GOING THE DISTANCE: Maddy Beckett and her sister Suzy live in Milton St John, where horses, trainers and jockeys outnumber the rest of the inhabitants. Recovering from rejection by her boyfriend, Maddy meets Drew and falls instantly in love. But then Drew's wife appears, determined to bring him to heel. RUNNING THE RISK: Is Rory the best thing that's ever happened to Georgia, or is he bent on sabotaging her business? And dare she risk finding out which?
Perfect. Privileged. Strong. Spoiled. Uptight. Useless. If there's any one thing Pierre and Logan have in common, it's their ability to invite snap judgements based on shallow views of who they are. Logan is the privileged only daughter of a respected family whose legacy runs long and deep. Pierre is the moody, orphaned son of big screen royalty who couldn't possibly live up to the prestige of his pedigree. Or maybe not. Perhaps they're just two people trying to navigate the pressures of a world hellbent on telling them what they should be, and eschewing the limits of other people's expectations. Maybe what they need most is somebody who can see beyond the shallow first impressions - just one person they can allow to see behind the scenes of who they are. Maybe they have more in common than it seems.
Frankie Meredith - immersed in her fledgling business and happy to be single - watches Dexter Valentine's philanderings with amusement. However, Frankie has other things to occupy her mind when village medium, Maisie Fairbrother, insists that the shop is haunted and offers to hold a seance."
When city-girl Amber arrives to spend the summer in a small village, the only stars she recognises are the ones she reads about in her glossy celeb magazines. So she is stunned to find herself surrounded by a new neighbours who organise their entire lives around constellation customs and the astral calendar. More scarily, Amber finds that the villagers actually believe that the stars and moon can work magic. Amber remains loudly sceptical, but as she's grown very fond of her new friends - especially the gorgeously enigmatic Lewis - and assuming that it's all a bit of harmless fun, she hurls herself into the star-ceremonies and moon-myths on the grounds that if you can't beat 'em, join 'em and any excuse for a party. But when, as result of one of Amber's half-hearted celestial incantations, something totally inexplicable happens, she begins to wonder if maybe, just maybe, there's more to magic than meets the eye...
Clemmie Coddle has a problem - she's had almost as many jobs as she's had birthdays and her love life is on the critical list. She's determined to transform herself from unemployed singleton to loved-up success. Trouble is Clemmie's dream job would be working for local entrepreneur Guy Devlin, owner of the famous pyrotechnics company, The Gunpowder Plot.
When aromatherapist Sukie Ambrose starts using her cottage garden as inspiration - and raw ingredients - for her products, she thinks she's just hit on a good way of saving money while offering her clients a way of de-stressing and relaxation. However, Sukie lives in a village where strange things have been known to happen. She discovers that her new improved lotions and potions are making her massages distinctly magical - and producing more star-crossed lovers than Shakespeare could ever dream of...
'Hubble bubble, toil and trouble, Casserole burn and intrigues double 'Mitzi Blessing is on the forced into a very early retirement, a lifetime of organising the church flower rota and making cricket teas seems to loom gloomily ahead of her. With her two daughters seemingly happily settled, Mitzi is determined not to dwindle quietly into serene old age and sets about organising and revitalising Hazy Hassocks, the small rural community she has lived in all her life. However, with the discovery of her grandmother's cookery book in the attic,life for Mitzi and her friends and family starts to get very interesting. Full of old-fashioned recipes with enchanting names like Wishes Come True Pie, Mischief Night Cake, and Powers of Persuasion Pudding - Granny's dishes provide a nourishing meal, but they also seem to have some very surprising side effects indeed.
Phoebe is a big believer in astrology. But however much she loves reading the stars, she just can't seem to get her life on track and this week is no exception. First she's jilted at the altar by Ben. Then, sitting alone and forlorn in her home in Hazy Hassocks, she discovers that the flat above is owned by an ex-convict!
With a father bankrupted by gambling, Jemima is determined to build a new, horse-free life in the Berkshire village of Milton St John; however, she soon discovers that not only do her new neighbours live, breathe and dream racing, but also that they are all determined to make her do the same.
Georgia Drummond and her energetic grandmother Cecilia run their own successful business. Georgia loves her work, enjoys her friends ¿ all that's missing is a Suitable Man. But when tall, fair, gorgeous Rory Faulkner walks into her life, things start to go wrong with a vengeance. Not only does her business start to lose clients, but a series of increasingly dangerous accidents begins to look more and more suspicious. Soon Georgia has to ask herself whether there is any connection between Rory, who is simply the best thing that's ever happened to her, and her business problems. And whether she's prepared to run the risk to find out ...
