The beautiful city of Venice has been Lydia's home for many years. It's a place she loves and where she's found a sense of peace and fulfillment. Then one day she glimpses a young man's face in the crowd that threatens to change all that. He's a heart-stopping reminder of a dreadful secret she believed she had banished to the past ...As a young child, Lydia and her sister are sent to live with grandparents they've never even met before. It's a cruel and loveless new world for them and it teaches Lydia to grow up fast. She learns to keep secrets and to trust sparingly.And through it all she suppresses her grief and guilt, believing she is to blame for her mother's death. Now, twenty-eight years later, Lydia is persuaded to leave behind the safe new life she has created for herself and return to England to face the past. And maybe her future. Compelling and heart-breaking, with a touch of bittersweet romance, this is Erica James at her finest.

Another heartbreaking but glorious tale of secrets and love from the Sunday Times bestselling author Erica James… Love grows where you least expect it… July 1981. As the country prepares to celebrate Prince Charles’ wedding to Lady Diana, Libby flees London – and her cheating fiancé Marcus – for the Suffolk countryside. At Larkspur House, she hopes to put the pieces of her life back together. And Libby’s great-aunt Bess and renowned garden designer and former socialite Elfrida are happy to help/ But for lifelong friends Bess and Elfrida, Libby’s arrival has stirred up the ghosts of the past. And before they can help her rebuild her shattered future, they must confront their own secrets, lost loves, and tragedies… From the Sunday Times bestselling author Erica James comes a captivating story that sweeps through sixty years of history, love, and family drama. Praise for Erica James: ‘A wonderfully compelling family drama… Warm, escapist and utterly uplifting’ Sunday Express ‘A brilliantly observational look at the complexities of family life’ My Weekly ‘A captivating read’ OK! ‘Glorious… a real treat’ Sunday Post ‘A beautifully written story’ Adele Parks ‘A brilliant read. A compelling family drama… Completely absorbing’ Sarah Morgan ‘Wise and warm with plenty of twists and turns, you'll love this’ Rachel Hore, bestselling author ‘You’ll be swept away… delightful!’ Veronica Henry ‘Peerless storytelling’ Miranda Dickinson ‘Deliciously immersive’ Iona Grey

Meet Bertie Wiggins, a champion ear wiggler, in Bertie Wiggins' Amazing Ears. Unfortunately, no one is interested in Bertie's ear wiggling, not even his mum and dad. They would prefer Bertie to be good at sums. But one day Bertie gets a chance to show off his skill. TreeTops Fiction contains a wide range of quality stories enabling children to explore and develop their own reading tastes and interests. It contains stories from a variety of genres including humour, sci-fi, adventure, mystery and historical fiction. These exciting stories are ideal for introducing children to a wide selection of authors and illustrators. There is huge variety to ensure every reader finds books they will enjoy and can read. Books contain inside cover notes to support children in their reading. Help with children's reading development also available at www.oxfordowl.co.uk. The books are finely levelled, making it easy to match every child to the right book.

Novels from top authors and illustrators with the variety children need to develop a love of reading! TreeTops Fiction contains a wide range of quality stories enabling children to explore and develop their own reading tastes and interests. It contains stories from a variety of genres including humour, sci-fi, adventure, mystery and historical fiction. These exciting stories are ideal for introducing children to a wide selection of authors and illustrators. There is huge variety to ensure every reader finds books they will enjoy and can read. Books contain inside cover notes to support children in their reading. Help with children's reading development also available at www.oxfordowl.co.uk. The books are finely levelled, making it easy to match every child to the right book. This pack contains 6 books, one of each of: Hard to Please, Bertha's Secret Battle, Coming Clean, Amy the Hedgehog Girl, Flans Across the River, Bertie Wiggns' Amazing Ears.

Novels from top authors and illustrators with the variety children need to develop a love of reading! TreeTops Fiction contains a wide range of quality stories enabling children to explore and develop their own reading tastes and interests. It contains stories from a variety of genres including humour, sci-fi, adventure, mystery and historical fiction. These exciting stories are ideal for introducing children to a wide selection of authors and illustrators. There is huge variety to ensure every reader finds books they will enjoy and can read. Books contain inside cover notes to support children in their reading. Help with children's reading development also available at www.oxfordowl.co.uk. The books are finely levelled, making it easy to match every child to the right book. This pack contains 36 books, six of each of: Hard to Please, Bertha's Secret Battle, Coming Clean, Amy the Hedgehog Girl, Flans Across the River, Bertie Wiggns' Amazing Ears.

This pack is part of a structured reading programme for juniors from Oxford Reading Tree, Levels 9-16 - providing them with stories they will love to read. TreeTops Fiction, Level 11 are available in mixed packs of six different stories or class packs of 36 books. Books contain inside cover notes to support children in their reading. Help with childrens reading development is also available at www.oxfordowl.co.uk.

A long summer holiday on the beautiful island of Corfu is just what Izzy Jordan needs, but is she prepared for the romance and drama? New edition of one of Erica James' very best. Torn between struggling to live up to the expectations of being a Modern Woman and ridding herself of the effect of a repressed upbringing, Izzy Jordan would be the first to admit that it's time to take stock of her life. She's thirty-one, with a teaching career on the skids - not surprising, really, given that she harbours a strong desire to lock her pupils in the art room cupboard and throw away the key. She also has a manipulative mother and an ex-boyfriend whose parting shot was to tell her she was boring in bed! 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...

New edition of the Sunday Times bestseller 'A captivating read: beautifully written and heartrendingly sad' Telegraph 'Intense, compelling stuff' OK Magazine The Gardens of Delight brochure promises the opportunity to visit some of the most beautiful gardens in the Lake Como area of Italy. For Lucy, the chance to go to Italy offers more than just gardens. Lake Como is where her father lives, and the last time she saw him was when she was just a teenager. Recently married Helen and her wealthy husband have just moved into the Old Rectory. With her husband spending so much time away from home, Helen throws herself into caring for the garden. But Helen needs help - and friends - and so decides to take the plunge and join the local Garden Club. Conrad isn't the least bit interested in gardening. Widowed for five years, his life revolves around work and humouring Mac, his elderly uncle who lives with him, and who has expressed a desire to go on the Gardens of Delight tour. Reluctantly, Conrad agrees to accompany him. 'Anything for a peaceful life,' he concedes. But a peaceful life is the last thing any of them are in for...

A captivating story about friendship, making changes, and learning to live life to the fullest from SUNDAY TIMES bestseller Erica James A cherished home, a circle of friends and a summer that will change everything... Linston End has been the summer holiday home for three families for many years. A rambling thatched house nestled on the water's edge on the Norfolk Broads, it's a haven of long, lazy picnics on the river, gin and tonics in the garden; a place to spend time together. But this year, the friends are rocked by unexpected news, and it seems that Linston End will never be the same again. For some, this summer feels like the end. For others, it might just be the beginning. . . 'Joyously readable' Woman & Home 'I wanted it to go on forever' Cathy Bramley

"Democratic Insecurities" focuses on the ethics of military and humanitarian intervention in Haiti, during and after Haiti's 1991 coup. In this remarkable ethnography of violence, Erica Caple James explores the traumas of Haitian victims whose experiences were denied by U.S. officials and recognized only selectively by other humanitarian providers. Using vivid first-person accounts from women survivors, James raises important new questions about humanitarian aid, structural violence, and political insecurity. She discusses the politics of postconflict assistance to Haiti and the challenges of promoting democracy, human rights, and justice in societies that experience chronic insecurity. Similarly, she finds that efforts to promote political development and psychosocial rehabilitation may fail because of competition, strife, and corruption among the individuals and institutions that implement such initiatives.

A secret that changed everything... 'A great big romantic, emotional and involving read' Woman & Home 'With marvellous writing, eccentric characters and a great plot, this has it all' Closer 'This will make you giggle and weep in equal measure' Woman Katie Lavender has always thought she was pretty unshockable, until a year after her mother's death she receives a letter from a solicitor telling her that the man she thought was her father, in fact wasn't. Her real father, a man named Stirling Nightingale, has for years been building a trust fund for her. And now she's of an age to collect it. But Katie's not interested in the money. She wants to know about the man instead. So decides to do some snooping. She tracks him down to a beautiful riverside home on the night he's hosting a birthday party for his ninety-year-old mother. And as she's hovering outside, Katie is mistaken for a replacement waitress - an opportunity just too good to miss. And so Katie discovers that the Nightingales are far from your normal family...But what makes a normal family anyway?

Praise for Erica James 'A wonderfully humorous novel following the dysfunctional Baxter family' Woman's Own 'Completely absorbing' Sarah Morgan 'A brilliant and gripping family drama ... full of heart' My Weekly 'A captivating read' OK! Home is where the heart is... Paradise House, with its gorgeous views of the sea, was the perfect home for the Baxter girls to grow up in - that was, until their mother ran away to 'find herself'. Since then, it's been down to Genevieve to keep the family-owned B&B afloat - which hasn't always been easy, when her father spends most of his time hiding away from the flirtatious local women! And there's little help from her sisters, either. Nattie is too busy offending her long-term admirer and Polly spends most of her days with her head in a book. But when Genevieve hears that a nearby tumbledown barn has been sold, she's forced to take a bittersweet trip down memory lane. Because sometimes coming home means facing the secrets of the past...

'Someone had made a perfect job of creating a place in which to hide a notebook . . . there was no address, only a date: September 1943 . . .' 'The twists and turns in this unconventional love story will keep you guessing until the end' WOMAN 'Stuffed full of engaging characters you'll root for from the start' DAILY MAIL Ashcombe was the most beautiful house Saskia had ever seen as a little girl. A rambling cottage on the edge of a Suffolk village, it provided a perfect sanctuary to hide from the tragedy which shattered her childhood. Now an adult, Saskia is still living at Ashcombe and as a book restorer devotes her days tending to broken and battered books, daydreaming about the people who had once turned their pages. When she discovers a hidden notebook - and realises someone has gone to a great deal of trouble to hide a story of their own - Saskia finds herself drawn into a heart-rending tale of wartime love.

This summer, escape to Lake Como - where the scene is set for romance, fate and second chances... 'A big hug of a novel that leaves you feeling warm and fuzzy' Woman 'A tale of lost love, fate and second chances' New For Floriana, it is the place where the love of her life is getting married to another woman. And she's been invited to the wedding. Esme fell in love there for the first time - over sixty years ago. But what happened to the man who stole her heart, and changed the course of her life? Adam has buried himself in work to distract from his broken heart. A trip to Lake Como might just be the fresh start he needs... Even in the dazzling summer sun, the past casts a poignant shadow... But can the magic of the Italian lake finally set them all free? Let Erica James sweep you away... 'Glorious escapism' Sunday Express Magazine 'Joyously readable' Woman & Home 'I wanted it to go on forever' Cathy Bramley

Lizzie has always had bad luck. Losing her heart to her boss leads to her losing her job and with no money in the bank, Lizzie finds herself forced to move back home with her parents. Now in her nineties, Mrs Dallimore is also coming to terms with her situation. Old age is finally catching up with her. As they form the bond of unexpected friendship, Lizzie begins to realise that she's not the only person to attract bad luck, and that sometimes life has a way of surprising you...

Promises you make to yourself are the hardest to keep ...
Maggie Storm,
who spends her days cleaning houses for people who often have more money than manners, promises herself that from now on she's going to stand up for herself. Married to a man with as much sex appeal as a recliner, she dreams about someone who can sweep her off her feet.
Ella Moore,
an artistic interior designer, promises herself that after seven wasted years with the
man she thought she'd marry, relationships won't derail her life again.
Ethan Edwards,
a repeat offender when it comes to turning to women for sexual consolation, promises himself there will be no more women.
But when Ella appears unexpectedly in Ethan's life, he find s himself turning to her for very different reasons. And when Maggie's romantic hero appears on her doorstep, she wonders which path she's really supposed to follow. International bestselling author Erica James weaves a delightful tale of three people daring to challenge their dreams.
What readers are saying:
"Endearing ... pure escapism. Loved it "
"It grips you right from the start."
"Brilliant book; could not put it down."

A vibrant, often humorous tale of life, love - and infidelity - from the bestselling author of MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS and PARADISE HOUSE. Hilary had always thought she'd lived a charmed life. With a caring husband, David, and two lively children, she took an active part in both family and village life. Then, one Monday morning, Hilary's world is turned upside down. She discovers that David is having an affair. How could he? How could he put at risk their children and everything they have built together over the years? The question is, what should Hilary do? Turn a blind eye, much as neighbour Cindy has done over her own husband's various dalliances? Confront him, as her outspoken new friend Georgia suggests? Or perhaps she should throw herself at attractive newcomer to the village Nick Bradshaw... Whatever happens, it seems certain that for Hilary, life is never going to be quite the same again.

A wonderfully fresh novel about love and life from the Sunday Times bestselling author of MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS and PARADISE HOUSE Ellen has been living on her own in a picturesque if damp cottage in Cheshire since her husband abandoned her to go and live with another woman in Provence. Having married once for love, she is now determined that the second time around it will be for money. Close at hand is Duncan, her not unattractive, and enticingly single, divorce lawyer... But then two new people enter her life: Jo-Jo, a homeless girl several months pregnant, and Matthew, an artist who paints murals in country houses and who, on first meeting Ellen, openly criticises her for being mercenary and devious. But, as hostility gives way to friendship, Ellen realises that she has wavered off course from her original plan and has to remind herself very strongly indeed that Duncan is the man for her...

Set in the beautiful city of Venice, a captivating novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Summer at the Lake and Paradise House 'A dramatically dark tale of the joy, pain and all-consuming passion of first love' Cosmopolitan 'Intense, compelling stuff' OK Magazine 'A captivating read: beautifully written and heartrendingly sad' Daily Telegraph Venice has been Lydia's home for many years, a place where she has found peace and fulfilment. Then one day she glimpses a young man's face in the crowd that threatens to change everything. He's a heart-stopping reminder of a dreadful secret she believed she had banished to the past... As a young child, Lydia and her sister were sent to live with grandparents they'd never even met before. It was a cruel and loveless new world for them and it forced Lydia to grow up fast. She learned to keep secrets and to trust sparingly, and through it all she was shadowed by grief and guilt. Now, twenty-eight years later, Lydia is persuaded to leave behind the safe new life she has created for herself and return to England to face the past. And maybe her future. The perfect escapist read for fans of Santa Montefiore and Katie Fforde.

'A beautifully crafted and hugely uplifting tale of friendship, history and love. A real gem' HEAT magazine 'A captivating tale of love and loss' SUNDAY EXPRESS magazine 'A stunning book, brilliantly written ... THE SONG OF THE SKYLARK will totally captivate you and your emotions, impossible to put down' Kaye Thorne Lizzie has an unfortunate knack for attracting bad luck, but this time she's hit the jackpot. Losing her heart to her boss at the radio station where she works leads directly to losing her job, and with no money in the bank she's forced to swallow her pride and 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. In her nineties, Mrs Dallimore also finds herself in a situation which she's reluctantly coming to terms with. Old age has finally caught up with her, and with her life drawing to a close she gives in to the temptation to relive the past by sharing it with Lizzie. She tells Lizzie of the day when, as a young girl, and shortly before the outbreak of World War II, she left her home in America to cross the Atlantic to England where she hoped to meet her English grandparents for the first time. At best she hoped for a family reconciliation, but before long her visit turned into so much more. As Lizzie listens to Mrs Dallimore's story, she begins to realize that she's not the only person to attract bad luck, or make mistakes, and maybe things aren't so bad for her after all . . .

The captivating new drama of family secrets and second chances, from Sunday Times bestselling author Erica James

It's the autumn of 1962 in the idyllic Suffolk village of Melstead St Mary. Evelyn Devereux's husband Kit is planning their 20th wedding anniversary party. But as they prepare to celebrate, Evelyn receives an anonymous letter that threatens to unravel the secrets she's kept hidden for many years - secrets that reach back to the war and her days at Bletchley Park.

Evelyn's sister-in-law, Hope, has brought joy to countless children with her bestselling books, but despite having a loving husband and caring family, happiness has never come easily to her. Then in an instant her fragile world is turned upside down when she too receives an anonymous letter.

Across the village, up at Melstead Hall, Julia Devereux has married into a life beyond anything she could have dreamt of, not realising until it's too late that it comes with a heavy price.

Meanwhile, in the sun-baked desert of Palm Springs, Romily Devereux-Temple, crime-writer and former ATA pilot, is homesick for her beloved Island House, where she's saved the day more times than she can count. On her return home, and shocked to learn what has been going on in her absence, she finds herself reluctantly confronting a secret she's kept hidden for a very long time. Once again Romily is challenged to save the day and hold the family together. Can she do it, and maybe seize some happiness for herself at the same time?

From the gorgeous Suffolk countryside to the glamorous villas of Palm Springs, let Erica James sweep you away...

'A captivating read: beautifully written and heartrendingly sad' Daily Telegraph 'A poignant story, written with humour and emotion' Daily Mail 'Heartbreaking, gripping novel about one woman's attempt to sort out her best friend's marriage' Woman & Home It's almost Christmas. But for Ali, the season of good cheer is the anniversary of her baby's death. As she stands at her son's grave, she is poignantly aware of how dramatically her life has changed. Determined to stand on her own two feet and get through Christmas alone, Ali turns down her ex-husband's unexpected invitation to spend the holiday with him and his father, only to give in to her best friend's cajoling to share the festive season with her. The only trouble is, it means having to be nice to Sarah's awful husband, Trevor. Sarah may be a saint for putting up with Trevor, but Ali is no such thing, and as his cranky behaviour escalates, she takes it upon herself, in an extraordinary act of daring impetuosity, to play God with her friend's incomprehensible marriage. But Ali's meddling has consequences even she could not have foreseen...

If you've ever dreamed of starting over, then this superbly entertaining novel from Erica James is just what you need... Alice Shoemaker habitually goes to great lengths to avoid telling the truth about herself and her past. After agreeing to help out a friend by shopping and cleaning for the unknown man staying at Cuckoo House, she soon becomes suspicious that her strange and obnoxiously rude client has something to hide... Clayton Miller's life is a mess. His career as one of the country's best comedy scriptwriters has stalled and his long-term girlfriend has left him for his ex-best friend and ex-writing partner. Just when he thinks his life couldn't get any worse, he commits a spectacularly public fall from grace and with the press hounding him, his agent banishes him to the middle of nowhere until the dust has settled. And there he meets Alice... When Alice and Clayton discover the truth about each other they form an unlikely friendship - until Alice discovers Clayton has betrayed her in the worst possible way.

'Erica James' sensitive story of a woman coming to terms with guilt and grief is as sparklingly fresh as dew on the village's surrounding meadows ... thoroughly enjoyable' SUNDAY EXPRESS 'Wry humour and romance ... Erica James is a breath of fresh air' DAILY MAIL Charlotte Lawrence, widowed at thirty-four, decides to return to all things pre-Peter, and that means moving back to the Cheshire village of her childhood. It also means exchanging a clinical company flat for the pretty but overgrown garden of Ivy Cottage, and the constant attentions of her interfering sister Hilary. Most of all it means Alex, Ivy Cottage's drop-dead-gorgeous tenant, with whom Hilary is determined Charlotte should find love anew, and whose charming exterior hides his own secret tragedy...