Book picks similar to
The One That Got Away by Helen Warner
chicklit
gave-up-on
helen-warner
nwt
Some Kind of Wonderful
Giovanna Fletcher - 2017
Now, after celebrating a decade together, everyone thinks they're about to get engaged. A romantic escape to Dubai is the perfect moment, but instead of the proposal Lizzy hopes for, Ian reveals he's not sure he even wants her anymore.Lizzy is heartbroken. But through the tears, she realises this is her chance to seize the opportunities she missed as Ian's other half. But what does she want? How much of her is really Lizzy, and how much was Ian's influence? Determined to discover who she is at heart, Lizzy sets out to rediscover the girl she was before - and in the meantime, have a little fun . . .
From Ireland with Love
Liz Hurley - 2021
Independent, motivated, and successfully running her own business - she has never settled for anything less. And certainly, never used her family estate to give her a leg up.But as an investigation is launched into her trading company, Nick’s world begins to crumble. Suddenly out of work, her mind wanders to her father - what would he do? She hardly knows anything of her orphaned parent and longs to find answers - some which will hopefully guide her.With her newly gifted dog for company, Nick sets off to Ireland to retrace her family history. However, the high-flying city girl soon learns that every adventure comes with a few surprises - even in the shape of a romance.Will Nick discover more about her father’s hidden past - or will she take home more than she bargained for...?
Sunrise on the Coast
Lilac Mills - 2020
On a much-needed break to Tenerife, Sophie stumbles across a Help Wanted sign for local pensioner, Hugo, and on a leap of faith she accepts the job.But life on the island isn’t all sun, sea and siestas…Hugo’s beautiful villa is under threat and, to complicate matters, his brooding (but handsome) nephew, Alex, has shown up full of suspicion towards Sophie.Hands full dealing with difficult men and a clearly unreciprocated attraction towards Alex, Sophie needs to decide if her future lies in Tenerife or if her holiday is officially over.
Private Lives
Tasmina Perry - 2011
A young associate with a top media law firm, she's the lawyer to the stars, hiding their sins from the hungry media. When Anna fails to prevent a damaging story being printed about heart-throb movie star Sam Charles she finds herself fighting to save not only his reputation, but also her own. But Anna is about to uncover a scandal more explosive than even Sam's infidelities. A party girl is already dead and those responsible are prepared to silence anyone who stands in their way. Not least a pretty young lawyer who knows too much...
You Made Me Love You
Joanna Goodman - 2005
"Make it in Hollywood" was always Estelle's mantra. She's made it to Hollywood, but she's far from becoming a celebrated fi lm editor. Her sister Erica is in New York, where she's writing fiction, but not feeling quite at home in the literary salon. Meanwhile back in Toronto, Jessie's perfect life, set in stone at the age of twenty-one when she married a doctor and then had two children, has begun to crumble. Even their mother is having doubts about the life she chose, wondering if maybe she should never have put marriage ahead of her blossoming career in show biz...
Champagne and Lemon Drops
Jean Oram - 2013
Two men. One meddling small town.Raised by her older sister in the small town of Blueberry Springs, all Beth Wilkinson wants is to create a family so big she’ll never be alone. Things are going great until her fiancé, Oz, rethinks everything from his own career to their nuptial plans—forcing Beth to do the same.As Beth works to rediscover herself in hopes of reattracting Oz, she catches the eye of the charming new city doctor, Nash. Not only does he see her as she’d like to be seen, but he knows exactly what he wants from life—and that includes Beth.Torn between the two men, as well as two versions of herself, Beth discovers that love and dreams are much more complicated than they seem.
Intrusion
Mary McCluskey - 2016
While Scott throws himself back into his law practice in Los Angeles, Kat is hesitant to rejoin the workplace and instead spends her days shell-shocked and confused, unable to focus.When an unwelcome face from Kat’s past in England emerges—the beautiful and imposing Sarah Cherrington—Kat’s marriage is thrown into a tailspin. Now wealthy beyond anything she could have imagined as a girl, Sarah appears to have everything she could need or want. But Sarah has an agenda and she wants one more thing. Soon Kat and Scott are caught up in her devious games and power plays.Against the backdrops of Southern California and Sussex, in spare and haunting prose, Mary McCluskey propels this domestic drama to its chilling conclusion.
The Starlet: A Novel
Mary McNamara - 2010
But when a hot young leading man winds up dead in his Rome hotel room, his costar’s life is about to go off the rails in a very public way—even by celeb standards. At the tender age of twenty-three, Mercy Talbot has won an Oscar, battled addiction, wrecked more than her share of cars, and burned down her house. Her look-alike mother keeps her on a tight leash (and fueled with an endless supply of OxyContin and cocaine) and her producers demand a grueling schedule. By the time she stumbles across Juliette Greyson, a Hollywood insider on a much-needed vacation, Mercy is surrounded by photographers and about to emerge drunk, high, and naked from a public fountain. Whisking her away to an idyllic Tuscan ‘retreat,’ Juliette is about to discover another rule of Hollywood: wherever the starlet may go, the drama will follow.
The Last Summer Sister
Rachel Cullen - 2021
But when their father's untimely death reveals an earth-shattering secret, everything they thought they knew about their family -- and their future -- changes overnight.Jen spent her childhood feeling like the ugly duckling, while Lynn longed to be appreciated for something other than her looks. Consequently, both sisters competed for their father's affections but were never satisfied. Jen still hasn't forgiven Lynn for fleeing to California to follow her dreams, leaving Jen to tend to their father and the family insurance business in Chicago's North Shore suburbs. Meanwhile, Lynn is living in exile in Los Angeles, forced to endure the pain of her humiliating divorce in silence because she is too ashamed to reveal her mistakes to her perfect older sister.As the youngest member of the trio, Courtney's life is also turned upside down due to her father's death, only for an entirely different reason; Courtney didn't even know he existed until after he was gone. Now she has to figure out what life looks like with two older sisters who can't stand each other while attempting to piece together her fractured youth.Although this tragedy should bring the sisters together, the depth of their father's betrayal coupled with their tumultuous past makes reconciliation nearly impossible. Only time will tell if the bonds of sisterhood are strong enough to mend past transgressions or if the sisters, and their secrets, will destroy the Summer family forever.
The Engagements
J. Courtney Sullivan - 2013
Evelyn has been married to her husband for forty years, but their son’s messy divorce has put them at rare odds; James, a beleaguered paramedic, has spent most of his marriage haunted by his wife’s family’s expectations; Delphine has thrown caution to the wind and left a peaceful French life for an exciting but rocky romance in America; and Kate, partnered with Dan for a decade, has seen every kind of wedding and has vowed never, ever, to have one of her own. As the stories connect to each other and to Frances’s legacy in surprising ways, The Engagements explores the complicated ins and outs of relationships, then, now, and forever.
The Year of the Fox
Merren Tait - 2019
Turns out I needed a power tool arsenal…
Nancy Myers is having a hard time. She’s broken-hearted, homeless and unemployed. And she’s just turned forty. But Nancy has a secret weapon. Desperation.Relying solely on her finely-honed ability to make stuff up as she goes along and the battery life of her cordless drill, she’s determined to make a fresh start (one that on no account features men of the falling-in-love-with variety).After purchasing a rural property on a whim at the foot of the Southern Alps in New Zealand, Nancy attempts to settle into country life. She finds the vista of the mountains healing. She also finds a tall, dark and gumbooted stranger (who proves to be therapeutic in other ways).But when she discovers her precious view is about to be taken away, Nancy faces a hard choice. Should she play saboteur to protect her own happiness, even if it means losing the man who just might possibly be the key to it?Maybe her fresh start is actually a false start. Or maybe she’s learning a thing or two about how to be a kick-arse, self-reliant woman.
Second Chances
Diana Xarissa - 2020
Some are looking for love, some most definitely are not. Sooner or later, everyone finds his or her happily ever after. Camille Quinn has had her heart broken twice and she isn’t interested in finding love again. She’s busy raising her two children, Brandon and Molly. When Maxwell Steward, the first man who broke her heart, thirty years earlier, comes back to Ramsey, all she wants to do is avoid him. When Brandon manages to crash into Maxwell’s expensive sports car during a driving lesson, avoiding the man becomes impossible. The Ramsey Summer Fair throws Camille and Maxwell together and brings back memories for Camille. Maxwell seems more than happy to rekindle their friendship, seemingly not realizing how badly he hurt her in the past. Camille isn’t interested in being friends with her former boyfriend. She’s much more concerned with guarding her heart.
What I Never Expected: A Women's Fiction Novel About Love and Family
Jennifer Archer - 2021
The School Run
Helen Whitaker - 2019
Two daughters. One school place.
Imogen and Lily are old friends - they've shared hangovers, unsuitable boyfriends and wild nights out together. But now they're mums, and their partying days are behind them. When a place comes up at one of the best primary schools in the area, both women want it for their daughters. From faking religious beliefs to bogus break-ups, Imogen and Lily will go to any lengths to secure the perfect school for their children - and so will all the other mothers.Will their friendship survive the strain? Will their marriages take the pressure? And when a sexy new vicar arrives on the scene, will the mothers' keep focus for long enough to keep their eyes on the prize?
A Season for Hope
Tammy L. Grace - 2018
A woman who runs a guesthouse offers them a place to stay while the car is repaired.Frightened and broke, Hope finds a part-time job, thanks to the family who owns the guesthouse. Hidden beneath her strong work ethic and cheerful demeanor, Hope conceals a private mystery. A secret she can’t reveal.As the Christmas season nears, the small town nestled beneath the snowy mountains and its annual holiday festival captivate Hope, while the family at the guesthouse suspects there’s something she’s hiding. In a moment of weakness, she divulges her secret.Will an offer of help destroy her life and all she cherishes, or will it be the gift she needs to triumph over her past?A Season for Hope is a charming story about the kindness of strangers and finding hope where you never expected it. Cozy up with the first in the Christmas in Silver Falls novellas for a holiday read sure to warm your heart.