They commiserate with each other. They celebrate together, clinking glasses and toasting themselves: “Forever friends!” As Maddy battles to gain recognition in the male-dominated property business, she takes her own first tentative but exciting step on the property ladder. She thrives on the cut and thrust of the property boom – she loves her house, her family and her friends. Life is good. All that is missing is a man to share it all with. Enter the gorgeous Greg Delaney! Dream on, Rosie and Sophie! Talk in the Pink Parrot turns from boyfriends to wedding plans. But as the years roll by, will they still – at their joint fiftieth birthday celebration – be able to raise their glasses and toast to “Forever friends! May nothing ever come between us!”?

    With only one failed relationship to his name, Dougie is now middle-aged, single, and close to giving up his quest to find love.Then, after the strangest of incidents at work, the unthinkable happens – Dougie is propositioned by a succession of attractive women. Miraculously, a man who hasn’t shared so much as a kiss in twenty-odd years is suddenly catnip to members of the opposite sex. After a lifetime of ridicule and rejection, pain and heartbreak, Dougie can scarcely believe his sudden change of fortune.Armed with his newfound superpower, Dougie’s only remaining challenge is to decide which of his many admirers is Miss Right. Then, he can settle down, get married and live happily ever after.As the most sought-after bachelor in town, what could possibly go wrong with Dougie’s plan?Quite a lot, as it transpires.

    Gemma Redden, aka Agnetha, has just broken her ankle and finding a new singer to fill her white platform boots at such late notice isnt going to be easy. Desperate times call for desperate measures and the youngest Redden sister, Mia, reluctantly agrees to don the blonde wig and sky-blue hot pants. For Mia, a shy piano teacher who has felt third best all her life, this is her big chance to prove herself to her two big sisters, Wendy and Gemma. Meanwhile, Mias oldest friend, Alva Ryan, is having a life crisis of her own. Her previously devoted boyfriend, Sean, has just walked out, and this time hes not coming back. Things come to a head when Wendy has a terrible accident. Because Wendy has been keeping a secret; a secret that could blow the band apart and devastate the close-knit Redden sisters. But secrets have a way of coming out when you least expect them to. And sometimes even the best of sisters gets it horribly wrong.

    Before she can come to terms with being unemployed (yet again), she finds herself up the duff, father unknown. Is it her charming, arrogant and married ex-boss? Or is it the man-child she met one drunken night at the Irish pub. If only she could remember his name… Sally is married to Vincent, a self-absorbed televangelist, obsessed with his TV show and beauty treatments. She spends her days working, ferrying her three children around and listening to her husband preach. How could her hopes and dreams have been so unimportant she waved them goodbye without a second thought? Kat has the perfect life all mapped out: the perfect job, the perfect husband, the perfectly renovated home and the soon-to-come perfect children. But when her suspicions that her husband is having an affair are proved to be correct, she suddenly finds herself single with a handbag full of broken dreams. Can they find their way back to the dreams of their youth – or is it time to accept life’s lemons and start making lemonade?

    ‘The perfect book to take on holiday!’ Pretty Little Book Reviews on Summer at 23 The Strand Escape to the seaside this summer! When Cara Howard’s husband passes away, she and her teenage daughter, Mae, are left with nothing except their beloved family home at Cove End.Overlooking the sparkling sea, Cara decides to renovate the house in time for the summer season, turning it into a gorgeous bed and breakfast for visiting tourists.But with the arrival of the B&B’s first guests and secrets tumbling out of the closets, it’s clear that everything could be about to change for Cara and Mae… Could this summer heal their hearts for good? A wonderfully uplifting holiday read, perfect for fans of Lilly Bartlett, Tilly Tennant and Eve Devon.

    She left Queensbay, determined to leave her past behind. Now, after a mysterious inheritance she's back in town. And she's determined to make a new home for herself. Jake Owen's never forgotten his time with Colleen. It might have been ten years ago, but no one - no woman - has ever quite measured up. But he was - and is - a small town guy. And he wasn't good enough for her then. But can he show her that small town doesn't mean small time? Will he convince her that a small town guy holds the key to her heart - and her happiness? Find out if Jake Owen can win over Colleen McShane in book 6 of Drea Stein's Queensbay series.

    She suddenly decides it can. So she's making a list, and checking it twice - but it's not about who's been naughty or nice - it's to help her plan the perfect Christmas. Not for herself, but for her widowed mum, Samantha. And Halleday believes that what will really make Sam's Christmas perfect ... is a man to share it with.Arranging a surprise party for Sam's forty-ninth birthday five days before Christmas, and finding a selection of single men to attend is easy. Persuading Sam to take time out from the family farm for a complete makeover will be more difficult. And that's not the only problem - Sam hasn't worn a dress for years and no one can remember the last time she went on a date.But Halleday is determined. She'll get her mum a new man no matter what it takes and, with the help of her gran, Ruby, and best friend, Jasmine, she's sure she'll pull it off. This Christmas will be perfect because Halleday's made the perfect plan. Sam will receive the gift of love this Christmas whether she wants it or not. But ... will she be the only one?

    While Matt is planning his lavish wedding to his model fiancée, James has vowed to have nothing to do with women ever again. So, when Great Aunt Milly dies and leaves her one-million pound share portfolio to whichever of the boys first marries and has a child, it's assumed the fortune will go to Matt. But add to the mix a sex-mad German, a gorgeous photographer, a matchmaking mother, and one very pampered pooch, and things don't run quite as smoothly as Matt would like ...

    

     Returning to the village where she grew up, Scarlett starts to put down new roots, working as a teacher at the primary school and throwing herself into rural life. When she’s not sorting out playground wars between competitive parents, making carrot costumes for Harvest Festival, or trying to avoid her mother’s well-intentioned but disastrous attempts at match-making, life is pretty good. All that changes after a series of anonymous phone calls and messages start to arrive, and Scarlett finds her comfortable new life under threat. When her husband, Luke, makes a sudden reappearance in Little Knollside, she hopes she can finally put the past, and the sinister threats she’s been getting, behind her. But when a terrible accident leaves Ava’s life hanging in the balance, and it seems that new boyfriend, Cam, is the only person Scarlett can trust, her past comes back to haunt her in a way she could never have imagined. Formerly published as ‘You, Me And The Class of 2003’ in February 2019.

    The attacker, unimaginably, is her trusted parish priest. Terrified, Kathleen never tells her pious Catholic mother, and when she discovers she is pregnant, she pays a terrible price for her silence. Her mother believes Kathleen to be a fallen child and sends her to have her ill-begotten baby in Ireland. Kathleen toils in a notorious Magdalene Laundry, where heartless nuns dole out merciless penance on shamed girls. Kathleen never recovers from her trauma, and years later she’s become the overprotective, paranoid mother of a second child. Meanwhile, Faye, a widowed mother of three worries about her teenage son, Tim. He’s increasingly withdrawn, but when several parcels are mysteriously delivered the shocking truth about what is going on in his life is slowly revealed. She turns to an old flame believing he is at the root of Tim’s problems and as the couple rekindles their love, Tim’s troubles deepen. Faye pours out her sorrows in letters to a friend, and slowly, shocking family secrets and interwoven relationships reveal themselves. As it turns out, Kathleen isn’t the only fallen one in this story of love, forgiveness, and powerful family ties. Every Family Has One is the anticipated sequel to The Catholic Woman’s Dying Wish. It can be read as a stand-alone sequel.

    Ellie and her twin daughters, Marie and Jessica, each have decisions to make as they forge new futures and let go of their past. They all know that the choices they make will impact on the whole family. Set in a beautiful Cotswold town these stories follow three contemporary women as they find their own way in life, maintain family bonds, and come to terms with change, endings and new beginnings. The Vintage Tea Room books contained in this collection: The Vintage Tea Room: end of an era and new beginnings When Ellie decides to sell the tea room she didn’t bank on her twin daughters showing up with ideas of their own. Ellie has been running the tea room for more than twenty years. Her daughters have both left home - Jessica is married and expecting her first child and Marie has built a successful career. She is ready for change and to leave the past behind however, her daughters are not. They still want the security of having their family home as a base to return to and yet seem reluctant to help with the day to day tasks of running the business. To complicate matters further Ellie meets Michael. She was not looking to meet a man but life occasionally throws in a few surprises. Maybe now is the right time to change more than just her work. Set in the beautiful Cotswold town of Cirencester the first book in the Vintage Tea Room series is a story of a mother ready to move on and forge a new future for herself and of her daughters who are not yet ready to let go of their past. If you enjoy reading about contemporary women finding their own way in life you will love this story of a family coming to terms with both endings and beginnings. The Vintage Tea Room 2: room for a small one Jessica is determined to put her stamp on the tea room by baking and offering a range of Artisan breads. She plans to launch the new menu before the arrival of her first baby – in less than one month. Jessica and Edward have recently taken over the tea room. Jessica soon realises that the customers love everything her mum has created – they do not want change - however, she wants to add something of her own. She decides that, despite having limited experience of baking, she is going to make bread. When her initial attempts do not turn out well it looks like she may have to rethink her plans. Even though Jessica has not yet prepared for the arrival of the baby she is convinced she still has plenty of time to get her new venture off the ground. Babies, however, have a habit of foiling even the best laid plans. The second book in the Vintage Tea Room series is a story of a young woman’s determination, with the help and support of her family, to make a success of her new business. The Vintage Tea Room 3: changing times and new opportunities Marie has a decision to make – take the job in Copenhagen and move away from her family or give up on her dream of being at the top of the advertising industry. When Marie arrives back in Cirencester for her mother’s wedding she can’t wait to share the news of her new job with her twin sister, Jessica. To Marie’s surprise Jessica is less than enthusiastic and gives her reason to wonder if now is the right time for such a move. Marie does not want to burden her mum with news of her job or the reason she is having second thoughts. She confides in Adam, the temporary chef at the tea room. Despite being unsympathetic he may have the solution to her problem.

    Embarking on a trip to the sunny beaches of Florida to care for her aging and eccentric aunt, Lydia wrestles with her own demons as she tries to build better relationships with her gossiping aunt and her troubled daughter.But when she stumbles upon the handsome and alluring Richard, she’s forced to question everything she knows about love. Richard is perfect in every way… but the thought of abandoning her husband, no matter how chaotic their marriage has become, gives her doubts.Can Lydia make the impossible choice between her shattered past and her hopes for a stable future? And can she find her dream romance on the sunny beaches of Miami?This heartwarming and wholesome romance collection will take you away on a beautiful trip to a beach where true love is possible and anyone can build a new life. With a host of eclectic characters and a gorgeous setting, the Miami Beach Series is one you won’t soon forget. Scroll up and grab your copy today!This is Book 5 of 5 in the series.

    A runaway at the age of twelve, Cleo Williams is now an adult with her own family. As she faces down the demons of her past, will she lose her family and her sanity?