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

A sweeping family drama of old secrets and new beginnings… ‘A satisfying treat’ Adele Parks, Platinum ‘A compelling family drama’ Sarah Morgan ‘Wise and warm with plenty of twists and turns’ Rachel Hore ‘Emotional and uplifting’ Veronica Henry ‘Captivating and vivid’ Miranda Dickinson Even happy families have their secrets… Anchor House is the coastal home where Naomi and her husband raised their two girls. Now widowed, Naomi is building a new life alone, but the arrival of Ellis next door is bringing some long-awaited fun back too. Naomi’s daughters are very different: Martha is determined and driven like her father, while Willow is a free spirit. The three women have always been close, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have secrets of their own. There are things Naomi has kept from her girls, like the fact that her marriage to their father wasn’t quite what it seemed… The Sunday Times bestselling author Erica James returns with this gloriously compelling tale of mothers and daughters, secrets and love. Praise for Mothers and Daughters: ‘A beautifully written story that examines the wonderful intimacy between mothers and daughters … a satisfying treat’ Adele Parks, Platinum ‘A brilliant read. A compelling family drama, full of twists and turns. Completely absorbing’ Sarah Morgan ‘Wise and warm with plenty of twists and turns, you'll love this engrossing family story’ Rachel Hore ‘A wonderfully compelling family drama that deftly touches upon some serious issues’ Sunday Express ‘You’ll be swept away then brought gently back to harbour in this beautiful portrait of a family and its multigenerational secrets. Emotional and uplifting, it unfolds in the most glorious coastal setting’ Veronica Henry ‘Glorious … a real treat’ Sunday Post ‘Surprising and reassuringly wise, captivating and vivid, beautiful and authentic … I adored this book’ Miranda Dickinson ‘Deliciously immersive … tracing the complex emotions and dangerous undercurrents that lie beneath the deceptively smooth surface of family life’ Iona Grey ‘A brilliant and gripping family drama … full of heart’ My Weekly ‘A captivating read’ OK!

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...

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.

The arrangement has so far worked well, but when Dan starts to question whether Sally has got her priorities right, the cracks in their marriage begin to appear. Dan and Sally have everything Chloe wishes for in life - a happy marriage and a beautiful child. Dumped by her long term boyfriend just weeks after the tsunami, she's been on a mission ever since 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? A life can change in a heartbeat but IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS is not simply about the moments when everything changes, but also a moving, compelling and inspiring story of how we lead our lives in the days and years that follow.

'A captivating read: beautifully written and heartrendingly sad' Telegraph 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...

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 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

"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.

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.

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...

'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...

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...

Erica James at her best - 'A very moving novel about life, families and love' Sunday Express 'James is a great storyteller - a really enjoyable read' Woman's Weekly 'A terrific tearjerker ... Humorous and sensitive' Bella 'Brilliant!' Prizes Magazine Harriet Swift thinks she has the perfect life - a satisfying career, her own flat and a new boyfriend who respects her need for her own space. But then her only sister is killed in a car crash, and Harriet is forced to give up her well-ordered life to help look after her orphaned niece and nephew. Moving back to her childhood home in Maple Drive, and sacrificing so much, doesn't come easy and before long Harriet discovers things about her family she never believed possible. Meanwhile, the shabbiest house in Maple Drive has a new occupant. Will Hart also thinks he has the perfect life. Having swapped his successful career as a lawyer for that of an antiques dealer, he believes in living for the moment and is entirely happy with his lot. Then from nowhere tragedy strikes and he faces the biggest challenge of his life. Harriet and Will have no choice but to piece together a new future for themselves, but can they see it through?

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...

Another heartbreaking but glorious tale of secrets and love from the Sunday Times bestselling author Erica James…

July 1981. As the country prepares to celebrate Prince Charles’ wedding to Lady Diana, Libby wants to be as far away from royal wedding fever as possible. Having caught her own fiancé in bed with her best friend just weeks before they were due to marry, she’s fled London for the comfort of the Suffolk countryside.

At Larkspur House, with its magical garden created by renowned garden designer and one-time socialite Elfrida Ambrose, and its comfortingly familiar kitchen presided over by Libby’s great-aunt Bess, she hopes to find a way to put her life back together.

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 unspoken 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.

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?

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...

'A genuinely heartwarming yet unsentimental tale - a perfect recipe for restoring, if only briefly, our damaged trust in humanity' SUNDAY EXPRESS 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...

The beautiful city of 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.

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

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.

It was the summer it all ended . . . It was the summer a new story began. Linston End has been the summer home to three families for several decades. The memories of their time there are ingrained in their hearts: picnics on the river, gin and tonics in the pavilion at dusk, hours spent seeking out the local swallowtail butterflies. Everyone together. But recently widowed Alastair is about to shock his circle of friends with the decisions he has made - and the changes it will mean for them all... Can these friends learn to live life to its fullest?