Book picks similar to
Gym and Slimline by Emma Burstall


chick-lit
emma-burstall
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popular-fiction

Love Among the Treetops


Catherine Ferguson - 2018
    It was her special place, and even as an adult she still loves it.So when her family tell her they can’t afford to live there any more, Twilight is devastated. Not only will they lose their home – but the treehouse too!She comes up with a plan to save the family home – she’ll start up a cafe in the treehouse! It’s a brilliant idea, and excitement builds as she starts planning the menus, with the help of Theo – a rather attractive man from the gym. But when former school bully Lucy finds out the plan, she starts plotting – and opens her own rival cafe in the village!Can Twilight save her family home? Will her friendship with Theo ever be anything more? And who will win the cafe wars?Catherine Ferguson is back in this hilarious, heartwarming read perfect for summer.

Safe for Summer


Mandy Baggot - 2020
    A bodyguard. Two people whose hearts need mending.Autumn Raine is an international superstar. She's living the dream, at least that's what she's showing the world. After her safety is threatened Autumn's life begins to unravel and with her world crashing down around her, can she learn to trust anyone again?When Nathan Regan, an ex-elite soldier is assigned to protect her, Autumn might just have to let someone past the barriers she's put up around herself. But with Nathan fighting against his own demons, will they begin to find solace in each other?Two people, from very different backgrounds will have to come together to face their future.Previously published as Security.

A Child Of Her Time


Maggie Bennett - 2004
    With so many young men lost in the Great War, including her own brothers, her life is empty and her future without hope. Until, desperate to break out of her mundane existence, she decides to take up the position of nursery maid in the London home of acclaimed playwright Harold Berridge.Befriended by the actress Maud Ling and thrown into the glamorous but fickle world of cinema, Phyllis falls passionately in love with Maud’s young brother Teddy. But Teddy’s heart lies elsewhere, and when tragedy strikes the Berridge household a heartbroken Phyllis is forced to leave.Six months later, Phyllis has started to rebuild her life but her world is turned upside down once more when is invited to a party at Maud Ling’s film studios. For there she falls under the spell of the charming but devious American actor, Denver Towers, with disastrous consequences. . .

Lights Out


Jason Starr - 2006
    This book is a huge treat."---Jeffery Deaver, author of The Cold Moon: A Lincoln Rhyme NovelFrom Barry and Anthony Award-winning author Jason Starr comes a story of two friends divided by chance and reunited during a long Brooklyn weekend that will change both of their lives forever. Ryan Rossetti and Jake Thomas were the two Major League-bound rivals on their high school baseball team, heading straight into history as the first two of Canarsie's favorite sons to make it out and make it big. Until Ryan hurt his pitching arm and landed a ten-dollar-an-hour life as a house painter. Lucky Jake made it all the way, and he and his ten-million-dollar signing bonus are heading back for a publicity-motivated homecoming weekend that has all of Brooklyn waiting to explode in celebration.But he's got a nasty surprise in store: Ryan is involved in an intense, addictive relationship with Jake's fiancée Christina, who now faces a choice between love in a Brooklyn tenement or a heartless marriage on Easy Street. Neither man, nor the woman who now stands between them, has any idea what's about to play out in the streets they once all called home. Lights Out is vintage Jason Starr, a razor-sharp crime novel that brilliantly combines biting social satire, explosive suspense, and honest, revealing human drama.

Snow Falling


Jane Gloriana Villanueva - 2017
    With these tumultuous events as inspiration, Jane’s breathtaking first novel adapts her story for a truly epic romance that captures the hope and the heartbreak that have made the television drama so beloved. Snow Falling is a sweeping historical romance set in 1902 Miami—a time of railroad tycoons, hotel booms, and exciting expansion for the Magic City. Working at the lavish Regal Sol hotel and newly engaged to Pinkerton Detective Martin Cadden, Josephine Galena Valencia has big dreams for her future. Then, a figure from her past reemerges to change her life forever: the hotel’s dapper owner, railroad tycoon Rake Solvino. The captivating robber baron sets her heart aflame once more, leading to a champagne-fueled night together. But when their indiscretion results in an unexpected complication, Josephine struggles to decide whether her heart truly belongs with heroic Martin or dashing Rake. Meanwhile, in an effort to capture an elusive crime lord terrorizing the city, Detective Cadden scours the back alleys of the Magic City, tracking the nefarious villain to the Regal Sol and discovering a surprising connection to the Solvino family. However, just when it looks like Josephine’s true heart’s desire is clear, danger strikes. Will her dreams for the future dissolve like so much falling snow or might Josephine finally get the happy ever after she’s been dreaming of for so long?

Hungarian Dances


Jessica Duchen - 2008
    Instead, she's a teacher, a mum and wife to Julian, a very English husband. When disaster befalls her best friend, Karina feels forced to question the very foundations of her existence.

The Palomino Pony Comes Home


Olivia Tuffin - 2014
    The week she spends away from them in Wales is almost unbearable, until she finds a beautiful but mistreated palomino pony on a windswept mountainside. Georgia feels an instant bond with Lily and knows she must help her escape from her cruel owner, whatever the cost…This is a pony book with all the classic ingredients: K M Peyton for a new generation.

The Christmas Party


Karen Swan - 2019
    But his estate on Ireland’s rugged south-west coast is left to his three daughters. The two eldest, Ottie and Pip, inherit in line with expectations, but to everyone’s surprise – and dismay – it is the errant baby of the family, Willow, who gets the castle.Why her? Something unknown – something terrible - made her turn her back on her family three years earlier, escaping to Dublin and vowing never to return. So when Willow quickly announces she is selling up, her revenge seems sweet and the once-close sisters are pushed to breaking point: in desperation, Pip risks everything to secure her own future, and Ottie makes a decision that will ruin lives. It’s each woman for herself.Before moving in, Connor Shaye, the prospective new owner, negotiates throwing a lavish party at the castle just days before Christmas – his hello, their goodbye. But as their secrets begin to catch up with them, Ottie, Willow and Pip are forced to ask themselves which is harder: stepping into the future, or letting go of the past?

A Cornish Summer's Kiss


Jo Bartlett - 2019
     Selling the restaurant they ran together in London, Lexie heads to Port Kara on the Cornish Coast to spend the summer working out her next move. In a cottage cut off by the sea at high tide, and with only her beloved Labrador for company, it should be the perfect place to start again. Except life in Port Kara becomes far more complicated when she agrees to help out local man, Elliott Dorton, at his adventure centre, and soon she barely has time to think. Lexie is content to bury herself in work and rediscovers the passion she used to have for creating unique dishes. Working with Elliott to make the adventure centre a success, they have the opportunity to cater for a showbiz superstar who has just set up home in Port Kara. Discovering they have more in common than she could ever have dreamt, despite the secrets she’s keeping about her past, Lexie realises her feelings for Elliott are in danger of taking her somewhere she never wants to go again. Having already lost her husband because of his attraction to high-adrenaline adventure, the last thing she wants to do is to fall for another man with the same addiction. Especially someone who’s a member of the local lifeboat crew, and whose own safety always comes bottom of the list. When Elliott puts his life on the line twice within a matter of weeks, Lexie realises that she has to leave Port Kara in order to protect herself from getting in any deeper. But when she’s caught in a life and death situation of her own, she understands for the first time what drives Elliott to do the things he does. Can she save the little boy whose life depends on her and, even if she does, can Elliott find them both in time for Lexie to have the fresh start she so badly wants? Fabrian Feel-Good Romance Novels are guaranteed to have a happy ending and leave you with a smile on your face.

Friends, Lies and Alibis


Debby Holt - 2011
    Now she's back, with a husband who is sapping the life from her. He is also unfaithful, a fact which Leah wished she had never discovered. Should Merrily's friends stand by and watch their old friend sink ever further into drab submissiveness?

Accidental Husband


M.V. Kasi - 2019
    A city bred woman. An accidental marriage. And falling in love...Priya Shankar's life has been planned by her high-achieving mother even before her birth.Things always went by the rigid plan, except three years ago when Priya had met a gorgeous man during her trip to Vegas. A wild, passionate weekend was followed by an impulsive marriage and a hasty divorce.And now, on the verge of accepting the proposal from a man hand-picked by her mother, Priya found out that her divorce hadn't gone through! And that she must make a secretive trip to a small village in India to find the man she had married and have him sign on the divorce papers again.The problem? Arjun Pratap, her accidental husband, doesn't want a divorce! And worse, he's even challenged that within a month, he would change her mind.With stolen kisses in the wide open fields, adventurous tractor rides and camping under the stars--can she resist the sexy farmer who is determined to use every bit of his wicked charms to make her stay married to him?ACCIDENTAL HUSBAND is a lighthearted, hot, sweet & passionate standalone romance.***BOOK EXCERPT***"Arjun. You should sleep here on this big bed. I can--" Before she could finish, he got up and crashed next to her. His weight made her roll towards him. And the moment she made contact, he held her and rolled her on top of him.She was stunned for a few seconds. "I meant for us to switch beds, Arjun! Not for you to join me here!"She tried to roll away from him, but his arms held her hostage. Even in the dark, she could see the white flash of his teeth as he grinned."Stop bending the rules so much. You already kissed me thrice even though I said no touching.""Look who's counting," he teased.Her cheeks heated, and she wanted to snap back. But slowly, she stopped struggling when she felt his hand moving in slow circular motions. Even though her body was thrumming with awareness, there was a sense of ease and comfort lying on top of him.His phone beeped from somewhere, making him sigh. "All right. I've got to go now. So, if you'll give me my morning kiss, I'll be on my way."All of her sleepy and lazy contentment vanished at that statement. "What morning kiss?"Her heart began to pound in sudden anticipation, and she was sure he could feel it as she was lying on top of him."Oh. Did we not discuss that rule? I thought we did." From his devilish grin, it was obvious he was putting on an act."We didn't discuss any such rule." She was supposed to sound stern, but her voice came out breathless once again."Well, I must have forgotten. So, let's add that now. All married couples do it." He pulled her up until their heads were aligned together.She tried to resist. "I don't think it's needed. It's a bad idea.""I disagree. It's a great idea. How else can a married couple stay bonded through their busy lives? I would have preferred good afternoon and good night kisses too, but I'll settle for a daily good morning kiss for now."Before she could say anything, he held her waist and rolled them until she was lying underneath him. All thoughts vanished at seeing the intent look on his face as he came closer. She held her breath, waiting.

The Brightest Star in the Sky


Marian Keyes - 2009
    . . In the top-floor flat lives music exec Katie. She spends her days fighting off has-been rock stars and wondering how much cheesecake you'd need to eat yourself to death. Below her, a pair of muscular Poles share with a streetwise cabbie named Lydia, who has a sharp tongue, an even sharper brain but some unexpected soft spots. On the first floor is Fionn - a gardener who prefers the company of parsnips to people. But he looks like a fairy-tale prince and when he's offered his own television show, he's suddenly thrust into the limelight. And at the bottom of the house live Matt and Maeve, who are Very Much In Love and who stave off despair by doing random acts of kindness. But a mysterious visitor has just landed at 66 Star Street, bringing love, friendship and heartbreak, and a new-found optimism. Old secrets are working their way to the surface and all their lives are about to change in the most unexpected of ways . . .

Remember Last Summer


David Heilwagen - 2016
    Still reeling from a bitter divorce, she is finally starting to move forward when the unthinkable happens. Kristen is diagnosed with an incurable form of heart disease. Unless she receives a heart transplant, the doctors say she will be dead within the year. With summer vacation fast approaching, Kristen enlists the help of her thrice-divorced sister, Jackie. She packs-up her two teenage daughters, Alison and Emily, and together they drive to an old family beach house on the shores of Sunset Cove, Michigan. It’s here that Kristen hopes to reconnect with her girls, while at the same time building memories that will live on long after she's gone. But the beach house is in a ramshackle state of disrepair – the paint is peeling, the shutters are hanging off, and there’s no television or internet, much to the despair of sixteen-year-old Alison. But Kristin is determined to bring her emotionally fractured family back together. And there, over one memorable summer, Kristen and her girls embark on an emotional journey that will raise them to the heights of love, forgiveness, and self-discovery, as well as plunging them into the dark depths of heartache and despair. Will Kristin be able to open her heart again? And more importantly, will she be able to bring her fractured family back together before time runs out…? Reminiscent of Nicholas Sparks, Remember Last Summer will have you reaching for a tissue, whilst praying for a miracle.

In a Country Garden


Maeve Haran - 2018
    . . Maeve is on cracking form' - Jilly Cooper Lifelong friends Claudia, Ella, Laura and Sal celebrated sixty as the new forty, determined not to let age change things. But now they are looking at the future and wondering how to make growing old more fun.Why not live together and have sunny afternoons on the lawn, helping and supporting each other when any of them need it - and still keep enjoying life? Joined by Claudia’s reluctant husband and Sal’s energetic new fiancé, they ignore the protests of their children and pool their resources in a lovely manor house in the country. Only Laura holds out, determined she still has some living to do, especially now she has met the dashing Gavin through an online dating app.But life still has plenty of surprises in store plus a little romance in what the locals dub a New Age Old Age Commune. But are your best friends the last people you should end up living with? In A Country Garden is a heartwarming, hilarious tale of growing old not-so-gracefully, from the bestselling author of The Time of Their Lives, Maeve Haran.

Goodbye Ruby Tuesday


A.L. Michael - 2016
    But that’s only the beginning. Ruby, Evie, Mollie and Chelsea were the bad girls at school. But Ruby was the baddest. Evie fought her anger, Mollie fought her mother and Chelsea…well, Chelsea just fought. But Ruby set her sights on a bigger stage. And together, they dreamed of a future where Ruby could sing, Evie could make art, Mollie could bake, Chelsea could dance – and all of them could finally feel at home.A decade later, the girls are reunited for the funeral of Ruby, who took the world – and the charts – by storm, before fading too soon. And Evie doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry when she learns that Ruby has left them a house on Camden Square – the perfect place for them to fulfil their dreams. But does she dare take the plunge, and risk it all for one last shot at the stars? Goodbye Ruby Tuesday is Book 1 in A.L. Michael’s new series, ‘The House on Camden Square’