Es ist purer Zufall, dass Bundeskanzler Ernst Meister die unerwartete Bekanntschaft der zehnjährigen Emma macht. Als Meister kurz darauf mit Verdacht auf Herzinfarkt ins Krankenhaus muss, bekommt er eine Karte, auf der in kindlicher Handschrift »Freitag 5« steht neben einer mit Klebestreifen aufgeklebten Murmel. Freitags um fünf wird der Kanzler dafür sorgen, dass er ein paar Minuten Zeit für Emma hat.

We told stories, some real whoppers. I would have preferred silence, but Billy and Arlo seemed to be competing for who had the best wind. Billy would sing his stupid ditty to the tune of the Star-Spangled Banner. The stories ran into each other and my mind drifted in between the words and images.

Set in the sunburned corners of the beach volleyball world, Cut Shot is a sharp, gritty, darkly funny ride through heartbreak, loyalty, and the games men play to avoid feeling anything. A quietly devastating story about what it means to lose hard and still show up. It’s not a love story. It’s what happens after.

Three years after the Essex Dogs battled through the Siege of Calais, the Black Death has torn through Europe. Romford, basking in his new riches, now finds himself living as a knight errant. Loveday, whose businesses have been destroyed by the plague, must return to the life he vowed to abandon: fighting. And Millstone and Thorp enlist themselves on a deadly mission to escort a princess to Castille.

Lisbon 1943. As two American librarians are drawn into a city of dangerous subterfuge and unexpected love affairs, they are forced to choose between their missions and the men they love. Inspired by real historical figures, award-winning author Suzanne Nelson pens a captivating story of two remarkable women, their bravery and heartache, and a friendship that withstands the ravages of war.

Detransition Baby meets Fleishman is in Trouble in this remarkable debut novel from an incisive contemporary voice. A story about the awkwardness of growing up and the greatest love story of all, that between us and our friends, Woodworking is a tonic for the moment and a celebration of womanhood in all its multifaceted joy.

The Lord of Demons is coming. Neven never believed in the fabled world of Tallindra—until he found himself trapped within it. Surviving the brutal Tournament of the Kindred has unlocked his bloodline’s magic, but power comes at a cost: he must kill the Good Man, Lord of all demons. Worse, his friends, Talpus and Delgado, are lost in this treacherous world, and time is running out. Guided by the enigmatic Acultured, Neven journeys through haunted ruins, enchanted technology, and a land where the dead refuse to rest.

Willow Connor has one shot to save her family’s farm – turning it into Birchbrook’s first ever pumpkin patch. There’s just one problem: she has exactly zero pumpkins and only six weeks to make it happen. Everyone in the close-knit town thinks she’s crazy, but she’s determined to prove them wrong. Enter Dylan Henderson, a hotshot property consultant with a clipboard full of reasons why selling is the smarter choice. Determined to stand her ground, Willow makes him a bold offer – stay and watch her turn the farm around. To her surprise, he agrees.

Grand Mal is the story of Chris, a young man with epilepsy seeking a graduate degree in Counseling at the Penn State University in State College Pennsylvania. It is the story of Michael, his best friend, and how love will impact his decisions and ultimately change everything. It is the story of Mary Grace, Chris's childhood crush, and of her unlikely re-emergence into Chris's life as he pursues a treatment for his seizures. It is the story of Sam, the eccentric local bookstore owner, who offers a source of encouragement as Chris copes with his condition and the stigma it often embodies.

For Barrett Cavanaugh, being a hero is inescapable. He just can't help himself. Barrett, Rowena and their friends head to Peru to document the excavation of El Valle de las Lagrimas, a village buried in the rain forest for nearly a thousand years. When a black cat saunters through the encampment, the local diggers consider it bad luck and the bringer of espiritus malignos. The practical Americans respect the locals beliefs, but put no stock in their superstitions. They soon learn that perhaps the little black gato isn't as innocent as he seems.

A divorce, a wedding, and a looming retirement. Filled with big dreams, can this trio of fiftysomethings evade disaster and capture fulfilment?

Just when Deana begins to feel the fragile threads of connection returning, fate tears her and Havard apart once more. An unexpected encounter at the loch unearths long-buried truths—about Havard, their shared ancestry, and the powerful forces that have been shaping their lives from the shadows. As their worlds begin to unravel, Deana must navigate revelations that shake the foundation of everything she thought she knew. The ethereal realm she’s only begun to trust now teeters on the brink of collapse, and her bond with Havard may not survive what the truth reveals.

Melody and Enrick are mercenaries at the tail end of a job. It's hard to make a living in a land of corrupt kings, horrifying monsters, and fallen gods. So, whenever they are offered a chance at a score in the dazzling, coastal city of Tarmassa that promises riches and revenge, they do not hesitate. But what they find in that city is worth far more than gold or vindication. And it could lead to dangers beyond their wildest dreams.

Software engineer Anna Werner lives at a rapid clip, relishing her work and adopted city as much as her early morning runs. All comes undone on a sweaty August evening when, in the course of a 20-minute commute, Anna goes from worrying vaguely over a sore shoulder to staggering her way into an ambulance. She has suffered a spinal stroke. Over the coming months, her parents join the insurance man in telling her to get ready for life in a group home.

Can she write her perfect love story? Austen Archer is on her dream solo bookselling holiday, the new 'borrower' at the Borrow-A-Bookshop in Devon's Clove Lore. While she has always loved poetry, her words have dried up since being fired by her last boss, bestselling author, Callista Flyte, a year ago. Austen distracts herself with the Borrow-A-Bookshop, as well as her flirty online exchanges with an anonymous Parisian bookseller. Hiding from the world, Austen doesn't notice that wedding planner, Patti, is falling for her – and is too afraid to admit that she feels the chemistry too.

Seeking release from their small-town existence, two teenagers drive north on a vaguely plotted road trip. Adam and Teddy hope to leave boyhood behind. But they carry with them all the upsets and resentments they have accrued in their unhappy lives to date.

Phil Owen has it all figured out. Or rather his character in his weekly role-playing game does. In real life? Not so much. Inviting Amy Evans to join their group’s campaign seemed like the kind thing to do when his best friend’s younger sister returned home broken hearted six months ago, but all it’s done is give her another dimension in which to tempt him. Yet when an unwelcome character from Amy’s past turns up in her present, it’s Phil’s spell level that saves the day. His prize? A three-month quest as Amy’s fake boyfriend, and a chance to turn fantasy into reality…

The local library is a place for community members to enjoy a cup of coffee, to read a book, to swap a book, to exchange ideas, and maybe even share a piece of themselves. It’s also a refuge for people like Hattie, looking to reconnect with her past, and Avril, trying to hide from the future, and Stuart, searching for a new purpose, and librarian Will, whose life has been spun in an unexpected direction.

With a past she’s desperate to leave behind and a baby on the way, she’s found a new home, deep in the forest, hidden from the world. But when the time comes to go to the hospital, she has no idea that Beckett, the quiet, steady taxi driver who braves the blizzard to reach her, will change everything. As Mary adjusts to life with her newborn, she finds herself drawn into a local close-knit community she never expected to be part of. Beckett is always there ­– dependable, patient and offering a friendship she doesn’t know how to accept but slowly comes to rely on.

Gabriel is at rock bottom: a scandalous break-up with his wannabe poet ex-boyfriend, followed by a sudden sacking, and he’s spiralling. Thank God for his best friends, Tasha and Evie, who are committed to pulling him out of his depression hole and back into the world of work and dating. But suddenly there are new problems: How can he convince DiscreetHung from Grindr to go on a real-life date with him? Could the gorgeous man in the Post Office be The One? And why is Tasha’s boyfriend, Scott, trying to get between her and Gabe?