There are a ton of novels released in March, it’s the busiest month of the year, it seems! There are debut authors in TV star Fern Britton, Irish author Shirley Benton along with Talli Roland, Claire Irvin, Helen Warner and more! There’s a new short story book by Cecelia Ahern, there’s the final installments in certain series from Kate Harrison, Patricia Scanlan and Gemma Townley. All in all, it’s one heck of a month for Chick Lit fans!

Shirley Benton – Looking For Leon – 1st March 2011

What would you do to find the one that got away? Andie hadn’t gambled on meeting the love of her life on a holiday in Las Vegas but when she meets Leon, love suddenly seems like a bet she can win. That is, until the wheel of fortune steps in and separates them during a fire drill. With next to no info on Leon, Andie finds it impossible to track him down despite staging a series of publicity stunts to get the media in on the act. Back in Ireland, journalist Andie begins to write a regular newspaper column about her search. Readers love it and a local TV station flies her back to Vegas to take up the hunt for the man she can t forget. What starts off as a simple low-budget documentary, spirals into a frenzied national media search. With the world’s most ambitious PR agent on board, Andie becomes a heroine for those who are looking for love. But does Leon want to be found?

Cecelia Ahern – The Girl In The Mirror – 3rd March 2011

Girl in the Mirror -

Lila knows how lucky she is to have found the man of her dreams. But when a secret from her family’s past comes to light on her wedding day, her destiny changes in the most unexpected of ways…

The Memory Maker -

They say you never forget your first love. But what happens when those cherished memories start to fade?

Some people would do anything to hold on to the past and, for one heartbroken man, that means finding a way to relive those precious moments…

Christina Hopkinson – The Pile of Stuff At The Bottom of the Stairs – 3rd March 2011

Mary Gilmour feels as though her life is going down a plug hole clogged with cornflakes and Play-Doh. Her job is part time but housework is full time, and she has no time at all for her two young sons. Mary is convinced that there is only one thing standing between her and organised contentment: his name is Joel and she’s married to him.

Since star charts have worked on improving the behaviour of their children, she designs an equivalent for her husband: a spreadsheet detailing every balled-up tissue, every sock on the floor, every wet towel on the bed. Although he has no idea of it, Joel has six months to prove that his credits outweigh his debits. Or else . . .

Talli Roland – The Hating Game – 9th March 2011

When man-eater Mattie Johns agrees to star on a dating game show to save her ailing recruitment business, she’s confident she’ll sail through to the end without letting down the perma-guard she’s perfected from years of her love ‘em and leave ‘em dating strategy. After all, what can go wrong with dating a few losers and hanging out long enough to pick up a juicy £50,000 prize? Plenty, Mattie discovers, when it’s revealed that the contestants are four of her very unhappy exes. Can Mattie confront her past to get the prize money she so desperately needs, or will her exes finally wreak their long-awaited revenge? And what about the ambitious TV producer whose career depends on stopping her from making it to the end? Who will win The Hating Game?

Fern Britton – New Beginnings – 17th March 2011

Christie Lynch’s life is about to change – for ever. A journalist and single mother of two, she can’t believe her luck when she is spotted by a talent agent during an appearance on daytime TV show, Tart Talk. Soon the nation’s sweetheart, Christie can’t help but love her new job and, for the first time in years, she can mend her leaking roof and buy her kids, Libby and Freddie, a few treats. But as her career soars, Christie’s forced to spend more and more time away from her kids and from Richard – the gorgeous single dad she recently met at the school gate. Can Christie find a way to balance her role as a mother with her increasingly demanding job? And will she make it in the cut-throat world of TV? Whatever happens, Christie’s going to give it all she’s got…

Kate Harrison – The Secret Shopper Affair – 17th March 2011

Best mates Sandie, Emily and Grazia have been through so much together: widowhood, divorce and redundancy for starters. They thought they’d be friends forever, but they reckoned without the dividing effects of men and money… Shopping guru Sandie is on a roll, with a baby on the way and Toby, her posh totty partner, proposing every five minutes. But when she realises the legendary Garnett’s Department Store is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, she knows she’s the only one to save it, even though Toby’s mother seems determined to scupper the rescue bid. For Emily, Sandie’s apparently perfect life is a bitter pill to swallow, especially as Emily’s been banned from having a second child by her boyfriend, Will, who is more interested in saving the planet than her. As the rifts grow, will she learn to stand on her own two feet, or give in to a new temptation? Glamorous Grazia tries to play peace-maker but she’s facing her own big decision: whether to develop her new career as an erotic embroidery artist… or give up on her talent for the sake of her new, needy lover? Can the magic of retail bring the secret shoppers back together, or is it time to shut up shop for good?

Patricia Scanlan – Love and Marriage – 17th March 2011

When love flies out the window married life can be hell. With an unplanned baby on the way, a newly-wed daughter whose marriage is already in trouble, a teenager who won’t eat and doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with her, and, hiding secrets from each other, Barry and Aimee are on a rocky road. When love flies in the window ex-wives can cause a lot of trouble. And Marianna is going to cause as much trouble as she possibly can to make sure that her former husband is not going to waltz down the aisle with his new love. Families in crisis, passion, tragedy, and the healing powers of love – Patricia Scanlan’s brilliant and heartwarming new novel re-introduces us to the characters in Forgive and Forget and Happy Ever After, and brings their story to a triumphant conclusion.

Claire Irvin – Cougars – 17th March 2011

Caroline Walker has it all. At 42, her immaculate looks and toned body are of a woman half her age. She’s a successful entrepreneur, and juggles her career with domestic bliss: wife of City trading sensation Les Walker, and mother to their teenage daughter Rachel. But when Caroline learns that Les has been having an affair, her perfect world falls apart. Caroline is suddenly single - something she hasn’t been in a very long time. With the help of Maryanne, her outgoing and ex-Hollywood starlet friend, Caroline’s life is transformed into a glamorous social whirl as she discovers her missing twenties. And the young men she should have been dating then, too …But is Caroline ready to put the past behind her? And can true love really strike twice?

Amanda Brookfield – Before I Knew You – 17th March 2011

Would you swap houses with a family of strangers? The price you pay might be greater than you think . . . Sophie and Andrew are looking for relief from the daily grind – if not each other – so when a friend puts them in touch with William and Beth, newlyweds looking to swap houses for the summer, it seems a solution of sorts. They find themselves in a stylish Connecticut home, a stone’s throw from New York, while William and Beth take over their lived-in family house in South London, ideal for spending time with William’s teenaged sons. The weeks away work an unexpected magic for Sophie, who begins to find a sense of happiness . . . although Beth has no such luck and, no longer the centre of William’s world, grows increasingly miserable. And so the two marriages – one crushed by the weight of years, one shiny and new – slide into reverse. The intertwining of these lives and hearts begins to have dramatic consequences none of them could have foreseen . . . and all are powerless to stop.

Megan Crane – I Love The 80s – 17th March 2011

Jenna Jenkins was getting married to her long-term boyfriend, Adam, and she was sure her life was all coming together. Until Adam left her for a twenty-three-year-old yoga instructor. To ease the pain, Jenna threw herself into her teenage memories of the late, great Tommy Seer, killed when his car crashed off a bridge in 1987, when she was just twelve, and focusing on the man who has been - and always will be - the true love of her life, however worrying that may seem to her best friend, Aimee. One day, working late, or thinking about Tommy at her office after dark, a freak accident sends Jenna back to 1987. It’s a few short months before Tommy will die and Jenna’s job is apparently working as his assistant. But Tommy is not the guy she imagined. He’s mean and rude and obnoxious. But he is still deliciously good-looking. When Tommy takes her into his confidence, she starts to see the real him beneath the image and finds herself more in love than ever. He suspects someone is trying to kill him - and she knows it won’t be long before they succeed. Why is she here? Is she meant to save his life? But how can she without revealing the bizarre, unbelievable truth?

Helen Warner – RSVP – 17th March 2011

Four women, one wedding and a day to remember - or rather forget …Anna’s world is rocked when she receives an invitation to her ex Toby’s nuptials - Toby was The One, The Love of Her Life, The One That Got Away. Will attending his Big Day finally give her the sense of closure she so desperately craves? Or will it only re-open old wounds? Clare is Anna’s best friend, the person who was there for her when she and Toby split all those years ago. But little does Clare know that Toby’s wedding day will also change her own life for ever. Ella is a classic femme fatale. She loves men and leaves them without a backward glance. But the one person who’s never fallen for her charms is Toby. As he prepares to get hitched, is it too late for a last-ditch attempt to win his heart? Finally, Rachel is the blushing bride-to-be. This should be the happiest day of her life. So how come she feels nothing but a terrible sense of foreboding?

Katie Fforde – Summer of Love – 17th March 2011

Sian Bishop has only ever experienced one moment of recklessness – a moment that resulted in her beloved son Rory. It’s not that she doesn’t love the outcome of that wild night, but since then she has always taken the safer route. So when dependable, devoted Richard suggests a move to the beautiful English countryside, she leaves the hustle and bustle of the city behind, and she throws herself into the picture-postcard cottage garden, her furniture restoration business, and a new life in the country. Her good intentions are torpedoed on a glorious summer’s evening with the arrival of Gus Berresford. One-time explorer and full-time heartbreaker, Gus is ridiculously exciting, wonderfully glamorous and a completely inappropriate love interest for a single mum. But Gus and Sian have met before… Sian has no use for a fling, she simply mustn’t fall in love with the most unlikely suitor ever to cross her path – even if he has now crossed her path twice. But who knows what can happen in a summer of love…

Kate Thompson – That Gallagher Girl – 17th March 2011

Times are hard in the village of Lissamore on Ireland’s West Coast. So it’s lucky that free-spirited Cat Gallagher knows a thing or two about breaking and entering. When her beloved houseboat burns down she finds herself eyeing up the abandoned Villa which seems to suit her purposes admirably. But when a mystery buyer turns up, Cat is in a quandary. She needs money, a roof over her head and for the first time in her life Cat needs a helping hand… Rio Kinsella is also in a predicament. She is in possession of a secret that has the potential to transform not only her own life, but the lives of those dearest to her. Before long, Rio finds herself lost in a labyrinth of lies, deceit and good intentions gone wrong. Can the two women find a way through their problems? That Gallagher Girl takes us back to the wonderful world of Lissamore with another heart-warming tale filled with a wonderful cast of characters. Full of tears and laughter it is the perfect read for fans of Cathy Kelly and Maeve Binchy.

Pippa Wright – Lizzy Harrison Loses Control – 18th March 2011

‘Have you ever noticed that the modern romantic heroine can be, not to put too fine a point on it, a bit useless?’ Lizzy Harrison has everything under control. Lizzy Harrison isn’t a romantic heroine. Not even close. She doesn’t have a cat, owns no more shoes than the average person, and is in no way hopelessly scatty and disorganised. In fact her life is in perfect order, and that’s just how she likes it. Okay, so she hasn’t met the right man yet, but she really doesn’t have the time what with her busy job in PR and her packed schedule of improving activities. Her diary is planned months in advance and she’s determined that nothing spontaneous will force its way into her life. …hasn’t she? But when her best friend Lulu questions her need for control, Lizzy starts to wonder if she needs to let go a little. So when she’s thrown into the arms of her boss’s number one client, notorious comedian (and love-rat) Randy Jones, she reluctantly relaxes her hold on routine. Lizzy Harrison is about to find out that losing control could win her more than she had ever imagined.

Sue Welfare – The Surprise Party – 30th March 2011

One idyllic family, or so it seemed… The party was supposed to be the ultimate surprise, but instead it turned out to be the most ordinary event of the day… When warring sisters Suzie and Liz come together to organise a 40th anniversary party for their parents, they struggle to keep their personal dramas in check and make it a magical day. Suzie is struggling to keep her marriage afloat and Liz is keen to retain her Queen Bee status. Their aunt and mother are much the same, with Lilly and Fleur at loggerheads over their very different lives. Meanwhile Suzie’s daughters Hannah and Megan are learning that growing up isn’t as easy as their parents profess. As the champagne flows and the drama unfolds, it quickly becomes clear that this is a party that no-one will ever forget – but will there be a happy family left at the end?

Nicky Schmidt – Marrying Out of Money – 30th March 2011

Marrying Out of Money follows the life and loves of a rich coffee heiress Lou, who is madly infatuated with the less than erudite, tree-hugging, scruffy-to-the-point-of-smelly Hedge- member of rock band 4BY4. Lou’s social-climbing mother decides that enough is enough, and hooks up with a poverty stricken aristocrat to arrange a marriage between Lou and the snotty, outrageously good looking Harry Partington- 40th in line to the throne. Not surprisingly, it’s hate on first sight. Still desperately in love with rock star Hedge, but with her beloved father ill and wanting nothing more than to see her married, Lou sets about making herself so repulsive that the aristocrats decide that a future on a derelict council estate is preferable to having her as a daughter-in-law. Of course, nothing goes according to plan, and the coffee heiress finds herself questioning the wisdom of her actions, when she discovers that horrible Harry has a sensitive side after all.

Sophie Page – To Marry A Prince – 31st March 2011

One night is about to change Bella’s life for ever… Bella Greenwood isn’t a fairytale girl. If pushed, she’d probably tell you that her perfect wedding would involve a handful of close friends and family. But as she’s never met anyone she’d like to marry, it’s a moot point. Until, in a midnight garden, Bella is helped out of an embarrassing situation by a tall, dark, handsome man with laughing eyes. And suddenly her life changes for ever, because the man is the world’s most eligible bachelor: Prince Richard, heir to the throne. Richard sweeps her off her feet, and before she knows it they’re engaged. Which is when Bella’s problems really begin. Suddenly she is public property, and as if it isn’t enough to have her every move watched – while also learning to curtsy and negotiating the etiquette of how to address her future mother-in-law – she soon finds herself embroiled in bridesmaid politics, a right royal hen night, and a wedding dress controversy that causes a national scandal… Can this ordinary girl survive the preparations for her very own Royal Wedding?

Ceri Radford – A Surrey State of Affairs – 31st March 2011

Constance Harding’s comfortable corner of the Home Counties is her own little piece of heaven. Her time is spent party-planning (disastrous), matchmaking for her startlingly well-dressed son Rupert (catastrophic), and dreaming of the hat aisles at John Lewis. But she’s about to learn that her perfect home conceals scandal that would make the vicar blush. Her Lithuanian housekeeper’s polyester underwear keeps appearing in her husband’s study, her parrot has gained a troubling new vocabulary and her daughter is turning into a Lycra-clad gap-year strumpet. As her family falls apart, Constance embarks on an extraordinary journey. From tripping in Ibiza to riding with a handsome Argentinean gaucho whose only English words are ‘Britney’ and ‘Spears’, Constance discovers a wider world she thought it was too late to find …

Chrissie Manby – Kate’s Wedding – 31st March 2011

Thirty-nine-year-old Kate had almost given up on love when she met her fiancé. Now she’s planning for the wedding she never dreamed she’d have. But things seem to be slipping out of her control.

Diana, born on the day of the 1981 Royal Wedding, never doubted that one day she would find her prince. Newly engaged, and with daddy’s credit card in her grasp, she’s in full Bridezilla mode.

Against the backdrop of the other couple getting married in April 2011, both women prepare for the most important day of their lives.

But will each bride get her perfect day? Or will it all become a right royal fiasco?

Gemma Townley – An Ideal Wife – 31st March 2011

Married to the man she loves - sweet, sexy Max - Jessica Wild-Wainwright is blissfully happy…except for one tiny little problem. She never confessed to an (almost) tryst with Max’s biggest rival right before their wedding. Eaten up with guilt, and with looming threats of exposure, Jessica decides to give Max what he clearly still lacks: the Ideal Wife. With the help of her friends, she will become perfect in every way: doting, devoted, domestic-everything Max deserves. However, the path to perfection is fraught with peril, from culinary chaos to a boudoir disaster that puts Max in the hospital with a broken leg. As Jessica rallies to run Max’s company - met with overt hostility by an obsessive co-worker and by an auditor determined to uncover everyone’s secrets - things are decidedly less than ideal. Throw in a semi-retired Russian stripper and strange men watching her apartment, and Jessica fears Project Ideal Wife has backfired miserably. Can a less than perfect wife save the day?

Kim Gruenenfeler – Wedding Fever – 31st March 2011

Finding Mr Right and saying ‘yes’ was just the beginning… Nicole has a wedding to organise, but first she has a cake to bake. After listening to her closest friends’ latest troubles, bride-to-be Nicole believes she has the perfect recipe for everyone’s happiness. So she sets to work on a hen party “cake pull” in which each ribboned silver charm planted in her cake will bring its recipient the magic she needs to change her destiny. Melissa, still ringless after dating the same man for six years, deserves the engagement ring charm. The red hot chilli pepper would be perfect for Seema, who is in love with her best friend Scott, but can’t seem to make their relationship more than platonic. And out-of-work journalist Nicole wants the shovel, which symbolizes hard work, to help her get her career back on track. But when the charmed cake is mysteriously shifted from the place settings Nicole arranged, no one gets the charm she chose for them. And when the other party guests’ fortunes begin coming true, Mel, Seema, and Nicole can’t help but wonder… Is the cake trying to tell them something?

Fiona Walker – Kiss & Tell – 31st March 2011

With tight breeches and loose morals, the horse trials circuit is a hell-for-leather chase across the magnificent parkland of England’s finest country estates. Flirtation is compulsory sport; love is a professional hazard. Silver-tongued charmer Rory Midwinter is quite at home in this hedge-jumping, bed-hopping world of competitive weekend house parties. Having been born into the saddle, and with a rock star owner as patron, he has no intention of settling down. Only his long-term groom Faith has other ideas. Tash and Hugo Beauchamp are the undisputed golden couple of British three-day eventing, but their mettle is put to the test by the arrival of The Devil on Horseback, brooding Kiwi rider, Lough Strachan. Lough holds the key to Hugo’s darkest secret, and he intends to use it to access his greatest rival’s beautiful wife.

Jo Carnegie – Dirty Tricks – 31st March 2011

SEX IN THE CITY OR SEX IN THE COUNTRY? Saffron loves the London party and fashion scenes. So she’s extra nervous about abandoning it all for six months in the country to Write Her Novel. Of course, she’ll miss gorgeous boyfriend Tom but at least his supermodel twin brother will be there to keep her company. So when does keeping her company cross the line? Harriet has swapped her country life for a London career and a part time job at a community centre desperately in need of saving. Here she meets Zack . . . but what secrets lurk behind those sexy blue eyes of his? New lives, new temptations. Have both girls bitten off more than they can chew?

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