Publication Day – Page 4

Happy Publication Day – 17 January 2026

The Sweet Life Cafe By Helen Rolfe

Only a taste of home can heal old wounds ❤️‍🩹🧁☕️

When sisters Addie and Susanna receive invitations to a memorial for their Aunt Gayle, they’re heartbroken to learn the woman who raised them has passed away. But arriving on Anchor Island, they’re met with the shock of their lives: Gayle is alive and well, busily preparing her own ‘Celebration of Life’ at her beloved pudding bar, The Sweet Life Café.

Agreeing to stay for the event, the sisters begin sorting through their late father’s belongings, reopening wounds they thought long buried, and forcing them to reflect on their lives since leaving the island. Addie is struggling as a single mother, torn between love for her son and doubts about the life she can give him. Susanna’s marriage is crumbling, and being back on the island only reminds her why she couldn’t wait to escape.

But as Gayle prepares gooey brownies, steaming lattes and delicious cakes for her customers, and for her big event, she is hiding secrets of her own – including one that could change everything the sisters thought they knew about their family…

Happy Publication Day – 16 January 2026

A Yorkshire Affair By Julie Houston

🏠 Jess Allen has always played it safe. 🏠

She married her high school sweetheart, stayed in her hometown and lives right next door to her mum Lisa and younger sister Sorrel. But with a new job on the horizon and her family no longer living a stone’s throw away, she’s going to have to get used to her comfortable life shifting into something new.

Jess finds the idea of being a part of the White House – the village’s new and stylish restaurant – incredibly daunting, but she knows she is more than capable. And with her role at the care home uncertain, this would give her the chance to finally pursue her passion for cooking.

But as her professional life soars, her romantic life is thrown into turmoil. Having welcomed back into her life her no-good ex, she’s quickly questioning her decision – especially as new faces in Beddingfield begin to catch her eye.

As the familiar rhythms of life shift and long-held routines are upended, she starts to see that sometimes change is no bad thing at all. And someone who encourages her to take a risk – even if it’s the last person she ever expected – might be just the thing she needed.

Happy Publication Day – 15 January 2026

The Dating Pact By Lulu Morris

He’s acting royalty. She’s a nurse at The Royal hospital. What happens when their scripted romance starts to feel too real…?

When Ellie bluffs her way into a high-end party with her best friend, the last thing she expects is to end up going home with infamous actor Alex King, because he’s too drunk to remember what hotel he’s staying in. But when the paparazzi catch them together the morning after, their new friendship suddenly becomes the tabloids’ front page.

Alex needs a plus-one. Not only is his brother marrying his ex, but he’s become the villain in the eyes of the press. With a loved-up date by his side, the public might finally see him as moving on and his new play might finally get the ticket sales it needs to not close down.

But a wedding in the Bahamas, surrounded by gorgeous celebrities, with the paparazzi lurking everywhere, is plus-sized Ellie’s worst nightmare. Even as Alex’s displays of affectionate become more real and less fake, will she lose a part of herself during their pact?

The Arctic Cruise By Caroline James

Will the Arctic wonderland work its magic this winter?

Joy never imagined stepping aboard a cruise ship without her husband, Tom. Now widowed, Joy wonders what her voyage on the Emerald Dream will hold – and as it glides through breathtaking Norwegian fjords, she longs to believe in happiness again. However, she carries a secret that could unravel her fragile hopes if it ever came to light…

Elsewhere on deck, as the sun dips below the horizon and the polar night sets in, Henry, a lifelong bachelor, is living his dream of seeing the Northern Lights. Having long since given up on love, he now dedicates himself to his passion for photography. But when he meets Joy, is it more than the aurora borealis that catches his eye?

As they embark on a snow-dusted adventure which takes them from bustling ports to reindeer-drawn sleigh rides, will Joy and Henry find the courage to embrace love again? Or will hidden truths sink the possibility of a new beginning?

The Last Dinner At Wisteria House By Sue Roberts

On a peaceful avenue stands the once-grand Wisteria House. Now it’s split into apartments, occupied by strangers who rarely say hello. Could one last dinner party bring it to life again?

Ninety-year-old Alice has one last wish: to fill her new home with light and laughter, just like when her husband was alive. So she sets out her favourite plates, opens an old recipe book, and sends invitations to the neighbours she’s certain need friendship just as much as she does…

Declan hasn’t believed he deserves to follow his dreams since he tragically lost his sister.

Jess has been working herself to the bone to provide for her little daughter and has no time for joy in her own life.

Mark, a widower, has been isolated in his grief for so long.

Over a shared meal, Alice reminds each of them that sharing stories keeps those we love alive, and that time is our most precious gift. As they hug goodbye, everyone feels lighter than they have in years. Little do they know Alice has her own secret reason for gathering them together…

The next morning the tenants receive terrible news. Is their first dinner party destined to be the last? With Wisteria House under threat, can they come together to save the one place that has only just started to feel like home? Or will they lose their little community just when they need it most?

Happy Publication Day – 12 January 2026

Wreck My Plans By Cindi Madsen

Age isn’t a number.
It’s a state of chaos.

When publicist Mia Andrews becomes the face of a viral disaster dubbed #PantyGate, her career implodes along with her reputation.

Now jobless and single, Mia lands in the last place she expected—her grandmother’s anything-but-quiet retirement community in Florida. It’s chaos. It’s hilarious. It’s exactly what she didn’t know she needed.

Even worse? The meddling retirees are determined to fix Mia’s love life. Somehow, they find time to play matchmaker—with not one but two bachelors under thirty-five.

But amid the mayhem, Mia’s learning that the best second chances come when—and where—you least expect them.

Summer Nights In Pine Harbor By Tammy Robinson

Under the stars, everything changes…

Twelve years after a mistake that changed everything, Taylor Calderwood returns to Pine Harbor to care for her prickly ninety-four-year-old uncle. But the quiet Maine coastal town stirs up more than memories – it brings back guilt she’s spent years trying to forget.

Jack Garrity isn’t in Pine Harbor by choice either. Bound by guilt and a promise he can’t break, he’s keeping his head down and helping a friend through the hardest chapter of her life.

Then one night, under a sky full of stars, Taylor meets Jack by the water. What begins as a chance encounter turns into late-night swims and soul-deep conversations – igniting a connection neither of them expected.

With the past pulling at their heels and the future uncertain, they must decide: can they let go of what was to embrace what could be?

Life In The Old Girls Yet By Celia Anderson

Vee is nervous about returning to the village of Willowbrook. Not only is Dragonfly Cottage – the house her late mum left her – in need of a total refurb, but the neighbours still remember Vee as a troublesome teen, even though she’s now in her fifties.

Luckily, Vee’s quickly swept up by the Saga Louts, three irrepressible women whose friendship, humour and zest for life prove impossible to resist. With Rick, the handsome local handyman who’s helping to renovate the cottage also at her side, Vee begins to feel like it’s never too late to start again.

When the group set off on a road trip to France, laughter, friendship and plenty of vin rouge are on the cards. But some surprising revelations are about to come out, too…

Can Vee finally come to terms with the past and seize her future with both hands?

Happy Publication Day – 11 January 2026

A Fresh Start At The Cornish Country Hospital By Jo Bartlett

When life changes in an instant, how do you find the courage to begin again? ❤️‍🩹

A&E doctor, Eve Bellingham’s life changed forever the night her fiancé Max was the victim of a brutal attack. Now, two years later, she has moved her life to Cornwall and is working at St Piran’s Hospital, helping his family cope as Max struggles with his devastating injuries.

But though Eve’s loyalty has never wavered, the man she loved is gone. Annie – Max’s mother – still clings to the hope that one day everything will return to how it was, but Eve isn’t so sure it ever will. Torn between duty and despair, Eve feels trapped in a life that no longer fits.

Then she meets Felix Grainger, the dedicated occupational therapist helping Max towards independence. With kindness and quiet strength, he awakens feelings Eve thought she’d lost forever.

Happy Publication Day – 9 January 2025

The Lie She Told By Emma Robinson

‘Natalie, it’s mum. You need to come home. It’s your father…’ Clutching the phone, my hands shaking, my entire world tilts. For years I’ve run from a family secret which threatened to devastate us all. But with my darling father’s life on the line, I have to face the truth, whatever the cost.

Bursting through the hospital doors, I see my mother and sister waiting in the corridor, worry etched on their faces. Over the years I’ve grown apart from my sister Victoria. She married young and started a family. I chose a different path. I had no choice but to leave so that the rest of my family could be happy.

Gathering at my father’s bedside, I clutch Victoria’s hand like we’re little again. As we start to share our memories of the fun and loving home he created, he leans towards us, uttering words which will turn our world upside down: ‘You mustn’t blame your mother. It was never her fault.’

Victoria reassures me that it must be the medication, that he doesn’t know what he is saying. But I do. Years ago, I thought our mother had betrayed us in the worst possible way. But looking at the stranger standing next to her, I know they are part of the lie my parents were so desperate to hide. The lie I ran from. But if I tell the truth of what I know, will it destroy our lives forever?

Happy Publication Day – 8 January 2025

Tomorrow Starts Today By Jessica Redland

It’s never too late to find yourself… 💫

When she unexpectedly loses her husband, Yvonne Kellerman’s world turns quiet and grey. Five years on, her days are filled with the gentle chatter of her loyal parrot, Trevor, and the comfort of her crafting table—but she can’t shake the feeling that life is slipping her by and Yvonne feels lost and lonelier than ever.

When she joins the local crafting club at Willowdale Village Hall, Yvonne expects nothing more than a few afternoons of sewing. Instead, amongst the other local crafters, she discovers friendship, laughter and a renewed appreciation for her gorgeous Lake District home. It’s a reminder that she isn’t alone and, with each new stitch, her confidence returns, and so does her belief that it’s never too late for fresh starts and new beginnings.

When a familiar face from her past reappears, Yvonne finds herself standing at a crossroads: will she protect her heart, or embrace the chance to love—and truly live—again?

How To Survive Your Boss By Leslie North

The Hating Game meets The Proposal—if the grumpy billionaire you had a one-night stand with ran a luxury jet empire, ghosted you like a pro, and then became your next PR nightmare at 40,000 feet.

Months ago, I had a scorching one-night stand with Harrison Winslow. CEO. Sin in a suit. Human red flag. Also? The grumpiest man alive. Think smoldering glare, dripping sarcasm, and the emotional range of a brick wall.

He ghosted me so hard I had to check for a pulse. Then we collide again in an airport lounge—just as he’s going viral for trash-talking Scarlett Rush, America’s sweetheart and the world’s most beloved pop star.

Now he’s public enemy number one, the fandom is out for revenge, and his private jet company is bleeding money. And he wants to hire me to fix it.

I’m a crisis PR pro, not a billionaire wrangler. Babysitting a grumpy jet mogul with a god complex and a grudge against joy—who had me breaking all my rules, then vanished—is not in my five-year plan.

Still, the money’s obscene. The jets are private. And the job? Temporary. I can keep it professional.

I can ignore the tension in every private jet and late-night strategy session. I will absolutely not fall for the man who ghosted me.

…Right?

Happy Publication Day – 6 January 2026

Chasing Dreams By Carolyn Brown

Chasing Dreams

Nita, Sharlene, and Billy Joe, all about to turn 80, enlist Billy Joe’s great-grandson, Ford, who has just gotten out of the Air Force, and Sharlene’s great niece, Joelle, a schoolteacher who has the summer free. Their mission—to drive the three bickering old people on a road trip to remember. Each of the octogenarians is determined to tick off at least a few bucket list items before they go. Somewhere along the journey, Ford and Joelle discover that their elderly companions aren’t the only ones who need to take some risks in life…and in love.

The Matchmakers

Dotty, Minnie and Sookie have been best friends for decades, so when they all retired they decided that living on a cruise ship was cheaper and a lot more fun than living in an assisted living facility. But after a cruise or two, they got bored and decided to become matchmakers. Not knowing that they were choosing a couple that was already bound for divorce, they had their work cut out for them. Could they get this poor couple who evidently were still very much in love back together?

A Summer to Remember (Sisters in Paradise series prequel novella)

Before she moves to the Paradise in Spanish Fort, Texas, Great Aunt Bernie runs a bar where she listens to all kinds of people’s problems. One day, Nash, Hershel, and Clara walk into her bar and change the trajectory of Bernie’s life forever. After seeing the sparks between Clara and Nash, Bernie decides to try her hand at matchmaking. If she’s good at it—and it turns out that she is—she intends to retire and get to work marrying off her seven great-nieces.

Happy Publication Day – 3 January 2025

What Happened That Summer By Laura Pearson

You think you know what happened that day… But what if you’re wrong?

Everyone who was around in the 1990s remembers where they were when they heard that AJ Silver had died. In the summer of ’96, there was no avoiding the story that America’s biggest teen pop sensation had plunged to his death on a rollercoaster at a family-run amusement park in rural England.

Now, 27 years have passed, and – even if you’re too young to recall the event – you’ve probably heard AJ Silver’s songs topping the charts again. So what better time to take a forensic look at what happened that summer?

I’ve spent hundreds of hours interviewing everyone who was there that fateful day: workers, friends, family… the people who gained from his death, and the people who lost everything.

But you’re going to want to pay attention. Because I’ve found out a secret. One you’re all going to want to know… Perhaps it wasn’t such an accident after all?

Happy Publication Day – 2 January 2025

Where The Dawn Finds Us By Kate Hewitt

After years of survival and devastating loss, the promise of a new settlement in North Dakota feels like salvation. A chance for my children to reclaim some semblance of normalcy, studying and making friends again, and for me to find new purpose, reporting on this strange new world we’re living in for a newspaper. I’m even forming new friendships as I grow closer to Jack Norman, the settlement’s deputy leader.

But I can’t help feeling haunted by what—and who—we left behind. I desperately miss my eldest daughter, Mattie, who chose to stay in Canada, forging her own future in the community I left behind. I tell myself she’s safe there. But as I learn more about the world I belong to, I begin to understand the disturbing truth of how it has been formed—and I am terrified that Mattie might be in their sights.

I’ve already lost too much to this broken world—I won’t lose my daughter too.