Starnberg Series Book 8: Yesterday When I Was Young

In the eighth and final book of the Starnberg set series, no couple escapes the grip of misfortune. From a terrifying cancer scare and a child’s meningitis to a life-altering car crash in distant Toronto and the unravelling of a once-strong love, this year is a true battleground.

As they confront these challenges, their bonds of friendship and support deepen, providing a lifeline through the storm. Amid the turmoil, an older love rekindles: Sybilla’s mother, Emmeline Mertens, faces a family tragedy and rediscovers her first love, the formidable divorce lawyer Magdalena von Reichenbach. Will anyone emerge unscathed?

Rachel

Rachel continues Margot’s riveting story from the first book of the trilogy. Now happily married to Matthew and reunited with her daughter Mary, Margot’s life seems complete – until her dear friend Rachel vanishes in the woods while picking mushrooms.

Margot races against time with Edward and Rachel’s father to track her whereabouts. But they discover the unthinkable – Rachel has already been smuggled onto a ship headed for France. Margot is determined to rescue Rachel from the unknown fate that awaits her, but will she and Edward unravel the mystery and bring Rachel home before it’s too late?

With the stakes raised higher than ever before, this next instalment will immerse readers deeper into the compulsively readable world and relationships established in the first captivating book. Propelled by suspense and laced with hope, Rachel delivers another compelling journey about fighting for the ones you love.

Tuesday’s Trouble

Brian, an antique dealer with a long-standing fascination for the seventeenth century, stumbles upon an auction for a 1650s cottage in a remote location. Captivated by its period charm, he buys it sight unseen, fully aware that the property is uninhabitable.

This centuries-old cottage, unoccupied for hundreds of years, is a treasure trove of historical mysteries waiting to be uncovered. As Brian delves into its secrets, he discovers an unexpected family connection, deepening his passion for the era and fueling his desire to collect objects from that time.

The Resurrection Men

The Resurrection Men draws inspiration from the notorious legend of Edinburgh’s infamous body snatchers, Burke and Hare. Set in the 1800s, this compelling tale serves as a sharp social critique, vividly portraying the poverty and deprivation endured by the lower classes. The novel exposes the callous exploitation by the upper echelons of society, highlighting how wealthy employers often neglected the welfare of their workers. Particularly, it sheds light on the appalling conditions faced by young children forced to work in the mines, where danger to life and limb was a daily reality.

This powerful, grim historical novel employs gallows humour to bring its characters and their struggles to life. As the story unfolds, it raises profound questions: Can desperate circumstances fundamentally change a person’s behaviour? When subjected to extreme poverty, are all humans capable of heinous acts, regardless of their inherent nature? Above all, The Resurrection Men is a poignant love story that will captivate the imagination of any reader, leaving them both moved and reflective.

A Win-Win For Love

Life is fragile, but there is always the possibility of finding a new path…

Aura closed the door of her apartment in the city for the last time, a young widow accompanied only by her loyal dog Jasper. Life had dealt her an unexpected hand, steering her onto a road she never anticipated traveling. It was during a stay at her best friend Amanda’s that Aura reconnected with Jerry, Amanda’s brother. As a CEO of a chain of arts and crafts stores, Jerry needed an assistant to oversee the company’s prestigious Crafter of the Year contest. Aura accepted but, alas, love and life intervened, complicating her job. If Aura wanted to win, she must start making choices that will allow her to chart a new path.

A Win-Win for Love maps that trajectory, of tough decisions, misfortune, and resistance.

The Thai Girl

This is the true story of Anna, a Thai girl being raised in poverty in a poor area of Bangkok. This story is about real people and real events; it tells the tale of not only from rags to riches, but that of emotional trauma and how a beautiful child, and then woman, suffered throughout her life. Poverty such as Anna experienced is not an isolated event, it just happens to be one of which I became aware after meeting her and talking to her. As emails and messages flowed, the story of her life began to unravel.

At times, her recount of events is tragic; the feeling of despair and pain, merely because she was raised on the wrong side of the tracks, is as heartbreaking as it is pathetic. As her story began to unfold, it didn’t feel real, it felt as though it was an imaginary tale, based on imaginary people… but the account and people are very real. It defied credibility. This is the story of Anna… a Thai girl.

The Pink Cadillac

A captivating tale of love, lust, and unbridled desire where setbacks lead to unexpected benefits. Scarlet never imagined that losing her most valued asset would open a new chapter in her life and quench her long-standing thirst. Struggling to communicate her emotions honestly, she eventually finds the strength, inspired by an unidentified force, as if nature itself bestowed its treasures upon her.

A restless spirit, fallen from heaven to earth, finds solace in a simple activity. Two close friends, trapped in various situations for years, remain unaware of how close their destination truly is. When Dakota left her profession at the peak of her career due to unforeseen circumstances, the same profession found a new Dakota years later. In this seductive and kinky story, the universe uses bizarre circumstances to guide each character to their destined path.

The Long Way Round

The Long Way Round is a poignant tale that follows the life of Tom as he navigates the challenges of growing up and entering young adulthood. The story explores the lasting impact of life’s seemingly minor moments and the importance of childhood experiences. The story also explores how easily we can be distracted from recognising and appreciating the blessings we already have. Along the way, Tom discovers that life sometimes has a way of healing through unexpected surprises, so that even in the darkest times, hope and redemption can be found.

An Appointment with Destiny

Born out of wedlock to a bitter and vindictive mother, Laura Ashleigh is a brilliant student with a gift for languages. Denied the opportunity to attend Yale College due to its men-only policy, she accepts a newly created position at the local library. The sudden death of her mother frees Laura from a life of servitude and daily criticisms, leaving her struggling to find purpose in her life.

An advertisement in a mid-west newspaper catches her attention: a horse rancher in Colorado named Ben McCallister is seeking a wife. With destiny beckoning, Laura posts a reply. As she journeys across Nebraska, she begins to transform, emerging from the shadows as a vibrant, confident woman ready to embrace life’s challenges.

When the Army supply wagons she is traveling with are threatened by a large band of Cheyenne Indians, a stranger saves them. To her surprise, the man who saved them is none other than Ben McCallister, the man she is destined to marry. He is more than she had dared to hope for—handsome and dangerous, moving with the lethal grace of a jungle cat. Laura will lead him down a different path and shape their future; together with his half-Indian brother Jake, they will forge a dynasty.

Love in Saint Tropez

Love in Saint Tropez is a captivating narrative of self-discovery, resilience, and renewal, woven with threads of love and hope. It delves deep into the soul’s journey, revealing the profound truth that, despite life’s tumultuous ebbs and flows, we possess the innate strength to rise anew. At the heart of this enlightening tale is Ana, a mirror to our own experiences, embodying the universal quest for meaning and belonging.

Confronted with the timeless question of life’s unyielding constant, Ana embarks on a transformative journey back to the enchanting locales of her heritage: Saint Tropez and London. These places, rich in familial legacy and moments of profound inspiration, become the backdrop against which she rediscovers her capacity to love, shedding the restrictive chains of her history. With courage and an open heart, Ana ventures down the road of self-discovery, a journey poised to alter the course of her life in the most beautiful and unexpected ways.

“Travels record stamps in passports, photo galleries in folders, magnets on refrigerators… Love in Saint Tropez is a story about the journey in which we discover ourselves and ‘stamp’ them in our personal passport of life. It is about the knowing that we are ready to stand up and rise in life and that there is no thing so precious as a personal passport that we filled with missed chances, new opportunities and remained eternally in love with life.”

– Branko Rosic, bestselling author.

“Jovana’s Love in Saint Tropez is a story about the power of love and how it can transform our lives and relationships. It’s a reminder that sometimes we just need to take a chance and let love in. It’s a beautiful reminder that real love does exist.”

– Kosta Petrov, bestselling author.

The Sailor and the Queen

In the heart of the desert, amidst ancient secrets and forgotten desires, The Sailor and the Queen unfolds as a tale of forbidden passion and unexpected destinies. When Petru Slavescu and his fellow sailors are abducted by a fierce tribe of warrior women, they are thrust into a world of sensual rituals and untamed desires. As they navigate this seductive new reality, they must confront their deepest longings and grapple with the consequences of their choices.

With each stolen touch and whispered promise, the boundaries between captor and captive blur, igniting a fire that threatens to consume them all. The Sailor and the Queen is a mesmerizing exploration of eroticism, power, and the enduring quest for love and freedom in a world where pleasure and danger intertwine.

Magical People

Jessica is tired of her life. Tired of her family, tired of her job, and tired of her string of meaningless one-night stands. When her sister invites her to their grandmother’s birthday party, Jessica reluctantly agrees, hoping for a change of pace. At the party, she meets Alice, her friend’s illegitimate cousin, and is immediately smitten. But Alice is hiding a secret, and it’s not the one Jessica thinks.

As Jessica and Alice grow closer, they discover that they have more in common than they initially thought. Both are struggling with their pasts and trying to find their place in the world. But when Alice’s secret is revealed, it threatens to tear their families apart. Will Jessica and Alice be able to overcome their challenges and find happiness together? Or will their love be doomed from the start?