Legend Press was founded in 2005 by Tom Chalmers. It specialises primarily in publishing mainstream literary and commercial fiction as well as a growing collection of classics. They have been shortlisted for numerous awards both as a company and also for individual titles. These awards include the Costa Book Prize, BBC Radio 2 Book Club, Women’s Prize for Fiction and Dylan Thomas Prize … to name a few.

Legend Press is now the most successful independent in 30 years to start up with no capital and runs a range of successful across-industry initiatives and joint-ventures. Legend Press is part of the Legend Times Group which also includes Hero Press, New Generation Publishing and University of Buckingham Press.

Much of its success has been due to keenness to innovate and to be a market-leader for new initiatives. And as its ultimate mission, Legend Press aims to produce books of the highest quality, provide a global platform for authors and to inspire and thrill book readers around the world.

As I’ll readily admit before I started blogging I didn’t take too much notice of who had published the book I was reading, but this changed when I joined NetGalley in 2014. I noticed that many of the books that I was attracted too were published by Legend Press. Consequently since then I’ve bought a fair few Legend titles. Here’s a selection of some of my Legend library purchases.

This month I’ve added several more titles in both ebook and paperback formats.

(NB As an Amazon Associate and Hive affiliate I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases)

Where the Edge Is by Gráinne Murphy

As a sleepy town in rural Ireland starts to wake, a road subsides, trapping an early-morning bus and five passengers inside. Rescue teams struggle and as two are eventually saved, the bus falls deeper into the hole.

Under the watchful eyes of the media, the lives of three people are teetering on the edge. And for those on the outside, from Nina, the reporter covering the story, to rescue liaison, Tim, and Richie, the driver pulled from the wreckage, each are made to look at themselves under the glare of the spotlight.

When their world crumbles beneath their feet, they are forced to choose between what they cling to and what they must let go of.

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Sea of Bones by Deborah O’Donoghue

As Chief of Staff for the Progressive Alliance, Juliet MacGillivray is used to wielding influence and getting answers. But when her beloved niece Beth is found dead at her family’s Scottish Highlands castle, Juliet is suddenly powerless in the face of her grief. Worse, her doubts over the coroner’s report of suicide fall on deaf ears.

Traveling back to the remote coastal home, Juliet delves deep into the investigation. As her personal and professional lives collide, she unwittingly finds herself pitted against dangerous individuals who seem intent on silencing her. In order to expose the truth behind her niece’s death,Juliet must face the fact that nobody in her life is who she previously thought them to be—including herself.

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Soldier Boy by Cassandra Parkin

Under the shadow of trauma, Liam has been discharged from the army. As night terrors torment him and he struggles to keep his anger intact, he finds himself in his car, his daughter Alannah asleep in the back, while his wife Emma has gone AWOL. With no idea where to go for shelter, his only goal is to hold onto his daughter at all costs. But Alannah is on a journey of her own.

As the consequences of Alannah’s choices unfold, nothing will ever be the same again.

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The Geography of Friendship by Sally Piper

When three women set off on a hike through the wilderness they are anticipating the adventure of a lifetime. Over the next five days, as they face up to the challenging terrain, it soon becomes clear they are not alone.

Lisa, Samantha and Nicole have known each other since school. Lisa is a fighter, Samantha a peacekeeper and Nicole a rule follower. United they bring out the best in one another. 

Only once it is too late for them to turn back do they appreciate the danger they are in. Their friendship is tested, and each of them must make a choice that will change their lives forever.

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I’m sure these won’t be the last Legend titles I purchase, especially having had a look at the forthcoming titles. Here’s a selection of titles that I’m tempted by.

The Hidden Hours by Sara Foster

Arabella Lane is found dead in the Thames on a frosty winter’s morning after the office Christmas party. No one is sure whether she jumped or was pushed. The one person who may know the truth is the office temp, Eleanor.

Having travelled to London to escape the repercussions of her traumatic childhood in Australia, tragedy seems to follow Eleanor wherever she goes. To her horror, she has no memory of the crucial hours leading up to Arabella’s death – memory that will either incriminate or absolve her.

Caught in a crossfire of accusations, Eleanor fears she can’t even trust herself, let alone the people around her. And soon, she’ll find herself in a race against time to find out just what happened that night – and discover just how deadly some secrets can be.

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The Colour of Thunder by Suzanne Harrison

One small island, six troubled lives, and the storm of the century is on its way.

In one of the world’s most vibrant international cities, present day Hong Kong, the lives of six people become irreversibly intertwined. The past is catching up with those running from it, while the futures of others hangs dangerously in the balance. But who knows the most? And what will they do to keep it that way?

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The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

A forgotten history. A secret network of women. A legacy of poison and revenge. Welcome to The Lost Apothecary…

Hidden in the depths of eighteenth-century London, a secret apothecary shop caters to an unusual kind of clientele. Women across the city whisper of a mysterious figure named Nella who sells well-disguised poisons to use against the oppressive men in their lives. But the apothecary’s fate is jeopardized when her newest patron, a precocious twelve-year-old, makes a fatal mistake, sparking a string of consequences that echo through the centuries.

Meanwhile in present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone, running from her own demons. When she stumbles upon a clue to the unsolved apothecary murders that haunted London two hundred years ago, her life collides with the apothecary’s in a stunning twist of fate—and not everyone will survive.

With crackling suspense, unforgettable characters and searing insight, The Lost Apothecary is a subversive and intoxicating debut novel of secrets, vengeance and the remarkable ways women can save each other despite the barrier of time.

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The End is Where We Begin by Maria Goodin

Jay Lewis is a troubled soul. A single father, just trying to keep everything together, he knows he sabotages any real chance of happiness.

Tormented by nightmares and flashbacks, he can’t forget the events from one fateful night that steered the course of the rest of his life. Struggling against the crushing weight of guilt, Jay knows there are wrongs he needs to put right.

Determined to get closure, he seeks out old friends and a past love. But in his quest for a more peaceful future, is he ready to face the trauma of his past?

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The Ash Museum by Rebecca Smith

1944. The Battle of Kohima. James Ash dies leaving behind two families: his ‘wife’ Josmi and two children, Jay and Molly, and his parents and sister in England who know nothing about his Indian family.

2012. Emmie is raising her own daughter, Jasmine, in a world she wants to be very different from the racist England of her childhood. Her father, Jay, doesn’t even have a photograph of the mother he lost and still refuses to discuss his life in India. Emmie finds comfort in the local museum – a treasure trove of another family’s stories and artefacts.

Little does Emmie know that with each generation, her own story holds secrets and fascinations that she could only dream of.

Through ten decades and across three continents, The Ash Museum is an intergenerational story of loss, migration and the search for somewhere to feel at home.

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The Exile and the Mapmaker by Emma Musty

Theo, an aging Parisian cartographer, is desperately searching for the woman he once loved before Alzheimer’s takes his memories of her.

Elise, his estranged daughter, moves in to take care of him. She still blames him for the tragic loss of her mother and is struggling with this new forced intimacy.

Nebay, an Eritrean refugee, becomes Theo’s carer and friend. Unbeknownst to Elise, Nebay does not have a visa for France and is working illegally in order to support his sister.

Each is living a life of secrets, questions and uncertainty in a world where Nebay’s very presence in France would be invisible on Theo’s maps.

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There are some fabulous titles there I’m sure you’ll agree. But this is just a selection from their output so hop over to their website and take a look at the rest of their titles.