ERICA JAMES

Family ties, secrets, love and guilt are woven with warmth, honesty and wit in this delightful new novel from Sunday Times bestseller Erica James. We all hide things, some more than others. . . Mia Channing appears to have an enviable life: a beautiful home in the village of Little Pelham, a happy, stable marriage, a job she enjoys and three grown up children to whom she''s devoted. But appearances are deceiving; the truth is that it''s all a precarious balancing act. When the family gather for her son''s thirtieth birthday, Daisy, her youngest daughter, drops a bombshell in the way only Daisy can. Once again Mia finds herself cast in the role of peacemaker. It''s a role she''s tired of, particularly since her husband refuses to believe he''s responsible for the problems they''re facing. Not surprisingly, Mia longs for escape. For Owen Fletcher, buying the Hidden Cottage was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream and provides the perfect escape for him. When Mia meets him, she must decide whether she has the courage to do something for herself for a change. And if she does, can she ever go back to the life of compromise she had before?

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 ...

The beautiful city of Venice has been Lydia''s home for many years, a place where she has found peace and fulfilment. Then one day she glimpses a young man''s face in the crowd that threatens to change everything. He''s a heart-stopping reminder of a dreadful secret she believed she had banished to the past ... As a young child, Lydia and her sister were sent to live with grandparents they''d never even met before. It was a cruel and loveless new world for them and it forced Lydia to grow up fast. She learned to keep secrets and to trust sparingly, and through it all she was shadowed by grief and guilt. Now, twenty-eight years later, Lydia is persuaded to leave behind the safe new life she has created for herself and return to England to face the past. And maybe her future.

IT''S THE LITTLE THINGS is a moving, compelling story of how a life can change in a heartbeat.

A wonderfully fresh novel about love and life from the Sunday Times bestselling author of MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS and PARADISE HOUSE

A heartwarming, unputdownable novel centred around the potent mix of characters who meet at a creative writers group. From the bestselling author of MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS and PARADISE HOUSE

Erica James at her best - A very moving novel about life, families and love Sunday ExpressFrom the Sunday Times bestselling author of MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS and PARADISE HOSUE

A vibrant, often humorous tale of life, love - and infidelity - from the bestselling author of MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS and PARADISE HOUSE.

When Clara gives up her safe, conventional life and takes off with her son on a three-month trip, she is soon forced to confront problems she thought she would never have to face... From the bestselling author of MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS and PARADISE HOUSE

Wonderful on characterisation and family dynamics and done very deftly with that wry humour of hers I was very entertained by her clever tongue in cheek plotting Marian KeyesThe uplifting new story of fresh starts and second chances from the Sunday Times bestselling author Erica James After a long and seemingly happy marriage and a wonderful family Christmas Louisa is stunned when husband Kip asks for a divorce on Boxing Day 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 Sunday Times bestseller Erica James returns with an uplifting wryly humorous new famil

Katie Lavender has always thought she was pretty unshockable, until a year after her mother's death she receives a letter from a solicitor telling her that the man she thought was her father, in fact wasn't Her real father, a man named Stirling Nightingale, has for years been building a trust fund for her And now she's of an age to collect it

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 60 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...

Venice has been Lydia's home for many years, a place where she has found peace and fulfilment. Then one day she glimpses a young man's face in the crowd that threatens to change everything. He's a heart-stopping reminder of a dreadful secret she believed she had banished to the past ...As a young child, Lydia and her sister were sent to live with grandparents they'd never even met before. It was a cruel and loveless new world for them and it forced Lydia to grow up fast. She learned to keep secrets and to trust sparingly, and through it all she was shadowed by grief and guilt. Now, twenty-eight years later, Lydia is persuaded to leave behind the safe new life she has created for herself and return to England to face the past. And maybe her future.

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 ...

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...

'Someone had made a perfect job of creating a place in which to hide a notebook ...there was no address, only a date: September 1943 ...' Ashcombe was the most beautiful house Saskia had ever seen as a little girl. A rambling cottage on the edge of a Suffolk village, it provided 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 and battered books, daydreaming about the people who had once turned their pages. When she discovers a hidden notebook - and realises 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.

The beautiful city of Venice has been Lydia's home for many years, a place where she has found peace and fulfilment. Then one day she glimpses a young man's face in the crowd that threatens to change everything. He's a heart-stopping reminder of a dreadful secret she believed she had banished to the past ... As a young child, Lydia and her sister were sent to live with grandparents they'd never even met before. It was a cruel and loveless new world for them and it forced Lydia to grow up fast. She learned to keep secrets and to trust sparingly, and through it all she was shadowed by grief and guilt. Now, twenty-eight years later, Lydia is persuaded to leave behind the safe new life she has created for herself and return to England to face the past. And maybe her future.

This summer, escape to Lake Como - where the scene is set for romance, fate and second chances... 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.Esme fell in love there for the first time - over sixty years ago. But what happened to the man who stole her heart, and changed the course of her life?Adam has buried himself in work to distract from his broken heart. A trip to Lake Como might just be the fresh start he needs...Even in the dazzling summer sun, the past casts a poignant shadow... But can the magic of the Italian lake finally set them all free? Let Erica James sweep you away... 'Glorious escapism' Sunday Express Magazine'Joyously readable' Woman & Home'I wanted it to go on forever' Cathy Bramley