistair Caulfield. But after years of serene and comfortable marriage, the widowed Jessica still cannot free her dreams of Alistair and that long ago night . . .Praise for Sylvia Day, bestselling author of the sensational Crossfire series:'Move over Danielle Steel and Jackie Collins, this is the dawn of a new Day' Amuse 'Several shades darker and a hundred degrees hotter than anything you've read before' Reveal

The Stranger I Married is an erotic tale of love and awakened desire in Victorian England . . . perfect for fans of E. L. James . . . They are London's most scandalous couple. Isabel, Lady Pelham, and Gerard Faulkner, Marquess of Grayson, are well matched in all things - lusty appetites, constant paramours, provocative reputations, and their absolute refusal to ruin a marriage of convenience by falling in love. It is a most agreeable sham - until a shocking event sends Gerard from her side. When, four years later, Gerard returns, the boyish rogue is now a powerful, irresistible man determined to seduce Isabel. He is not the man she married - but is he the one to finally steal her heart?Praise for Sylvia Day:'Move over Danielle Steel and Jackie Collins, this is the dawn of a new Day' Amuse 'Several shades darker and a hundred degrees hotter than anything you've read before' Reveal

Erotic romance Don't Tempt Me is a tale of mistaken identity, lusty liaisons and dangerous deceptions . . . Lynette Baillon's twin, Lysette, died in an accident. Or so Lynette believed until, at a seductive masked ball in Paris, sexy stranger Simon Quinn mistakes her for her sister Lysette. And Simon, who planned to hand notorious assassin Lysette Rousseau over to the French, finds his plans confounded. However, on learning that her sister still lives - for now - Lynette vows to be reunited with her twin. Now she must enter an alluring but ensnaring underworld of dark and twisted desires, where Quinn rules.Praise for Sylvia Day:'Move over Danielle Steel and Jackie Collins, this is the dawn of a new Day' Amuse 'Several shades darker and a hundred degrees hotter than anything you've read before' Reveal

THE THIRD BOOK IN THE DARKLY SENSUAL CROSSFIRE SERIES THAT HAS CAPTURED MILLIONS OF HEARTS AROUND THE WORLD - PERFECT FOR FANS OF FIFTY SHADES OF GREY As Eva and Gideon face the demons of their pasts they also must accept the consequences of their obsessive desires . . .From the moment I first met Gideon Cross, I recognized something in him that I needed. Something I couldn't resist. I also saw the dangerous and damaged soul inside - so much like my own. I was drawn to it. I needed him as surely as I needed my heart to beat.No one knows how much he risked for me. How much I'd been threatened, or just how dark and desperate the shadow of our pasts would become.Entwined by our secrets, we tried to defy the odds. We made our own rules and surrendered completely to the exquisite power of possession.

Lady Henrietta Maclellan longs for the romantic swirl of a London season. But as a rusticating country maiden, she has always kept her sensuous nature firmly under wraps - until she meets Simon Darby. Simon makes her want to whisper promises late at night, exchange kisses on a balcony and receive illicit love notes. So Henrietta lets her imagination soar and writes a letter . . . a very steamy love letter that somehow becomes shockingly public. Everyone supposes that he has written the letter to her, but the truth hardly matters in the face of the scandal to come if they don't marry at once. But nothing has quite prepared Henrietta for the pure sensuality of Simon, who has vowed he will never turn himself into a fool over a woman. So, while debutantes swoon as he disdainfully strides past the lovely ladies of the ton, he ignores them all . . . until Henrietta. Could it be possible that he has been the foolish one all along?

'Orson Scott Card made a strong case for being the best writer science fiction has to offer.' - The Houston Post on Xenocide'The novels of Orson Scott Card's Ender series are an intriguing combination of action, military and political strategy, elaborate war games and psychology.' - USA TodayTOGETHER THEY STAND - BUT CAN THEY PREVENT AN ATROCITY?Ender and Valentine Wiggin: brother and sister whose lives have shaped history. Valentine is 'Demosthenes', whose subversive, incendiary writings fight the monstrous power of Starways Congress, masters of the Hundred Worlds. And Ender. . . As a child, Ender commanded a warfleet that wiped out a planet. The triumph of his life could be his fight to stop it happening again. It might be his tragedy that he cannot.Congress has sent a warfleet to Lusitania, home to Ender, his family, two alien species and the deadliest virus ever known. The warfleet carries an order to destroy. To commit xenocide.A sequel novel to the science fiction classic ENDER'S GAME - soon to be released as a major motion picture starring Harrison Ford, Ben Kingsley and Asa ButterfieldBooks by Orson Scott Card:Alvin Maker novelsSeventh SonRed ProphetPrentice AlvinAlvin JourneymanHeartfireThe Crystal CityEnder Wiggin SagaEnder's GameSpeaker for the DeadXenocideChildren of the MindEnder in ExileHomecomingThe Memory of the EarthThe Call of the EarthThe Ships of the EarthEarthfallEarthbornFirst Formic War (with Aaron Johnston)Earth UnawareEarth AfireEarth Awakens

A landmark in feminist literature, THE WOMEN'S ROOM is a biting social commentary of a world gone silently haywire. Written in the 1970s but with profound resonance today, this is a modern allegory that offers piercing insight into the social norms accepted blindly and revered so completely.'Today's "e;desperate housewives"e; eat your heart out! This is the original and still the best, a page-turner that makes you think. Essential reading' Kate Mosse'They said this book would change lives - and it certainly changed mine' Jenni Murray'Reading THE WOMEN'S ROOM was an intense and wonderful experience. It is in my DNA' Kirsty Wark'THE WOMEN'S ROOM took the lid off a seething mass of women's frustrations, resentments and furies; it was about the need to change things from top to bottom; it was a declaration of independence' OBSERVER

A gripping historical novel set in 11th century Persia that imagines the life of poet and philosopher Omar KhayyamAccused of mocking the inviolate codes of Islam, the Persian poet and sage Omar Khayyam fortuitously finds sympathy with the very man who is to judge his alleged crimes. Recognising genius, the judge decides to spare him and gives him instead a small, blank book, encouraging him to confine his thoughts to it alone.Thus begins the seamless blend of fact and fiction that is Samarkand. Vividly re-creating the history of the manuscript of the Rubaiyaat of Omar Khayyam, Amin Maalouf spans continents and centuries with breathtaking vision: the dusky exoticism of 11th-century Persia, with its poetesses and assassins; the same country's struggles nine hundred years later, seen through the eyes of an American academic obsessed with finding the original manuscript; and the fated maiden voyage of the Titanic, whose tragedy led to the Rubaiyaat's final resting place - all are brought to life with keen assurance by this gifted and award-winning writer.

Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional wizard, is about to have a very bad day. As Winter Knight to the Queen of Air and Darkness, Harry never knows what the scheming Mab might want him to do. Usually, it's something awful.This time, it's worse than that. Mab's involved Harry in a smash-and-grab heist run by one of his most despised enemies to recover the literal Holy Grail from the vaults of the greatest treasure horde in the world - which belongs to the one and only Hades, Lord of the Underworld.Dresden's always been tricky, but he's going to have to up his backstabbing game to survive this mess - assuming his own allies don't end up killing him before his enemies get the chance . . .

'Affinity is the work of an intense and atmospheric imagination . . . Sarah Waters is such an interesting writer, a kind of feminist Dickens' Fiona Pitt-Kethley, Daily TelegraphSet in and around the women's prison at Milbank in the 1870s, Affinity is an eerie and utterly compelling ghost story, a complex and intriguing literary mystery and a poignant love story with an unexpected twist in the tale. Following the death of her father, Margaret Prior has decided to pursue some 'good work' with the lady criminals of one of London's most notorious gaols. Surrounded by prisoners, murderers and common thieves, Margaret feels herself drawn to one of the prisons more unlikely inmates - the imprisoned spiritualist - Selina Dawes. Sympathetic to the plight of this innocent-seeming girl, Margaret sees herself dispensing guidance and perhaps friendship on her visits, little expecting to find herself dabbling in a twilight world of seances, shadows, unruly spirits and unseemly passions.

'Nothing gets me to a bookstore faster than Eloisa James' - Julia QuinnOnce upon a time, not so very long ago...Tarquin, the powerful Duke of Sconce, knows perfectly well that the decorous and fashionably slender Georgiana Lytton will make him a proper duchess. So why can't he stop thinking about her twin sister, the curvy, headstrong, and altogether unconventional Olivia? Not only is Olivia betrothed to another man, but their improper - albeit intoxicating - flirtation makes her unsuitability all the more clear. Determined to make a perfect match, he methodically cuts Olivia from his thoughts, allowing logic and duty to triumph over passion . . . until, in his darkest hour, Tarquin begins to question whether perfection has anything to do with love. To win Olivia's hand he would have to give up all the beliefs he holds most dear, and surrender heart, body and soul - but it may already be too late.'Eloisa James is extraordinary' - Lisa Kleypas'Romance writing does not get much better than this' - People

After spending three London seasons searching for a husband, Daisy Bowman's father has told her in no uncertain terms that she must find a husband. Now. And if Daisy can't snare an appropriate suitor, she will marry the man he chooses - the ruthless and aloof Matthew Swift. Daisy is horrified. A Bowman never admits defeat, and she decides to do whatever it takes to marry someone . . . anyone . . . other than Matthew. But she doesn't count on Matthew's unexpected charm . . . or the blazing sensuality that soon flares beyond both their control. And Daisy discovers that the man she has always hated just might turn out to be the man of her dreams. But right at the moment of sweet surrender, a scandalous secret is uncovered . . . one that could destroy both Matthew and a love more passionate and irresistible than Daisy's wildest fantasies.

SOME AGENTS HAVE ALL THE FUN. OTHERS SAVE THE WORLD. Bob Howard is an IT expert and occasional field agent for the Laundry, the branch of Her Majesty's Secret Service that deals with occult threats. Dressed (grudgingly) in a tux and sent to the Caribbean, he must infiltrate a millionaire's yacht in order to prevent him from violating a treaty that will bring down the wrath of an ancient underwater race upon humanity's head. Partnered with a gorgeous American agent who's actually a soul-sucking succubus from another dimension, Bob's mission (should he choose to accept it) is to stop the bad guys, avoid getting the girl, and survive - shaken, perhaps, but not stirred.

NEVER VOLUNTEER FOR ACTIVE DUTY . . .Bob Howard is a low-level techie working for a super-secret government agency. While his colleagues are out saving the world, Bob's under a desk restoring lost data. His world was dull and safe - but then he went and got Noticed.Now, Bob is up to his neck in spycraft, parallel universes, dimension-hopping terrorists, monstrous elder gods and the end of the world. Only one thing is certain: it will take more than a full system reboot to sort this mess out . . .This is the first novel in the Laundry Files.

Alexia Tarabotti, now Lady Maccon, awakens in the wee hours of the mid-afternoon to find her husband, who should be decently asleep like any normal werewolf, yelling at the top of his lungs. Then he disappears - leaving her to deal with a regiment of supernatural soldiers encamped on her doorstep, a plethora of exorcised ghosts, and an angry Queen Victoria. But Alexia is armed with her trusty parasol, the latest fashions and an arsenal of biting civility. Even when her investigations take her into the backwaters of ugly waistcoats, Scotland, she is prepared: upending werewolf pack dynamics as only A soulless can. She might even find time to track down her wayward husband, if she feels like it.***Also available as a manga adaptation***

Alexia Tarabotti is labouring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette. Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire - and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate. With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Or will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart? SOULLESS is a comedy of manners set in Victorian London: full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking.***Also available as a manga adaptation***

When he's caught stealing, young Alan Dale is forced to leave his family and go to live with a notorious band of outlaws in Sherwood Forest. Their leader is the infamous Robin Hood. A tough, bloodthirsty warrior, Robin is more feared than any man in the county. And he becomes a mentor for Alan; with his fellow outlaws, Robin teaches Alan how to fight - and how to win.But Robin is a ruthless man - and although he is Alan's protector, if Alan displeases him, he could also just as easily become his murderer....From bloody battles to riotous feast days to marauding packs of wolves, Outlaw is a gripping, action-packed historical thriller that delves deep into the fascinating legend of Robin Hood.

Bestselling author Sylvain Reynard continues the story of Gabriel and Julia, two lovers bound together by their darkest desires. But those very desires may destroy them . . . Professor Gabriel Emerson has embarked on a passionate, yet clandestine affair with his former student Julia Mitchell. Sequestered on a romantic holiday in Italy, he tutors her in the sensual delights of the body and the raptures of sex. But when they return, their happiness is threatened by conspiring students, academic politics, and a jealous ex-lover. When Gabriel is confronted by the university administration, will he succumb to Dante's fate? Or will he fight to keep Julia, his Beatrice, forever? In Gabriel's Rapture, the brilliant sequel to the wildly successful debut novel, Gabriel's Inferno, Sylvain Reynard weaves an exquisite love story that will touch the reader's mind, body, and soul, forever. He tutors her in the sensual delights of the body and the raptures of sex . . .

The sixth novel in the international No. 1 bestselling Mercy Thompson series - the major urban fantasy hit of the decade'I love these books!' Charlaine Harris'The best new fantasy series I've read in years' Kelley ArmstrongMERCY THOMPSON: MECHANIC, SHAPESHIFTER, FIGHTERCar mechanic Mercy Thompson has always known there was something different about her, and not just the way she can make a VW engine sit up and beg. Mercy is a shapeshifter, a talent she inherited from her long-gone father. And she's never known any others of her kind. Until now. As Mercy comes to terms with this new information, an evil is stirring in the depths of the Columbia River. Something deadly is coming, facts are thin on the ground and Mercy feels ill at ease. However, her father's people may know more. To have any hope of surviving, Mercy and her mate, the Alpha werewolf Adam, will need all the resources the shifters can offer. Or death will be the least of their worries.A fast-paced adventure featuring the ingenious and appealing Mercy Thompson - mechanic, trouble-magnet and coyote shapeshifter.Praise for the series:'Plenty of twists and turns . . . Kept me entertained from its deceptively innocent beginning to its can't-put-it-down end' Kim Harrison, bestselling author of Dead Witch Walking 'I enjoyed every minute of it. I love Mercy and can't wait for her to kick some more ass' Lilith Saintcrow Books by Patricia Briggs:The Mercy Thompson booksMoon CalledBlood BoundIron KissedBone CrossedSilver BorneRiver MarkedFrost BurnedNight BrokenFire TouchedSilence FallenStorm CursedShifting Shadows (Stories from the world of Mercy Thompson)

Although the architect of the White's victory, Auraya's first taste of war has left her sleep filled with nightmares. She walks in fields of blood while the dead rise in accusation. You killed us. You. It seems Auraya will know no peace while these nightmares haunt her, but the only one she trusts to help has vanished.The Dreamweaver, Leiard, still struggling to come to terms with the ever more powerful memories of the long-dead Mirar, flees into the mountains with Emerahl, perhaps the last of the Wilds. Although not a Dreamweaver herself, Emerahl is powerfully gifted, and helps Leiard to make sense of his strange jumble of memories. What they discover will change his life forever.And far to the south, the Pentadrians lick their wounds and set about finding a new leader. Peace, it seems, must wait a while yet ...

Meet Harry Dresden, Chicago's first (and only) Wizard PI. Turns out the 'everyday' world is full of strange and magical things - and most of them don't play well with humans. That's where Harry comes in. But he's forgotten his own golden rule: magic - it can get a guy killed. Which didn't help when he clashed with unknown assailants with his murder in mind. And though Harry's continued existence is now in some doubt, this doesn't mean he can rest in peace. Trapped in a realm that's not quite here, yet not quite anywhere else, Harry learns that three of his loved ones are in danger. Only by discovering his assailant's identity can he save his friends, bring criminal elements to justice, and move on himself. It would just be easier if he knew who was at risk. And had a (working) crystal ball. And access to magic. Instead, he is unable to interact with the physical world - invisible to all but a select magical few. He's also not the only silent presence roaming Chicago's alleys. Hell, he put some there himself. Now, they're looking for payback.