Tania Crosse: The Candle Factory Girl

20th Century Saga

E-book and pod paperback

Aria

1 March 2018

Work at Price’s Candle Factory in 1930s London is tedious for intelligent, seventeen-year-old Hillie Hardwick, but she knows she is lucky to have a job at all.

Life in her family’s cramped, terraced house in Battersea’s Banbury Street is no better as she stands up to her bullying father in order to protect her mother and five younger siblings, but what is the truth behind his harsh and brutal ways?

Her only solace is her loving friendship with the chaotic Parker family and her best friend, Gert Parker.

When matters escalate violently, smitten Jack-the-Lad Jimmy Baxter seems her only salvation.

But could this be the biggest mistake of her life, and should she be looking for protection nearer home?

A story that crackles with tension where courage and friendship are the only hope.

A London back street saga set among the deprivations of the 1930s and the fight to survive.

Sharon Booth: The Doctor’s Daughter

Contemporary Romance

Paperback

Ulverscroft. Linford Romance Library

1 March 2018

After the death of her father, who had been the trusted GP of their little Yorkshire village of Bramblewick, Anna Gray decides to accept her childhood sweetheart Ben’s proposal of marriage, leave her position as receptionist at the practice, and move to Kent. There’s nothing to hold her here…is there? When Connor Blake, the new GP, arrives, along with his extraordinary but troubled daughter Gracie, Anna begins to have doubts. But how can that possibly be, when she and Ben are the perfect couple? Or, at least, so everybody says…

Jill Steeples: Wedding Bells at The Dog & Duck

Contemporary Romance

Ebook/Digital

Aria Fiction

1 March 2018

Ellie Browne, landlady of The Dog & Duck, is looking forward to a relaxing Christmas Day before the arrival of her and her partner Max’s baby in the New Year. But with a snowstorm brewing outside, it seems that things might not go quite to plan.

After the dramatic events of the holiday season, Ellie settles into her new life at Max’s huge country mansion Braithwaite Manor, juggling work and family as best she can. When she’s asked to help organise a summer wedding for one of her best friends

it’s only natural that her mind turns to her own, non-existent, wedding plans!

But with Max decidedly lukewarm on the subject and other family complications threatening to disrupt life further, Ellie fears there’ll never be wedding bells at the Dog & Duck after all.

Catherine Jones: Little Woodford – Secrets of a Small Town

Contemporary

Kindle, hardback and paperback

Head of Zeus

1 March 2018

Little Woodford has a sleepy high street, a weekly market, a weathered old stone church and lovingly tended allotments.

A peaceful, unexciting place, the very heart of middle England.

In Little Woodford no one has fingers in more pies than Olivia Laithwaite, town councillor, pillar of the local WI, wife, mother and all round queen bee. So of course it’s Olivia who is first to spot that The Beeches has been sold at last.

Soon rumours begin to swirl around the young widow who has bought this lovely house.

Why exactly did she leave London with her beautiful stepdaughter and young sons?

Are they running from someone? Hiding something? Though if they are, they won’t be the only ones.

Sometimes the arrival of newcomers in a community is all it takes to light a fuse…

Lara Temple: Lord Ravenscar’s Inconvenient Betrothal

Regency Romance

Ebook and Paperback

Harlequin Mills & Boon

1 March 2018

Alan Rothwell, Marquess of Ravenscar, is furious when unconventional and impertinent heiress Lily Wallace refuses him

purchase of her property and dismisses his attempts to win her over with his infamous charm.

He is not accustomed to being laughed at, scolded, or ignored by young women, but then Lily Wallace is no conventional young woman. She has come to England to build a family and knows Lord Ravenscar cannot offer her what she wants most. But when her fears drive her to commit an indiscretion, Lord Ravenscar refutes his rakish reputation and offers marriage.

Now both Lily and Lord Ravenscar must decide which of their desires will rule their future.

Erica Brown: Daughter of Destiny, The Sugar Merchant’s Wife, Return to Paradise

Canelo Digital Publishing

5 March 2018

The Strong trilogy begins in the early part of the nineteenth century on a sugar plantation in the West Indies.

In the first book, Daughter of Destiny, a girl, Blanche is conceived. Her mother is a slave, her father one of the very drunk Strong brothers, owners of a plantation and shipping line. Which one is her father?

In the second book, The Sugar Merchant’s Wife, Blanche is faced with the perils of cholera in the city of Bristol and her divided love between family and the enigmatic Captain Thomas Strong.

In the third book, Return to Paradise, aspects of her past come back to haunt her along with circumstances leading to a decision having to be made between duty and happiness.

Sheryl Browne: The Babysitter

Psychological Thriller

Ebook

Bookouture

8 March 2018

Mark and Melissa Cain are thrilled to have found Jade, a babysitter who is brilliant with their young children.

Having seen her own house burn to the ground, Jade needs them as much as they need her.

Moving Jade into the family home can only be a good thing, can’t it?

As Mark works long hours as a police officer and Melissa struggles with running a business, the family become ever more reliant on their babysitter, who is only too happy to help.

And as Melissa begins to slip into depression, it’s Jade who is left picking up the pieces.

But Mark soon notices things aren’t quite as they seem.

Things at home feel wrong, and as Mark begins to investigate their seemingly perfect sitter, what he discovers shocks him to his core.

He’s met Jade before. And now he suspects he might know what she wants.

Liz Fenwick: One Cornish Summer

Romance

Paperback, ebook, audiobook

Orion

8 March 2018

Against the beauty of Cornwall, a story of two women struggling with their past: one cannot remember hers, the other cannot forget…

Tanya Jean Russell: Shadows of our Past

Romantic Suspense

Ebook and Print

Evernight Publishing

8 March 2018

Jackson Halland has spent ten years running from a mistake that cost him everything, including Amory Parker, the woman he loved.

With his gut wrenching response to her reappearance, he realizes that if she will forgive him, then maybe, just maybe, he can forgive himself.

After ten years of working undercover Amory agrees to one final mission.

Vowing to get justice for the woman she promised, and failed, to protect, nothing will stand in her way, not the prolific criminal she’s determined to bring down and certainly not coming face to face with the man

she fell in love with on her very first undercover assignment, even if he has no idea who she really is, or the part she played in his past.

Julie Stock: Over You (Sam’s Story) – Book 2 in the From Here to You series

Contemporary Romance

Ebook

Independently Published

12 March 2018

Can the magic of Cornwall help two lost souls to heal?

Heartbroken after seeing the love of his life marry someone else, Sam Andrews wants to escape all the painful reminders of her and to try and move on. Remembering his happy family holidays surfing in Cornwall, he travels to Newquay to help him forget.

Following a tragic event at university, Jessie Pascoe has abandoned her course and returned home to her mum’s B&B in Newquay. But after months of counselling, she’s no closer to being healed, and she’s lost her faith in ever finding her happy ending.

When Sam and Jessie meet, there’s a mutual attraction, and they begin to see a chance of finding happiness together, if only they can both let go of the past. But can they risk opening their hearts to someone new and falling in love again?

Caroline James: The Best Boomerville Hotel

Romantic Comedy

Ebook

Ruby Fiction

13 March 2018

Jo Docherty and Hattie Contaldo have a vision – a holiday retreat in the heart of the Lake District exclusively for guests of ‘a certain age’ wishing to stimulate both mind and body with new creative experiences.

One hotel refurbishment later and the Best Boomerville Hotel is open for business!

Perhaps not surprisingly Boomerville attracts more than it’s fair share of eccentric clientele: there’s fun loving Sir Henry Mulberry and his brother Hugo; Lucinda Brown, an impoverished artist with more ego than talent; Andy Mack, a charming Porsche-driving James Bond lookalike, as well as Kate Simmons, a woman who made her fortune from an internet dating agency but still hasn’t found ‘the One’ herself.

With such an array of colourful individuals there’s bound to be laughs aplenty, but could there be tears and heartbreak too and will the residents get more than they bargained for at Boomerville?

Anna Jacobs: Bay Tree Cottage

Modern romantic fiction

Hardback and ebook

Allison & Busby

22 March 2018

Peppercorn Series #4: The houses in Saffron Lane are being filled with artists thanks to the efforts of Nell and Angus.

Ginger doesn’t win a place there, but gets a job running the small cafe/art gallery,

taking refuge there from her abusive bully of a son.

When she meets Iain Darling, sparks fly between them, the first time she’s felt attracted to anyone for years.

But will her son spoil it? Emil Kinnaird is in town to open the small museum in Saffron Lane and run his father’s business.

This throws new opportunities in his path, and new problems too.

Will the newcomers manage to build new lives or will selfish people destroy their attempts to find happiness?

Fiona Lindsay: The Consolation Prize

Contemporary Romantic Comedy

Paperback and Amazon ebook

Clochoderick Press

22 March 2018

Londoner Heather McAndrew has a funky flat, a plum job, a glitzy social life, great friends and, best of all, she has ad exec, Aidan.

When Aidan betrays her and returns to his ex, she is heartbroken and takes refuge in her great aunt’s cottage in her second home: the village of Kirklochy in the Scottish Highlands. Heather settles into a tranquil existence, returning to her first love, painting.

But her new home is full of intrigue and tangled relationships. Heather is drawn to two very different men: troubled artist, Sean, and childhood friend, Euan. But Sean is in love with his late wife’s memory and Euan with his stunning, bitchy actress girlfriend. Will Heather find true love or will she forever be the consolation prize?

Sheila Norton: The Pets At Primrose Cottage

Cosy Romance

Paperback and Ebook

Ebury

22 March 2018

Emma Nightingale needs a place to hide away.

Fresh from the heartbreak of a failed relationship, she takes refuge In quiet Crickleford.

And not before long – and quite accidentally too – Emma finds herself the town’s favourite pet-sitter, a role she isn’t certain of at first, but soon her heart is warmed by the animals; they expect nothing more of her than she is able to give.

The last thing Emma wants is for people to discover the real reason she is lying low,

but then the handsome reporter from the local paper takes an interest in her story.

Can Emma keep her secret and follow her heart’s desire…?

Francine Beaton, Eye on the Ball (Book 1 in the Playing for Glory series)

Contemporary sports romance

Electronic and print (on demand)

Roane Publishing

29 March 2018

Rugby player in a blue uniform on a stadium.

How long does it take to fall in love?” he asked.

“Oh, I don’t think it takes long,” she answered. “Sometimes all it takes is a moment, a touch or a smile.”

When he had that conversation with Ange Summers, top professional rugby player Jakes du Plessis should’ve known he was in trouble.

He did not speak to women about love. He did not speak to women at all.

How did the artist with eyes as blue as a winter sky get under his skin?

Jakes desperately wants to keep his team’s vow of celibacy in order to win the new International Rugby Club Competition, but he didn’t count on meeting Ange. Even a promise to his friends and teammates, demons from his past, and a distance of more than 9000 miles could not stop Jakes from falling in love with Ange.

Unfortunately, Jakes had to make a choice. Would it be the right one?

Recently Published

Bella Osborne: Ottercombe Bay – Gin and Trouble

Romantic Comedy

Ebook

Avon, HarperCollins

22 February 2018

Daisy Wickens has returned to Ottercombe Bay, the picturesque Devon town where her mother died when she was a girl.

She plans to leave as soon as her great uncle’s funeral is over, but Great Uncle Reg had other ideas.

He’s left Daisy a significant inheritance – an old building in a state of disrepair, which could offer exciting possibilities, but to get it she must stay in Ottercombe Bay for twelve whole months.

With the help of a cast of quirky locals, a few gin cocktails and a black pug with plenty of attitude, Daisy might just turn this into something special.

But can she ever hope to be happy among the ghosts of her past?

Sarah Mallory: The Ton’s Most Notorious Rake

Historical Romance

Paperback and Hardback

Harlequin Mills & Boon

22 February 2018

Molly Morgan’s experience of men has not been happy, so when she is injured the last person she wants to rescue her is the infuriatingly attractive Beau Russington, the ton’s most notorious rake!

Susan Roebuck: Forest Dancer

Romance / Suspense

Ebook and paperback

Crooked Cat Books

20 February 2018

It’s a long way to go to create a new life for yourself.

Classical ballerina, Flora Gatehouse, has no choice but to take a risk.

Having failed an important ballet audition in London, she moves to a small cottage in a forest just outside Lisbon, Portugal, her only inheritance following her father’s death.

Soon, Flora is involved in village life, where fate takes a new twist when she becomes attracted to forest ranger, Marco.

But they are off to a shaky start.

Can Flora find acceptance in a foreign land, in a magical place that harbours secrets and heartache?

Jill Barry: Love Thirty

Contemporary Romance

Ebook

Endeavour Media

15 February 2018 (NO COVER PIC)

It’s Game, Set and Match for journalist Georgia and rising tennis star Nick.

But the tough game of marriage to an athlete defeats Georgia, who reinvents her life with unexpected results.

From England’s green shires to Paris’s bistro scene, there’s plenty of fun and romance,

with a touch of poignancy as the couple dodge answering the huge question neither seems prepared to tackle.

Rosemary Goodacre: A Fortnight is not Enough

Novella

Books To Go Now

5 February, 2018

A romance set in Provence.

When Imogen meets Jules she can’t bear to go home…

Lynne Pardoe: Stable Love

Medical fiction

Ebook

Independently published

22 January 2018

Social worker Saffy Sutton knows that horses can work wonders with people who are unwell, or have disabilities.

So to mark the start of her new single life, she’s spending a fortnight in a holiday centre run by Riding for the Disabled.

Whilst there, she teams up with Doug, a GP who is a regular visitor.

There is an instant attraction between them and together with ponies Bumble, Jupiter and Merlin they help young people with Down’s syndrome, ADHD amongst other conditions. All grow fitter, stronger, happier in more ways than just physically.

Its a strange quirk of life that often the person with the biggest problem is often the last to see it.

Saffy has been let down in a previous relationship and moving on isn’t easy.

Can the healing power of horses work their magic on her?

*

The list of RNA Members’ New Releases is compiled each month by Sheila Riley. Sheila joined the RNA in 2004 as a new writer. Since then she has written best-selling sagas as Annie Groves. She’s a member of the North-West Chapter of the RNA and loves to catch up with writer friends at the regular Southport lunches.

The email address for new releases is:

releases@romanticnovelistsassociation.org.

Please note our slightly amended rules which will apply from March 2018

The cut off date for inclusion in the following month’s list is the 27th of the month. Due to the large volume of releases, we are only able to include one post per release, even if other formats are released later. Please use the following format in this order when sending details of your new release to Sheila:

• Author Name and Name of Title (all on one line)
• Genre
• Format(s)
• Publisher (Whether traditional or independent)
• Date (e.g. 27 January 2018)

Please also send a cover jpeg and a short blurb (maximum 150 words).