Each episode takes around 25 minutes to read and follows the lives and dramas of the residents moving into the newly built properties of Jasmine Close.JASMINE CLOSEby Linda DunscombeJasmine Close is a soap opera to enjoy on your Kindle or eReader. Follow the lives and dramas of the residents of a brand new housing estate in episodes that take around twenty-five minutes to read. Perfect for your lunch break, short commute, or just to curl up with on the sofa or read in bed.Meet some of the charactersVictoria works in the show-home and she likes to know what’s going on. She’s nosy, bossy, and caring, with a husband who keeps going AWOL and a teenage daughter she’s struggling to connect with.Jenny is suffering from post-traumatic stress and the move to the new house in the new city will, according to her husband, Miles, make everything better.Barry is the building site Foreman who is working to a schedule that keeps being interrupted by the half-naked ladies in apartment two who keep diverting his men away from their work.Steve severed his spine in a car accident and, fresh from the Spinal Injuries rehab unit, he’s trying to find his place in a world that is now much scarier in a wheelchair than it was when he could walk.Sonia has a perfect family and a secret life while Belle just wants to keep her children safe and Natasha and Ed are adjusting to life with a new baby who cries all the time.The American, Brett Anderson, is on a brief visit to see his sister, but he might have found a reason to make him stick around for a while longer.

    But when her first guest, Daniel Fitzwilliam, arrives it’s soon clear that the tranquil seaside village has a few surprises in store!Kiki is hoping for a fresh start after her marriage falls to pieces – and her sister’s guesthouse by the sea is the perfect escape. Yet when Aaron Spenser offers to share his cottage until she’s back on her feet, she realises she may have found more than just a new home…Nee knows that returning to Butterfly Cove means facing Luke Spenser, the man she impulsively married, then left in the middle of the night. Running away was the biggest mistake of her life – but could coming home for Christmas be the best decision she’s ever made?

    

    True, it was written four months ago, but could his heart have changed so drastically in so little time? Desperate to know, she packs a bag and plans to bridge the five states between them. But a series of cosmic misadventures leaves her no other choice for her cross country journey than a gypsy cab driver who’s willing to take her the distance for a hefty fee. Sardonic, arrogant Brian Stoker is the last person likely to sympathize with a quest for last chance love. But he may be her only hope as a chain of obstacles and adventures threaten to become a detour from her destiny. Will Evelyn be late to the wedding–or will she have a romantic rendezvous in time for a happy ending?Excerpt from Late to the Wedding:Evelyn closed her eyes as despair washed over her. Turning away from the taxi lane, she walked forlornly towards the automatic doors. Her glance fell on a vehicle parked nearby, a 1970s notchback Sedan she had noticed circling the lot as she spoke to the constantly moving line of cabs. Most likely a hack, or gypsy cab driver as some referred to them. Guys willing to take legal risks for a little extra cash on a busy weekend. The driver lowered his newspaper to glance up at her passing figure, revealing a faded button down shirt with an open collar. Dark, tousled hair and a jaw that sported days old stubble; coal black eyes that flicked in her direction with a hint of challenge. As if daring her to approach, knowing all the while she was too timid and guarded to risk it. Perhaps that’s what made her shoulder her carry-on more firmly and march directly to his driver’s side window.“Excuse me…” she faltered a little, her gaze taking in the car’s shabby interior, with its dusty dashboard and peeling leather upholstery. “By any chance…that is, are you…” “Operating an illegal cab service?” supplied the sardonic voice, the dark eyes studying her beneath raised brows. “Sure.” He tossed the paper into the passenger seat and offered a smile that struck her as arrogant for someone who clearly did most of their grooming with the aid of a rear view mirror. “I–I need a ride,” she stammered, realizing a second later how obvious that must be. “That is, can you take me to Binghamton?” she asked, selecting a city that was relatively near the Pennsylvania state line and roughly two hours into her journey. If he took her there and not a mile further, it would be at least be a start.He seemed to hesitate, no doubt weighing the loss of convention traffic. His gaze taking in her trim figure, expensive attire, and scant luggage with a scrutiny that made her blush. “I usually settle my fee before driving in circumstances like this,” he said, after a moment. “But I guess I can make an exception for you. Although this seems a little far for a cab ride if you ask me.”Evelyn shrugged, pretending to miss the insult behind the provision. “Well, I’m sort of playing this trip by ear, so I can’t really guarantee…” She let her voice trail off, turning her head nonchalantly in the direction of the moving cab line. Tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, she prayed that this maneuver would call his bluff. Show him she wasn’t the usual sucker tourist in need of a cheap ride.“We’ll work something out,” he said, taking the bait.

    It's Millie's worst nightmare. Not only has she slept with the groom, but her ex boyfriend (the one that got away) is the best man and he's married. As her friend, Kristen, gets ready for the best day of her life, Millie gears up for the worst week of hers.Previously published under 'Anna Bell'

    

    An escape after seeing so much death working in field hospitals during the Civil War. She wasn't expecting a stubborn man. A man who lost his leg during the war. Along with a town in need of a doctor and children a mother. Can she fight her way through Doug's hard heart and earn her place in both?Doug Baker doesn't need the complication of a woman in his life. His children feel different. No one wants half of a man. Except Elizabeth won't take no for an answer, and neither will his children. Can he thaw his heart to fall in love and help her to win over the town?

    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.

    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!”?

    Fayth is about to finally get a taste of the independence she never knew she wanted.She'll live in New York with her celebrity boyfriend, study photography, and start to build a life away from what's left of her close-knit family.But is she ready for everything that involves?And when the ghosts of her past begin to haunt her, can she fight them, or will they finally win?

    These two stories are perhaps even better known as films (The Birds by Alfred Hitchcock and Don't Look Now by Nic Roeg), but here we bring you the full terrifying texts, superbly read by Peter Capaldi, who brings the true dimension of these works to the imagination.

    Love shouldn’t be an uphill struggle. Verity Lawton’s fortieth birthday surprise from her husband, Tony isn’t quite what she’s expecting and she needs to get away. Is joining daughter Lucy as a chalet girl in France a step too far? Verity’s cooking is more ‘bleurgh’ than cordon bleu but how difficult can it be to make crème brûlée? Chalet Marianne looks like a dream and so does the owner, Josh Calder. But being a chalet girl involves more than sitting by a fire watching snowflakes fall or dancing the night away. Josh has several rules – and they don’t include Verity snapping at him every time he opens his mouth, taking in a stray dog that seems to have forgotten its job description, or setting the kitchen on fire. Verity’s on a slippery slope – and it’s about to get much worse. When her own mother arrives, along with a repentant Tony, it’s time to make a choice. But is it really hers to make? And will things work out for the best, or is it all downhill from here? Also by EMILY HARVALE Highland Fling Lizzie Marshall's Wedding The Golf Widows' Club Sailing Solo Carole Singer's Christmas Christmas Wishes

    A big dress. A big day. A big commitment. She even has a scrap book filled to bursting with ideas for her dream day, her dream home and – of course – her dream man.Only problem is, the current man on her arm isn’t so much of a dream as a nightmare and as for the man currently in her bed… that’s a whole other disaster in the making.With her relationship, and her life, heading into a tailspin Annie realises she has to re-examine just what can make her happy, while trying (and failing) not to make things worse.But it’s never going to be easy – especially when she sees her friend Fionn heading straight towards her own big day with her Mr Right. But then Annie misjudges the difficulties Fionn faces with Mr Right’s very own Little Miss, not to mention the ex waiting in the wings.Turning to her sister, Darcy, for support Annie has her eyes opened to just what can make you happy – or indeed make you sad. And she ponders that age old question – is there ever such a thing as the perfect relationship?

    ‘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.

    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 ...