You Are Viewing 2009 Releases

After her husband Tony ups and leaves her, Frankie McCormick swears off all men for good and has been raising her son and daughter, Ben and Carly, by herself since then. So when she first meets Owen Byrne, the last thing she’s expecting to happen is to fall in love with him.

Fall in love they do but it’s not without it’s disasters. For starters, Owen’s daughter Angelica hates Frankie and is doing all she can to break them up. Not to mention the fact their respective in-laws are doing their level best to also break them up. Throw in a bittersweet tragedy, stir in some faces from the past and watch as Frankie and Owen’s relationship is tested to the limit. Do the pair have what it takes to stay together or will they make the heartbreaking decision to go their separate ways and save their sanities?

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Ellen McCarthy’s third novel Silent Crossing was released in December and seems to be one we’ve missed thus far. It was published by Poolbeg Press and sounds like a fantastic and mysterious read. I love the simplicity of the cover. Here’s the synopsis:

A young man emerges from a car crash on a remote road in Boston. Although he walks away unscathed the crash has claimed an innocent life. Sixteen years later Melanie Yeats walks into a Garda station with her hands stained in blood. As she gradually reveals her story the detectives are left with more questions than answers.

What is the connection between Melanie, her missing husband, the car crash in Boston and the death of a young woman? Is Melanie a murderer or a victim? Whose blood is on her hands? Where will her story lead them?

Jennifer Boyde has no idea that her perfect life is about to unravel, so when she hears a voice message from her husband Robert to someone named Jon, Jen is perplexed. All soon becomes horribly clear to Jen and she can’t believe her orderly life has unravelled in such a way. Jen’s world is shaken to the core and becomes even more confusing when a face from the past reappears.

Jen met Kit Avery on an airbase in Germany and although she thought he was out of her league, they ended up dating for an entire summer. Jen thought Kit would be her one and only so when a tragic accident sends Kit away, Jen doesn’t think she’ll ever see him again. Years later, Kit and Jen meet again and are both forced to confront what happened that summer at the airbase, as well as their feelings for each other. Is it possible for your first love to really be your only love?

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Natalie thought she was happily settled with the love of her life Michael and that life was going just right for her. However, when he dumps her when she suggests moving in together, Natalie is distraught and doesn’t know what to do with herself. Things get worse when she manages to lose her well paid job as a lawyer, and then she ends up homeless too. Natalie goes speed-dating and meets Guy, who happens to be the answer to all of her problems.

Guy has a little flat in Rome that he needs doing up because he needs to sell it, and Natalie decides to take a risk and live out there for a while as she’s got nothing to hold her back at home. But Natalie doesn’t bank of falling in love with Rome and making the friends she does as well. Will Natalie ever want to leave the glorious Rome and Guy forever, or is it back to a lonely reality for Natalie?

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Kate O’Neill wants to settle down and have a family, so when her tree-hugging boyfriend Brian finally asks her to marry him, she says yes. She doesn’t even mind the fact there’s no ring to go with his proposal. Kate’s family, however, have other ideas and her mother Grace and sister Rachel set about sabotaging the engagement.

Their plan is to have Kate spend the summer in Tuscany with Will, the love of Kate’s life, in a bid to show Kate what she could have if she broke up with the tree-hugger. As Kate, Will and Walking Wounded (the band Will manages), head off to Tuscany, will Kate see that settling for second best isn’t what she wants and that it’s Will who truly is the love of her life?

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On Mandy Sanderson’s thirtieth birthday, it seems that she has everything going for her. She has a fab job, even better friends and a fantastic family. The only thing she seems to be missing is someone to love.

Until she meets Jake when she’s having her thirtieth birthday dinner at a posh restaurant. Mandy and Jake seem to click and she finally feels as if she’s found The One. It turns out, though, that Jake is already married with two children. Mandy never thought she’d be someone’s mistress but it seems she may have no choice in the matter…

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After being dumped six times in a row, twenty-something Sass decides enough is enough. On a night out with her friend Bloomie, Sass decides to begin The Dating Detox. For three months Sass will abide by numerous rules including: not making any new man-friends, not flirting with any man and most importantly, not going on any dates.

Will Sass be able to abide by The Dating Detox for three whole months? After the three months is up, will Sass go back to her destructive dating lifestyle or will she decide that, actually, being on her own is a lot more fun and far less hassle?

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Gemma Burgess’s debut novel, The Dating Detox, is due for release on December 24th and I read on Gemma’s website that if you emailed her, you could get the first three chapters. I did so and I also asked if it was OK to post them on the site and Gemma said yes! So… here they are. I’ve read the first three chapters and they’re hilarious and I can’t wait to read the book (look out for my review soon). Visit Gemma’s website to learn more about the book, more about Gemma and to see the fantastic postcards Gemma has made to get people interested in the book! Here’s the synopsis for The Dating Detox and read the first three chapters under the cut! You can also view the three chapters in PDF format by clicking here.

If you can’t date anyone nice, don’t date anyone at all. Dating is a dangerous sport. So after her sixth successive failed relationship, romantically-challenged 20-something Sass decides she’s had enough. The Dating Sabbatical is born. No men, no break-ups, no problem. The result? Her life – up till now joyfully/traumatically occupied with the Holy Trinity of dates, clothes and vodka – suddenly goes from bumpy to smooth. Chastity rocks. No wonder nuns are always singing. Everything seems to fall at her feet. Especially men. Will Sass break the rules before the three-month Dating Sabbatical is up? Why does fate keep throwing her in the path of the irritatingly amusing Jake? Will she ever roll the dice and play again? Or is a love-free life too good to risk losing?

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