October Releases

Thank you to Sheila Riley for compiling this month’s bumper crop of new releases.

TRADITIONALLY PUBLISHED

ANNIE GROVES

Winter on the Mersey

Saga Romance

Paperback and ebook

Harper Collins

19 October 2017

The dramatic fourth story in the Empire Street Series. 

Full of heartache and triumph from the bestselling author of Christmas on the Mersey.

Kitty has seen her fair share of tragedy and instead of thinking about romance, she is determined to do her bit for King and country. Her life as a WREN means she is kept busy much of the time, but when Kitty finds herself stationed back home on Merseyside, she meets up again with Frank Feeny, the brave young officer who has always held a place in her heart. Britain is on the verge of victory, but will Kitty embrace the future and learn to love again?

HEIDI SWAIN 

Sleigh Rides and Silver Bells at The Christmas Fair 

Commercial fiction 

Paperback and ebook 

Simon and Schuster 

5th October 2017

When Anna takes on the role of companion to the owner of Wynthorpe Hall, on the outskirts of Wynbridge, she has no idea that her life is set to change beyond all recognition.

A confirmed ‘bah humbug’ when it comes to Christmas, Anna is amazed to find herself quickly immersed in the eccentric household, and when youngest son Jamie unexpectedly arrives home it soon becomes obvious that her personal feelings are going all out to compromise her professional persona. Jamie, struggling to come to terms with life back in the Fens, makes a pact with Anna – she has to teach him to fall back in love with Wynthorpe Hall, while he helps her fall back in love with Christmas. But will it all prove too much for Anna, or can the family of Wynthorpe Hall warm her heart once and for all...? Join Anna for a festive journey that is festooned with sleigh rides and silver bells and help her discover her happy ever after.

VIVIEN BROWN

Lily Alone

Women's fiction / domestic drama

Paperback

Harper Impulse

5 October 2017

What sort of mother would leave her daughter alone? 

Would you leave a very young child at home on their own – knowing that terrible things can happen in the blink of an eye? Lily, who is not yet three years old, wakes up alone with only her cuddly toy for company. She is hungry, afraid of the dark, can’t use the phone, and has been told never to open the door to strangers. In the flat downstairs, a lonely and elderly woman keeps herself to herself but wonders at the cries coming from upstairs. Lily’s grandmother frets that she can no longer see her granddaughter since the child’s parents separated.  Lily’s father hasn’t seen her for a while. He’s been abroad, absorbed in his new job and his new girlfriend. A young woman lies in a coma in hospital – no one knows her name or who she is, but in her silent dreams, a little girl is crying for her mummy… And for Lily, time is running out.

LESLEY COOKMAN

Murder By The Barrel

Crime/Mystery

Paperback and ebook

Accent Press

5th October 2017

The 18th in the Libby Sarjeant series. 
Steeple Martin is hosting its first Beer Festival, which, naturally, leads to murder.

JULES WAKE

Covent Garden in the Snow

Harper Impulse

Romantic Comedy

Paperback and ebook

20th October 2017

Tilly Hunter has fabulous friends, her dream job as a make-up artist with a prestigious opera company and Felix, her kind and caring husband to be. It looks set to be the most perfect Christmas yet!

But when a monumental blunder forces her to work closely with new IT director Marcus Walker, it's not only the roast chestnut stalls on the cobbles of her beloved Covent Garden that cause sparks to fly

NORA FOUNTAIN

Pictures in Provence

Contemporary romance

Endeavour Press

8th September 2017

Joanna's first love is art, although, to please her mother, she has come to Paris to study music at the Conservatoire. Lured into an art gallery by an exquisite landscape painting in the window, she is astonished to find a portrait of herself among the exhibits. 

The gallery owner, Gilles Ledoux, invites her to the opera but soon leaves for his home in Provence. 

Joanna has an accident and can't play her instrument for a while. She takes a job at Gilles' home where he runs a summer school. He is cagey about the neighbour whose exhibition she visited in Paris. 

Could he be jealous? What's going on?

JANICE PRESTON

Scandal and Miss Markham

Paperback and ebook

Mills & Boon

Historical romance

1st October 2017

Glassmaker’s daughter Thea Markham is devastated when her brother Daniel goes missing. Then a mysterious lord turns up asking questions about Daniel and offers to find him. Unsure she can trust the handsome peer, Thea dresses up as a boy and follows him!

Lord Vernon Beauchamp feels his life lacks direction.  Meeting Thea gives him a renewed purpose and when they are thrown together on their scandalous adventure, friendship soon gives way to desire…

VICTORIA CORNWALL

The Thief's Daughter

Historical Romance

Paperback

Choc Lit

3rd October 2017

Hide from the thief-taker, for if he finds you, he will take you away …

Eighteenth-century Cornwall is crippled by debt and poverty, while the gibbet casts a shadow of fear over the land. Yet, when night falls, free traders swarm onto the beaches and smuggling prospers.

Terrified by a thief-taker’s warning as a child, Jenna has resolved to be good. 

When her brother, Silas, asks for her help to pay his creditors, Jenna feels unable to refuse and finds herself entering the dangerous world of the smuggling trade.

Jack Penhale hunts down the smuggling gangs in revenge for his father’s death. 

Drawn to Jenna at a hiring fayre, they discover their lives are entangled. But as Jenna struggles to decide where her allegiances lie, the worlds of justice and crime collide, leading to danger and heartache for all concerned …

MARGARET MOUNSDON

Love Will Find A Way

Linford Romance Library

Romantic Adventure

1st October 2017

When Bethany Burnett discovers her godfather Wendel Nelson holding a garden party in the snow she isn't in the least surprised. What does take her breath away is the sight of film director Sam Richards. His unexplained disappearance fuelled media speculation for weeks. 

Now it seemed he was back and filming a costume drama at Waterbridge Manor, Wendel's country house. When Wendel volunteers Bethany's services as Sam's assistant she fears troubled times ahead.

LIZ EELES

Annie's Christmas By The Sea

Romantic comedy

Ebook and paperback 

Bookouture

6th October 2017

On the beautiful coast of Cornwall lies the idyllic Salt Bay, where Christmas is the perfect time for bringing family and friends together…

Annie Trebarwith is happily settled in Salt Bay with her beloved great-aunt Alice and gorgeous boyfriend Josh Pasco. Snow is in the air, and Christmas is just around the corner. But when the father she’s never met, ageing rock god Barry, turns up with the half-sister Annie didn’t know existed, life suddenly gets complicated. Barry and Storm are soon clashing with the entire village, and their antics are even driving a wedge between Annie and Josh. Can Annie prevent her new family ruining the festivities and repair things with Josh in time for a cosy Christmas? Or will their relationship end up as frosty as the Salt Bay air? Annie’s Christmas by the Sea is a hilarious and heart-warming story about family, friends and the magic of Christmas, perfect for fans of Lily Graham, Holly Martin and Phillipa Ashley.

LISA HOBMAN

A Seaside Escape

Contemporary romance

Ebook and paperback

Aria Fiction

1st October 2017

All work and no love can make for a dull life. But cupid's arrow has a habit of striking when you least expect it... 

A heartwarming, feel-good romance to curl up with this winter. Perfect for the fans of Marian Keyes and Veronica Henry. Mallory Westerman is the successful proprietor of Le Petit Cadeau, a gift shop extraordinaire in thriving Leeds. Concentrating solely on her business, she has almost given up on finding someone to love.That is until she literally falls into the arms of a handsome, intriguing stranger who becomes her Knight in shining armour.The whirlwind romance that ensues changes her life-path irrevocably. However, the road to true love is never smooth and things don't always turn out how you expect...

Shortlisted for the RNA Contemporary Romantic Novel of the Year 2014. This book was previously published as A Bridge Over the Atlantic.

JAN JONES

Only Dancing

Linford Romance Library

Large Print

1st September 2017

"Why was I hesitating? What was the worst that could happen? That the magic clinging to that crazy, wonderful time would be lost?"

... When Caroline visits the David Bowie Is... exhibition at the V&A museum, she doesn’t expect to be pitchforked into a forty-year-old mystery surrounding her older cousin Jilly, who died in a hit-and-run accident on holiday in Italy. She certainly doesn't expect the bittersweet piecing together of old memories to bring new insights... and startling revelations. Coloured by music, vibrant with Bowie, alive with the 1970s, ONLY DANCING is set in the present day, but journeys through Caro’s flashbacks, gradually revealing a chilling mystery - and its resolution

LYNN FORTH

Love in La La Land 

Romantic Comedy

Paperback and ebook

Crooked Cat

10 October 2017

This contemporary romantic comedy is set in the glittering world of Hollywood where English author, Jane Jones, is thrilled by the prospect of seeing a scene from her novel being filmed. And not just any scene. It’s a bedroom one, starring screen heartthrob, Scott Flynn. Too bad, she is accompanied by the cynical Jack Clancy, the screenwriter who has ruined her story, and seems totally unrepentant. Dazzled by Scott’s film-star presence, Jane is overcome and soon finds herself in a tug of war between a movie star and screenwriter. But do they both have ulterior motives? Is Jane a mere pawn in a game between two fierce rivals?

In the bubble of La La Land’s glittering parties, hovering paparazzi, and powerful movie tycoons, Jane begins to feel adrift. She must quickly learn who can be trusted…and who can’t.


PETER JONES

My Girlfriend’s Perfect Ex-Boyfriend

Romantic Comedy

Kindle & paperback

Soundhaven Books

8th October 2017

‘My Girlfriend’s Perfect Ex-Boyfriend’ follows the efforts of disillusioned school teacher Adrian Turner to win back the affections of feisty public relations executive Paige Steiglitz who – despite being Adrian’s girlfriend of eighteen months – seems to have one foot out of the door, and may harbour feelings for her amazing-in-every-way-but-still-hugely-annoying ex-boyfriend, Sebastian Tunbridge.

Both aided and hindered by Gary (Adrian’s incredibly bright but naïve fifteen-year-old student), and Nikita (a slightly bonkers Polish Private Detective), Adrian eventually finds himself at a wedding in Slovenia, with Sebastian in the room down the hall, and the serious possibility that he’s in danger of losing his job, his mind, and the woman he loves…

CHARLIE COCHRANE

Count the Shells

Riptide Publishing

Historical Gay Romance

Print and ebook

October 2017 

Michael Gray returned from World War One injured, but at least he returned. 

Others were not so fortunate, including his first and greatest love, Thomas Carter-Clemence, with whom Michael had parted bitterly before the conflict began.

Broch, the Carter-Clemence home in Porthkennack, was an integral part of pre-war holidays for the Grays, the two families drawn together in the wake of their sons’ friendship. Returning to the once-beloved Cornish coast for a break with his sister and her family, Michael has to find the courage to face old memories . . . and dare new relationships.
When Thomas’s brother Harry makes an unexpected appearance, Michael is surprised to find himself deeply attracted to Harry for his own sake. But as their relationship heats up, it unearths startling revelations and bitter truths. Michael must decide whether Harry is the answer to his prayers or the last straw to break an old soldier’s back.

E-BOOKS

ELAINE EVEREST

Carols at Woolworths

Ebook

Saga

Pan Macmillan

5th October 2017

Carols at Woolworths is a heartwarming novella, and is the prequel to Christmas at Woolworths, by bestselling author Elaine Everest

Betty, Freda and Sarah are determined to make the Woolworths Christmas party as jolly as ever. After weeks of careful planning, the girls are confident that it will be an evening for everyone to forget about the troubles of the war outside. But the war is never far away and when an air raid looms, the girls must usher their guests to safety and find a way to take their Christmas cheer underground . . .

Will it be a merry Christmas after all for the girls of Woolworths?

VICTORIA CORNWALL

The Captain's Daughter

Historical Romance

Ebook

Choc Lit

3rd October 2017

Beware the strength of a quiet woman ...

After a family tragedy, Janey Carhart was forced from her comfortable middle-class life as a captain’s daughter into domestic servitude. Determined to make something of herself, Janey eventually finds work as a lady’s maid at the imposing Bosvenna Manor on the edge of Bodmin Moor but is soon caught between the two worlds of upstairs and downstairs, and accepted by neither, as she cares for her blind mistress. Desperately lonely, Janey catches the attention of two men – James Brockenshaw and Daniel Kellow. James is heir to the Bosvenna estate, a man whose eloquent letters to his mother warm Janey’s heart and whose attention to her when he returns home set her pulse racing. Daniel Kellow is a neighbouring farmer with a dark past and a brooding nature, yet with a magnetism that disturbs Janey. Two men. Who should she choose? Or will fate decide.

SARAH BENNETT

Christmas at Butterfly Cove (Butterfly Cove, Book 3)

Ebook

HQ Digital 

6th October 2017

All she wants for Christmas…

When talented artist Nee Sutherland returns to Butterfly Cove for her sister’s wedding, it’s only a matter of time before she has to face her own bridegroom – Luke Spenser – the man she impulsively married, then left in the middle of the night. Nee hasn’t picked up her paintbrushes in months, a part of her is broken. She knows Luke might never forgive her, leaving him was the biggest mistake of her life – but could coming home for Christmas be the best decision she’s ever made? Maybe all she needs is a little Christmas miracle… A delightfully feel-good festive romance, perfect for fans of Trisha Ashley, Rachael Lucas and Hilary Boyd.

SOPHIE WESTON

The Prince’s Bride

Romance

Ebook

Tule Publishing

13th October 2017

"We needed a Prince Charming. You were the best we could get."

As one of three royal brothers in the Adriatic Principality of San Michele, His Serene Highness Prince Jonas works hard and does his duty. But after a protocol-ridden evening where he's just a prop in a photo shoot, he reckons he's due some private time in his beloved forest. Hope Kennard was the daughter of the Manor in a picture-perfect English village. But she's guarded her heart and honed her survival instincts ever since her childhood ended in financial scandal and the death of her beloved father. 

Now she's just passing through San Michele -- dog-sitting for a month before she moves on to another country, another job. But then a charming Forest Ranger rescues her when she doesn't need rescuing.

And this time her instincts don't help…

LIZ FIELDING

The Bridesmaid's Royal Bodyguard

Contemporary Romance

Ebook

Tule

18th October 2017

After being sacked from her job on the gossip magazine Celebrity, Ally Parker is forced to return home with her tail between her legs. She is given a fresh start when her childhood friend, Hope, asks her to work PR for Hope’s marriage to Prince Jonas of San Michele but when Count Fredrik Jensson, head of security for the royal family arrives to check out the village, he makes it clear that her past employment makes her unfit for the role. The fact that there’s a sizzle between them  from the moment they meet only makes everything worse.

JESSICA HART

The Baronet's Wedding Engagement

Contemporary Romance

Ebook

Tule

16th October 2017

Sir Max Kennard has too much Mr Rochester about him for Flora Dear's tastes but what harm can a pretence relationship do if all it involves is a glamorous trip to San Michele and smiling together at his sister's wedding? Apparently a lot... Soon, it's hard to remember what's real and what's not.

ELLIE GRAY

Warwick's Mermaid

Contemporary romance

Ebook

Tirgearr Publishing

11th October 2017

Having escaped an abusive relationship, Chloe MacGregor is determined to put the past behind her. The little cottage high up on the cliffs overlooking the beautiful North Yorkshire town of Whitby is her safe haven, somewhere she is free to be herself. When the arrival of her new neighbour and boss, Luke Warwick, threatens her peaceful, sheltered life, Chloe is forced to confront her past and to re-evaluate who she really is. 

Falling in love with Luke is not part of her plan but, to her surprise, Luke is falling for her too. The only thing preventing their happy ever after is Chloe herself. 

Will she ever truly learn to leave the past where it belongs?

SUE MOORCROFT

The Little Village Christmas

Ebook 

Avon Books UK (HarperCollins)

9th October 2017 (paperback 2nd November 2017)

As soon as Alexia's finished managing the conversion of the old Angel pub into the Angel Community Café she's out of Middledip. Until someone runs away with all the money ...

INDIE PUBLISHED

R. F. LONG

Soul Fire

Paranormal 

Romance ebook (paperback to follow)

31st October 2017

Rowan thought she was in trouble, with her art gallery struggling and all her finances tied up in it. But when her path crosses with a Sídhe prince, she suddenly finds herself in real danger. And unexpected, unstoppable passion. While searching for his brother, Daire finds himself trapped in the human world and in the arms of a woman who makes him rethink all he has ever known. Every kiss brings pleasure beyond reckoning, sending him closer to the edge of his inherent dark desires. Desires that act as a beacon for the Dark Sídhe, who would seduce him to their cause. The more time he spends with Rowan, the greater the risk that he will be trapped forever, or lost completely. And with him the realm of the Seelie Sídhe. Because there's more to Rowan than meets the eye.

                                     

RHODA BAXTER

Girl In Trouble

Contemporary Romance

Ebook

9th October 2017

Grown-up tomboy Olivia doesn't need a man to complete her. Judging by her absent father, men aren't that reliable anyway. She's got a successful career, good friends and can evict spiders from the bath herself, so she doesn't need to settle down, thanks.

Walter's ex is moving his daughter to America and Walter feels like he's losing his family. When his friend-with-benefits, Olivia, discovers she's pregnant by her douchebag ex, Walter sees the perfect chance to be part of a family with a woman he loves. But how can Walter persuade the most independent woman he's ever met to accept

his help, let alone his heart?

                                 

LOUISE ALLEN

The Swordmaster’s Mistress (Book 2 of Dangerous Deceptions)

Historical romantic mystery

Ebook

October 2017

Hired to investigate mysterious attacks on Guinevere, the wife, soon to be widow, of the elderly Earl of Northam, Jared finds himself protecting a young lady not from a haphazard stalker but from scandal – and possibly the noose. The instant attraction crackling between them does not help his attempts at a dispassionate enquiry, nor does finding himself embroiled with his own family and a past of betrayal and dishonour he had left behind him to become the swordmaster, Jared Hunt. Solving a murderous mystery leaves him with a dilemma – what can the man he was, and the man he should become, offer a countess with the scars of her own past to heal? 

(Linked to Loving the Lost Duke, Book One of Dangerous Deceptions, The Swordmaster’s Mistress can be read as a stand-alone novel.)

The new releases list is compiled by Sheila Riley. Sheila joined the RNA in 2004 as a new writer. Since then she has written best-selling sagas as Annie Groves. She's a member of the North West Chapter of the RNA and loves to catch up with writer friends at the regular Southport lunches. Her latest release, Winter on the Mersey, is listed above.

The new email address for monthly publications is releases@romanticnovelistsassociation.org

Thank you Sheila for another great list - To Be Read piles across the country will be getting bigger today!