Book picks similar to
Smart Casual by Niamh Shaw


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The Movie Girl


Kate Lace - 2007
    That's why she's delighted to find herself working as assistant wardrobe mistress on a huge, lavishly produced film. And the movie's sexy star, A-lister Jono Knighton, has taken a real shine to her, so life just gets better and better. There's just the small matter of Jono's wife, the petrifying Rowan, to consider...

Right Before Your Eyes


Ellen Shanman - 2007
    So why, nearly a decade later, is she still waiting for her “real” life to finally begin? But like any great drama, Liza’s life only needs one good twist. And that’s what happens when she turns her ankle on the way out of a downtown nightspot and falls into the arms of a suspiciously gallant Wall Street prince and a practically perfect ER doc. Suddenly Liza not only has a couple of men in her life, but her play has fallen into the hands of a über-hip theater director. Now Liza’s about to discover how much mess she can make of a seemingly good thing…and how terrifying, slightly tragic, and utterly hilarious a little success can be.

Animal Instincts


Nell Dixon - 2009
    So when she turns up drunk at Rainbow's End, Clodagh's animal sanctuary, announcing she's in trouble and staying for a long visit, Clodagh's not exactly delighted. She has enough problems right now. The business is broke, and there's been a worrying wave of vandalism. Is someone really trying to ruin her? A big property magnate, bad-lad Jack Thatcher, has been showing a rather strong interest in Clodagh lately. But is it her or her assets he's after?

The Balance Thing


Margaret Dumas - 2006
    How could this have happened to the brilliant, brash-talking, rising star of marketing? Her three best friends tell her she's "date lazy," settling for the men who require the least effort. Maybe Becks isn't trying hard enough, but the "one" she's looking for isn't the perfect man—it's the perfect job.Of course, you can't always get what you want—a fact that's about to become crystal clear to Becks Mansfield. But sometimes you get what you need.

Confessions of an Air Hostess


Marisa Mackle - 2007
    Dumped by her boyfriend via text this morning while en route to the airport, she can think of better things to do than stand on a plane demonstrating emergency procedure and pointing out low-level lighting to hundreds of uninterested passengers. But what's a cabin-crew gal to do when her love life hits turbulence? Annie bravely resolves to keep smiling through her fake tan - while there's still a plane to catch, there's still pastures new to discover. And one of these days she's sure to really meet Mr Right. Isn't she?A great love story and a fantastic, loveable heroine combine to make this a romantic novel that's simply not to be missed.

Spirit Willing, Flesh Weak


Julie Cohen - 2006
    A really, really good liar. But when you’re a stage psychic who’s not actually psychic, you have to be. Then one night, while pretending to commune with the dead relatives and pets of her audience, Rosie makes a startling prediction – which tragically comes true. Suddenly she’s trapped in a media frenzy, spearheaded by the impossibly handsome journalist Harry Blake, a man intent on kick-starting his stalled career by exposing Rosie as a fraud. Yet when his interest in her goes from professional to personal, she thinks she can trust him not to blow her cover – but maybe she’s making a huge mistake.

A Romantic Getaway


Sarah Monk - 2008
    And when Marilyn's husband runs off, leaving her broke with a distraught five year old, she needs all the help she can get. But then the sisters discover that little Alex has inherited a hotel in Cornwall from his father's dotty great-aunt. With its stunning sea views and Victorian Gothic castle appeal, it's a property the developers are ready to pay big money for. However, the will has one condition. They can sell the hotel if they wish, but only after running it for a season first. With only their tiny flat and not so salubrious view of Hackney central to lose, the girls decide to pack up and head down south. After all, how hard can it be to run a small hotel? And who knows who else they might meet down there.

Pick Me Up


Zoe Rice - 2006
     Yesterday Izzy was a happily single, full-fledged New York gallerista, selling hundred-thousand dollar paintings, and in line for a whopping promotion. Today? The ancient owner of the gallery dropped dead, leaving Izzy's entire professional future in the hands of the new owner, Avery Devon. And if all goes right, her personal future as well. Because if there's one thing Izzy is well-acquainted with, it's the fine art of love.

The Art of French Kissing


Kristin Harmel - 2007
    The point is -- she's in Paris! Which would be great, except that she's stuck doing public relations for one of the hottest -- and craziest -- rock stars on the planet. Making things worse is Gabriel Francoeur, the sexy and stubborn reporter who refuses to believe her when she tells him that her client was just playing Go Fish in that hotel room with all those scantily-clad girls.... But Emma will always have Paris. The City of Light, of romance, of high fashion and of unfathomable varieties of cheese. If a girl can't reinvent herself here, there's no hope! It's time to leave the old Emma Sullivan behind and become someone courageous, exciting, successful. The type of girl who, when faced with a reporter who won't stop asking questions, knows just what to do. After all, they don't call it French kissing for nothing!

She Woke Up Married


Suzanne Macpherson - 2005
    Elvis! The good news is it's the young, sexy Elvis. The bad news is there's a diamond ring on her finger. Sometime during the evening she actually married The King of Rock 'n' Roll! Well, what happened in Vegas better stay in Vegas, right?But not if Turner Pruitt has anything to say about it. Because years before he put on his first pair of blue suede shoes, Turner knew the real Paris ... She's running away, as usual, but he knows her deepest secrets, and as much as she struggles against love, Paris is going to need him by her side as she faces her demons head-on.Because this time, Paris James has met her match.

It Should Have Been Me


Phillipa Ashley - 2009
    Desperate to get away, Carrie jumps at her best friend Rowena's suggestion of a road trip in her VW camper van. But when Rowena has to pull out and Matt Landor, an old friend of Huw's, ends up filling the breach, she's not so sure. Will fate take the pair on an altogether different journey?

The Love Book


Fiona O'Brien - 2011
     'Not something you'll ever want to put down' Sunday Independent 'One of the smartest writers of popular fiction around' Irish Independent On an autumn day in 1981, three schoolgirls write their petitions for love at St Valentine's shrine in Whitefriar St Church, Dublin. Thirty years later, freelance journalist Vonnie unexpectedly returns home from her life in California and reunites with her two friends: Abby, now married to a plastic surgeon and Diana, a high-powered businesswoman.As the three friends examine their lives, they learn that finding love was the easy part ... it's what comes afterwards that proves complicated. If they were to do it all again, would they wish for the same things?

Singletini


Amanda Trimble - 2006
    Meet Victoria Hart. She’s sassy, sparkling, and taking the Chicago dating scene by storm as a professional “wingwoman”—a modern-day matchmaker hired to help clueless guys find Miss Right. With nights on the town, drinks on the house, and clothes on the credit card, Vic is loving her glam singletini lifestyle. There’s just one little problem . . . okay, maybe two. She needs to keep her new career a secret, and the first of her friends just got engaged—ENGAGED!Vic isn’t sure she’s ready to be that grown up yet—she likes her life the way it is. Not that being a wingwoman is all wine and roses. With clients ranging from cowboys and would-be porn stars to her best friend’s boss, Vic quickly discovers this late-night Cupid gig is trickier than she anticipated. To make matters worse, she somehow agrees to help plan her friend’s swanky wedding, complicated by a never-ending to-do list and a very shady groom. With too many wingwoman gigs, bridezilla demands, and more and more friends eyeing the altar, Vic is starting to feel a little lost, a lot confused, and completely bombarded by love connections. Does she really want to stay solo . . . or use those wingwoman skills for herself?

The Lost Guide To Life And Love


Sharon Griffiths - 2009
    Food writer Tilly Flint - on a rare date with boyfriend Jake - is sole witness to her flight. Little does she know the chain of events set to unfold…The following week, Tilly and Jake have the last of many arguments, leaving Tilly alone in the wild Pennines landscape where she's on assignment. Terrified yet strangely exhilarated, she investigates the area - and finds more than a few surprises.Intrigued to learn that, as an only child, she has family in the area, Tilly starts to dig deeper, discovering her great grandmother's past and the eerie parallels with her own life. As she explores the treacherous moors, she stumbles across mysterious pieces of cherry-red ribbon. What do they signify? And who is the strangely familiar face in the local pub?Then a chance encounter with celebrity Clayton Silver leads Tilly into a high-octane world that spells danger. Can the ribbons from the past be a lifeline in the present?

Love is On the Air


Jane Moore - 2011
    It's a comfortable, cosy life and Dean is everything she could possibly want - dependable, manly and generous. Or he once was. He seems more interested in football than her these days and, if she dared to admit it, their relationship has become a little predictable. But isn't that what happens when you've been with someone for that long? Deciding all she needs is a holiday with the girls she sets off for Tenerife with her two best friends. Almost immediately she meets single-father Tom and rather disturbingly feels that lost spark ignite. But blaming the sun, sea and sangria, she returns home ready to recapture what she and Dean once had.Until one morning, over the radio, Cam hears 'Tom has written in to the show. He came back from holiday in Tenerife a couple of weeks ago and wants to trace a lovely woman he met there. The woman's name is Cam...' With the man she's decided to commit herself to sitting right there beside her, Cam knows she can't brush this one under the carpet. And she is forced to finally ask herself the crucial question: should she settle for Mr Good Enough or risk it all for Mr Maybe He's The One?