. . think David Sedaris on folic acid.' READINGS MONTHLYShe's back.  And this time, she's not alone . . . Now living in Melbourne, Isabelle and Dr Jack are expecting their first child. And, naturally, Isabelle is the very model of a calm Earth Mother-to-be . . . Or she would be if she wasn't consumed with anxiety about finding her pelvic floor, giving birth to a human-eel hybrid or the horrifying prospect of having a child named Leroy Marvin. Even worse, as Isabelle's tummy grows, so does the distance between her and her adored Dr Jack who, it seems, has quite different priorities . . . But with support from a host of new mothers including her friend Fran and her sister Audrey, as well as her fellow gallerina Doug, just maybe Isabelle can make it through pregnancy and childbirth with her dignity, her relationship and some other more private bits intact. Then again, maybe not.'You'll love their journey to parenthood, told with the author's famous sense of humour and style.'WOMAN'S DAY 'Her insights into the emotions of a soon-to-be mother are spot on.'CANBERRA TIMES'You can expect lot of laughs with La'Brooy's latest.'FAMOUS

    The adventures of an extraordinary and unforgettable woman as she attempts to rescue her family’s struggling shoe business and find love at the same time, Very Valentine sweeps the reader from the streets of Manhattan to the picturesque hills of la bella Italia.

    Now, however, the house has been divided into separate residences for financial purposes. The Lord is forced to live in one of the humble apartments alongside his newly acquired housemates, among them a newly-divorced mother-of-three, a legendary screen goddess of the 1940s, and an American PhD student. Over an eventful year their children, a burglar, a friendly dog, a very capable cleaner, and at least one ghost will transform all of the residents' lives.

    But even with the assistance of skilled-yet-shabby new girl Natalie, things start to go mysteriously wrong, and it soon becomes clear that someones got it in for the salon. And with tactics dirtier than a gardeners fingernails, the battle of the beauticians commences. For under all the makeup and manicures, Carina is not who she seems, and although confronting the past can be more painful than a bikini wax, Emily eventually has to stare the truth in the face and realise its whats inside that really counts ...

    But if it had been, Alice would not now be standing at the airport, thinking her boyfriend was about to propose, when all he had in mind was a spreadsheet for shared expenses...Alice has a steady job at Carmichael Music, a reliable boyfriend, a nice flat and a cleaning habit she can't just kick. But everything changes one Monday morning. Her kindly boss isn't there, but sends a mysterious text advising her to watch her back. And a new boss has arrived from the American head office: the extremely scary Phoebe Carmichael...Alice is sure she is about to be fired in a "streamlining" exercise - instead she's offered a dream job in America. Her brief: to persuade the once massively successful, now reclusive, recovering alcoholic singer songwriter Wyatt Brown to record a new album. So Alice is off to New York - only New York turns out to be Ohio. And when Alice finally reaches Wyatt's ranch, she mistakes the music legend for a hired hand...When Wyatt makes it clear he has no intention of making a new album, all Alice wants to do is get the first flight out of Ohio. She certainly isn't going to stay; she isn't going to get involved in the Dairy Prize at the Ohio State Show; and she definitely won't be entering a competition for Best Cupcake Froster in Town...

    . . January Wild loves her daughter, her dog Spud and her childhood home by the sea. Single parenting is tough, but January has no regrets. She has a job she loves, a happy home, and the support of her beloved grandfather. The arrival of a new boss, however, threatens to shake up January's safe world. Ward Metcalfe loves great sales results and a well-run office. Everyone at her office agrees: Ward is a soulless, corporate slave driver. Even Spud, the company mascot, dislikes him. A secret stands between them. Yet over time January realises first impressions aren't always right. Slowly she unravels more and more about her new boss, things she couldn't possibly have imagined, nor expected...

    Even if Ed doesn't take her job seriously (as a solicitor, he doesn't have much time for women's magazines), it is Amber's dream job. So Ed's news that he has taken a job in the West Country turns Amber's world upside down. The new life in Cornwall does not get off to the best start. The huge house Ed was so into is, well, huge—what is Amber going to do with four acres?And when a handsome, if surly, man leads the local hunt over her land, it's more than Amber can stand. So how is it that, before long Amber is friends with the local eccentric Lady of the Manor, making love potions at her mother's recommendation, and answering the door naked to strangers?

    Add two distractingly attractive people to their lives. Stir in some soul-searing kisses and tender nights. Simmer at high heat. What you'll get is an irresistible recipe for romance! Summer DessertsWhen love-resistant dessert chef Summer Lyndon develops a taste for her delectable boss, Blake Cocharan, her legendary willpower is put to the ultimate test.Lessons LearnedPublicist Juliet Trent never mixes business with pleasure, but her newest client, charming ladies-man and chef Carlo Franconi, is determined to whet her appetite for love.

    Behind closed doors, three women are struggling to lead the lives they want.Vanessa seems like she simply must have it all - she's beautiful, rich and married to gorgeous actor, Conrad. But beneath the glitz, she is asking herself whether this really is the life she wants to lead - when she has so much, why does she feel so empty?Meanwhile, Fleur is trying desperately to save the farm that her family have lived on for hundreds of years, when playboy Beau makes her an offer she can't refuse.And Catherine has given up the high-flying career she thought she always wanted, and is trying to build a wonderful new life in the country. But finding rural bliss is harder than it looks.Hopes and dreams, loves and losses - and lots and lots of secrets - let Jo Carnegie take you behind the scenes of one very special town.

    Her job marketing marmalade is a yawn fest and the domestic front seems to streak by in a flash of fish sticks and school runs. To top it all off, Ally’s ex-husband David seems to have a never-ending roulette wheel of rotating girlfriends, while Ally has endured two meager (and disastrous) dates in as many years.Then there’s David’s newest arm-candy, Chantal, who is the first flavor-of-the-month to ever meet the kids–that must mean it’s serious. Ally’s friend Mel is sure she has the solution to the malaise: a Market Yourself dating seminar. It’s either the perfect way to find a new man or the first sign of the apocalypse–Ally isn’t sure which, but she decides to give it a whirl. What happens next is stranger, and more invigorating, than Ally could ever have imagined.

    But when an accident changed everything, Anna was thrown back in touch with her French teacher, Claire, who offered her the chance of a lifetime — to work in Paris with her former sweetheart, Thierry, a master chocolatier.With old wounds about to be uncovered and healed, Anna is set to discover more about real chocolate — and herself — than she ever dreamed.

    Now, six years later, Pen is the single mother of a five-year-old girl, living with her older brother in Philadelphia and trying to make peace with the sudden death of her father. Even though she feels deserted by Will and Cat, she has never stopped wanting them back in her life, so when she receives an email from a desperate-sounding Cat asking her to meet her at their upcoming college reunion, Pen goes. What happens there sends past and present colliding and sends Pen and her friends on a journey across the world, a journey that will change everything.

    The Widow's Cottage, the house where there were staying was called, and it was poignantly suitable. In that tiny Cornish community they discover strange memories of their forebears, and especially of Tilly, Cora's mother, whose family history seemed to mirror so much of their own.They become swept up in the dramatic story of Tilly and her family, a story which takes them on an epic journey across the West Country and to the solution of an amazing family mystery.

    Then she hits on a brilliant idea – a kids’ clothing shop with a twist – and is thrilled when it really takes off. When husband Lee offers to quit his job to look after the family while her business grows, it seems a godsend – but will their marriage stand the test of reversing their roles?Jo soon recruits Holly and Mel to help her in the shop. Designer Holly’s high-flying career has come crashing down and she’s moved back home – but is she ready to manage a major family crisis? Meanwhile, Mel worries her teenage daughter Serena is going off the rails. Is finding out more worth risking her daughter’s trust?At the crossroads of their lives, friendship could be the only the thing keeping these wonder women strong.

    When she accidentally comes across a clue that her father is Italian, it opens up a burning curiosity in Anna. Soon she’s cooking Italian food, signing up for an Italian class and even considering dusting off her passport to go and find her dad in person… Sophie is serving gelato to tourists in Italy when she gets the call that her father has had a serious heart attack. In a rush, she grabs her well-worn backpack and heads back to the one place she’s been avoiding for so long – home. Living with her mum again while her dad recuperates, and taking a job teaching Italian to make ends meet, Sophie has to face up to the secrets she’s kept buried in the past. Catherine has no idea what the future holds. Her children have left for university, her husband has left her for another woman and her bank account is left empty after dedicating her life to raising her family. She needs a job and an identity all of a sudden. At an Italian evening class she makes a start in finding new friends Anna and Sophie. And she’s going to need good friends when she discovers her husband’s lies run even deeper than his infidelity… As Anna embarks on the trip to Italy that could answer all of her questions, will the truth live up to her dreams?