July is a busy, busy month in the Chick Lit world, with a whopping 12 releases on the 21st July alone. However it sees the release of the much anticipated sequel to Johnny Be Good, Baby Be Mine (woohoo!) by Paige Toon. Belinda Jones is back and is taking us to California and Sasha Wagstaff takes us to France in her perfume-centric Heaven Scent. We’d love to know which books you lot are all looking forward to. Me? I want to eat them all.
Sheila O’Flanagan – All For You – 7th July 2011
As TV’s favourite weather forecaster, Lainey is good at making predictions. But what she doesn’t foresee is that her own life is about to hit a stormy patch. With a string of failed relationships behind her, surely history isn’t about to repeat itself with her beloved Ken? To add fuel to the fire, her estranged mother announces that she’s returning to Dublin. Deanna has always been dismissive of Lainey’s choices - particularly in men. And Deanna’s lectures are the last thing Lainey needs now.Yet is there more to her mother than she knows? Uncovering some long-concealed family secrets, Lainey begins to reassess her life. Is the happy-ever-after she’s always dreamed of really what she wants after all?
Kate Morris – Seven Days One Summer – 7th July 2011
Eight old friends reunite for a week in the sun… What could possibly go wrong? When her old flame Sam rings up one day and invites her on a villa holiday in Italy, Jen is completely thrown off balance. Sam, as she cannot help but recall, was the best kiss of her life. With her husband Marcus constantly travelling the world for work, and seven-year-old Alfie still in the marital bed, the joys of marriage and motherhood are thin on the ground for Jen these days… What could be more appealing than being with old friends and recapturing a little bit of their youth? Two months later, Jen and Marcus arrive at the stunning Villa La Silerchie. There to greet them are Jen’s best friend Tara and her new husband Dave, a struggling writer; there’s also vain, neurotic Miranda and her fiancé Toby; Jack, a handsome and successful actor, recently separated; and Sam – funny, laid-back, sexy Sam… Everything’s set for the holiday of a lifetime; but as the week progresses, and tensions rise in the August heat, relationships unravel, old rivalries re-emerge, and uncomfortable truths have to be faced. Who knew what seven days in the sun could lead to…
Colette Caddle – Always On My Mind – 7th July 2011
Old flames, new temptations …With only a few weeks to go until her Dublin wedding, Molly Jackson is happily anticipating married life with Declan, her boyfriend of four years. Her sister Laura has all the arrangements firmly in hand, from the designer dresses to the prestigious venue; and if Molly would have been happier with something a little more low-key, she can hardly complain. She’s got everything she ever wanted: her perfect job, as an agony aunt for online magazine Teenage Kix; Declan, the love of her life; and, in Belle, Oliver, Rory and Laura, a loving and warm, if slightly eccentric family. Then Declan drops his bombshell: he has to go abroad, on business. The wedding must be postponed. Hurt, and reeling from the shock, Molly is seeing Declan off at the airport when she bumps into Luke Fortune. Luke, her childhood sweetheart, left the country when they were both eighteen. It’s been almost twelve years, and Molly thought she had moved on. But, seeing Luke again, she realises that she has a window of opportunity, while Declan is away, to put a few of the ghosts in her past to rest.
Louise Douglas – The Secrets Between Us - 7th July 2011
A chance encounter: When Sarah meets dark, brooding Alex,she grasps his offer of a new life miles away from her own. They’ve both recently escaped broken relationships, and need to start again. Why not do it together? A perfect life: But when Sarah gets to the tiny village of Burrington Stoke, something doesn’t add up. Alex’s beautiful wife Genevieve was charming, talented, and adored by all who knew her. And apparently, she and Alex had a successful marriage complete with a gorgeous son, Jamie. Why would Genevieve walk out on her perfect life? And why has no one heard from her since she did so? A web of lies: Genevieve’s family and all her friends think that Alex knows more about her disappearance than he’s letting on. But Sarah’s fallen in love with him and just knows he couldn’t have anything to hide. Or could he?
Judy Astley – The Look of Love – 7th July 2011
Bella has given up on men. Happily divorced, her latest boyfriend just omitted to tell her about his current wife, so she’s back on her own again. Then her ex-husband turns up, wanting to sell the family home in which she and their two teenage children are well settled.
But all their lives are changed when a television company rents the house for a reality TV fashion makeover programme. Against her better judgment Bella finds herself taking part in the programme, and while she learns a little bit too much about what really goes on behind the scenes, she also discovers that love can appear in the most unexpected places…
JJ Salem – The Strip – 15th July 2011
For three Las Vegas women, the Strip is an adults-only playground, a neon-splashed boulevard where excitement, seduction, and betrayal never go to sleep: Kristin Fox - the bestselling writer of controversial and sexy bestsellers who hungers for passion outside the pages of her money-making fiction. Jennifer Payne – the insightful marriage and family therapist who has an answer for every relationship problem except the one happening in her own bedroom. Billie Shelton – the casino showroom headliner who has been saved, remade, and quietly shattered by a darkly obsessive Svengali husband. And they share one magnificent man: Cam Lawford, the ultimate stud-for-hire who has gone from roaring crowds in sports stadiums to willing and generous women in luxury hotels. But who knew the business of sex and satisfaction could be such a dangerous game? J.J. Salem lays bare the high-octane glamour and gritty reality of a world where lovers and gamblers play to win. THE STRIP is a wild, wicked, and gloriously promiscuous novel that will keep you up all night.
Paige Toon – Baby Be Mine – 21st July 2011
‘He’s not mine, is he?’ That’s the question I fear the most. You see, I have a secret. My son is not fathered by my boyfriend, but by one of the most famous rock stars that ever lived. And he doesn’t even know it. One-time celebrity personal assistant to wild boy of rock Johnny Jefferson, Meg Stiles is now settled and living in the south of France with her doting boyfriend Christian and their son Barney. But they’re living a lie - a lie that will turn their lives upside down and inside out - because as Barney reaches his first birthday, Meg can no longer deny that her son is growing to look more and more like his rock star father every day, and less and less like Christian, and sooner or later, the world is going to realise …
Sasha Wagstaff – Heaven Scent – 21st July 2011
A warm, witty and wildly romantic read set in the sizzling south of France When Cat Hayes impulsively marries a handsome, penniless French waiter in St Tropez, she didn’t realise she’d be widowed in just a few weeks. Neither did she know that her late husband was actually Oliver Ducasse, heir to the Ducasse perfume empire. Invited by the Ducasse family to their glamorous French mansion, Cat finds a family in chaos. What’s more she’s regarded her with suspicion and hostility, especially by Olivier’s playboy cousin Xavier. Will she run for the hills as fast as her high heels can carry her? Or will she realise that she is exactly what this mixed-up family truly needs?
Eleanor Moran – Breakfast In Bed – 21st July 2011
TAKE ONE NEWLY SINGLE WOMAN: At 31, Amber is being bombarded with wedding invitations just as she’s collecting her divorce papers - and her bossy best friend has gone one step further and made her chief bridesmaid. It’s high time Amber regained control of her life - so she goes after the career she’s always dreamed of as a top chef. ADD A PASSIONATE AND FIERY CELEBRITY COOK: Amber’s joy at landing herself a coveted role in Oscar Retford’s kitchen soon fades as she discovers Oscar is as famous for his furious temper and addiction to firing people as he is for the legendary meals he creates. TURN UP THE HEAT: Keen to keep herself out of the firing line, and to avoid thinking about why her marriage crashed and burned, Amber throws herself into her job. But as passions start to run high, and her past catches up with her, it looks like Amber’s cooked up a recipe for disaster …
Rowan Coleman – Lessons In Laughing Out Loud – 21st July 2011
Willow and Holly are identical twins. They are everything to each other. Holly calls Willow her rock, her soul mate, her other half. And Willow feels the same about Holly. They are alike in every respect except one – Willow is afraid on the inside. And all because of a secret – one that binds the sisters closely together and yet has meant their adult lives have taken two very different paths. Willow often feels there are large parts of her missing, qualities she only knows she’s lacking because she sees them in her sister. For a very long time Willow has felt separated from Holly by one terrible moment in time – a moment that meant Willow’s life was never the same again. And when the past catches up with her, Willow realises it’s finally time for her to face her fears, and – with Holly’s help – learn to laugh out loud once more…
Jemma Forte – From London With Love – 21st July 2011
Everyone wants to be famous, don’t they? Not Jessica Granger. Her father was the movie star who played the world’s favourite James Bond and, worse, her mother was voted sexiest-ever Bond Girl for her role as Heavenly Melons. Like it or not, fame is in her blood. But Jessica dearly wants to be someone in her own right. So she flees Hollywood for London, seeking independence in a city where nobody knows her name. But when she finds a job as a celebrity booker on a chat show she realizes the more friends she makes, the harder it is to keep up the lies about who she is. And when Jessica falls for Paul, a writer on the show, her life as a double agent causes double trouble. With the truth of her past about to explode into her new world, can Jessica convince Paul she’s the real deal? Or maybe a sprinkling of the old 007 magic will spice up her love life?
Santa Montefiore – The House By The Sea – 21st July 2011
An irresistibly compelling from the internationally bestselling author Ten-year-old Floriana is captivated by the beauty of the magnificent Tuscan villa that overlooks the sea just outside her small village. She likes to spy from the crumbling wall into the gardens, and imagine that one day she’ll escape her meagre existence and live there. One day, Dante, the son of the villa’s powerful industrialist owner, invites her inside. From that moment on Floriana knows that her destiny is there, with him. But as they grow up they cross an unseen line, jeopardising the very thing they hold most dear. Decades later and hundreds of miles away, a beautiful old country house hotel on England’s Devon coast has fallen on hard times. Its owner, Marina, advertises for an artist-in-residence to stay the summer and teach the guests how to paint. Rafael Santoro is charismatic and wise, and soon begins to pacify the discord in her family. However, Rafa is not who he seems. He has his own agenda. Whether to destroy, to seduce, or to heal, it is certain to affect them all. Spanning four decades and sweeping from the Italian countryside to the English coast, this new story by Santa Montefiore is a moving and mysterious tale of love, forgiveness and the past revealed.
Belinda Jones – California Dreaming – 21st July 2011
Ever wished you could make-over your life? Make-up artist Stella is an expert at helping other people change their images, but when it comes to transforming herself, she doesn’t even know where to start. So when her new friend, glamorous Hollywood actress Marina Ray, summons her a movie set in California, Stella can’t resist the chance to start afresh - it is the land of sunshine and opportunity after all! But are they really friends or does Marina have an ulterior motive? What is the secret that both women are hiding about the nautical (but nice) men in their lives? And what will it take to really make both of their California dreams come true? In a Pacific Coast journey that takes in Los Angeles, the world’s most romantic ranch and California’s very own castle in the sky - this story of friendship, long-distance love, kissing (and making up) is the perfect escapist read.
Wendy Holden – Marrying Up – 21st July 2011
She stopped at nothing. To get everything. Scheming social climber Alexa may be humbly born. But she’s a class-hopping cruise missile aimed at the very top of the gold-digging tree. Only a title, mansion and family tiara will do. Befriending feckless aristo Florrie (three surnames plus black hole where her brain should be) means the grandest doors swing open and the prince of her dreams is in sight. But has Florrie’s mother, the formidable Lady Annabel, rumbled what Alexa is up to? Beautiful but penniless student Polly, meanwhile, is in love. Is Max, the handsome young vet she’s found in a country lane, quite as ordinary as he seems, however? Passionate love, eye-widening snobbery and more than naked ambition abound in this contemporary Cinderella tale - a deliciously satirical novel of the upwardly mobile.
Lesley Lokko – A Private Affair – 21st July 2011
Sam, the ugly duckling who grew into a swan. Now beautiful and wealthy, with a glittering career, no one can understand why she’s still on her own. When she meets a handsome stranger on holiday, things finally seem to be falling into place… Meagan, a true survivor. The teenage runaway who worked her way off the streets, she was swept off her feet by Tom, a young army officer, to live on the other side of the world, finally escaping the family she loathed… Dani, the beautiful misfit, desperately looking for daddy in all the wrong places, and finding instead a man who will teach her everything that is wrong and corrupt about love. And Abby, the model wife, everything her husband and family could want and more, but never being herself. Until a dark secret threatens to pull her well-ordered life apart. A Private Affair is the new spellbinding tale of love and friendship, glamour and guilt from bestselling author Lesley Lokko.
Katie Price – The Come-Back Girl – 21st July 2011
Once upon a time, Eden had it all; she was one of the most successful young singers in the UK, and the darling of the pop industry. Life couldn’t have been better. But just two years after a sell-out tour, Eden is regarded as a has-been, better known for her drinking and the kiss-and-tell stories that a string of men have sold to the papers. Desperate to get back in the big time, Eden begins recording a new album with songwriter Jack Steele, a man who drives her crazy for all the wrong reasons. And then she’s asked to be a judge on the TV talent show Band Ambition. It’s just the break she needs and she’s determined not to mess it up, so falling in love with Stevie, a contestant on the show, is probably not a very good idea. But Eden has always followed her heart, and she is sure Stevie is ‘the one’. But is Eden setting herself up for another fall?
Alice Peterson – Monday to Friday Man – 21st July 2011
What do you do if you’re 34, single and recovering from being jilted two weeks before your wedding day? This is the dilemma Gilly Brown finds herself in. While friends are marrying, having children and moving into the depths of the countryside, Gilly finds herself alone in London and holding on to her fractured family with their tragic past. It’s time to meet new people. So, she decides to get a Monday to Friday lodger, and after a succession of alarming interviews finally finds the perfect one in the shape of handsome reality television producer Jack Baker. Gilly falls for Jack’s charm and is transported into an exciting social whirlwind of parties, dining out and glamour. When Jack is introduced to Gilly’s family and friends, it’s only the attractive and eccentric Guy, the newest recruit to her dog-walking group, who isn’t quite so convinced about Jack’s intentions. As Guy watches them grow closer, his suspicions of Jack and his feelings for Gilly deepen. Is Jack so perfect after all… and what exactly does he get up to at the weekends?
Catherine Alliott – A Rural Affair – 21st July 2011
Newly widowed Poppy Shilling should be feeling distraught at the death of her husband, Phil. But, instead, she can’t help feeling relieved. No longer will she have to endure Phil’s iron fist ruling over her and their two young children, or his unfortunate penchant for lycra cycling wear. What’s more, when a secret is revealed after his death, Poppy’s memories of their life together are turned upside down. Freed from the shackles of her loveless marriage, Poppy is determined not to make the same mistakes again. Fully embracing village life, she becomes the object of the local menfolk’s affections- from Bob, the resident odd ball, to Luke, the sexy church organist. But it’s just her luck that the one man who catches her eye can’t seem to let go of his glamorous ex wife… Will Poppy have the courage to follow her heart and refuse to settle for second best? It’s time for a new beginning, and a chance to discover what real love feels like…
Erin Kaye – The Promise of Happiness – 28th July 2011
Louise McNeill arrives home to the idyllic Irish town of Ballyfergus, hoping that it will provide the sanctuary she desperately craves. But as they start over again, will she and her three-year-old son Oli be able to build the life they dream of? A heart-warming tale of family and friendship for fans of Cathy Kelly and Maeve Binchy. It’s a family affair… Louise McNeill arrives home to the idyllic Irish town of Ballyfergus, hoping that it will provide the sanctuary she desperately craves. Starting again with her three-year-old son Oli, Louise’s heart is full of apprehension. To make matters worse, Louise’s sister Joanne seems far from happy as she watches Louise’s little family blossom. But as Joanne grapples with her ‘perfect’ marriage, is everything as idyllic as it seems? Meanwhile Louise’s youngest sister Sian has decided she doesn’t want children and wants to dedicate her life to ecological living with husband Andy. But is this a mask to disguise a bigger issue? And is Andy ready to sacrifice parenthood? Join the McNeill family as they attempt to come together to provide the love and support that they all need – whether they know it or not. Perfect for fans of Maeve Binchy and Cathy Kelly.
When baby Grace’s mother is killed in a tragic accident just a short while after giving birth, Grace is put into the system to become adopted. Soon, she is matched with David and Leila, a couple who can’t have their own children and are desperate to become parents. However, Grace’s biological Matt, a young school boy who isn’t deemed suitable to look after his own daughter by the social care system, is desperate to keep his daughter. However, in order to be able to keep his daughter, he has to get his mother back from Africa and back into her unhappy marriage with her husband Perry. Matt’s family enlist the help of their friend Jake to bring back Deborah and help save Grace once and for all. But David and Leila are desperate and don’t want to give up Grace without a fight. It’s up to the courts to decide who is best to look after Grace - her dad and biological family, or adoptive parents who are desperate for a child - how can they ever choose?
