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. . .

    But will it cost her all she holds dear?England, 1944: With deadly doodlebugs terrorising London, Bessie Rushbrook agrees to give shelter to eight-year-old evacuee, Marigold, in her Norfolk home. However, the little girl is no random stranger, and Bessie must honour the promise she gave to Marigold’s mother, Grace, and not reveal her connection to the child.Marigold’s arrival stirs up Bessie’s memories from the past when the world was at war for the first time. She is forced to face her actions from those days, and question the haunting secret that she’s long kept hidden.When Grace is injured in London, Bessie makes the heart-wrenching decision to confess her secret, knowing that it could destroy everything she holds dear – her marriage, family and home. Will those who love her understand, and can they forgive her?

    She needed a hero, and quick. But what she had hoped was that at least one person would have answered her plea for help. As the months wore on she had all but given up on finding the husband she so desperately needed, and resigned herself to a lifetime imprisoned by her cruel stepfather. Rancher Wes Roberts couldn’t get the thought of Mary Beth out of his mind, and the desperate nature of the ad she had placed. He figured it wasn’t unusual that he hadn’t received a reply to his letters, given that she had probably already chosen her husband and moved on with her life, but something nagged at him. He would never forgive himself if he didn’t find out for sure that she was safe, even if it wasn’t with him. When Wes arrives, not only is Mary Beth still there, she is more in need than ever. After he rescues her from the desolate life she has been living he realizes that he needs her just as much as she needs him. Please enjoy this sweet, clean, historical western romance novella of 21,128 words (about 90 pages).

    Now that Sparrow, her ward, has reached nine years of age, she reckons he needs a male role model in his life. With typical efficiency she sets about finding a father-figure by drawing up a series of checklists for each candidate, and following a strict protocol for interviewing them.So far, all the contenders have failed miserably to get enough ticks in the right boxes. But Ferne is focused and nothing is going to stop her from fulfilling her responsibilities…...except maybe a saboteur out to wreck her business; drunken neighbours; her unfortunate past from which it is so difficult to escape; her estranged mother; long-lost sister; and her Jack Russell, Merrie, who is not above galloping over and nipping any prospective role models she thinks Will Not Do.Katie Fforde (best-selling rom com author and President of the Romantic Novelists' Association) said of 'All His Own Hair': 'Susan Alison handles difficult issues with quirky humour and uplifting results.'(To give you some idea of length - 'White Lies and Custard Creams' is 83,700 words long and 'All His Own Hair' is 87,300 words long.)Susan Alison is the Katie Fforde Bursary Award winner for 2011. She has won competition awards for short fiction and sold numerous stories to commercial publications. Her fiction concentrates on the relationships humans forge with each other (and quite often with their dogs). She is a freelance artist.Jill Mansell (best-selling rom com author) said of 'White Lies and Custard Creams': "Susan Alison has written a lovely, quirky romp packed with off-the-wall characters - original, intriguing and great fun!"

    Who will protect her from herself?Shoney's lightning speed with a bow captures Ronan by surprise, and their chance meeting ends with him lying unconscious at the bottom of a ravine.When he awakens, he cannot rid his mind of her startling beauty, her valor, or the secret fear he glimpsed in her steel eyes. He vows to find her, but as the mysteries of her identity unfold, his courage and heart are tested as never before.Highland Thunder, Book 2A STORM IS COMING...Although she faces tragic loss, Brenna will never succumb to grief or fear, nor will she surrender to the one man she despises--the very man who now has the power to control her destiny. Like the storms that rage unchecked over the moors, her fury is about to be unleashed.A HIDDEN LOVE...He does not look at her or speak to her, and most importantly, he does not touch her. These are the rules Duncan set for himself long ago to ensure his affection for his best friend's wife remained undetected. But under the weight of a land besieged by war, the walls he erected to shield his heart crumble.If he can earn her trust, the one woman he has always loved may at last be his. But first he must save what he cherishes most from a nightmare of dark secrets.To Love a Warrior, Book 3Destinies unfold. Secrets are revealed. The Isle of Mull will be forever changed.Half Highlander, half Viking, Garik MacKinnon was not born on the Scottish Isle of Mull, but fostered there in his youth. Now, he leaves behind his home, once more bound for Mull, to join the MacKinnon warriors as they answer Robert the Bruce's call to arms. He is ready for battle, eager to fight for Scotland's freedom. What he is not prepared for is his encounter with Nellore, a shield maiden from Mull, whose allure defies all reason.Nellore has the strength and skill of a warrior but the heart of a woman. When the men are called away to war Nellore must aid those left behind to safeguard their village against attacks from the MacLeans--a feuding clan to the south. She understands her duty to her clan. She is ready to take up arms against the enemy if need be. What she is not ready for is the ache that fills her heart when war pulls Garik from her side.Desire ignites and battles are waged as both Nellore and Garik learn what it means to love a warrior.

    Oswald proves to be more sadistic and violent than she could ever have imagined. On learning she is expecting a child, Angeline makes plans to run away and take her chances fending for herself and her baby. But then tragedy takes over . . .

    Will Rising had dragged himself from humble beginnings to his own small tailoring business in Gloucester - and on the way he'd fallen violently in love with Florence, refined, delicate, and wanting something better for her children. March was the eldest girl, the least loved, the plain, unattractive one who, as the family grew, became more and more the household drudge. But March, a strange, intelligent, unhappy child, had inherited some of her mother's dreams. March Rising was determined to break out of the round of poverty and hard work, to find wealth, and love, and happiness.

    Robert can’t speak. He can’t tell her what makes him happy or sad. Nell has to work that out for herself. Not everyone is happy about Robert’s existence. Can Nell save him from a desolate future, secure his inheritance and ensure he takes his rightful place in society? A love story.

    When everything goes wrong are you still meant for each other?After being dispatched to Blanchard Creek, Wyoming by her mother as a mail order bride, Christina Mills tumbles from one mishap to another. As if arriving in Wyoming with a fever, losing luggage and being accosted by the hotel owner isn’t already bad enough, her to be groom decides to back out of the marriage.Alexander Barrett Patterson is a man of honor. However, the scars from battle are more than skin deep. Rather than tying the beautiful woman to a cripple, he decides to give her up and suffer the consequences of a decision every ounce of his being protests. Now, if only half the town would stop trying to make him change his mind.A story of hurt, scars and the healing power of love.

    A time of adjusting. She was trying to adjust to her grandmother's absence; she missed Granny's feisty sparkle. And trying to adjust to the recent realization that she was not biologically related to her beloved father. After some daring investigating, she and husband Gene had discovered that she and her brother had been conceived within her mother's passionate extra-marital love relationship. Granny's best friend had had a son that Cherry had never met. Heard about, but never met. Until recently, when she'd let him know that she knew she was his daughter. It was a time of adjusting. A time of recurring nightmares with the same scary theme and unexpected visits by those presumed to be gone forever. Dead and gone. A time when unexplained mysteries were solved. A time of fresh starts, when positive life changes were born. And old hurts were soothed. It was a time to re-connect with loved ones, in this dimension and others and eventually and inevitably, a time to let go of one of them.

    But when owner Dai Morgan is killed in an air raid, his daughter Megan is determined to continue in her father's footsteps and she braves the ravaged streets alone to do his milk round by horse and cart. Megan finds comfort in the knowledge that her twin girls are tucked away in a Welsh village, but she worries about her husband, Will, abroad with his platoon. And when Will's best friend, Doug Reynolds, returns, wounded and disfigured, she doesn't hesitate to take the poor man in. However, Doug is not the man she thinks he is. And when the boys come home, Megan has battle scars she can't allow Will to see...

    Victory over Japan has been announced and everyone in Megan Oliphant’s home town in Scotland is celebrating the end of the war. The boys are 'Coming Home'. Megan has been waiting desperately for the day when Steven Caraford, the best friend of her older brother, finally returns. After long correspondence during Steven's time away - and after supporting each other through her brother's death - Megan can only hope her feelings for him are mutual. Steven has longed for the day when he can return home to Scotland, and – although it will mean long days, little money and no security – his heart’s desire is to have a farm of his own. While Megan heads off for college, Steven struggles to build up his new home - and both must try to work out what the other is feeling about their future together. Coming Home is a moving romantic drama about building a new life after the Second World War - and about searching for love, stability and happiness. Praise for Gwen Kirkwood: 'A gripping read' - Robert Foster, best-selling author of The Lunar Code Gwen Kirkwood is the author of sixteen Scottish novels and six shorter romantic novellas, including A Question of Love. She won the Elizabeth Goudge Trophy, judged by Richard Lee, when it was re-introduced to mark the millennium in 2000. She lives in Scotland.

    Sam lost her career and her boyfriend on the same day. Needing an escape, she makes a radical decision—leave the big city for a small town, get a regular job, and take a break from men and romance.Brody is picking up the pieces after divorce. He’s hoping for a fresh start in the small community of Maple Cove. Instead, he’s forced to co-manage a failing animal hospital with Sam, who seems ready to hate him on sight.Watch two people learn to face their fears and love again in this sweet, small-town enemies to happily-ever-after romance.Small Town Shepherd is the first book in the sweet romance series Maple Cove Dog Lover’s Society.

    After witnessing her parents’ execution at her tenth birthday party, Nubia hasn’t been the same. The lavish lifestyle that came with being the daughter of the notorious Apollo Monroe was snatched from under her feet, forcing her to become the foster child her evil aunt never wanted. After years of dealing with her uncle’s hand problem, Nubia goes from a plaything to a punching bag for her husband, Vincent. Believing that Vincent is the best thing to happen in her life since the death of her parents, Nubia suffers in silence until she meets Maine. A notorious hustler by day and ruthless hustler by night, Jermaine “Maine” Emerson is as savage as they come. Born a child soldier in Sierra Leone, Maine was given the opportunity for a new life in America working as a hitta for Sampson, a distributor for the Solares Cartel and an infamous gangsta known for his heartless antics. Maine’s first mission: kill Apollo Monroe’s family, including his daughter. With a heart made of steel, Maine slaughters her family relentlessly, but there is something about ten-year-old Nubia that gives fifteen-year-old Maine pause. He spares her life, and the two never cross paths again until Maine catches Nubia being beaten on the street by her husband. Although he has everything he could ask for—money, cars, and his pick of women—Maine is drawn to the broken Nubia and the mystery she brings. As he tries to repair her broken spirit, he has no idea that he's responsible for it. In the middle of Nubia and Maine's battle of the hearts, is Nubia’s best friend, Shahani. After losing the love of her life in a gunfight, the kept Shahani takes refuge on a pole, rebuilding her life one dance at a time. She meets the suave and charismatic Donovan, who takes her from dancing and introduces her to the world of pimping. While Donovan is focused on building his empire, Shahani has other dreams in mind, one of which is opening her own hair salon. She's content with building with Donovan until a chance encounter with Sampson leaves her sleeping with the enemy. Again.

    But she is the only one who can salvage his soul. Fiona Malloch feels completely lost. Only weeks after her forced marriage, the husband she hated dies of old age, and before she can feel relief, another man tries to prey on her! Fiona decides to risk everything and run away, seeking refuge in the nearby Ormond Castle, home of the infamous Laird Bhaltair Douglas.The young Laird has never been the same after the tragic loss of his brother in a fire. The scars on his body remind him daily of the tragedy and his failure to save his own blood. A failure that has alienated him from his family and spread rumors that the once-powerful clan is now weak.When the young lass arrives and asks for shelter, Bhaltair knows that helping her will mean war with the enemy clan she escaped from. They have been waiting for an opportunity, and Fiona has given them the perfect one.Her untamed character brings them into collision, but in an unexpected turn of events, Bhaltair decides to protect her. While staying in Douglas lands, Fiona seems to be the only one who is not afraid to defy the Laird and finds a way to penetrate his soul’s defenses. Bhaltair’s heart begins to heal, and he rediscovers emotions he thought he would never feel again.But by keeping Fiona, Bhaltair is losing the trust of his clan, and with his enemies at the doorstep, it seems that the girl who can save him is about to destroy his clan…