Showing results by publisher "W. F. Howes Ltd" in Contemporary

Samantha thrives under pressure. A high-powered London lawyer, all she can concentrate on is taking the next step in her career; eating, sleeping, seeing friends—even taking a breath—will have to wait. But just when she's about to get everything she has ever wanted, Samantha makes a mistake. A fifty-million-pound, career-destroying mistake. Unable to face the consequences, she does the unimaginable and runs away… Catching the first train she can, she finds herself in the countryside, outside a beautiful grand house.

The story of a relationship that everyone thought was forever and which is now in danger of being for never, The Break is about getting older and staying in love when life, real life, is trying to pull you apart.

Once upon a time, Abbie and Matt had swoon-worthy mini breaks in Paris, and Abbie would cook him steak wearing nothing but an apron and high heels. These days, they’re experiencing the longest dry spell on record. And Abbie is keeping a very big secret. But she’s not ready to give up. Nobody knows Abbie like Matt does, and it helps that he’s tall, dark and handsome, with hazel eyes and dimples to die for. Determined to reignite the romance, Abbie initiates Operation Memory Lane and recreates their happiest memories.

For Rebecca Bloomwood, life is peachy. She has a job on morning TV, her bank manager is actually being nice to her, and when it comes to spending money, her new motto is Buy Only What You Need—and she's really (sort of) sticking to it. The icing on the brioche is that she's been offered a chance to work in New York.

Southampton, 1912. Jessie is made from tough stuff. At just 19, after the death of her father, she opted not to follow her mother back to Ireland, preferring instead to take charge of her own destiny. When Jessie marries an Irishman and takes over the running of the cafe she works in, it seems as though all the pieces are coming together. But when destiny and a pushy local businessman have other ideas, everything she has worked for is taken away, bit by bit. Will she find the strength to keep fighting for the life she wants in the face of personal loss, gang bosses and embezzlement?

Brianna Worthington has beauty, privilege, and a very healthy trust fund. Yet when she’s invited to visit her mother’s charity, Medic SOS, in South America, even Brianna is surprised when she accepts. Mitch McBride, Chief Medical Officer, doesn’t need the patron’s daughter disrupting his work, and he’s not about to risk losing his job for a pretty face. Poles apart, can Brianna and Mitch ever bridge the gap separating them?

Dan and Sally Oliver and their friend Chloe Hennessey are lucky to be alive. Three years on, after surviving one of the world's biggest natural disasters - the Boxing Day tsunami - their lives have changed dramatically. Dan and Sally are now parents. Dan is enjoying being a stay-at-home father taking care of their young son, and Sally is the bread winner and loves her job as a partner in a Manchester law firm.

Elle Jamieson is a private person, in relationships as well as at work - and for good reason. But then she's made redundant and with no ties to hold her, she heads off to sunny Malta. Lucas Rose is furious when his summer is interrupted by the arrival of Elle, his ex. Forced to live in close proximity, it's hard to ignore what they had shared before Lucas's wedding proposal scared Elle away…

Scrabble fan Jo always seems to pick the wrong guys. Now she's moved to the Yorkshire village of Hebbleswick, and decided to give dating one last chance. This time, there's a catch: she will only date men whose names would score highly in her beloved word game. After Tarquin (16 points) proves just as disappointing as the rest, she meets low-scoring local doctor Ras (3 points). Her rules mean she can't date him—but when he asks her to organise a Scrabble festival with him, she can't say no.

Tara, Katherine and Fintan have been best friends since they were teenagers. Now in their early thirties, they've been living it up in London for 10 years. But what have they to show for a decade of hedonism? Sure, Tara's got a boyfriend - but only because she's terrified of spending five minutes alone. Katherine, on the other hand, has a neatness fetish that won't let anyone too close to mess up her life. And Fintan? Well, he has everything. Until he learns that without your health, you've got nothing....

Lola has every reason to be interested in who Paddy de Courcy is marrying - because although she's his girlfriend, she definitely isn't the bride. Heartbroken, she flees the city for a cottage by the sea. But will her retreat prove as idyllic as she hopes? Not if journalist Grace has anything to do with it. Grace knew Paddy a long time ago. But why can't she forget him?

Kate Kingsley remembers little of her early childhood before being sent to live as the adopted daughter of Jack and Thea in Kenya. Now 20, she leaves Kenya for a new life in London. But this is 1936 - a time of decadence but also turmoil. Kate confronts personal danger, faces conflicting loyalties, and must make a heart-breaking choice before she can find a kind of freedom.

Rachel Walsh is twenty-seven and the miserable owner of size 8 feet. She has regular congress with Luke Costello, a man who wears his leather trousers tight. And she's fond - some might say too fond - of recreational drugs.

Set in 1920s London, this is the inspiring story of Kate Goss' struggle against poverty, hunger and cruel family secrets. Her mother died in a fall, her father has vanished without trace, and now her aunt and cousins treat her viciously. In a freezing, vermin-infested garret, factory girl Kate has only her own brave spirit and dreams of finding her father to keep her going. She has barely enough money to feed herself, or to pay the rent. The factory where she works begins to lay off people and it isn't long before she has fallen into the hands of the violent local money-lender.

It's been 10 days, two hours and 43 minutes since Tansy got dumped. Two heartbreaking weeks since Renzo, who made her weak at the knees and dizzy with excitement, found out Tansy’s secret - and ended it on the spot. Since then, she’s spent every evening scrolling through their old photos, drunk texted him 26 times (he stopped reading after five), and lost count of how many packets of Kleenex she’s cried her way through. But while she’s busy pretending, Tansy’s plan is thrown a major curveball.

In the glitteringly ruthless diamond business, Scarlett Drummond Murray is a force to be reckoned with. As stunningly beautiful as the diamonds she works with, Scarlett is determined to make her mark on the industry with her fabulous jewellery creations. But to do so she must battle through a world that is steeped in greed and corruption.

Lisa Edwards, top London magazine editor, has been fantasizing about promotion to New York. Instead, she's asked to launch a new women's magazine in Dublin. She thinks nothing could be worse - until she meets her new staff. They're friendly, helpful, and enthusiastic - in other words, they wouldn't last two minutes in London!

Dr. Steven J. Fisher is a young and brilliant biochemist (special subject: the female orgasm). He's invented a Viagra-like pill for women - now he just needs his results to be perfect. Annie is an orgasmically-challenged arts student (special subject: Victorian semicolons) and for some reason his miracle treatment isn't working. As scientist and subject bond over Bunsen Burner-lit meals, Dr. Fisher is surprised to find his feelings taking a most unscientifc turn...

Dartmoor, 1875. Rose Maddiford, beautiful, vivacious and intelligent, could have her pick of men across Dartmoor. But she is in no hurry to marry unless it is for true love - and certainly not while she can help her father manage the Cherrybrook Gunpowder Mills. Then tragedy strikes. Rose’s father is injured by an explosion at the mill, and the family is left teetering on the edge of poverty. Rose is left with just two options: accept arrogant, controlling Charles Chadwicks’ proposal and move to London or let her family perish. Rose must choose duty over love.

Kat Williams is well and truly in a rut. She’s lost her mojo at work, her estranged dad has passed away, and she royally messed up the eulogy at his funeral after a grumpy, stubborn man stole her parking space and made her late. When her boss suggests she takes a two month sabbatical, Kat moves hundreds of miles to the small Mancunian town of Everly Heath to refurbish her father’s childhood home she’s inherited.