"'I couldn’t put it down!' Sarah Morgan
The uplifting new story of fresh starts and second chances from the Sunday Times bestselling author Erica James
After a long and seemingly happy marriage, Louisa is stunned when her husband Kip suddenly asks for a divorce. He’d never seemed unhappy – and they’ve raised three children together.
For months, Kip has been secretly seeing a younger woman – and if that wasn’t bad enough, it’s the woman who broke their youngest son’s heart.
Now Kip is moving out and embarking on a new life with Zoe, and Louisa is left to pick up the pieces. Their beloved family home, Charity Cottage, is up for sale, and tensions are running high.
Yet, despite the betrayal and anger, when Louisa lays eyes on what might be a unique and welcoming new home, she feels a first glimmer of hope that life might be taking a turn for the better.
And while Louisa is making exciting plans, Kip finds himself facing challenges of his own and begins to learn that living the dream may not be as simple as he thought…
*****
Readers love An Ideal Husband:
'Pure reading joy' (Five stars)
'Another brilliant novel by Erica James. One of those books that I was really sad to finish…' (Five stars)
'I love Erica James and her new book does not disappoint. She brings a real warmth to her characters and also a poignancy to her story telling. Highly recommend.' (Five stars)
'Erica James does it again… I loved this book and could not put it down.' (Five stars)
'This novel is truly beautiful…Thought provoking, yet at the same time a most uplifting and positive read.' (Five stars)"
"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
Even happy families have their secrets…
Anchor House is the coastal home where Naomi and her husband raised their two girls. Now widowed, Naomi is building a new life alone, but the arrival of Ellis next door is bringing some long-awaited fun back too.
Naomi’s daughters are very different: Martha is determined and driven like her father, while Willow is a free spirit. The three women have always been close, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have secrets of their own. There are things Naomi has kept from her girls, like the fact that her marriage to their father wasn’t quite what it seemed…
The Sunday Times bestselling author Erica James returns with this gloriously compelling tale of mothers and daughters, secrets and love.
Praise for Mothers and Daughters:
‘A beautifully written story that examines the wonderful intimacy between mothers and daughters … a satisfying treat’ Adele Parks, Platinum
‘A brilliant read. A compelling family drama, full of twists and turns. Completely absorbing’ Sarah Morgan
‘Wise and warm with plenty of twists and turns, you'll love this engrossing family story’ Rachel Hore
‘A wonderfully compelling family drama that deftly touches upon some serious issues’ Sunday Express
‘You’ll be swept away then brought gently back to harbour in this beautiful portrait of a family and its multigenerational secrets. Emotional and uplifting, it unfolds in the most glorious coastal setting’ Veronica Henry
‘Glorious … a real treat’ Sunday Post
‘Surprising and reassuringly wise, captivating and vivid, beautiful and authentic … I adored this book’ Miranda Dickinson
‘Deliciously immersive … tracing the complex emotions and dangerous undercurrents that lie beneath the deceptively smooth surface of family life’ Iona Grey
‘A brilliant and gripping family drama … full of heart’ My Weekly
‘A captivating read’ OK!"
"It’s the autumn of 1962 in the idyllic Suffolk village of Melstead St Mary. Evelyn Devereux’s husband Kit is planning their 20th wedding anniversary party. But as they prepare to celebrate, Evelyn receives an anonymous letter that threatens to unravel the secrets she’s kept hidden for many years – secrets that reach back to the war and her days at Bletchley Park.
Evelyn’s sister-in-law, Hope, has brought joy to countless children with her bestselling books, but despite having a loving husband and caring family, happiness has never come easily to her. Then in an instant her fragile world is turned upside down when she too receives an anonymous letter.
Across the village, up at Melstead Hall, Julia Devereux has married into a life beyond anything she could have dreamt of, not realising until it’s too late that it comes with a heavy price.
Meanwhile, in the sun-baked desert of Palm Springs, Romily Devereux-Temple, crime-writer and former ATA pilot, is homesick for her beloved Island House, where she’s saved the day more times than she can count. On her return home, and shocked to learn what has been going on in her absence, she finds herself reluctantly confronting a secret she’s kept hidden for a very long time. Once again Romily is challenged to save the day and hold the family together. Can she do it, and maybe seize some happiness for herself at the same time?
Praise for the author:
'A glorious summer story which sizzles with passion: idyllic location, compelling characters and lives so interwoven that their secrets have the power to change everything. I wanted it to go on forever'
CATHY BRAMLEY
'Joyously readable' WOMAN & HOME
'The setting is almost a character in itself in this evocative tale of tears and laughter' WOMAN MAGAZINE
'Erica James offers glorious escapism set in a house to die for' SUNDAY EXPRESS MAGAZINE
'Full of warmth and appeal' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING
'A captivating read: beautifully written and heartrendingly sad' DAILY TELEGRAPH
'Absorbing and uplifting' MY WEEKLY"
"A sweeping story set against the lush riverside of the Norfolk Broads about a group of longtime friends learning how to live life to its fullest during one dramatic summer.
Linston End on the Norfolk Broads has been the holiday home to three families for many years. The memories of their time there are ingrained in their hearts: picnics on the river, gin and tonics in the pavilion at dusk, hours spent seeking out the local swallowtail butterflies. Everyone together. But widower Alastair has been faced with a few of life's surprises recently. Now, he is about to shock his circle of friends with the decisions he has made - and the changes it will mean for them all. For some, it feels like the end. For others, it might just be the beginning . . .
A story about friendship, making changes, and learning to live life to the fullest from bestseller Erica James."
"Summer 1939: After touring an unsettled Europe to promote her latest book, Romily Temple returns home to Island House and the love of her life, Jack Devereux. But when Jack falls ill, his estranged family are called to his bedside. With war now declared, each member of the family is reluctantly forced to accept their new stepmother and confront their own shortcomings. But can Romily cope with the life that has been so unexpectedly thrust upon her?"
"Lizzie has an unfortunate knack for attracting bad luck, but this time she's hit the jackpot. Losing her heart to her boss at the radio station where she works leads directly to losing her job, and with no money in the bank she's forced to swallow her pride and return home to her parents. As if that wasn't bad enough, her mother finds her work at the local care home for the elderly, and it's there that Lizzie meets Mrs Dallimore.
In her nineties, Mrs Dallimore also finds herself in a situation which she's reluctantly coming to terms with. Old age has finally caught up with her, and with her life drawing to a close she gives in to the temptation to relive the past by sharing it with Lizzie.
She tells Lizzie of the day when, as a young girl, and shortly before the outbreak of World War II, she left her home in America to cross the Atlantic to England where she hoped to meet her English grandparents for the first time. At best she hoped for a family reconciliation, but before long her visit turned into so much more.
As Lizzie listens to Mrs Dallimore's story, she begins to realize that she's not the only person to attract bad luck, or make mistakes, and maybe things aren't so bad for her after all . . .
“A beautifully crafted and hugely uplifting tale of friendship, history and love. A real gem.” HEAT MAGAZINE
“A captivating tale of love and loss.” SUNDAY EXPRESS MAGAZINE
“Written with tenderness and genuine affection, Song of the Skylark grabs you by the heartstrings and won't let go. Poignant, moving and totally captivating, this is a stunning story.” LANCASHIRE EVENING POST
“Inter-generational friendship takes centre stage in this upbeat and heartwarming novel.” THE LADY
“Absorbing and uplifting.” MY WEEKLY"
"It's almost Christmas. But for Ali, the season of good cheer is the anniversary of her baby's death. As she stands at her son's grave, she is poignantly aware of how dramatically her life has changed. Determined to stand on her own two feet and get through Christmas alone, Ali turns down her ex-husband's unexpected invitation to spend the holiday with him and his father, only to give in to her best friend's cajoling to share the festive season with her. The only trouble is, it means having to be nice to Sarah's awful husband, Trevor.
Sarah may be a saint for putting up with Trevor, but Ali is no such thing, and as his cranky behaviour escalates, she takes it upon herself, in an extraordinary act of daring impetuosity, to play God with her friend's incomprehensible marriage. But Ali's meddling has consequences even she could not have foreseen...
Full of warmth and appeal ? GOOD HOUSEKEEPING
Erica James offers glorious escapism set in a house to die for. A sweepingly dynastic and satisfying end ? SUNDAY EXPRESS MAGAZINE"
"Ashcombe was the most beautiful house Saskia had ever seen as a little girl, providing 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 broken, battered books. When she discovers a notebook carefully concealed in an old Bible, Saskia finds herself drawn into a heart-rending tale of wartime love..."
"From Lake Como in Italy to Oxford, a wonderfully compelling novel about lost love, fate and second chances from the Sunday Times bestselling author.
Lake Como - beautiful, enchanting, romantic...
For Floriana, it is the place where the love of her life is getting married to another woman. And she's been invited to the wedding.
For Esme, it is where, over sixty years ago, she fell in love for the first time. So often she's wondered what happened to the man who stole her heart - and changed the course of her life.
Adam is in danger of burying himself entirely in his work after his girlfriend left him. Could a trip to Lake Como be the distraction he needs?
Now it's time for each of them to understand that the past is not only another country, it can also cast haunting shadows over everyone's lives..."
"A wonderfully fresh novel about love and life from the SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author
Having married once for love, and been abandoned by her husband, Ellen is determined that her second marriage will be for money. And conveniently Duncan, her divorce lawyer is not unattractive, and enticingly single... But when she meets Matthew, a painter, who criticises her for being mercenary and devious on their very first meeting, Ellen has to remind herself very strongly indeed that Duncan is the man for her..."
"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 is Paradise House, home to the Baxter girls.
With their mother taking time out to find herself, it's down to them 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..."
