Erica James

Abandoned by her husband, Ellen struggles to make ends meet. Having married once for love, she is determined that the second time it will be for money.

1939: After touring Europe to promote her latest book, Romily Temple returns home to Island House and the love of her life, Jack Devereux. But when Jack falls ill, his estranged family are called to his bedside. With war now declared, each member of the family is reluctantly forced to accept their new stepmother, but can Romily cope with the life that has been so unexpectedly thrust upon her?

Ashcombe was the most beautiful house Saskia had ever seen as a little girl, providing a perfect sanctuary to hide from the tragedy which shattered her childhood. Now an adult, Saskia is still living at Ashcombe, and when she discovers a notebook carefully concealed in an old Bible, she finds herself drawn into a heart-rending tale of wartime love...

The Gardens of Delight brochure promises the opportunity to visit some of the most beautiful gardens in Italy. Keen gardener Helen is tempted to visit the gardens in the Lake Como area. But is it only the gardens that will tempt her?

Mia Channing appears to have an enviable life, but appearances can be deceptive... When the family gathers for her son's thirtieth birthday, it turns out to be an evening that marks a turning point in all their lives, when old resentments and regrets surface and the carefully ordered world Mia has created begins to unravel.

The members of a creative writing group all want to keep their lives private, yet all have something they want to escape from. As their writing skills and their friendships develop they realise that a little openness is not a bad thing.

A long holiday is just what Izzy Jordan needs. So when she's invited to spend the summer on Corfu and is offered the chance of a no-strings holiday romance with the irresistible Theo, what should she do? Go for it, or listen to the voice of Modern Woman and tell him to sling his hook? Just as she thinks she's made up her mind, along comes Mark, whose turbulent past sets in motion a series of dramatic events...

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 have everything Chloe wishes for in life - a happy marriage and a beautiful child. She's been on a mission to find the perfect father for the child she craves. When she meets Seth Hawthorne, she thinks she may have hit the jackpot. But is Seth the man she thinks he is?

With its winding high street lined with a greengrocers, post office, pub and church, Melstead St Mary is the perfect English village. Neighbours look out for neighbours, and few things trouble the serene surface of the community. But when residents start to receive anonymous letters containing secret information about their pasts - secrets that no one else is meant to know - life in Melstead St Mary is about to change, possibly forever...

Harriet Swift has the perfect life - she is thirty-two with a satisfying career, her own flat and a new boyfriend. When her sister is killed, Harriet gives up her ordered life to help look after her niece and nephew. Moving back isn't easy, but she starts to discover things about the family she never believed possible.

When Clara gives up her safe, conventional life and takes off with her son on a three-month trip, she is soon forced to confront problems she thought she would never have to face...

In order to spend more time with her four-year-old son Ned, Clara Costello trades in her secure, well-paid job and two-seater sports car for a camper van called Winnie, and the three of them set off on a mystery tour of England. Of course, her friends and family think she's gone mad.

But when they arrive in Deaconsbridge, a small market town on the edge of the Peak District, Clara and Ned become drawn into the lives of the locals. Two in particular seem destined to get under Clara's skin: Gabriel Liberty, a cranky widower who terrifies his family; and Archie Merryman, a local dealer in second-hand furniture who possesses a heart of gold.

Then Clara finds herself having to confront a problem much closer to home, and one she had hoped she would never have to face...

'I must stand up for myself more', so promises Maggie Storm who spends her days cleaning houses for people who often have more money than manners. Married to a man with as much sex appeal as Mr Blobby, she dreams of a life straight from the pages of a romantic novel.

Clayton Miller's promising media career and personal life are in tatters. To put it all behind him he retreats to a secluded country house. There he meets Alice, who goes to great lengths to avoid telling the truth about herself. When Alice and Clayton discover the truth about each other they form an unlikely friendship...

When the exclusive Cholmsford Hall Mews goes on the market it offers the opportunity to live in splendid isolation and the promise of much more for the new owners.

Lake Como - beautiful, enchanting... For Floriana, it is the place where the love of her life is getting married to another woman. For Esme, it is where, over sixty years ago, she fell in love for the first time. Now it's time for both Esme and Floriana to face the past - and the future - on the shores of this romantic lake.

Linston End on the Norfolk Broads has been the holiday home to three families for many years. The memories of their time there are ingrained in their hearts. But widower Alastair has been faced with a few of life's surprises recently. Now, he is about to shock his circle of friends with the decisions he has made - and the changes it will mean for them all. For some, it feels like the end. For others, it might just be the beginning..

Lizzie has an unfortunate knack for attracting bad luck. Losing her heart to her boss leads to her losing her job, and with no money in the bank she's forced to return home to her parents. As if that wasn't bad enough, her mother finds her work at the local care home for the elderly, and it's there that Lizzie meets Mrs Dallimore..