An international bestseller and the novel of the year, Freedom is an epic of contemporary love and marriage.

This is the story of the Berglunds, their son Joey, their daughter Jessica and their friend Richard Katz. It is about how we use and abuse our freedom; about the beginning and ending of love; teenage lust; the unexpectedness of adult life; why we compete with our friends; how we betray those closest to us; and why things almost never work out as they should. It is a story about the human heart, and what it leads us to do to ourselves and each other.

Once upon a time there were three young ladies who, despite their fortunes, had been on the marriage mart a bit too long. They were known as ""the Spinster Heiresses"" . . .

Miss Cassandra Holwell is too tall, too bookish, and too smart-but she does have money and a father who wants a grand title for her. Cassandra hasn't felt a desire to marry until she meets the sinfully handsome Duke of Camberly, who captures her imagination . . . until Soren York, Earl of Dewsberry and her family's sworn enemy, steps in the way.

The Holwells ruined Soren's family, and he's lived on the knife's edge trying to resurrect their fortunes . . . until he considers marrying the Holwell Heiress. Not only would her dowry give him the funds he needs, he has secretly had an eye on the independent-minded bluestocking since they both first realized the differences between men and women.

She likes to read; he has no patience for books. She knows little of sex; he is a man of the world and willing to school her. Her family destroyed his; his offer of marriage may be her only salvation.

Now Cassandra and Soren must learn to love each other for who they are, not what they are-and the lessons are becoming an exercise in absolute pleasure.

Discover a compelling story of loyalty, love and the strength of friendship in war-torn Britain, from the international bestselling author Lesley Pearse

'Glorious, heartwarming' Woman & Home

'Full of love, passion and heartbreak' Best
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Spring 1935.

On London's Hampstead Heath, two girls meet by chance: well-mannered and smartly dressed Verity and dishevelled and grubby Ruby.

Somehow, the mismatched pair form an instant friendship strong enough to survive their parent's disapproval.

When war engulfs the country - sending Ruby to Devon while Verity struggles to find a new beginning under a shadow from her past - the girls are convinced they will always be there for each other.

Until the day one breaks the other's heart . . .

Can Verity and Ruby find a way back to each other before it's too late?
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'Yet another great Lesley Pearse novel' Woman

'Epic romantic drama set in post-war London' Heat

'A heart-warming and evocative tale that is a real delight to read' Sun

'A narrative that gallops along, this is quintessential Pearse that will delight her army of readers' Daily Mail

'Evocative, compelling, told from the heart' Sunday Express

'Utterly riveting, brilliant' Closer

Lesley Pearse was told as a child that she had too much imagination for her own good. When she grew up she worked her way through a number of jobs, including nanny, bunny girl, dressmaker and full-time mother, before, at the age of forty-nine, settling upon a career that would allow her gifts to blossom: she became a published writer. Lesley lives in Devon and has three daughters and four grandchildren.

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