10 best e-books to download during lockdown

Best-known for her Me Before You trilogy, Jojo Moyes is on stellar form in this story of an unworldly Englishwoman who marries a wealthy American on a whim and moves to the US in search of adventure. Alice Wright’s new husband turns out to be a terrible disappointment – weak and dominated by his overbearing father. But Alice’s life changes when she joins a band of women who deliver books on horseback to remote, mountainous outposts. It’s gruelling work and as the packhorse librarians trek through the wilds, read to the sick, and share books with forgotten communities, they face hostility, danger and heartbreak. Set in the 1930s, this big-hearted tale will stay in your head long after you have finished reading it.

Known as the “Kindle queen”, LJ Ross is the first self-published author to be nominated for a British Book Award. Imposter, her 2019 thriller, will vie with books by Lee Child, Val McDemid and Lucy Foley in the crime and thriller category and the winner will be announced in June. Holy Island was her debut e-book – the first of 16 novels featuring DCI Ryan, a hard-nosed detective who seeks sanctuary on Holy Island, off the coast of Northumberland, after being ordered to take a sabbatical. But when a young student is found dead in the priory ruins, Ryan finds himself investigating a series of chilling murders. Former lawyer LJ Ross has sold more than 4.5 million books worldwide and this is an enthralling, pacey read. If you want more, the 16th DCI Ryan story will be out later this month (April).

If romantic fiction is your cup of tea, you’ll love this touching story of a pair of 20-somethings who meet at a language school in Rome. Letty and Alf have two things in common – they’re the only English speakers in the class and they are both passionate about dance. Alf is a former ballroom dancing champion while Letty had dreams of becoming a ballet dancer only to have her ambitions ruined by injury. Drawn to each other from the start, they are both hiding painful secrets that could destroy their happiness. Kate Eberlen’s previous book, Miss You, was a bestseller and Only You is just as good, with wonderful descriptions of Rome’s iconic landmarks.

Taffy Brodesser-Akner is an award-winning journalist who writes for the New York Times Magazine. Her first novel follows the toxic relationship of Toby Fleishman and his ex-wife Rachel. Finally free from his 15-year marriage, Toby is looking forward to a life of online dating and weekend-only parental duties. But his life is turned upside down when Rachel drops their two children off at his place and doesn’t return. Published in 2019 to widespread acclaim, Brodesser-Akner’s debut has been shortlisted for the British Book Award’s fiction debut of the year and longlisted for the 2020 Women’s Prize.