"Secrets shared can bind hearts, but secrets concealed? That's a tale of its own.
The year is 1884. Robert Cooke and his pregnant wife Freya tragically lose their two sons to scarlet fever, sending Freya into self-imposed isolation for the safety of their unborn child. Cut off from each other, their shared grief becomes a silent, destructive foe.
A decade later and now a successful businessman, Robert conceives a poignant tribute to his lost sons - a pleasure garden. But in withholding his vision from Freya, he widens the gulf between them.
Unexpectedly, it is another woman who understands his heart: The eccentric and exceedingly talented artist Florence Hoddy.
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Hailed by The Bookseller as 'One to Watch', Jane Davis writes thought-provoking literary page turners with a strong commercial edge. Her first novel 'Half-Truths and White Lies', won a national award established with the aim of finding 'the next Joanne Harris'."
"What if the villain of your childhood turned out to be someone really rather extraordinary?
A disgraced politician, Sir James Hastings is living out his retirement in a secluded Surrey village. He is unmoved by his centenarian mother's death - a woman he emotionally buried upon her abandonment.
Raised by his father, a charismatic war-hero turned racing driver, the young James, torn between self-blame and longing, eventually dismissed her.
But when he inherits her life's work - an incredible photography collection spanning six decades - he is forced to confront the realization that his version of the past isn't even half the story...
Presenting a family that is beautifully flawed, brimming with affection, and inimitably human, 'I Stopped Time' is perfect for fans of Tracy Chevalier, Audrey Niffenegger and Ali Smith.
Hailed by The Bookseller as 'One to Watch', Jane Davis writes thought-provoking literary page turners with a strong commercial edge. Her first novel 'Half-Truths and White Lies', won a national award established with the aim of finding 'the next Joanne Harris'.
'A perfectly written book in which the author never puts a foot wrong.' Author, John Lynch"
"'Smash all the Windows' won the inaugural Selfies Book Award in 2019.
It has taken conviction to right the wrongs. It will take courage to learn how to live again.
London, 22 August 2003. A day that began like any other would end in tragedy. Fifty-eight people set off for work, only to never return.
For more than thirteen years, the search for truth has eaten up everything: marriages, families, health, careers and finances. A flawed justice system failed the victims' kin, but hope arises when a rookie law student scrutinizes the disaster and uncovers potential answers.
With lies being unraveled and hypocrisies exposed, the families can all get back to their lives. Well, if only it were that simple...
A gripping, highly charged, topical piece of fiction, 'Smash All the Windows' is a testament to the human condition and the healing power of art.
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Hailed by The Bookseller as 'One to Watch', Jane Davis writes thought-provoking literary page turners with a strong commercial edge. Her first novel 'Half-Truths and White Lies', won a national award established with the aim of finding 'the next Joanne Harris'."
"A schoolyard stabbing sends wingbeats echoing from the past. One shocking event. Two teachers risk their careers to help a boy who has nothing. Three worlds intersect and collide.
The best way to avoid trouble, thinks Ayisha Emmanuelle, is to avoid confrontation. As an inner-city schoolteacher, she does a whole lot of avoidance.
14-year-old Shamayal Thomas trusts no one. Not the family, not the gang. And at school, trusting people is forbidden.
Jim Stevens teaches history. Haunted by his own, he still believes everyone can learn from the past. History doesn’t always have to repeat itself.
A powerful exploration of the ache of loss set in a landscape where broken people can heal each other.
Fresh, funny, heartbreaking and real, this original and compassionate study of when to break the rules and why is perfect for fans of Maggie O'Farrell, Rachel Joyce and Ali Smith.
‘If you want to laugh and cry and stamp and cheer – all in the space of a few hours – then this book is the one for you.’ Bookmuse
'...a powerful story...the narration was outstanding...it kept me absolutely engrossed.' - Anita Wallas (NetGalley Reviewer)
'a layered literary novel with charm and humor as well as harsh realism. I can heartily recommend this book.' - Helen Aristar-Dry (Educator, NetGalley)
'A beautifully written story that will hold your attention until the very end. A pleasure to read and I would highly recommend this book to fans of literary fiction.' - Kirsty Holt (NetGalley Reviewer)
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Hailed by The Bookseller as 'One to Watch', Jane Davis writes thought-provoking literary page turners with a strong commercial edge. Her first novel 'Half-Truths and White Lies', won a national award established with the aim of finding 'the next Joanne Harris'. Further recognition followed in 2016 with 'An Unknown Woman' being named Self-Published Book of the Year by Writing Magazine/the David St John Thomas Charitable Trust, as well as being shortlisted in the IAN Awards, and in 2019 with 'Smash all the Windows' winning the inaugural Selfies Book Award. Her latest novel 'At the Stroke of Nine O'Clock', July 2020, has been featured in The Lady Magazine as one of their favourite books set in the 1950s, selected as a Historical Novel Society Editor's Choice, and shortlisted for the Selfies Book Awards 2021. Jane Davis lives in Carshalton, Surrey."
"London 1949. The lives of three very different women are about to collide.
Like most working-class daughters, Caroline Wilby is expected to help support her family. Alone in a strange city, she must grab any opportunity that comes her way. Even if that means putting herself in danger.
Star of the silver screen, Ursula Delancy, has just been abandoned by the man she left her husband for. Already hounded by the press, it won’t be long before she’s making headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Patrice Hawtree was once the most photographed debutante of her generation. Now childless and trapped in a loveless marriage, her plans to secure the future of her ancient family home are about to be jeopardised by her husband's gambling addiction.
Each believes she has already lost in life, not knowing how far she still has to fall.
Six years later, one cause will reunite them: when a young woman commits a crime of passion and is condemned to hang, remaining silent isn’t an option.
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Hailed by The Bookseller as 'One to Watch', Jane Davis writes thought-provoking literary page turners with a strong commercial edge. Her first novel 'Half-Truths and White Lies', won a national award established with the aim of finding 'the next Joanne Harris'. Further recognition followed in 2016 with 'An Unknown Woman' being named Self-Published Book of the Year by Writing Magazine/the David St John Thomas Charitable Trust, as well as being shortlisted in the IAN Awards, and in 2019 with 'Smash all the Windows' winning the inaugural Selfies Book Award. Her latest novel 'At the Stroke of Nine O'Clock', July 2020, has been featured in The Lady Magazine as one of their favourite books set in the 1950s, selected as a Historical Novel Society Editor's Choice, and shortlisted for the Selfies Book Awards 2021. Jane Davis lives in Carshalton, Surrey."
"Fire destroyed her present. Secrets destroyed her past.
Look in the mirror and ask yourself a question. Who are you? Do you know the answer?
At the age of forty-six, Anita Hall knows exactly who she is. She has lived with partner Ed for fifteen years and is proud of the life they’ve built. They go out into the world separately: Ed with one eye on the future in the world of finance; Anita with one foot in the past, a curator at Hampton Court Palace. This is the life she has chosen - a dream job, equal partnership, living in a quirky old house she adores. She is happy. Their foundations are solid and their future seems secure. But that was before the fire.
Anita stands in the middle of the road watching her home and everything inside it burn to the ground. She and Ed have nothing more than the clothes on their backs. Fifteen years of memories gone up in smoke.
Before she can come to terms with the magnitude of her loss, hairline cracks begin to appear in her perfect relationship. And returning to her childhood home in search of comfort, she stumbles upon the secret her mother has kept hidden, a taboo so unspeakable it can only be written down.
The reflection in the mirror may look the same. But everything has changed. Anita thought she knew who she was. But not any more. And when your life goes up in smoke, you can never go home.
Writing Magazine's Self-Published Book of the Year 2016. Authentic and heartbreaking, this intensely human story by award-winner Jane Davis is perfect for fans of Maggie O’Farrell, Kate Atkinson and Ali Smith.
‘A firestorm of a novel. Davis reminds us that families often have secrets at their heart: ticking time bombs just waiting for a stray spark.’ – Paul Murphy
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Hailed by The Bookseller as 'One to Watch', Jane Davis writes thought-provoking literary page turners with a strong commercial edge. Her first novel 'Half-Truths and White Lies', won a national award established with the aim of finding 'the next Joanne Harris'. Further recognition followed in 2016 with 'An Unknown Woman' being named Self-Published Book of the Year by Writing Magazine/the David St John Thomas Charitable Trust, as well as being shortlisted in the IAN Awards, and in 2019 with 'Smash all the Windows' winning the inaugural Selfies Book Award. Her latest novel 'At the Stroke of Nine O'Clock', July 2020, has been featured in The Lady Magazine as one of their favourite books set in the 1950s, selected as a Historical Novel Society Editor's Choice, and shortlisted for the Selfies Book Awards 2021. Jane Davis lives in Carshalton, Surrey."
