American Dutchess - Karen Harper

Karen Harper tells the tale of Consuelo Vanderbilt, her “The Wedding of the Century” to the Duke of Marlborough, and her quest to find meaning behind “the glitter and the gold.”

On a cold November day in 1895, a carriage approaches St Thomas Episcopal Church on New York City’s Fifth Avenue. Massive crowds surge forward, awaiting their glimpse of heiress Consuelo Vanderbilt. Just 18, the beautiful bride has not only arrived late, but in tears, yet her marriage to the aloof Duke of Marlborough proceeds. Bullied into the wedding by her indomitable mother, Alva, Consuelo loves another. But a deal was made, trading some of the vast Vanderbilt wealth for a title and prestige, and Consuelo, bred to obey, realizes she must make the best of things.

At Blenheim Palace, Consuelo is confronted with an overwhelming list of duties, including producing an “heir and a spare,” but her relationship with the duke quickly disintegrates. Consuelo finds an inner strength, charming everyone from debutantes to diplomats including Winston Churchill, as she fights for women’s suffrage. And when she takes a scandalous leap, can she hope to attain love at last…?

From the dawning of the opulent Gilded Age, to the battles of the Second World War, American Duchessis a riveting tale of one woman’s quest to attain independence—at any price.

Next Year in Havana - Chanel Cleeton

After the death of her beloved grandmother, a Cuban-American woman travels to Havana, where she discovers the roots of her identity—and unearths a family secret hidden since the revolution...

Havana, 1958. The daughter of a sugar baron, nineteen-year-old Elisa Perez is part of Cuba's high society, where she is largely sheltered from the country's growing political unrest—until she embarks on a clandestine affair with a passionate revolutionary...

Miami, 2017. Freelance writer Marisol Ferrera grew up hearing romantic stories of Cuba from her late grandmother Elisa, who was forced to flee with her family during the revolution. Elisa's last wish was for Marisol to scatter her ashes in the country of her birth.

Arriving in Havana, Marisol comes face-to-face with the contrast of Cuba's tropical, timeless beauty and its perilous political climate. When more family history comes to light and Marisol finds herself attracted to a man with secrets of his own, she'll need the lessons of her grandmother's past to help her understand the true meaning of courage.

As long as we both shall live - JoAnn Chaney

As Long As We Both Shall Live is JoAnn Chaney’s wicked, masterful examination of a marriage gone very wrong, a marriage with lots of secrets…

“My wife! I think she’s dead!” Matt frantically tells park rangers that he and his wife, Marie, were hiking when she fell off a cliff into the raging river below. They start a search, but they aren’t hopeful: no one could have survived that fall. It was a tragic accident.

But Matt’s first wife also died in suspicious circumstances. And when the police pull a body out of the river, they have a lot more questions for Matt.

Detectives Loren and Spengler want to know if Matt is a grieving, twice-unlucky husband or a cold-blooded murderer. They dig into the couple’s lives to see what they can unearth. And they find that love’s got teeth, it’s got claws, and once it hitches you to a person, it’s tough to rip yourself free.

So what happens when you’re done making it work?

'n Luiperd in my bed - Annelize Slabbert

"Met die middagson kom die lugspieëlings wat aan die vallei sy naam gegee het: Deception Valley. Dan skuil alles wat asemhaal in die koelte van 'n matjarra, rug na die wind gedraai. In die lang geelwit gras lê die leeus uitgestrek en slaap. Net die vlakvarke draf stertorent nader vir 'n modderbad..." Annelize Slabbert was 'n joernalis in Johannesburg en haar man, Gerard, 'n apteker. Doodgewone stedelinge. Toe word hulle moeg vir die lewe in die stad, die spitsverkeer en die gejaag, en verhuis sak en pak na Botswana. Hier, in die son en sand van die Sentraal-Kalahari, gaan hulle 'n luukse vierster-lodge bestuur. Min het hulle geweet wat wag. Tussen die luiperdwyfie in die slaapkamer, die dansende Russe en "wilde diere" in die swembad, sal hierdie boek jou laat lê van die lag ... en jou twee keer laat dink voor jy jou eie landelike idille aandurf.

Yes, really! - Kate Turkington

'There are a lot of good things about getting older. When you’re young you want everyone to like you and to make an impression. When you’re old you don’t give a damn.' Kate Turkington is fearless and fun, even now in her 80s. Actually, more so! From the war-worn East End of London to raising a young family in a remote part of eastern Nigeria and then building a career as one of SA's most loved broadcasters, Kate's story is remarkable and revealing. You'll laugh. You'll cry. You will cheer. And you may well be shocked.

The Memory Stones - Caroline Brothers

Buenos Aires, 1976. In the heat of summer, the Ferrero family escapes to the lush expanse of Tigre. Osvaldo, a distinguished doctor, and his wife Yolanda gather with their daughters, sensible Julieta who lives with her husband in Miami, and willful Graciela--nineteen, radiant, and madly in love with her fiancé, José. It will be the last time they are all together.

On their return, the military Junta stages a coup, and Osvaldo is forced to flee to Europe as friends and colleagues disappear overnight. When José is abducted, Graciela goes into hiding; when she and her friends are dragged from an apartment by plainclothes policemen, the devastating reality of the Junta is no longer remote. Osvaldo can only witness the disintegration of his family from afar, while Yolanda fights on the ground to find and reclaim their beloved daughter. Soon they realize they may be fighting for an unknown grandchild as well.

The Memory Stones commemorates the thousands of Argentinians--the Disappeared--who fell victim to the brutality of the period, the effects of which are still being felt today. Following one family seeking to rebuild itself after unimaginable loss, it is the story--both heartbreaking and inspiring--of a country striving to survive even in the face of terror.