SEPTEMBER PUBLICATIONS 2019

Liz Fielding: A Forever Family

Contemporary Romance
Mills and Boon
Paper and ebook
1 September
(3-in-1 reprint)

The last woman he’d ever date. Single mum, Claire Thackeray, is hanging onto a job she hates by her fingertips and things only get worse with the return of Hal North.

Jessica Redland: The Secret to Happiness

Contemporary women’s fiction
Boldwood Books
eBook on all platforms, paperback, audio, large print
3rd September 2019

Everyone deserved a chance at happiness…
Danniella is running from her past, so when she arrives at the beautiful seaside resort of Whitsborough Bay, the last thing on her mind is making friends. After all, they might find out her secrets… Alison is fun, caring and doesn’t take herself too seriously. But beneath the front, she is a lost soul, stuck in a terrible relationship, with body confidence issues and no family to support her. All she really needs is a friend. Karen’s romance has taken a back seat to her fitness business. But she doesn’t want to give up on love quite yet. If only those mysterious texts would stop coming through …
When the women meet at their local boot camp, a deep friendship blossoms. And soon they realise that the secret to happiness is where they least expected to find it…
An uplifting story of friendship and finding the strength to come to terms with the past.

Catherine Curzon and Eleanor Harkstead: The Captain and the Theatrical

Regency rom-com m/m
Pride
ebook
3rd September

Captain Ambrose “Pen” Pendleton distinguished himself on the battlefield at Waterloo and. Pen dreams of becoming a playwright. But his ambitious father has other ideas, including a trophy wife and a new job in America, and Pen needs to find a fiancée fast. Amadeo Orsini never made it as a leading man, but as a leading lady, he’s the toast of the continental stage. With the help of a talking theatrical parrot who never forgets his lines, Orsini drags up to save Pen.
As friendship turns into love, will the captain be able to write a happy ending for himself and Orsini before the curtain falls?

 Emily Royal: Hawthorne’s Wife

Historical (Regency) Romance
paperback
Dragonblade Publishing
3 September 2019

United by tragedy, torn apart by scandal.
Frederica Stanford has loved Hawthorne Stiles for as long as she can remember. But a merchant’s daughter can never hope to secure the notice of an earl’s son. She doesn’t know that Hawthorne, a man with a passion for justice, has always been captivated by the spirited young woman who grew up near his father’s estate. Intelligent and inquisitive, Frederica unearths a dark secret about her lineage, setting in motion a chain of events which leads to tragedy. Hawthorne comes to her aid and they surrender to their shared passion. But when his career, and life, are threatened, Frederica is faced with a choice. She must make the ultimate sacrifice to save the man she loves, knowing that in doing so, she risks losing his love forever.

Catherine Curzon & Eleanor Harkstead: The Captain and the Cavalry Trooper

Historical
Paperback
Pride
3rd September 2019

Captain Robert Thorne is the fiercest officer in the regiment. Awaiting the command to go to the front, he has no time for simpering, comely lads. That’s until one summer day in 1917 when he meets the newest recruit.
Trooper Jack Woodvine a fresh-faced farmer’s boy with little experience of life and a wealth of poetry in his heart. He has a way with strong, difficult stallions, and whispers them to his gentle will.
With the shadow of the Great War and the scheming of enemies closer to home threatening their fleeting chance at happiness, will the captain and the cavalry trooper see peacetime together?

Kiley Dunbar: Christmas at Frozen Falls

Romantic Comedy
Hera Books
Digital First (ebook)
4th September 2019

Sylvie Magnusson is going to be lonely this Christmas. Instead of jetting off for her sunshine honeymoon, she’s freezing at home in Cheshire. Guess that’s what happens when your fiancé dumps you a week before your wedding…
Sylvie’s best friend, Nari, plans a trip to see the Northern Lights and get Sylvie’s mojo back. But as their Lapland getaway approaches, Sylvie realises that Frozen Falls is the hometown of Stellan Virtanen, her dreamy Finnish ex-boyfriend, the one that got away. Even though he actually ran away, and Sylvie never understood why…
There’s crackling log fires, cosy cabins, some hot Christmas kisses, and…adorable husky pups!!
Curl up with the perfect cosy Christmas read this winter. Fans of Sarah Morgan and Carole Matthews will adore this feel-good, heart-warming rom-com.
Amazon Kindle: amzn.to/2ZlURGa Kobo: bit.ly/2OrH6ol Apple: apple.co/2KcgmTk

Sheila Riley: The Orphan Daughter

Family Saga
Boldwood Books
E-Book, Paperback, Large Print, Audio Digital Download, Audio CD
5th September 2019

WINTER, LIVERPOOL 1947.
Evie Kilgaren is a fighter. Abandoned by her mother, with her father long gone, she is left to raise her siblings in dockside Liverpool. As they battle against the coldest winter on record she is determined to make a life for herself and create a happy home for her family. Desperate for work, Evie takes a job at the Tram Tavern under the kindly watch of pub landlady, and pillar of the community, Connie Sharp. But Connie has problems of her own when her life is upturned by the arrival of a mysterious undercover detective. Melting ice reveals a body in the canal and things take a turn for the worst for the residents of Reckoner’s Row. Who is responsible for such a brutal attack? And can Evie keep her family safe before they strike again?
A gritty, historical family drama, full of laughter and tears from the author of Annie Groves’ bestsellers including Child of the Mersey and Christmas on the Mersey.
Perfect for fans of Lyn Andrews, Katie Flynn and Nadine Dorries.

Lucy Coleman: Magic Under the Mistletoe

Romance
Aria Fiction
E-book
5 September 2019
Christmas and romance are in the air…
It’s December 23rd and while everyone else is rushing home for the holidays, workaholic Leesa Oliver is dreading switching on her out-of-office for the festive season. And it seems her equally driven boss, Cary Anderson, isn’t relishing spending Christmas at his family’s country estate either. So together, they draft an unexpected Christmas contract: They’ll spend half of the holidays with each other’s families, pretending to be a couple. Leesa knows the insufferably good-looking Cary will make her Christmas more bearable, but what happens after the last of the mince pies have been eaten…? Leesa signed off on a sensible business agreement, but somewhere, amongst the fairy lights and carols, something seems to have changed… It seems there might just be some magic under the mistletoe this Christmas!

Julie Cohen: The Two Lives Of Louis & Louise

Book club fiction
Orion
paperback,
5 September

In one reality, Lou Alder is born male. In another, Lou is born female. And that one difference changes everything. Long-listed for the Polari Prize.

Miranda Dickinson: The Day We Meet Again

Commercial Fiction
HQ (HarperCollins)
Paperback, Ebook and Audiobook
5th September

Phoebe and Sam meet by chance when their trains are delayed at St Pancras station. Heading in opposite directions, both seeking their own adventures, meeting the love of their lives wasn’t part of the plan. So they make a promise: to meet again in the same place – by the statue of Sir John Betjeman – in twelve months’ time if they still want to be together. But is life ever as simple as that? This is a story of what-ifs and maybes – and how one decision can change your life forever.

Mary Jayne Baker: A Question of Us

romantic comedy
Aria
ebook
5/9/2019

There are some people who seem like they have all the answers in life. Clarrie Midwinter isn’t one of them.
At the age of 26, tomboy Clarrie is still struggling to become a ‘proper’ grown-up. She’s eternally strapped for cash, she hasn’t had a date in nearly a year and her attempts to quit smoking tend to take a nosedive after the second pint. Most annoyingly of all, her ladykiller best friend Simon just won’t stop asking her out. The only thing keeping her sane is her pub quiz team, the Mighty Morphin Flower Arrangers. But when Simon bets her a date their team will win the quiz league, Clarrie is forced to confront what she really wants out of life – and love. Is it finally time for her to grow up?

Kitty Wilson: The Cornish Village School – Christmas Wishes

Romantic comedy
eBook
Canelo Escape
9/9/19

It’s the most wonderful time of the year in Penmenna…
Teaching assistant Alice has sworn off men, which is fine because with Christmas coming she’s super busy organising the school Nativity. This should be a blast with the help of best friend and village vicar, Dan – if she can just ignore those more-than-just-a-friend feelings she’s developed for him… Dan is more than happy to help Alice – his secret crush – but not only is his beloved Granny Annie about to be made homeless, the church choir has disintegrated and he’s battling some dark demons from his past. With meddling grannies and PTA wars thrown in the mix, can Alice and Dan overcome their past hurts to move forward? Will they be spending Christmas together as friends… or something more?
A festive feel-good romance perfect for fans of Tilly Tennant and Holly Martin.

Lynn Forth: The Girl Who Used To Be Me

Romantic Comedy
Crooked Cat
Ebook and Paperback
10th September

An uplifting story about longing and belonging.
After a passionate fun-filled affair, Kate is abandoned by Rob, her first love.
Six years later, she is stuck in a dead-end job and trapped in a toxic relationship. She escapes to the Costa del Sol where she meets flamboyant Reen with her bright clothes, her sparkling eyes and a penchant for pink plastic flamingos.
Kate falls for Troy, Reen’s sexy son, and embarks upon a new phase of self-discovery. Is she finally becoming the girl she longs to be? But when Rob comes back into her life unexpectedly, what will she do?
Full of wit and warmth, fun and flamingos. Perfect for fans of Milly Johnson and Jules Wake

Cass Grafton & Ada Bright: The Particular Charm of Miss Jane Austen

Women’s Fiction/Romance
Canelo Escape
eBook, paperback, indie-published
12th September 2019

When a time-travelling Jane Austen gets stuck in modern-day Bath it’s up to avid Janeite Rose Wallace to save her… because she’s the only one who knows Jane exists! Rose Wallace’s world revolves around all things Austen, and with the annual festival in Bath – and the arrival of dishy archaeologist, Dr Aiden Trevellyan – just around the corner, all is well with her world.
But then a mysterious woman bearing more than a passing resemblance to the author moves in upstairs, and things take a disastrous turn. Rose’s new neighbour is Jane Austen, whose time travel adventure has been sabotaged, trapping her in the twenty-first century.
Rose’s life changes instantly – new home, new job, new friends – but she’s the only one who seems to have noticed! What can she do to help Jane get back home to write those novels? Because a world without Mr Darcy? It’s not worth living in!

Mary Kingswood: The Lacemaker

Regency romance
Sutors Publishing
ebook, paperback
12th September 2019

A traditional Regency romance, drawing room rather than bedroom.
Caroline Milburn and her younger sisters live in two cramped rooms, struggling to survive by their skills in lace-making and weaving until their previously unknown grandfather bequeaths them a cottage in the country.
But where will the daughters of a linen draper fit into rural life, now that they are better off? And why are the neighbours so interested in them? Charles Leatham was happy in the army, where all he had to do was to follow orders. With both his older brothers dead, he’s forced to return home and he knows where his duty lies – he must marry to secure the inheritance. His step-mother is keen to pair him with the ill-bred linen draper’s daughter, but he always follows orders so he resigns himself to the inevitable. At least she’ll be grateful for the offer… won’t she?

Louise Rose-Innes: THE GREEK BILLIONAIRE’S LAIR

Contemporary Romance
Self-published
13 September 2019

When Blair goes to Mykonos for a much-needed girls weekend she ends up
having an impulsive one-night-stand with a mysterious Greek stranger.
Imagine her mortification when she gets back to London and discovers
he’s her new boss! Kristos can’t believe it when the beautiful girl he bedded in the Greek Islands walks into his office. As his executive assistant, she’s
determined not to continue what they started, but Kristos let her get
away once, he’s not going to let it happen again.
Buy link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07T8H63NN

Catherine Curzon & Eleanor Harkstead: The Captain and the Cricketer

Contemporary rom-com
Pride
Paperback
17th September 2019

When an uptight countryside vet and a sexy TV star meet on the cricket pitch, they’re both knocked for six. Henry Fitzwalter, a respectable rural vet and no stranger to tweed, is the lonely inhabitant of crumbling Longley Parva Manor. Captain George Standish-Brookes is everyone’s favourite shirtless TV historian. Heroic, handsome and well-travelled, he is coming home to the village where he grew up. Yet with a golf-loving American billionaire and a money-hungry banker threatening this terribly traditional little corner of Sussex, there’s more than love at stake. A romantic comedy of cricket, coupling and criminality.

Kim Nash: Escape to Giddywell Grange

Rom-Com
Hera Books
ebook
18th September

An uplifting, feel-good read that will warm your heart
A dog’s life is just what Maddy needs
Maddy Young thought she had it all.
Swanky city apartment? – yep. Fancy car? sorted. High-flying career? – tick. Even if she’s lost most of her friends because of spending all her time at work, and can’t remember when she last had fun, it’s worth it.
Until she’s suddenly made redundant. Now she’s 37, jobless, and after the breakup with the former love of her life, unhappily single.
Enter Maddy’s childhood friend, Beth, the owner of Growlers, the doggy daycare centre at Giddywell Grange, on a mission to make Maddy see there’s more to life than work. Soon, Maddy is swapping spreadsheets for volunteer duty at the library, daily Starbucks for cups of tea with elderly neighbours, and her Prada handbag for doggy poo bags… And with Beth’s gorgeous brother, Alex, back from the States, Maddy starts to think that Giddywell Grange might just be her happy place. But when her old life – and her old boyfriend – comes calling, will Maddy go back to the job she loved so much? Or will she discover that the key to happiness lies in making others happy?

Rachel Brimble: Christmas At Pennington’s

Romantic Saga
Aria Fiction
Ebook
Sept 19th
It’s 1911 and Christmas sees Pennington’s department store at its most glorious, thronged with shoppers, its grand staircase and balcony adorned with holly, mistletoe, tinsel and lights. It should be the happiest time, but dramas are seething beneath the surface. For Cornelia Culford, in charge of jewellery, a divorce hearing looms, where she could lose custody of her young sons to her overbearing and unfaithful husband. For Stephen Gower, being head of security at Pennington’s is the perfect refuge from a tragic past at Scotland Yard. But soon the past will call him back, as Joseph Carter and Elizabeth Pennington beg him to help solve the murder of Joseph’s first wife, now that it seems as if the killer has struck again.
For Joseph and Elizabeth, their marriage depends on exorcising the past. But can it ever be laid to rest?

Rachel Dove: Summer Hates Christmas

Romantic Comedy
Manatee Books
Ebook and paperback
19th September

Summer Hastings hates Christmas. She loves sunshine, the beach and running her travel agency, sending people off to their dream destinations – even if she doesn’t get to see the world for herself. For Summer, Christmas is nothing but a reminder of all the things that have gone horribly wrong in her life, so when handsome Noel Pritchett moves his pop-up Christmas shop in the store next to hers, Summer is livid. Noel loves Christmas…and he also has a sneaking suspicion that he might be falling in love with Summer, if only he could break through the armour she has surrounded herself with. Just why does Summer hate Christmas so much? And can Noel be the one to prove to her that life can be sweet all year round?

Kate Ryder: Secrets of the Mist

Timeslip Romance
Aria
eBook and Paperback
Romantic Suspense Timeslip
19.9.2019
Maddie is restless in London. She has friends, a job and a sort-of boyfriend, but something in her life is missing. Then she visits the ancient village of Walditch, deep in the Dorset countryside. Something stirs in her, and on a whim, she buys a centuries-old cottage and moves there three months later. Her friends think she’s crazy, but for Maddie, it feels like coming home. Late at night in the cottage, Maddie hears strange noises and sees mist gathering indoors and out. When she starts investigating the cottage’s history, she becomes drawn into the tragic story of a family who lived here 400 years ago. Meanwhile, Maddie starts to fall in love with a local carpenter – but he has a relationship already…  Can Maddie solve the riddle of the past? What is her connection with the family that lived there so many years ago? And can she and her true love ever be together?
For fans of Kate Mosse, Diana Gabaldon and Barbara Erskine

Lesley Field: Dangerous Desire

Historical romance
E-book
MuseItUp Publishing
23rd September 2019

A chance encounter when she was lost on the moors brought Hannah into the world of Nicholas, Duke of Trenton. Although she is still a child he is struck by her beauty, but before he is able to discover more she flees his home, leaving him with a sense of loss and a feeling that his life has been touched by something he has yet to understand. Some two years later, he comes upon his late night visitor at a society ball. She is no longer a child but a beautiful young maiden in her first season. He is not intending to lose her a second time. But first, he needed to be rid of his current mistress, Lady Catherine Stanton. The liaison had long run its course, but he had continued the relationship more from habit than anything else. But Catherine is not one to be easily swept aside. Will marriage bring the happiness he desires, or will the scheming of his mistress tear the couple apart. And can Hannah forgive Nicholas for bringing back into her life the governess who had mistreated her so badly in her youth?

Glenda Young: The Tuppenny Child

Saga set in 1919
Paperback
September 2019
From the author of Belle of the Back Streets.
A dramatically powerful saga of secrets, friendship, motherhood, love and betrayal.
‘She’s not worth more than tuppence, that child!’ Those are the words that haunt Sadie Linthorpe. She is the talk of Ryhope when she arrives there, aged seventeen, alone, seeking work and a home in the pit village. But Sadie is keeping a secret – she is searching for her baby girl who was taken from her at birth a year ago and cruelly sold by the child’s grandmother. All that Sadie knows about the family who took her daughter is that they live in Ryhope. And the only thing she knows about her daughter is that when the baby was born, she had a birthmark on one shoulder that resembled a tiny ladybird. But as Sadie’s quest begins, a visitor from her past appears – one who could jeopardise the life she’s beginning to build and ruin her chances of finding her child forever…
Perfect for fans of Dilly Court and Rosie Goodwin.

Zara Stoneley: Four Christmases and a Secret

romcom / contemporary romance
Harper Collins, One More Chapter
e-book, paperback
27th September 2019

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…
Except for Daisy Christmas means another of Uncle T’s dreaded Christmas parties, complete with Christmas jumper and flashing antlers. And Oliver Cartwright. Gorgeous Oliver Cartwright. Who she hates. Every year Daisy has to face insufferable Ollie and hear all about how BRILLIANT he is. Whereas Daisy has no job, no man and no idea how to fix things. This Christmas however Daisy is determined things will be different. There will be no snogging Ollie under the mistletoe like when they were teenagers. No, this year she’ll show Ollie that she’s a Responsible Adult too. But as the champagne corks pop, and the tinsel sparkles, Uncle T has news of his own to share…and it could change Daisy’s life forever…

Julie Stock: Bittersweet – 12 Short Stories for Modern Life

Contemporary short stories

Indie Published

Ebook and paperback

24 September 2019

From dark tales to light comedy, from romance to tragedy, this compelling collection contains 12 short stories that will appeal whatever you’re in the mood for. The stories are all of differing lengths, equally good for reading when you have a spare moment or for when you have time to spare. Why not indulge yourself now?

The Hustle – will a pair of tricksters pull off their latest hustle?
Middle Eight – a country singer finds inspiration in the unlikeliest place.
A Random Act of Kindness – a homeless man is treated kindly at Christmas.
The Eye of the Beholder – a man is rejected by his girlfriend but all is not lost.
The Intruder – who is wreaking havoc in the local cat community?
The Letter – after her mother’s death, a daughter finds out a secret.
A Brief Moment of Respite – a young woman escapes her claustrophobic life just for a moment.
Consumed – a woman obsessed with her online life comes to regret it.
Strangers – after living too long in an abusive relationship, a woman finally makes a decision.
From a Bygone Age – an old couple find themselves protesting against the rise of the same horrors they experienced in their youth.                                                                                                                                New Horizons – after the death of her husband, a woman puts herself ahead of his children.
Saved by the Bookshop – a young librarian finds more than books in a bookshop.

June Davies: On the Marram Shore

Historical Romance
Linford Romance Library/F.A.Thorpe
Paperback
August 2019

Catriona Dunbar stood before her window at Pelham, tying the frayed ribbons of her camisole as she stared down across the wet gardens and beyond the weathered gate to the shore fields with their tall grasses and clumps of hardy sea hollies. A brigantine with furled sails bound for Liverpool was blurry on the distant horizon, almost like a ghost ship.
Almost like the Rhiannon, Catriona realised . . .
It is the morning of Catriona’s wedding to her distant cousin, Julian Espley, Master of Pelham. Despairing, Catriona owns there is no one to blame for her plight but herself. Her own faithless heart has brought her to this day. And now, Morgan Chappel has been sighted down on the shore. If captured, Morgan will face the gallows for sure. Why has he returned to Friars Quay? To Pelham, where Catriona accused and betrayed him? Why? Why today, of all days?

Arabella Sheen: A Merchant’s Daughter

Historical Romance
Beachwalk Press Inc.
eBook
26th August 2019

A merchant’s daughter and a destitute nobleman. Can a marriage of convenience solve their problems? Miss Emma Brentry is happy with life but feels the time has come to marry. Her father, a wealthy glass merchant, has expectations of grandchildren, and Emma doesn’t wish to disappoint. Reluctantly, and somewhat halfheartedly, she begins the search for a husband.
Mr Aaron Trent, a gentleman of noble birth, returns to England fresh from the Napoleonic war with a scar and limp to prove it. During his absence, his estate, Windhurst Hall, has been pledged by his cousin at the gaming tables. He is now in search of the necessary funds with which to buy back his home. Emma makes Aaron an offer he finds difficult to refuse. With his pride standing in the way, can Aaron stay true to his principles, or will he, with reckless, passionate abandonment, succumb to Emma’s powers of persuasion?

Rosie Dean: Toni’s Blind Date

Romantic Comedy
RD Publishing
Kindle and Paperback
August 2019

Toni Spielman and Will Thomas have no plans to date — anyone — but when fate throws them together on a TV dating show, they have to smile, pretend, and rethink their plans.

Hello, Lovelies! I do hope you will indulge me. I am thrilled to add my own novel to the list this month. The Orphan Daughter is out on the 5th of September!

New Publications are brought to you every month by Sheila Riley. Sheila writes gritty, heartwarming family sagas set around Liverpool Docklands. She is published by Boldwood (https://www.boldwoodbooks.com) and represented by Felicity Trew (https://carolinesheldon.co.uk)

http://my-writing-ladder.blogspot.co.uk

twitter@1sheilari