Greece

'Grab a copy and a box of tissues ASAP - simply beautiful' Reader Review 'Summer read of the year! Absolute perfection' Reader Review 'Wow...there are still tears in my eyes!' Reader Review Will walking in her mother's footsteps help Sophie discover who she was meant to be all along...? Devastated by her mother's death, Sophie longs to get away from an empty house full of memories and a life that hasn't quite turned out as she had imagined. So when a chance discovery among her mother's belongings hints at a past Sophie knows nothing of, she jumps at the opportunity for escape and a chance to heal. The magical, idyllic Greek town of Methoni awaits... But Sophie - determined to uncover her mother's secrets - is about to discover so much more. Among the tranquil waters and cosy tavernas, Methoni's locals offer Sophie the answers she craves, along with unexpected romance and, if she'll take it, a chance at her own happiness... The breathtaking, escapist debut novel from Emma Cowell, perfect for fans of Victoria Hislop, Carol Kirkwood and Karen Swan. Praise for One Last Letter from Greece: 'This book made me cry (a lot)! A gorgeous read I can't recommend enough!' Reader Review 'A compelling and tender story, beautifully told by an exciting new voice' Santa Montefiore 'I'm in love with this story - I couldn't stop reading' Reader Review 'Emma's written a beauty' Peter Andre 'This book has it all...romance, forbidden love, highs, lows, a great setting and a happy ever after. An easy 5 star read from me' Reader Review 'Emma Cowell tells an emotional, gripping tale about family secrets, love and loss' Adriana Trigiani 'Gripping...heartbreaking...simply wonderful' Reader Review 'An emotional rollercoaster. I fell in love with Theo and with Methoni which sounds so beautiful. Such an emotive tale of love and loss' Rosanna Ley 'Your perfect summer escape guaranteed!' Reader Review 'A delicious slice of Greek life. A beautiful love story. A lovely tribute to a mother's love' Jo Thomas

'An ideal holiday read that ticks all the boxes. I thoroughly enjoyed it!' Julie Houston, best selling author of A Village Affair. There was something in the air that night. . . **Sandy's BRAND NEW romcom The Dating Game is available now** Sarah has had enough of men. It's time to rekindle her first true love - travel - so she books a sailing trip around the Greek islands with a group of strangers. The very last thing Sarah wants is to meet someone new, but then a gorgeous American man boards her yacht... And when she also encounters a handsome silver fox who promises her the world, she realises that trouble really does come in twos. Will Sarah dive into a holiday fling or stick to her plan to steer clear of men, continue her love affair with feta and find her own way after all? The perfect holiday read to escape with this summer, for fans of Annie Robertson's My Mamma Mia Summer and Mandy Baggot's One Last Greek Summer. Readers love Sandy Barker: 'A summery romantic debut from a fresh voice in romantic fiction. Made me want to pack my bags for the Greek islands this instant!' Phillipa Ashley, bestselling author of A Perfect Cornish Summer 'A fun and flirty escapist read.' Samantha Tonge, bestselling author of Knowing You 'Warm, witty and wonderful.' Emma Robinson, author of Happily Never After 'A thoughtful and often humorous insight into the joys and pitfalls of travelling as a single, thirty-something woman.' Ella Hayes, Mills and Boon author 'A cosmopolitan treat.' Belinda Missen, author of An Impossible Thing Called Love 'An absolutely brilliant holiday read, full of love and laugh-out-loud moments.' Katie Ginger, author of Summer Season on the Seafront 'A deliciously romantic, sunlit sail around the Greek islands - the perfect holiday read.' Lynne Shelby, author of The One That I Want 'Sun, romance and sailing - what more could you want?' Lucy Coleman, author of Summer on the Italian Lakes 'Sandy's voice is young, smart and engaging. The story made me smile and long for summer days.' Kiley Dunbar, author of One Summer's Night.

The stunning, gender-flipped novel about love, creativity and the power of speaking out - perfect for fans of Madeline Miller and Pat Barker. 'Poetic and evocative ... this story will thrill readers' PIP WILLIAMS, bestselling author of The Dictionary of Lost Words Their love transcends every boundary. Can it cheat death?Orphia dreams of something more than the warrior crafts she's been forced to learn. Hidden away on a far-flung island, her blood sings with poetry and her words can move flowers to bloom and forests to grow ... but her father, the sun god Apollo, has forbidden her this art. A chance meeting with a young shield-maker, Eurydicius, gives her the courage to use her voice. After wielding all her gifts to defeat one final champion, Orphia draws the scrutiny of the gods. Performing her poetry, she wins the protection of the goddesses of the arts: the powerful Muses, who welcome her to their sanctuary on Mount Parnassus. Orphia learns to hone her talents, crafting words of magic infused with history, love and tragedy. When Eurydicius joins her, Orphia struggles with her desire for fame and her budding love. As her bond with the gentle shield-maker grows, she joins the Argonauts on their quest for the Golden Fleece. Facing dragons, sirens and ruthless warriors on the voyage, Orphia earns unparalleled fame, but she longs to return to Eurydicius. Yet she has a darker journey to make - one which will see her fight for her love with all the power of her poetry. Praise for Orphia and Eurydicius'As I read, I imagined the muses beside Elyse John, focusing her mind and guiding her hand. The writing is poetic and evocative, and the story will thrill readers who have long suspected something is missing from the classics of Greek myth.' PIP WILLIAMS, author of The Dictionary of Lost Words and The Bookbinder of Jericho'Spins a bewitching tale of courage, love, and defiance, giving voice and agency to the women in Greek tales who are so often defined by the men they are associated with. Orphia's poetry may bring the gods to tears; John's words have the same effect on us mere mortals. Tragic and triumphant, a must-read!' ANDREA STEWART, author of The Bone Shard Daughter'Elyse John's deft language lays bare the exquisite intimacies of human connection, from the brutal - yet seductive - exercise of power over another, to the moments of tenderness and vulnerability between lovers.' SHELLEY PARKER-CHAN, author of She Who Became the Sun'Elyse John's Orphia and Eurydicius stunning retelling deftly explores Orphia's beginnings, her poetic ambitions, and her searing chemistry with Eurydicius, all of which challenge the gender dynamics of the time and death itself. A highly original read.' STACEY THOMAS, author of The Revels'Bold yet beautiful ... I was glued to the page, compelled by the story of Lady Orphia and her love, the gentle shieldmaker Eurydicius. Orphia and Eurydicius is a thoughtful consideration as to what it means to be a man, a woman, a hero, a human being. I loved this retelling and couldn't stop thinking about it: Lady Orphia has my heart.' LAURA SHEPPERSON, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Heroines (UK), Phaedra (US)'A cleverly conceived and lyrically crafted reimagining. John deftly weaves a compelling and insightful narrative that interrogates not only patriarchy but the gendered dynamics of love, romance and the role of artist and muse. It is a story about the importance of having a voice, and a delightful subversion of myth' BEA FITZGERALD, Sunday Times bestselling author of Girl, Goddess, Queen'I found myself crying at the power of Elyse John's glittering, lyrical prose and the relationship at the heart of the novel. This is an excellent example of the power of mythological retellings as the novel makes us re-examine gender, heteronormativity and what makes a hero. I fell head over heels for this warrior-poet and gentle shieldmaker' RANI SELVARAJAH, author of Savage Beasts'Orphia and Eurydicius is a Greek retelling which stands out in an age of reiterations. The language is lyrical, the plot, enchanting. John is a writer who has clearly done the work, one whose courage aligns with her brave, protagonists, outliers in their own right. I find myself enamoured of both artist and novel; the tender yearning, the fierce desire, the sorrow and sacrifice. This book consumed three months of my life and yet, I want to give more. It will be hard to return to real life. (If I cannot have this type of love, I'd rather have none at all). Orphia and Eurydicius is worthy of the greats.' CH?K?D?L? EMEL?MAD?, author of Dazzling'A gorgeous, sweeping tale that both evokes the feeling of classic mythology and intelligent and modern insight, this is a story of the boundaries we put on love and grief - I dare you to be unmoved by it.' SAM HAWKE, author of City of Lies'A beautiful, poetic ode to Greek myth, love, and the sheer power of women's art and women's voices.' TASHA SURI, author of the Burning Kingdoms series'A powerful ode to female creativity and ambition, a poignant exploration of grief, and a testament to the power of art and love to transcend death. Lyrical, luminous, and brimming with passion.' H.G. PARRY, author of The Magician's Daughter'A fresh and enchanting retelling of the Orpheus myth, in which Ancient Greece's greatest poet becomes a bold, powerful woman, and her muse an artistic, gentle man. John astutely explores and tests the gendered stereotypes of classical myth and elevates women's voices and stories to craft a beautiful, beguiling modern myth about the value of creativity, the strength of non-conformity and the power of love.' NIKKI MARMERY, author of Lilith'Beautiful, beguiling and at times heartbreaking, Orphia and Eurydicius is a novel to be savoured and cherished. Rich in detail with characters that leap off the page, it kept me reading well into the night with my heart in my mouth. John has created a world that is both visceral and sumptuous, with prose that is as razor-sharp as it is lyrical. Gripping, poetic and enthralling, this novel is a testament to Elyse John's astonishing talent. Fans of Greek mythology are in for a treat!' AWAIS KHAN, author of Someone Like Her'An absolutely beautiful book, both mythic and achingly human. Elyse John crafts an incisive yet graceful inversion of myth, told in deft and evocative prose.' ROWENNA MILLER, author of The Fairy Bargains of Prospect Hill'Distilling the essence of poetry and the meaning of honesty, Orphia and Eurydicius is sharp as a spear tip and precise as a lover's wound. A story to be re-read and luxuriated in, asserting strength in a woman's spirit, the need for expression, and the fight to stay true to oneself.' KRITIKA H. RAO, author of The Surviving Sky'A swoonworthy, breathtakingly exquisite, poignant masterpiece' BETTER READING'Like all enchanted books, the story of Elyse Johns' Orphia and Eurydicius is vivid, consuming, potent, and poetic. This gender-flipping, feminist retelling is not just a love story for the ages, but a moving, magical ode to the power of using our voices, and of being who we are in the world.' HOLLY RINGLAND, author of The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding'This book hooked me from its opening lines ... Music and poetry, art and magic are woven together in this dazzling fable which ultimately asks: how far are we willing to go for the ones we love? Elyse John has taken one of the most beautiful and tragic love stories ever told and infused it with a modern sensibility. Readers will swoon.' LAUREN CHATER, author of The Winter Dress'A timeless story told in rich, poetic language ... a book for lovers of myth, passion and transporting historical fiction. John brilliantly reimagines the past while crafting a moving tale of love that challenges outdated gender roles, and of grief drawn from the depths of experience. The mesmerising landscapes, the journeys of sea and fire, encircle this very human story in the evocative realm of legend.' KATHERINE BRABON, author of The Shut Ins'Highly polished and luminous ... A wonderfully ambitious, richly imagined tale of star-crossed lovers. Brimming with passion, wit and poetry Orphia and Eurydicius is a story of, and for, the ages. One that not only stands as a paeon to love, courage and acceptance but to every woman's desire, and right, to be heard. A triumph.' LYN HUGHES, author of Mr Carver's Whale'A delectable concoction at once ancient and modern, comfortingly familiar and yet very much her own ... A thrilling tale of epic love and epic ambition spun with a Homeric sense of adventure and storytelling flair. It's also a hymn to the pleasures of sensuality, nature and creativity, and to the courage of being yourself rather than the person others want you to be.' LEE KOFMAN, author of The Writer Laid Bare'Elyse John has written that rare novel, one that has heart and wisdom, adventure and poetry, and all the while it pulses with a great political purpose. It's a marvel.' NIGEL FEATHERSTONE, author of My Heart is a Little Wild Thing'An intoxicating story about a woman fighting to live a life of creativity and love, on her own terms. This is a powerful epic about the collective power of women set in the mythical past that feels incredibly relevant today. John's gilded romance about breaking boundaries to live and love is transportative.' STEPH VIZARD, winner of the 2022 HarperCollins Banjo Prize for The Love Contract

"One woman dead, another missing-and time is running out politically incorrect detective Andreas Kaldis, promoted out of Athens to serve as police chief for Mykonos, is certain his homicide investigation days are over. Murders don't happen in tourist heaven. At least that's what he's thinking as he stares at the remains of a young woman, ritually bound and buried on a pile of human bones inside a remote mountain church. Teamed with the nearly-retired local homicide chief, Andreas tries to find the killer before the media can destroy the island's fabled reputation with a barrage of world-wide attention on a mystery that's haunted Mykonos undetected for decades . When another young woman disappears, political niceties no longer matter. With the investigation now a rescue operation, Andreas races against a killer intent on claiming a new victim."--

THE PERSIANS is a definitive new history of the Persian Empire, the world's first superpower. The Great Kings of Persia ruled over the largest Empire of antiquity, stretching from Libya to the Steppes of Asia, and from Ethiopia to Pakistan. At the heart of the Empire was the fabled palace-city of Persepolis where the Achaemenid monarchs held court in unparalleled grandeur. From here, Cyrus the Great, Darius, Xerxes, and their heirs passed laws, raised armies, and governed their multicultural Empire of enormous diversity. The Achaemenids, however, were one of the great dysfunctional families of history. Brothers fought brothers for power, wives and concubines plotted to promote their sons to the throne, and eunuchs and courtiers vied for influence and prestige. Our understanding of the Persian Empire has traditionally come from the histories of Greek writers such as Herodotus - and as such, over many centuries, our perspective has been skewed by ancient political and cultural agendas. Professor Llewellyn-Jones, however, calls upon original Achaemenid sources, including inscriptions, art, and recent archaeological discoveries in Iran, to create an authentic 'Persian Version' of this remarkable first great empire of antiquity - the Age of the Great Kings.

Fifty years before its golden age, Athens was just another city-state in Sparta's shadow. David Stuttard tells the story of the father and son who lifted Athens. Miltiades defeated the Persians at Marathon; Cimon drove them from Greece, revitalized the war-torn city, and moderated its foreign policy, creating the conditions for Athenian greatness.

Roides' irreverent, witty and delightful novel tells the story of Joan who, according to a popular medieval legend, ascended to the Papal Throne as Pope John VIII. The truth of the legend is of little importance as the book is far more than a historical novel and, in fact, parodies the popular historical romances of the time. In Joan, Roides has created one of the most remarkable characters in modern Greek literature and in so doing has assured his place as one of its classic authors.

Skiathos has produced and nourished many ordinary extraordinary people over the centuries. This small rebellious island has had a profound effect on the Greek nation both politically and culturally while every day exigencies of Skiathan life created heroes and heroines on a smaller canvas. This book paints the portraits of a few, some from lore, some from life, all ordinary extraordinary people.