Erica James Books

Contents: -- Paradise house / Erica James -- A special relationship / Douglas Kennedy -- The children's hour / Marcia Willett.

The compelling new novel from bestselling author Erica James

Another heartbreaking but glorious tale of secrets and love from the Sunday Times bestselling author Erica James...

At 30, Katie Lavender thinks she is better than most when it comes to dealing with life's surprises. But when she gets a request to visit a solicitor, she's not expecting the dramatic turn her life is about to take. There, she receives a letter from her deceased mother that literally changes everything she ever knew about herself... The Real Katie Lavender is the delightful, sparkling new novel from Sunday Times bestseller Erica James.

Full of warmth and appeal GOOD HOUSEKEEPING 20180101

A sweeping family drama of old secrets and new beginnings... 'A satisfying treat' Adele Parks, Platinum 'A compelling family drama' Sarah Morgan 'Wise and warm with plenty of twists and turns' Rachel Hore 'Emotional and uplifting' Veronica Henry 'Captivating and vivid' Miranda Dickinson

In order to spend more time with her young son, Ned, Clara Costello trades in her secure job and two-seater sports car for a camper van called Winnie. The three of them set off on a mystery tour of adventure. When they arrive in Deaconsbridge, a small market town on the edge of the Peak District, they soon become drawn into the lives of the locals. Two in particular seem destined to get under Clara's skin: Gabriel Liberty, a cranky widower whose family are so scared of him they keep away; and Archie Merryman, a local dealer in secondhand furniture, possessed of a heart of gold. While offering them both a helping hand, just to tide them over, Clara finds herself having to confront a problem much closer to home, and one she had hoped she would never have to face...

First love can last a lifetime...The brand new novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author of LOVE AND DEVOTION.

A compelling, emotional roller-coaster of a novel about love and forgiveness.

SUNDAY TIMES bestseller Erica James returns with her delightful new novel about lost love, fate and second chances. Summer at the Lake. . . Floriana loves her job as an Oxford tour guide and thrives on the variety each day brings - one day it could be leading an Inspector Morse and Lewis tour, another day it could be a Pre-Raphaelite tour. Her biggest failing is that she's a habitual procrastinator and this leads her to put off telling the one true love of her life how she felt about him until it was too late. Now, out of the blue, after two years of not speaking, she receives a card from Seb announcing his forthcoming marriage. It's a card that sets off a chain of events that ensures life is about to change for Floriana. For if she hadn't been so distracted by Seb's news, she would have seen the car coming. . . And if she'd seen the car, there would have been no need for Adam Strong, a local property developer, and elderly spinster Esme Silcox to rush to her aid. And if she hadn't met Adam and Esme she would never have had the courage to agree to attend Seb's wedding in beautiful Lake Como. But if she goes, can she be trusted not to leap from her seat and cry, 'It should have been me!'?

A captivating story about friendship, making changes, and learning to live life to the fullest from SUNDAY TIMES bestseller Erica James A cherished home, a circle of friends and a summer that will change everything... Linston End has been the summer holiday home for three families for many years. A rambling thatched house nestled on the water's edge on the Norfolk Broads, it's a haven of long, lazy picnics on the river, gin and tonics in the garden; a place to spend time together. But this year, the friends are rocked by unexpected news, and it seems that Linston End will never be the same again. For some, this summer feels like the end. For others, it might just be the beginning. . . 'Joyously readable' Woman & Home 'I wanted it to go on forever' Cathy Bramley

Bestselling author Erica James explores the stories of a potent mix of characters who meet at a creative writers' group.

A gorgeous tale of friendship and love from Sunday Times bestseller Erica James. Ashcombe was the most beautiful house Saskia had ever seen as a little girl. A rambling pink cottage on the edge of the Suffolk village of Melbury Green, its enchanting garden provided a fairy-tale playground of seclusion, a perfect sanctuary to hide from the tragedy which shattered her childhood. Now an adult, Saskia is still living at Ashcombe and as a book restorer devotes her days tending to the broken, battered books that find their way to her, daydreaming about the people who had once turned their pages. When she discovers a notebook carefully concealed in an old Bible - and realising someone has gone to a great deal of trouble to hide a story of their own - Saskia finds herself drawn into a heart-rending tale of wartime love...

If you've ever dreamed of starting over, then this bestselling novel from Erica James is just what you need...

The Gardens of Delight brochure promises the opportunity to visit some of the most beautiful gardens in the Lake Como area of Italy. For Lucy, the chance to go to Italy offers more than just gardens. Lake Como is where her father lives, and the last time she saw him was when she was just a teenager. Recently married Helen and her wealthy husband have just moved into the Old Rectory. With her husband spending so much time away from home, Helen throws herself into caring for the garden. But Helen needs help - and friends - and so decides to take the plunge and join the local Garden Club. Conrad isn't the least bit interested in gardening. Widowed for five years, his life revolves around work and humouring Mac, his elderly uncle who lives with him, and who has expressed a desire to go on the Gardens of Delight tour. Reluctantly, Conrad agrees to accompany him. 'Anything for a peaceful life,' he concedes. But a peaceful life is the last thing any of them are in for...

A gripping novel about how friendships survive the best and worst of times from the bestselling author of SUMMER AT THE LAKE. Dan and Sally Oliver and their friend Chloe Hennessey are lucky to be alive. Three years on, after surviving one of the world's biggest natural disasters - the Boxing Day tsunami - their lives have changed dramatically. Dan and Sally are now parents. Dan is enjoying being a stay-at-home father taking care of their young son, and Sally is the breadwinner and loves her job as a partner in a Manchester law firm. The arrangement has so far worked well, but when Dan starts to question whether Sally has got her priorities right, the cracks in their marriage begin to appear. Dan and Sally have everything Chloe wishes for in life - a happy marriage and a beautiful child. Dumped by her long-term boyfriend just weeks after the tsunami, she's been on a mission ever since to find the perfect father for the child she craves. When she meets Seth Hawthorne, she thinks she may have hit the jackpot. But is Seth the man she thinks he is? IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS is a moving, compelling story of how a life can change in a heartbeat.

Erica James at her best - 'A very moving novel about life, families and love' Sunday Express

Promises you make to yourself are the hardest to keep ...

In the heart of the Cheshire countryside, Cholmford Hall Mews, a converted eighteenth-century barn, is far more than an exclusive home to its new inhabitants. For Jessica Lloyd, it is a haven where she can recover from a love affair long past its sell-by date; Amanda Fergusson, whose marriage is one of straightforward convenience, is determined to get the most out of the situation; for Kate Morris it offers a fresh start where her love for newly divorced Alec can flourish; and for Josh Crawford, his new home offers a sanctuary where he can come to terms with the most devastating news of his life. In their different ways, all the newcomers to Cholmford Hall Mews are searching for something - love, peace, a sense of belonging. But will they find rather more than they bargained for...?

Mia Channing appears to have an enviable life: a beautiful home, a happy marriage, a job she enjoys and three grown-up children to whom she's devoted. But appearances can be deceptive... When the family gathers for her son's 30th birthday, he brings with him his latest girlfriend who, to their surprise, has a nine-year-old daughter. Then, before the birthday cake has even been cut, Mia's youngest daughter Daisy has seized the opportunity to drop a bombshell. It's an evening that marks a turning point in all their lives, when old resentments and regrets surface and the carefully ordered world Mia has created begins to unravel.

Ellen has been living on her own in a picturesque if damp cottage in Cheshire since her husband abandoned her to go and live with another woman in Provence. Having married once for love, she is now determined that the second time around it will be for money. Close at hand is Duncan, her not unattractive, and enticingly single, divorce lawyer... But then two new people enter her life: Jo-Jo, a homeless girl several months pregnant, and Matthew, an artist who paints murals in country houses and who, on first meeting Ellen, openly criticises her for being mercenary and devious. But, as hostility gives way to friendship, Ellen realises that she has wavered off course from her original plan and has to remind herself very strongly indeed that Duncan is the man for her...

Torn between struggling to live up to the expectations of being a Modern Woman and ridding herself of the effect of a repressed upbringing, Izzy Jordan would be the first to admit that it's time to take stock of her life. She's thirty-one, with a teaching career on the skids - not surprising, really, given that she harbours a strong desire to lock her pupils in the art room cupboard and throw away the key. She also has a manipulative mother and an ex-boyfriend whose parting shot was to tell her she was boring in bed! So when she's invited to spend the summer on Corfu and is offered the chance of a no-strings holiday romance with the irresistible Theo, what should she do? Go for it, or listen to the voice of Modern Woman and tell him to sling his hook? Just as she thinks she's made up her mind, along comes Mark, whose turbulent past sets in motion a series of dramatic events...

The Langfords are a perfectly happy family. Louisa and Kip, happily married for nearly forty years, have raised their children and are now just settling into a new phase of life where they’ll have more time for themselves. Everything seems perfect. But then, one Boxing Day after a lovely family Christmas, Kip tells Louisa that their marriage is over. It’s not something Louisa saw coming. And what he tells her next is even more he’s fallen in love with their son’s ex-girlfriend, Zoe, the woman who broke Angus’ heart. So just like that, Louisa’s marriage is over… and her new life can begin. A gorgeous, gossipy family drama of a couple navigating a divorce, a woman on a journey of self-discovery, and an older man getting his just deserts.

Angel Sands is an old-fashioned seaside resort of bed and breakfasts, cottages to let and teashops. And with the best views of the tiny beach and surrounding coastline is Paradise House, home to the Baxter girls - or the Sisters of Whimsy as they're known locally. With their mother taking time out to find herself, it's down to Genevieve to maintain the smooth running of the family owned bed and breakfast. Not an easy task given that their father - now that his wife isn't around - has suddenly become a moving target for the opposite sex. And there's little help from her sisters. Nattie is too busy offending her long time admirer, Duggie Kellar, the local entrepreneur, and Polly, musically gifted, spends most of her days with her head in the clouds or in a book. But when news spreads in the tightly knit community that a nearby dilapidated barn has been sold, Genevieve finds that a bittersweet trip down memory lane is unavoidable.

Charlotte Lawrence, widowed at 34, decides to return to the village of her childhood. It means moving into Ivy Cottage, pretty if overgrown, and suffering the attentions of her interfering sister Hilary. Most of all, it means Alex, Ivy Cottage’s drop-dead gorgeous tenant.

Hilary had always thought she'd lived a charmed life. With a caring husband, David, and two lively children, she took an active part in both family and village life. Then, one Monday morning, Hilary's world is turned upside down. She discovers that David is having an affair. How could he? How could he put at risk their children and everything they have built together over the years? The question is, what should Hilary do? Turn a blind eye, much as neighbour Cindy has done over her own husband's various dalliances? Confront him, as her outspoken new friend Georgia suggests? Or perhaps she should throw herself at attractive newcomer to the village Nick Bradshaw... Whatever happens, it seems certain that for Hilary, life is never going to be quite the same again.

'I Must Stand Up for Myself More' so promises Maggie Storm who spends her days cleaning houses for people who often have more money than manners. Married to a man with as much sex appeal as Mr Blobby, she dreams of a life straight from the pages of a romantic novel. 'My Head Must Rule Over My Heart' so promises Ella Moore who, determined never to let her heart get the better of her again, is recovering from seven wasted years of failing to win over the daughter of the man with whom she wanted to spend the rest of her life. 'No More Women' so promises Ethan Edwards who, to distract himself from the depressing sham of his marriage, is a repeat offender when it comes to turning to other women for sexual consolation. But when Ella appears unexpectedly in his life, he finds himself turning to her for very different reason

Harriet Swift heeft haar leventje perfect op orde: ze is 32, heeft een goede baan, een leuke flat en een nieuwe vriend. Dat verandert in één klap als haar enige zus en hartsvriendin, Felicity, omkomt bij een afschuwelijk ongeluk. Als voogd van Felicity's twee jonge kinderen voelt Harriet zich genoodzaakt haar geordende, stadse leventje achter zich te laten. Ze keert terug naar haar ouderlijk dorp om de hulp van haar ouders in te schakelen. Haar leven wordt nog verder op z'n kop gezet als ze erachter komt dat Felicity meer geheimen had dan ze kon vermoeden.

Lizzie hatte schon immer das Talent, das Unglück magisch anzuziehen. Aber diesmal hat sie den Vogel abgeschossen: Als die Affäre mit ihrem verheirateten Chef auffliegt, verliert sie ihren Job und muss zu ihren Eltern aufs Land ziehen. Dort arbeitet sie in einem Altersheim und trifft auf Mrs Dallimore. Die alte Dame erzählt ihr ihre Lebensgeschichte, und Lizzie erkennt, dass sie nicht der einzige Mensch auf der Welt ist, der Fehler macht. Und vielleicht sind die Dinge ja gar nicht so schlimm, wie sie scheinen ...

Alice Shoemaker habitually goes to great lengths to avoid telling the truth about herself and her past. After agreeing to help out a friend by shopping and cleaning for the unknown man staying at Cuckoo House, she soon becomes suspicious that her strange and obnoxiously rude client has something to hide. Clayton Miller's life is a mess. His career as one of the country's best comedy scriptwriters has stalled, and his long-term girlfriend has left him for his ex-best friend and ex-writing partner. Just when he thinks his life couldn't get any worse, he commits a spectacularly public fall from grace, and with the press hounding him, his agent banishes him to the middle of nowhere until the dust has settled. When Alice and Clayton discover the truth about each other they form an unlikely friendship —until Alice discovers Clayton has betrayed her in the worst possible way.

De brochure van het reisbureau belooft een bezoek aan de meest prachtige tuinen rond het Comomeer in Italië. Voor Lucy Gray is dit de kans van haar leven. Ze kan dan haar vader bezoeken die al jaren in die omgeving woont. Ze heeft hem voor het laatst gezien toen ze nog tiener was.

Twee afzonderlijke romans..

Een jaar na de dood van haar moeder krijgt Katie een brief van een advocaat met schokkend nieuws.

Po dlouhém a na první pohled šťastném manželství je Louisa v šoku: její muž Kip jí zničehonic oznámí, že se chce rozvést. Nikdy nepůsobil nespokojeně – a společně vychovali tři děti. Jenže už měsíce tajně chodí s mladší ženou. A co hůř – právě s tou, která nedávno zlomila srdce jejich nejmladšímu synovi. Kip se stěhuje pryč a začíná nový život po boku Zoe, zatímco Louisa zůstává sama, aby posbírala střepy. Rodinný dům Charity Cottage je na prodej a napětí v rodině stoupá. Přesto – i přes zradu a bolest – zahlédne Louisa paprsek naděje. Při pohledu na dům, který by se mohl stát novým a útulným domovem, se v ní poprvé po dlouhé době probouzí pocit, že život možná nabírá lepší směr. A zatímco Louisa spřádá nové plány, Kip brzy zjistí, že vysněný život nemusí být zdaleka tak jednoduchý, jak si představoval…

Po tridsiatich rokoch spoločného života prichádza zrada, ktorá všetko zmení… Ale nie každý koniec musí byť tragédiou. Louisa si myslí, že má všetko: milujúcu rodinu, pokojný domov a manžela, ktorý ju nikdy neopustí. Lenže počas Vianoc ju Kip nečakane požiada o rozvod. Louisa sa dozvie, že jej muž už niekoľko mesiacov vedie dvojitý život – zaľúbil sa do mladšej ženy, ktorá predtým zlomila srdce ich synovi. Zrazu sa všetko rúca. Kip odchádza, milovaný dom je na predaj a Louisa musí znovu nájsť samu seba. Práve v čase najväčšieho otrasu objaví neobyčajne útulný nový domov a s ním sa črtá aj prvý záblesk nádeje, že ešte nie je neskoro začať odznova. Zatiaľ čo sa Louisa prvý raz po rokoch slobodne nadýchne a učí sa odpúšťať a plánovať, Kip zisťuje, že život po boku novej lásky nie je ani zďaleka taký ružový, ako si vysníval.