Romantic Novelists' Association

New Releases: March 2020

2 March 2020

MARCH 2020

Anne Holman: My Sunshine
cropRomance
Ulverscroft
paperback
1 March 2020

Having escaped a controlling relationship, won the lottery and given up work, Jenny is adrift at the age of twenty-nine. When her landlady’s widowed son Alexander seeks her help in a family emergency, she is thrown into a world of muddy boots, wayward pets and three young children in need of love and a firm hand.

 

 

 

Catherine Curzon and Eleanor Harkstead
The Captain and the Prime Minister
Contemporary m/m romance
Pride
ebook and paperback
3rd March

When a devoted prime minster has a second chance at romance, he discovers that love is love on Downing Street. But will he put love ahead of duty, or will the most important man in the country be the loneliest, too?

 

 

 

 

Evelyn Orange: Island of Mists
Romantic suspense
My Weekly Pocket Novels (DC Thomson)
Paperback
5th March 2020

Rock star Jenna Davidson’s life is falling apart. She’s recently split from her popular band Urban Hawk – and its egotistical singer Devon – and, after a bout of serious illness, is looking for a fresh start, away from the media spotlight of London. What better place to relocate than Arasay, that remote Scots isle full of beauty, tranquility and, of course, romance?

 

 

 

 

Claire Chase: Mystery at Apple Tree Cottage
Mystery
Bookouture
ebook, paperback, Audible
12th March 2020

Eve Mallow is relishing life in Saxford St Peter until a new arrival stirs everyone up. Ashton Foley is back: a teenage tearaway turned interior designer to the stars. He’s mad, bad and dangerous to know, but charming too, as Eve herself can testify. Every house in Saxford opens its doors to him.
So when he’s found murdered in woods near his mother’s home, Apple Tree Cottage, there’s no shortage of suspects. A jealous husband? A spurned lover? Or has someone from his past life caught up with him? The police soon arrest his mother’s partner, Howard. Ashton always hated him, and he bears all the marks of a recent fight. But Ashton’s mother is convinced he’s innocent, and enlists Eve’s help to prove it. There’s just one problem. Eve saw Howard sniffing around Apple Tree Cottage on the morning of the murder, and she’s fairly sure he’s guilty, too…

 

 

 

 

Jessica Redland: Coming Home to Seashell Cottage

Contemporary Romance
Boldwood Books
eBook on all platforms, paperback, large print and audio
17th March 2020

For Clare O’Connell, home is where the heart aches…
Since the age of sixteen, Clare O’Connell has lived her life by four strict rules:
1. Don’t talk about Ireland
2. Don’t think about Ireland
3. Don’t go to Ireland
4. Don’t let anyone in. And so far, it’s worked well. She’s got a great career, amazing friends, and she’s really happy. The future is all that counts, isn’t it?
However, Clare is about to realise that you can run from the past, but you can’t always hide from it…
When her boss insists she travels to Ireland for work, Clare finds herself drawn back to the village of Ballykielty – the home of her family, and the home of her secrets. The one place where vowed never to return to again… With the door to her past now wide open, the first three rules have gone out of the window. Will Clare stick to rule number four?
Can she be brave and face up to her family and the demons of her past?

 

 

 

 

Ella Matthews: The Warrior Knight and the Widow
Historial Romance
Mills and Boon
Paperback and ebook
17th March 2020

Racing cross-country pursued by danger, widow Lady Ellena Swein isn’t pleased to be taken back to her father’s castle. But with his knight Sir Braedan Leofric, also known as The Beast, as her captor, she has little choice! Ellena is surprised by his honourable and protective nature, even if she shouldn’t trust him. And when all seems to conspire against them, Braedan’s secret could either extinguish the spark between them or make it burn brighter.

 

 

 

 

Paula Williams: Burying Bad News.
Crime/Romance
Darkstroke
paperback and ebook
17th March 2020

One severed head, two warring neighbours – and a cold-blooded killer stalks Much Winchmoor. There’s the murder made to look like a tragic accident, and a missing husband. Could he be victim number two?
The tiny Somerset village is fast gaining a reputation as the murder capital of the West Country, and once again, reporter/barmaid/dog walker Kat Latcham finds herself reluctantly dragged into the investigation.
Things are looking bad for Ed Fuller, the husband of one of Kat’s oldest friends. Kat’s convinced he’s innocent – but she’s been wrong before. Has Kat come across her biggest challenge yet?
Fans of Janet Evanovich could well enjoy this “funky, modern day nosey detective” transported to the English countryside. The third Much Winchmoor mystery is, as always, spiked with humour and sprinkled with a touch of romance.

 

 

 

 

Helena Dixon: Murder at Enderley Hall
Historical cozy crime
Bookouture
ebook, paperback and audiobook
19th March 2020

An escape to the country… ends in death.
Summer 1933. Fresh from the discovery that she has family living nearby, Kitty Underhay has packed her carpet bag, commandeered a chambermaid and set off on a visit to stately Enderley Hall. She’s looking forward to getting to know her relatives, as well as the assembled group of house guests. But when elderly Nanny Thoms is found dead at the bottom of the stairs after papers of national importance are stolen, Kitty quickly learns that Muffy the dog’s muddy paws on her hemline are the least of her problems. Calling on ex-army captain Matthew Bryant for assistance, Kitty begins to puzzle out the mystery. And when more shocking murders follow, the stakes are raised for the daring duo as never before. Which of the guests stand to gain from the theft of the documents? And which, as the week progresses, stand to lose their lives?

 

 

 

 

Jill Barry: Date With Danger
Summer Romance set in 1957
D C Thomson
My Weekly Pocket Novel
19th March 2020

An attractive young funfair worker changes Bonnie’s life when she almost topples into his arms. Patrik, a Hungarian refugee who has known danger and disappointment, has arrived in the seaside town where Bonnie’s mother runs a guesthouse. As the summer progresses, Bonnie falls deeply in love with Patrik, who is desperate to earn more money to help continue the training he abandoned in Hungary. But she is suspicious when her mother’s favourite guest, a suave businessman, offers Patrik some ‘moonlighting’ as she fears he might burn his fingers. Amidst all the fun of the fair, Bonnie determines to help her boyfriend avoid trouble, also help him achieve his dream career.

 

 

 

 

Elaine Everest: Wedding Bells for Woolworths
Historical/Saga
Pan Macmillan
Hardback March 19th Paperback/Digital/Audio April 30th

July 1947. Britain is still gripped by rationing, even as the excitement of Princess Elizabeth’s engagement sweeps the nation. In the Woolworths’ canteen, Freda is still dreaming of meeting her own Prince Charming. So far she’s been unlucky in love. When she has an accident on her motorbike, knocking a cyclist off his bicycle, it seems bad luck is still following her around. Anthony is not only a fellow Woolworths employee but was an Olympic hopeful. Will his injured leg heal in time for him to compete? Can he ever forgive Freda? Sarah’s idyllic family life is under threat with worries about her husband, Alan. Does he still love her? The friends must rally round to face some of the toughest challenges of their lives together. And although they experience loss, hardship and shocks along the way, love is on the horizon for the Woolworths girls . . .

 

 

Lorna Cook: The Forbidden Promise
Historial Fiction/Women’s Fiction
Paperback, Ebook and Audiobook                                                                          Avon
March 19 2020

Can one promise change the fate of two women decades apart?
Scotland, 1940 War rages across Europe, but Invermoray House is at peace – until the night of Constance’s 21st birthday, when she’s the only person to see a Spitfire crash into the loch. Rescuing the pilot and vowing to keep him hidden, Constance finds herself torn between duty to her family and keeping a promise that could cost her everything.
2020 Kate arrives in the Highlands to turn Invermoray into a luxury B&B, only to find that the estate is more troubled than she’d imagined. But when Kate discovers the house has a dark history, with Constance’s name struck from its records, she knows she can’t leave until the mystery is solved . . .

 

 

 

 

Philippa Carey: The Missing Major
Historical (WW1) Romance
Idyllic Books UK
Hardback Large Print
21st Feb

On her way to run the Sunday School, the Methodist minister’s daughter finds a handsome but badly injured man unconscious on the doorstep. Being good Samaritans, they take him in and call the doctor. When he regains consciousness, they find he has lost his memory, doesn’t know who he is or why he is there. Meanwhile, his parents wonder why he hasn’t come back from the army reunion and what has happened to him. His brother and fiancée set out to find him.

 

 

 

Elizabeth Bailey: The Fateful Marriage
Regency romantic mystery
Sapere Books
ebook and paperback
23rd March 2020

Lady Fan witnesses a young woman’s fall from High Rocks. Was the fall a devastating mishap? Or could the woman have been pushed?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Victoria Cornwall: Daniel’s Daughter
Historical
Choc Lit
Ebook
24th March 2020

Sometimes the truth is not easy to say and even harder to hear …
Cornwall, 1895
Grace Kellow is a young woman with a strong sense of who she is and where she comes from. As the daughter of a well-respected Cornish dairy owner Daniel Kellow, her existence in the village of Trehale is comfortable and peaceful. But then handsome Talek Danning comes striding over Hel Tor, and soon after his arrival Grace is hit with a revelation that leaves her questioning her identity and her place in the Trehale community. In her hour of need, Talek and his sister Amelia offer Grace sanctuary – but wherever Grace runs, her secret will follow …

 

 

 

Catherine Curzon and Eleanor Harkstead: The Colour of Mermaids
Contemporary romantic suspense
Totally Bound
Ebook and paperback
24th March

Sparks fly when artist Eva Catesby meets art world enfant terrible Daniel Scott. But as they plunge headlong into a wild affair, Eva becomes the target of unwanted attention from an unseen enemy. Can Eva help Daniel overcome his childhood demons or will a fatal secret from the past destroy their future?

 

 

 

 

 

Kiley Dunbar: Summer at the Highland Coral Beach
Romantic Fiction
Hera Books
Digital First (ebook)
27 March 2020

Escape to the Highland Coral Beach – where broken hearts can be healed
Beatrice Halliday needs a break from life. Booking a trip to the Highlands on a whim, Beatrice hopes learning Gaelic in a beautiful Scottish village might help her heal her grief after losing her baby, her husband and her much loved job in a space of months. But Port Willow Bay isn’t exactly as the website promised. Instead of learning a new language, she’s booked in to learn the ancient skill of willow weaving, her hotel room is Princess and the Pea themed (with a stack of mattresses for her bed!) and worse still, her tutor is Atholl Fergusson, grumpy landlord of the hotel where Beatrice is staying – and she’s the only one doing the course. But Beatrice finds herself falling in love with Port Willow Bay and its people, and as she discovers the kind heart beneath Atholl’s stony exterior, can she really leave? Escape to the beautiful Scottish Highlands with this utterly romantic, feelgood book; one visit to Port Willow Bay and you’ll want to come back! Fans of Sarah Morgan, Carole Matthews and Holly Martin will be captivated.

 

 

 

 

Linda Gillard: HIDDEN
Psychological thriller/Historical romance (dual-time narrative)
Self-published
Ebook and paperback
6th Feb 2020

1918
“Lady, fiancé killed, will gladly marry officer totally blinded or otherwise incapacitated by the war.”
Esme advertises for a husband and agrees to share her isolated home with an officer whose face and body have been ravaged by war but she knows nothing of the ugliness that lurks within his tortured mind as he re-lives, night after night, the horrors of the trenches. A prisoner in her own home, Esme paints like one possessed, trusting that one day someone will hear her silent cries for help. A birth is followed by a violent death and both remain hidden for a hundred years…

 

 

 

Lynn Johnson: The Girl from the Workhouse
Family Saga/Historical
Hera Books
ebook
18 February 2020

Even in the darkest of times, she never gave up hope
Staffordshire, 1911. Ginnie Jones’s childhood is spent in the shadow of the famous Potteries, living with her mother, father and older sister Mabel. But with Father’s eyesight failing, money is in short supply, and too often the family find their bellies aching with hunger. With no hope in sight, Ginnie is sent to Haddon Workhouse. Separated from everything she has known, Ginnie has to grow up fast, earning her keep by looking after the other children with no families of their own. When she meets Clara and Sam, she hopes that she has made friends for life… until tragedy strikes, snatching away her newfound happiness.
Leaving Haddon three years later, Ginnie finds work as a mouldrunner at the Potteries, but never stops thinking about her friends in the workhouse – especially Sam, now a caring, handsome young man. When Sam and Ginnie are reunited, their bond is as strong as ever – until Sam is sent to fight in WW1. Faced with uncertainty, can Ginnie find the joy that she’s never had? Or will her heart be broken once again? An emotional, uplifting and nostalgic family saga that will make you smile, while tugging on your heart-strings. Fans of Sheila Newbury, Kitty Neale and Sheila Riley will love this beautiful read.

 

 

New Releases are brought to you every month by Sheila Riley author of the Reckoner’s Row series set in the Mersey dockside.