Book picks similar to
Relative Strangers: A British Family Story by Allie Cresswell
fiction
british-isles
contemporary
general-fiction
Sorry I Wasn't What You Needed
James Bailey - 2015
Neubauer fled his family, trading coasts to provide himself three time zones of buffer space. Random email and social media posts yield all the contact he needs. Until a late-night phone call from his wistful father. Unaccustomed to hearing his dad say "I love you," C.J. freezes, vowing instead to reciprocate the next time they speak. But when the phone wakes him the following morning, it's his older brother informing him their father has committed suicide.Sporting a nagging conscience and a chip on his shoulder, C.J. books a flight home on his girlfriend's credit card. All he wants is to bury his father and try to make sense of what led him to take his own life. All he has to go on is a note that reads, "Sorry I wasn't what you needed." Was it intended for C.J. and his siblings? The mother who walked out on them twenty-five years ago? Or someone else altogether?Alternately heartfelt and laugh-out-loud funny, Sorry I Wasn't What You Needed explores the familial bonds that obligate us for life--and beyond.
George Pearly Is A Miserable Old Sod
Steven Primrose-Smith - 2015
Amazon UK reviews for Steven's first book, No Place Like Home, Thank God: "A superb book I devoured in two days." "This book made me laugh out loud." "Great read. Laugh out loud funny." "I really enjoyed this book!" "Steven's style of writing made me laugh out loud." "I couldn't put it down." "One of the best books I've read in a long time." "Found his one liners very funny." "A highly entertaining read." "So well written with brilliant humour." Seventy year-old British ex-pat miserymonger George Pearly lives on the Costa del Sol, all alone except for his ancient, three-legged dog, Ambrose. George hates his life and everybody in it. These feelings are mutual. Everyone hates George too. From this unhappy equilibrium the situation quickly deteriorates. First, George discovers he is dying of a mystery illness. Then his 35 year-old ape-child nephew, Kevin, moves into George's tiny and once tranquil home with a passion for Vimto, Coco Pops and slobbing around in his greying underpants. Worst of all, George's neighbours start to disappear and all accusing fingers point towards George. Pull up a sun lounger, grab yourself a piña colada and enjoy a murder-mystery romp on Spain's sunny southern coast.
Dreams of a Little Cornish Cottage
Nancy Barone - 2021
But having kicked out her adulterous ex-husband, her house is filled with nothing but echoes and Nat yearns for the coziness and bustle of seaside living. In particular, the rundown Lavender Cottage that has gone up for sale.But when her mother has a fall, Nat's dream of a quiet new life crumbles as she instantly brings her into her home to care for her. With her two energetic nieces then dumped on her doorstep and her recently heartbroken daughter moving back into the nest, Nat can't possibly abandon her family... Lavender cottage will just have to wait.That is until Irishman Connor enters Nat's life and makes her realize that it's okay to put herself first, and she's allowed to wish for more.
The Heartbreak Cowboy: Book 1 in the Coldiron Cowboys Series
Mina BeckettMina Beckett - 2018
It’s been four long years since McCrea Coldiron watched Eleanor Mackenna walk out of his life. He wasn’t ready for the marriage noose then and never thought he would be. Single, free to do as he pleases, and running the Promise Point Horse Rescue Ranch are the things that make him sure he was right to let Eleanor go… This is until she comes back to town with a daughter he never knew about in tow. Eleanor knows just how badly McCrea can burn a woman and how persuasive he can be when he wants something, so she’s more than cautious about his charming words and cocky grin when she comes home to arrange the sale of her grandparents’ ranch. But when a flat tire in a thunderstorm introduces four-year-old Sophie to her daddy, Eleanor knows McCrea’s love for his daughter is genuine. Can she trust it will be the same for her? As the icy walls around her heart begin to melt, Eleanor must find the courage to trust her heart or run away from the man who has always owned it. Being shown what he lost is a wake-up call for McCrea and he isn’t about to let Eleanor or Sophie walk away. It’s time to prove he’s a man who believes in love and happy-ever-after.
Paper Hearts
Debrah Williamson - 2007
So when he comes across teenage runaway Chancy Deel sleeping in his garage, he sees an opportunity for both of them. Giving Chancy a home just might keep him from losing his. But in securing a place to live, these lonely hearts discover a place to belong.
A Murderous Valentine (Admiral Shackleford Mystery #1)
Beverley Watts - 2021
Having been instrumental in improving the lives of so many (his words - others might be inclined to call it something slightly different...), he was struggling to reignite the spark in his own love life with the feisty Mabel. Short on ideas, he decides to gatecrash his much put upon former Master At Arms and best friend Jimmy Noon's Valentine idea and ends up in the middle of a murder mystery weekend... where real murder is on someone else's script. Stranded in the middle of nowhere with a hotel full of potential murderers, the unstoppable duo embark on a series of blundering escapades in an attempt to uncover the Murderous Valentine... The Admiral and Jimmy may be more Laurel and Hardy than Holmes and Watson, but can they catch a murderer...? This humorous cozy mystery short read is the first in The Admiral Shackleford Mysteries.
The Year of Saying Yes Part 1: It Started with a Dare
Hannah Doyle - 2016
THE YEAR OF SAYING YES by Hannah Doyle will make you dirty-laugh, feel warm and fuzzy, and rediscover life's magic - all thanks to one little word: yes. Fans of Lindsey Kelk, Mhairi McFarlane and Lucy-Anne Holmes, you're in for a real treat.
The first of four exclusive part-serialisations of THE YEAR OF SAYING YES by Hannah Doyle.Dear ReadersIt's drizzling outside, which totally matches my #currentmood. Pigs in blankets, all the mince pies and a festive Baileys or five are distant memories. You know the drill - it's January. Everyone's banning booze (terrible idea) or cutting carbs (impossible). To add to the misery pile, my plans to seduce the man of my dreams at the stroke of midnight flopped spectacularly. I'm Izzy. I don't just need a New Year resolution, I need a whole new life. And I need YOU. My dreary life is about to get a total makeover - it's my 'Year of Saying Yes'. And this is where you come in. It's up to you to #DareIzzy. I'm saying yes to your challenges, no matter how nuts, adventurous or wild they are. The sky's the limit - I'm at your mercy, readers! Wish me luck. I have a feeling I'm going to need it. LoveIzzy x Don't miss Part 2 of Izzy's adventure, where Izzy is challenged to ask a total stranger for his number, pose naked for a life drawing class and, wait for it... perform at Glastonbury!
Welcome to the Garden Club: A Novel
Jenny B. Tilbury - 2015
As longtime member Stephanie Lewis steps into a luxurious condo to begin a new season of the garden club, she has no idea of the drama and life changes that await her.Stephanie, a community volunteer and socialite, is convinced that proper civilization ends at the New Orleans city limits. Her friends and fellow members consist of Gloria Vincent, a wealthy widow who manages two international businesses, and Dolores Delacroix, a successful business owner and master gardener who drinks like a sailor. As the roots of improbable friendships grow deeper, the women discover there is more to every life than what appears on the surface. When a chain of events transforms Stephanies life and the existence of the garden club forever, each of the women learns that she must first examine the past and face the present before she can ever embrace future possibilities.In this heartwarming story, the ladies of a French Quarter garden club depend upon reliance, grace, and the bonds of their sisterhood to courageously deal with lifes unexpected twists and turns. For more information visit: www.welcometothegardenclub.com.
Cleo McDougal Regrets Nothing
Allison Winn Scotch - 2020
From congresswoman to senator, the magnetic, ambitious single mother now has her eye on the White House—always looking forward, never back. Until an estranged childhood friend shreds her in an op-ed hit piece gone viral.With seven words—“Cleo McDougal is not a good person”—the presidential hopeful has gone from in control to damage control, and not just in Washington but in life.Enter Cleo’s “regrets list” of 233 and counting. Her chief of staff has a brilliant idea: pick the top ten, make amends during a media blitz, and repair her reputation. But there are regrets, and there are regrets: like her broken relationship with her sister, her affair with a law school professor…and the regret too big to even say out loud.But with risk comes reward, and as Cleo makes both peace and amends with her past, she becomes more empowered than ever to tackle her career, confront the hypocrites out to destroy her, and open her heart to what matters most—one regret at a time.
Sweet Shattered Dreams
Stanley Gordon West - 2005
Then, just when he's convinced his life has passed him by, Sonny, by a stroke of fate, is given a second chance at living. Can he get it right? Will he be able to evade the grinding loneliness that stalks him? Will he find a way to overcome the unbearable regret that haunts him? Will he ever risk loving again, to find someone with no good-byes in her heart? And, most of all, will he become the man he always could have been?
Paris Mon Amour
Isabel Costello - 2017
The second is the reason I'm here.
When Alexandra discovers that her husband Philippe is having an affair, she can’t believe he’d risk losing the love that has transformed both their lives.Still in shock, Alexandra finds herself powerfully attracted to a much younger man. Jean-Luc Malavoine is twenty-three, intense and magnetic. He’s also the son of Philippe’s best friend.With every increasingly passionate liaison, Alexandra is pulled deeper into a situation that threatens everyone she holds dear.Beautifully told through the boulevards and arrondissements of the City of Light, Paris Mon Amour is a sensual novel about inescapable desire and devastating betrayals. It is the story of one woman and two men, and what happens when there is no way out.‘A truly emotional ride. A story of lust, love and loss with a beautifully described Paris as its backdrop. I galloped through it in a couple of days’ Claire Fuller, author of Our Endless Numbered DaysIsabel Costello is the host of the Literary Sofa blog, which features authors from new talent to New York Times bestselling novelists. Guest writers on the blog have included Patrick Gale, Linda Grant, Tracy Chevalier and Karen Joy Fowler. She read Modern Languages (French and German) at Oxford, before pursuing a career in marketing and communications. She is now a full-time writer, and lives in London.
Love for Sail
C.L.R. Dougherty - 2014
Experience her anxiety; feel her fear. Watch her survive by her wits. Connie has recruited her friend, Paul Russo, to serve as cook and first mate. Paul can't join her on her maiden voyage, so Connie is forced to rely on pick-up crew for her first two weeks at sea. Trouble erupts aboard Diamantista as soon as she leaves shore. Anticipating that Paul will join her in the Virgin Islands before their first guests arrive, Connie stays in touch with him during her voyage. As they converse, neither one will acknowledge that their growing attraction is deeper than friendship. Love for Sail is the first book in the Connie Barrera Thrillers, a romantic thriller series from the author of the best-selling Bluewater Thrillers. The next Connie Barrera Thriller will be published in the fourth quarter of 2014. If you enjoyed the Bluewater Thrillers, you'll see a different side of some of your favorite characters when they appear in the Connie Barrera Thrillers. Connie Barrera first appeared in C.L.R. Dougherty's Deception in Savannah. She discovered her Love for Sail in Bluewater Ice and Bluewater Betrayal. Now she has her own stories to tell. Welcome aboard!
A Summer All Her Own
Rosanne Keller - 2006
The roles of celebrity wife and mother satisfied Anna Sandoval completely-until her husband, a famed international journalist, suffered a fatal heart attack. Now, a year later, still young and with her children grown, Anna seeks an interlude from grief and a fresh start on the timeless isle of Crete. In a small Greek community of ancient hills soaked in sun and surrounded by sea, Anna adapts to a slower pace and simpler lifestyle. Gradually, she rediscovers a passion for drawing and becomes protégé to a local artist and his sage wife, whose combined insights help Anna transform life into art-and take charge of her destiny. But when two very different men invite her into their lives, she must decide not just what kind of love she wants, but whether love itself is worth risking everything she's gained.
One In A Billion, Vol 3
Lola Silverman - 2017
Titles Included:Nine MonthsDiamond tycoon, Aiden has everything money can buy, except a kid. Yeah, he’s a guy, but guys get broody, too. Besides, his biological clock is ticking. The only hitch is he doesn’t want the wife. Who wants to go through a messy divorce, especially if you risk losing half of your hard-earned fortune to your ex-wife? He could pay a surrogate mother, but it will contradict the very value of marriage his engagement ring jewelry business stands for, and he worked too hard to throw it away, now. When his CFO embezzles company funds, Aiden finds the solution to his dilemma. To prevent her father from going to jail, Jenna must give Aiden a baby. Problem solved.Secret VacationFrida thinks she has successfully managed to hide from what she was running away. She believes living in isolation is exactly what cures a broken heart. Till the handsome, witty and older, Gareth shows up. He is a guest in her B&B and therefore out of bounds, besides Frida doesn’t have the space in her heart for another man. Although she knows nothing about Gareth, what she does know is that he isn’t interested in anything serious. Frida cannot afford to have her heart broken again, especially by someone who is hiding secrets of his own.Tragic TaleAlready on the run from an abusive ex-husband, Holly Price doesn’t realize that when she accepts the job writing for billionaire Julian Petrokov, she is getting in over her head. Julian tells her dark stories about his past and though they frighten Holly, she can’t help but to be captivated by his history and his charm. When Holly is threatened by the gang who is after Julian’s head, the two of them are forced to flee to Julian’s private island, where they grow even closer as he weaves his tragic tale. It’s there that Holly realizes just how deeply she feels for Julian, but what she doesn’t know yet is that loving him could mean making the ultimate sacrifice, one that could cost her her life.Coded In YouBeaches and BenchesKaarin Lind is perfectly happy all alone, thank you very much, despite whatever her aunt might say. With a successful career as a lawyer, she feels no desire to seek out companionship outside of her half-feral tomcat. That is, until she meets Carson Deveroux. After a whirlwind romance that leaves her questioning everything in her life, Kaarin meets Carson once again--this time, in the court room. Carson Deveroux thought he had life all figured out. Until Kaarin Lind stumbled onto his private beach and turned his world upside down. Now, he must choose between his future and the woman he has fallen madly in love with, and his comfortable past and family. comfortable past and family.
Gambino: The Rise: A Novel Based on the True Story
James Pierre - 2015
The Department of Justice’s endeavors to capture him on video surveillance likewise came up empty, because he rarely left his modest row house at 2230 Ocean Pkwy., in Brooklyn, New York. He was silent and reclusive to a fault. And by the time the public got their first look at him in 1970 (following an arrest on a trumped-up charge that was never prosecuted) he was already the most powerful mafia boss in the country, controlling a crew of 800 mafiosi, who oversaw nearly 50 criminal and legitimate businesses, which netted his crime family over $1 billion in annual revenue. Yet few even knew his name, let alone his story. Now, for the first time ever, the true story of Carlo Gambino is told in full, gory detail. Gambino: The Rise, A Novel Based on a True Story, unveils the intricate machinations of Gambino’s ascent, from poor, immigrant stowaway, to billionaire boss of America’s most deadly and elite crime family. On this journey, we meet such celebrity hoods as Charlie “Lucky” Luciano, Al “Scarface” Capone, Meyer Lansky, Vito Genovese, and Albert “The Mad Hatter” Anastasia… all of whom became pawns on Gambino’s Machiavellian chess set. Gambino’s story is a rags to riches tail of the bloodiest kind, which explores the dichotomies of family, wealth, and power within the mafia environment. With its careful scrutiny of mob business and brutality, Gambino: The Rise will undoubtedly draw comparisons to Mario Puzo’s timeless classic, The Godfather. But this is to be expected, especially when Puzo’s fictional crime patriarch, Vito Corleone, was based on none other than Carlo Gambino. Gambino: The Rise is a historical novel for the ages that will leave readers shell-shocked with every flip of the page, until its earth-shattering and climactic end.