May Releases
May sees the release of some absolutely fab books. You have your staple chick lit authors having releases like Jenny Colgan, Emily Barr, Mike Gayle and Melissa Hill as well as the new breed of chick lit authors including Zoe Miller, Linda Green and Julia Williams.
Zoe Miller - Sinful Deceptions - 6th May
Alix Berkeley, the glamorous, Paris based make-up artist, is about to step onto the international stage with the launch of her signature brand of cosmetics. Successful beyond her dreams, it seems that nothing can stop her stellar rise to the top. Until a mistake from her past returns to haunt her. Living in affluent Dublin suburbs, her sister Emma Colgan, appears to have it all. But after years of playing the role of devoted wife and mother, she longs for her old self and a sense of excitement. Then one night she does something she will regret for the rest of her life. As Alix’s glitzy launch night in Paris draws near, secrets the two sisters fought to hide begin to emerge and both discover just how much their reckless mistakes have cost them. But amid regrets and infidelity, heartbreak and love, they have to ask themselves who caused the biggest deception of all … and if there is any hope of redemption.
Emily Barr - The Perfect Lie - 13th May
For Lucy Riddick, Venice has always been the dream destination. A dream inspired by the pretty picture pinned to her mother’s kitchen wall. To Lucy, Venice seems the ideal place to lose herself. And now she needs to do just that. The secret she’s been keeping from her boyfriend and her friends has finally caught up with her and Lucy needs to disappear – and fast. There’s no better time to pack her bags and head for Italy. But what if, when she sets foot in Venice, Lucy finds that the one thing she has been running from, the one thing she has been trying to escape, is already there, lying in wait for her? Time to run away again? Or time to end the chase, once and for all?
Hester Browne - The Finishing Touches - 13th May
Every girl should know what the finishing touches are. That dash of gloss on the cheekbones to lift your complexion. High heels for poise, and a luscious lipstick for the perfect pout. It’s the spritz of perfume on the pulse points and the ability to stand on your own two feet? When 21st century girl Betsy is called in to rescue an exclusive finishing school from financial ruin, she knows she must change the school drastically, if it’s ever to survive. So it’s out with debutante decorum and in with modern manners and man-management. But before she can teach the girls how to walk in high heels, Betsy may just have to remember how to wear them herself. With the added bonus that her gorgeous friend Jamie and the surprisingly hunky bursar Mark both seem to rather approve of her new stilettos…
Liz Lyons - Come This Way Home - 13th May
One wet and stormy Irish summer, the three Miller sisters gather at their grand but shabby old family home, Tobar Lodge. Gina, middle sister and mum to a troubled teenage girl, is doing her best to keep the old country house afloat by playing host to summer visitors who rent converted cottages on the land. Eldest, Lottie, is home to lick her wounds after her latest romantic adventure has ended in disaster once again. Rachel, the youngest, has led a more charmed life but this time is coming home accompanied by a family struggling after the collapse of her husband’s business. As family and strangers meet and collide, and a long hidden secret is exposed, they begin to discover that love and life is all about losing, yearning for and ultimately finding a place called home. By the time the holiday season draws to a close, all will realise that complications of past lives simmer just beneath the surface, a rich layer of secrets concealed from the eyes of others but keenly felt in the hearts of those to whom they belong.
Harold Carlton - Heaven, Hell and Mademoiselle - 13th May
Four young fashion hopefuls arrive in Paris, 1968, determined to claw their way to the top of the ruthless world of the haute couture. Monique, a seamstress destined to become so much more, watches Chanel’s staff spray No 5 perfume in the street outside the famous maison de couture. Can her dreams of success and love come true in this magical place? Christopher, London born and bred, a handsome new designer, determined to make it in a world where sex-appeal and success go hand in hand - and heterosexual men are rare and prized. Samantha, an ultra-spoiled Daddy’s girl who always gets her way, has the gift of selling French perfume and fashion with sex, sex and yet more sex. But can a loud, brash American ever conquer the sophisticated ladies of Paris? And hauntingly beautiful Sophie, the top model who becomes Chanel’s ‘Face’ on a million billboards and magazine covers, yet has a terrible secret in her past that refuses to stay buried. Four young lives collide and entangle in the secretive world of French fashion as Harold Carlton weaves a spellbinding tale of passionate love, ambitious rivalry and exquisite clothes.
Jenny Colgan - The Good, The Bad & The Dumped - 13th May
Posy is delighted when Matt proposes - on top of a mountain, in a gale, in full-on romantic mode. But then disaster strikes and he backs out of the engagement. Crushed and humiliated, Posy starts thinking. Why has her love life always, ALWAYS ended in total disaster?
Determined to discover how she got to this point, Posy resolves to track down her exes …Is there hope for Matt, or will she fall back in love with an old flame? What about Lord Voldemort, the old boyfriend that cannot be named? And could Posy face up to the idea that, actually, one day she could live life on her own terms?
Mike Gayle - The Importance of Being a Bachelor - 13th May 
Despite the example of their own parents’ enduring marriage, the three Bachelor brothers show no signs of settling down. Adam has a string of glamorous girlfriends, but they aren’t suitable wife material. Luke has just proposed to Cassie but his refusal to consider having children looks like an insurmountable barrier. And baby of the family Russell is in love with the one woman he can’t have. Then their father announces he has been thrown out of the family home and this forces all three brothers to examine their own priorities. Are all three Bachelor brothers totally hopeless cases or just late starters?
Linda Green - Things I Wish I’d Known - 13th May
Remember when life revolved around what top to wear? Let Linda Green take you on a hilarious, romantic and touching journey back to your teenage years… When Claire Cooper was 15 she’d swear on her Wham! album that: big hair and rah-rah skirts were here to stay; Spandau Ballet would never split up; she would marry her idol, heart-throb footballer Andy Pailes. Fast forward 20 years and things haven’t gone quite to plan. And when Claire discovers the ‘dream list’ she wrote as a teenager, she realises how far removed her life is from the one she’d imagined. Divorced, stuck in a dead-end job and dating an ambulance-chasing personal injury lawyer, she decides it’s time to put her life back on track. But what really happened between Claire and her teen idol all those years ago? And is meeting him again the way to make her dreams come true? Or a huge mistake?
Clodagh Murphy - Girl in a Spin - 20th May
On the run from an unhappy childhood, Jenny Hannigan is a rootless party girl with a murky past and an uncertain future. But all she secretly craves is a life of domestic bliss and solid respectability. So when she crashes into the arms of Richard Allam – the young, handsome, recently separated leader of the Conservative Party, hotly tipped to lead them to victory in the upcoming election – she thinks she’s found exactly what she was looking for. But Jenny isn’t exactly perfect PM’s wife material and Richard recruits publicist extraordinaire, Dev Tennant as the Conservative Party’s spin doctor in the run-up to the election. His brief is to ‘spin’ Jenny to the Party and the public. But Jenny is a girl with a lot of skeletons in her closet, and as the election campaign gains momentum, someone is working overtime to ensure that every one of those skeletons gets its very own public parade. As Jenny’s life starts to spin out of control, suddenly, she isn’t sure what she wants anymore . . .
Diane Chamberlain - Before The Storm - 23rd May
Her little boy has been accused of murder. How far will she go to protect him? When the local church is razed to the ground, dozens of trapped children manage to escape - many helped by fifteen-year-old Andy Lockwood. Born with Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, Andy is more like a little boy than a teenager, but in the eyes of the people he saved, he’s a hero. Laurel lost her baby once through neglect and has spent the rest of her life determined to make up for her mistakes. Yet when suspicion of arson is cast upon Andy, Laurel must ask herself how well she really knows her son - and how far she’ll go to protect him.
Julia Williams - The Bridesmaid Pact - 27th May
One for all and all for one! As children, Sarah, Dorrie, Beth and Caz were inseparable and vowed to one day be each others bridesmaids. But life got complicated. Now they have one last chance to fulfil their promise. Dorrie is planning her ultimate Disney wedding to the delicious Darren and is determined to have her friends back together for the Big Day. But Dorrie’s fairytale is not all that it seems! Beth is desperate for a baby and is starting to resent her more fertile friends. Is a mistake from her past about to destroy her future? Caz’s wild streak has tested her friendships over the years. One by one she has let her friends down, not least when she commits the ultimate betrayal to Susan. Can she change her ways and more to the point, does she really want to? Married to Steve, Sarah is plagued by doubts that she went down the wrong path. Does Sarah have the strength to make a change and will she ever be able to forgive Caz? As Dorrie’s big day dawns, all eyes are on whether the ultimate act of friendship will be honoured and obeyed!
Melissa Hill - The Truth About You - 27th May
One morning in the small town of Lakeview, Ella Harris finds a cardboard box on the doorstop of her café. At first she thinks it’s her usual muffin delivery but is shocked to find that the box actually contains a newborn baby. But what kind of mother would abandon a defenceless baby like that, and why? Could it have been newly single Nina who, after being rejected by the father of her unborn child, has no choice but to return to Lakeview to stay with her estranged (and slightly peculiar) dad? Or was it Lakeview-born Hollywood actress Eva Seymour, who on the eve of her triumphant return home from LA, has a completely ill-advised fling with a handsome co-star. A baby is certain to ruin her hard-fought-for career. Or perhaps it’s happily married Jess who, as the only non-mum amongst her friends, finds herself increasingly left out. Terrified that she will lose them altogether, she embarks on becoming a mother too. But is she really rushing into something she really knows nothing about?
Alison Kervin - WAGs At The World Cup - 27th May
Forget Victoria Beckham. Forget Coleen. You can even forget Cheryl Cole…Tracie Martin is the true queen of the Wags. From her lemon-frosted highlights to the tips of her bejewelled bronzed toes, Tracie is the ultimate footballer’s wife and this is going to be her year. The England squad are heading to South Africa for the World Cup and Tracie’s husband Dean has a place on the coaching squad. So the Martin family are on their way to South Africa …And while the fight may be on for England to regain their rightful place in the history books, Tracie knows that the true battle of the tournament will be fought in Gucci and in the pages of her favourite tabloids. But that’s before she discovers that an international crime syndicate is trying to fix the world cup. Can Tracie save the day?
Alison Bond - A Reluctant Cinderella - 27th May
Samantha Sharp turned seventeen,left her old life behind and moved to London, determined to make her fortune.Ten years later and she’s a super-agent to the stars, with her name in the papers, millions in the bank, and one success after another. Love has taken a back seat because her past has put her off relationships for good. Everyone’s got a history but Samantha’s is particularly murky. What’s more, she hasn’t got to the top of her game without collecting a few enemies along the way. So when she meets a man who might be a little bit dangerous, someone she’s finally close to loving, is there anyone to tell her what a terrible mistake she’s making? Will Samantha find her happy ever after? And if her carefully hidden past comes into the light,will her fairytale coach turn back into a pumpkin? Samantha Sharp needs to find a way to cling onto her sparkle …
