The latest offering from the queen of beautifully written romantic fiction.

PLOT This book of two halves opens in France in 1916, where Sophie Lefevre is supporting her family while her husband is on the front line. In London, 90 years later, Liv Halston is reeling from the death of her husband. Fighting to hold onto a portrait he bequeathed to her, long-kept secrets begin to unravel.

WHY WE LOVE IT: Clever, unpredictable and fantastically well-observed, it reflects all the gray areas of human behavior.

The sequel to Mantel's magnificent Wolf Hall – both Man Booker Prize winners

PLOT Set in the court of King Henry VIII during his turbulent marriage to Anne Boleyn, the story focusses on Henry's chief minister, Thomas Cromwell.

WHY WE LOVE IT: This may not be the easiest book to read, but Mantel's prose is so compelling that you'll be willing to put in the hard work. Cromwell is brutal, devious, brilliant and completely seductive – just like the novel itself.