Three friends, three lives, one location: San Francisco. Lydia wants to transform an intellectual book store owner into the sophisticated lover of her dreams; vivacious socialite Molly meets her match in journalist Harker Trevane; and Cassie - a professor of literature - finally starts exploring her true Sapphic desires. Blending fairy tale themes with contemporary situations, The Transformation is a dazzling story of three women who find themselves at a sexual crosswords in their lives. Exploring thier sensual selves in the most liberated of American cities, the friends discover things about themselves- and each other- they never knew existed.
Marian Deacon has always been overshadowed by her cousin Madeleine, a glamorous, selfish model who will stop at nothing to reach the top. But their ordinary lives suddenly change with the arrival of Paul O'Connell, a handsome, charismatic writer who draws them into the mysterious disappearance of Olivia Hastings and the glamour and danger of her life in Italy and New York.
Stolen Beginnings is a compelling story of what happens when girls become women, and when love
Rachel Miller and Darcy Rhone have been best friends since childhood. They've shared birthdays, the horrors of high school and even boyfriends, but while Darcy is the sort of woman who breezes through life getting what she wants when she wants it, Rachel has always played by the rules and watched her stunning best friend steal all the limelight. The one thing Rachel's always had over Darcy is the four-month age gap which meant she was first to being a teenager, first to drive, first to everything - but now she's about to be first to thirty. And Darcy still has a charmed life. On the eve of her thirtieth birthday, Rachel is shocked to find herself questioning the status quo. How come Darcy gets a glamorous job at a PR firm and the perfect boyfriend, while Rachel grinds away at her despised job as an attorney and remains painfully single. Is it just luck? Or, looking back at their friendship and their lives together, is it a bit more complicated than that? Then an accidental fling complicates everything, and it's time for Rachel to make a few hard choices. And she's suddenly forced to learn that sometimes true love comes at a price.. .
Three friends, three lives, one location: San Francisco. Lydia wants to transform an intellectual book store owner into the sophisticated lover of her dreams; vivacious socialite Molly meets her match in journalist Harker Trevane; and Cassie - a professor of literature - finally starts exploring her true Sapphic desires. Blending fairy tale themes with contemporary situations, The Transformation is a dazzling story of three women who find themselves at a sexual crosswords in their lives. Exploring thier sensual selves in the most liberated of American cities, the friends discover things about themselves- and each other- they never knew existed.
Here is a book of stories of great variety and undoubted class from an author who has endeared herself to millions of readers and bewitched them all.
As well as Lisa, we meet Hester, Julia, Helen and Caroline, and a host of other devastating girls, falling in and out of love, finding, losing (and often finding again sometimes in the most unexpected places) the men of their dreams. Lisa & Co is a sparkling collection of love stories that are both moving and funny and could only have been written by the unique Jilly Cooper.
Here is a book of stories of great variety and undoubted class from an author who has endeared herself to millions of readers and bewitched them all.
As well as Lisa, we meet Hester, Julia, Helen and Caroline, and a host of other devastating girls, falling in and out of love, finding, losing (and often finding again sometimes in the most unexpected places) the men of their dreams. Lisa & Co is a sparkling collection of love stories that are both moving and funny and could only have been written by the unique Jilly Cooper.
When 'Virtual Assistant' Jenny Porter's boyfriend accuses her of being impulsive, soft-hearted and unbusinesslike, dashing off to Scotland to sort out a failing mill for one of her clients may not be the best way of proving him wrong. And promising to help run a mobile burger bar before she's even found her feet doesn't help matters. When she finds herself determined to save the mill - whatever her client's wishes - it seems that Henry's accusations may have contained more than a grain of truth.
So when Jenny's awkward encounters with the abrasive but disconcertingly attractive Ross Grant develop into something more complicated - just as Henry arrives in Scotland to reclaim her - it's time for Jenny to make some decisions. Should she do the sensible thing and follow Henry back to London? Or is her Highland adventure more than just a fling...?
The trouble with the Mulholland family, Prudence decided, was that they were all in love with the wrong people. She'd been overjoyed when Pendle, her super-cool barrister boyfriend, invited her home for the weekend to meet his family. At least she might get some reaction out of him - so far he hadn't so much as made a pass at her, after the first night when he'd nearly raped her. But home turned out to be a decaying mansion in the Lake District, and family were his glamorous, scatty mother who forgot the mounting bills by throwing wild parties, and brothers, Ace, dark and forbidding, and Jack, handsome, married and only too ready to take over with Pru if Pendle didn't get a move on. It was only when she noticed the way Pendle looked at Jack's wife Maggie that it began to dawn on Pru that there was more to this weekend than met the eye. It looked like a non-stop game of changing partners...
The trouble with the Mulholland family, Prudence decided, was that they were all in love with the wrong people. She'd been overjoyed when Pendle, her super-cool barrister boyfriend, invited her home for the weekend to meet his family. At least she might get some reaction out of him - so far he hadn't so much as made a pass at her, after the first night when he'd nearly raped her. But home turned out to be a decaying mansion in the Lake District, and family were his glamorous, scatty mother who forgot the mounting bills by throwing wild parties, and brothers, Ace, dark and forbidding, and Jack, handsome, married and only too ready to take over with Pru if Pendle didn't get a move on. It was only when she noticed the way Pendle looked at Jack's wife Maggie that it began to dawn on Pru that there was more to this weekend than met the eye. It looked like a non-stop game of changing partners...
Investigative journalist, Laurie Forbes, is planning her wedding to Elliot Russell, when she receives a tip-off that a group of illegally smuggled women is being held somewhere in the East End of London.
During her search unexpected and devastating events begin throwing her own life into chaos, so fellow journalist, Sherry MacElvoy steps in to help. Taking on undercover roles to get to the heart of the ruthless gang of human-traffickers, neither reporter can even begin to imagine what dangers they are about to face.
Neela is one of the helpless Indian girls being held in captivity. Her fear is not only for herself, but her six-year-old niece, Shaila. A disfiguring birthmark has so far saved Neela from the abuse, but she knows it is only a matter of time before she is sent for - and worse, before Shaila is taken. Her desperate bids to seek outside help are constantly thwarted, until finally she, and the women with her, agree there is only one way out.. .
Intimate Strangers is a rich and engrossing story of intense love, heartbreak, terror and survival.
Shy, dreamy, and incurably romantic, Harriet Poole was shattered when her brief affair with Simon Villiers, Oxford's leading playboy undergraduate, ended abruptly, leaving her penniless, alone and pregnant. Still hopelessly in love with Simon, she took baby William and buried herself in deepest Yorkshire as nanny to the children of Cory Erskine, a somewhat eccentric scriptwriter.
Local tongues were just beginning to wag when a whole host of visitors began to arrive to disrupt Harriet's peaceful routine: first Cory's estranged wife Noel, hellbent on winning Cory back, then Cory's glamorous brother Kit, whose old affair with Noel didn't stop him making passes at Harriet, and finally, of all people, Simon...
Shy, dreamy, and incurably romantic, Harriet Poole was shattered when her brief affair with Simon Villiers, Oxford's leading playboy undergraduate, ended abruptly, leaving her penniless, alone and pregnant. Still hopelessly in love with Simon, she took baby William and buried herself in deepest Yorkshire as nanny to the children of Cory Erskine, a somewhat eccentric scriptwriter.
Local tongues were just beginning to wag when a whole host of visitors began to arrive to disrupt Harriet's peaceful routine: first Cory's estranged wife Noel, hellbent on winning Cory back, then Cory's glamorous brother Kit, whose old affair with Noel didn't stop him making passes at Harriet, and finally, of all people, Simon...
Henri had a passion for Napoleon and Napoleon had a passion for chicken. From Boulogne to Moscow Henri butchered for his Emperor and never killed a single man. Meanwhile, in Venice, the city of chance and disguises, Villanelle was born with the webbed feet of her boatman father - but in the casinos she gambled her heart and lost. As the soldier-chef's love for Napoleon turns to hate he finds the Venetian beauty, and together they flee to the canals of darkness.
Kate is a vibrant, sensual creature, brimming with needs. Her husband Daniel is a cheating rat, driving her crazy with his infidelities. The one thing she can rely on is her music, and she plays the viola like a wild goddess. When the orchestra she's a part of embarks on a tour of Europe, joined by a dominitrix diva and a bass singer whose voice is so low he is known as the human vibrator, Katie is soon experiencing life to its hedonistic limits. While she is carefully recording each passionate encounter in her journal, another member of the orchestra is writing down his. Intrigue begins when the tow books are inadvertently switched. And if the truth gets out, they'll never play a concerto in their home town again!
With the bookshop where she works about to close, Laura Horsley, in a moment of uncharacteristic recklessness, finds herself agreeing to help organise a literary festival deep in the heart of the English countryside. But her initial excitement is rapidly followed by a mounting sense of panic when reality sinks in and she realises just how much work is involved
Roma's ten-year high school reunion is approaching fast - and she's not ready. She knows it's shallow but she wants to set her old classmates on their ears when the boasting starts. Especially the toxic Ellie, who bullied her in the old days. She has a good job but she needs the whole package if she's going to make that killer entrance - including having a toned body, a great outfit and, most importantly, a mouthwatering guy on her arm. An eventful visit to the gym shows her that she may be able to kill two birds with one stone, as personal trainer Jake Logan turns out to be the perfect eye candy she needs. A course of hard training begins, with Roma keen to impress Kale - but what are his plans? She can't help noticing that he flirts with all his female clients. And there's one particular client who could scupper all Roma's plans - and she's getting far too close to Roma's quarry.
Roma's ten-year high school reunion is approaching fast - and she's not ready. She knows it's shallow but she wants to set her old classmates on their ears when the boasting starts. Especially the toxic Ellie, who bullied her in the old days. She has a good job but she needs the whole package if she's going to make that killer entrance - including having a toned body, a great outfit and, most importantly, a mouthwatering guy on her arm. An eventful visit to the gym shows her that she may be able to kill two birds with one stone, as personal trainer Jake Logan turns out to be the perfect eye candy she needs. A course of hard training begins, with Roma keen to impress Kale - but what are his plans? She can't help noticing that he flirts with all his female clients. And there's one particular client who could scupper all Roma's plans - and she's getting far too close to Roma's quarry.
Polly Cameron is happy being thirty-five and celibate, living in a small Gloucestershire town with a possessive cat for company and a Rayburn for comfort. After all, a relationship would only complicate things...
Faith Kincaid had no business loving a fierce, dangerous heartbreaker like Shane Callan, but she needed to know how it felt to have a man want her as much as he did. Shane had spent too much time on the dark side, and Faith was his anchor in an unseen storm that threatened to overwhelm them both.
Single mother Elizabeth Lancaster had raised her young son alone, and built a successful business creating scrumptious cakes and candies, but when she learned that a father and two sons had moved in nearby, she was delighted! Now Aaron would have kids to play with, and maybe she could pick up some fathering tips. But when Dillon kissed her in the moonlight and awakened a gorgeous finebrand, she showed him just what he
Pat Reilly, the hunk from Down Under, the movie star who made strong women tremble, had promised the eccentric Calamity Jayne Jordan that he'd come looking for her. She had denied her feelings for the rough and rowdy cowboy, but he longed to lose himself in the warm honey of Jayne's sweet soul.
Stuck with a cat about to burst with kittens, Flora has little choice but to accept the offer to stay in an abandoned holiday cottage miles from any neighbours, let alone a trendy winebar. And between fighting off dinner invitations from the devastatingly handsome Henry, and hiding her secret eco-friendly lodger William, Flora soon discovers country life is far from dull as she sets about rebuilding the crumbling business. ..
There was no doubt Bella Parkinson was a success: the most promising actress in London, bright, sexy - and hopelessly scatterbrained - she was taking the town by storm. Rupert Henriques, dashingly handsome and wealthy enough to buy her every theatre in London if she wanted it, couldn't wait to marry her...
But Bella had a secret in her past - and the one man who knew it was about to come into her life again... Rupert's sinister cousin Lazlo, for some reason of his own, was trying to prevent her marriage. Before she knew where she was, Bella found herself in real danger...
There was no doubt Bella Parkinson was a success: the most promising actress in London, bright, sexy - and hopelessly scatterbrained - she was taking the town by storm. Rupert Henriques, dashingly handsome and wealthy enough to buy her every theatre in London if she wanted it, couldn't wait to marry her...
But Bella had a secret in her past - and the one man who knew it was about to come into her life again... Rupert's sinister cousin Lazlo, for some reason of his own, was trying to prevent her marriage. Before she knew where she was, Bella found herself in real danger...
The year is 1950, and in a small town on Cape Cod 28 year-old librarian Peggy Cort feels as if love and life have stood her up. Until the day James Carlson Sweatt - the 'over-tall' 11 year-old boy who's the talk of the town - walks into her library and changes her life forever. Two misfits whose lonely paths cross at the circulation desk, Peggy and James are odd candidates for friendship. In James, Peggy discovers the one person who's ever really understood her, and as he grows - six foot five at age twelve, then seven foot, then eight - so does her heart and their most singular romance. THE GIANT'S HOUSE is a strange, beautifully written and unforgettably tender novel about learning to welcome the unexpected miracle.
In this fourth collection of sexy tales told to hostess Madame B, ten women reveal all to our mysterious host. Nothing is out of bounds and passion is pushed to its very limit.
Midas - long-distance love with a twist, as a lover's gift ensures his partner can still enjoy him while he's overseas Hire Love - Hannah hires a male escort for a high-powered work party, but it turns into more than a simple business transaction Sucker Punch - Carrie falls for a boxer that she sees on TV; and finds that he more than lives up to her expectations in the flesh Always the Bridesmaid - the night before Polly's wedding, she shares the bridal suite with her best friend Sammy, and sees her bridesmaid in a whole new light... The Mistress's Apprentice - Tina discovers how thrilling power can be when she finds herself working in a place where submission and domination are all in a day's work The HItcher - Alice and Paul's erotic encounter with a young hitchhiker turns into the ride of a lifetime The Diagnosis - at a fancy dress party, strangers Jay and Leila play 'doctors and nurses' adult-style Window Shopping - a shared fantasy of sex in public is made real when Bethany and Max take a big risk... El Ritmo del Noche - at a fiesta on holiday in Spain, Helen finds out that even the prissiest English girl needs a little Latin in her Going, Going, Gone - businesswoman Abigail sells her body to the highest bidder, and is ready to submit to whatever pleasures - and pains - are on offer...
With private indulgences stripped bare for all to see, Lost in Lust: More Tales from Madame B ensures that nothing remains a secret any more.
Althea is the mother of three strong-minded children - one of whom is a Buddhist - and owner of a finicky dog named Bozo.
Saddled with too large a house (albeit in a beautiful Cotswold village), worrisome mortgage payments, a bossy younger sister and irksome ex-husband, Althea still manages to muddle through life comfortably enough. Until she loses her job.
Seeking solace in her borrowed greenhouse, Althea decides to develop her passion for gardening. And when she wins the opportunity to design a garden at the Chelsea Flower Show with the unexpected help of gorgeous architect Patrick Donahugh, it looks as though Althea may have unearthed a new man as well as a new career...
Tim and Rachel Hendon are riding high on an ideal marriage and growing political success. Tim is already in the Cabinet, and as they celebrate yet another election victory, they have no idea that they are on the eve of a nightmare that is going to totally devastate their lives.
After a high-profile murder, Katherine Sumner has disappeared. Is she the killer? Or will the information she has on top government officials make hers the next body to turn up on the coroner's table?
Certain that Katherine is alive and in hiding, acclaimed reporter Laurie Forbes joins forces with Rachel Hendon to search out the truth behind one of the World's most secretive and dangerous organisations.
Forbidden love, uncontrolled passion and the ultimate exploitation of power. Wicked Beauty proves there is a crime worse than murder...
Mirelle Martin was a Company Wife - her husband, her children, her home were all held in thrall to the Corporation that owned their lives. She tried - desperately - to conform, hiding the secret of her illegitimacy, her talented father, and her own gifts which might prove embarrassing in a conventional world.
And then came the Year of the Lucy - the year when everything happened, everything big and wonderful and exciting, when Mirelle turned into the woman she had always wanted to be.
Jeremy was holding Tia so close that his body was all but melting into hers. His Hands slid up to the bend in her waist. She was supposed to be keeping this guy under control, but he was the one guiding her body as she made her first brush stroke. He was the one making her feel like she'd start acting like a wild thing as soon as he let her go. Tia is an artist who dreams of painting the city with outrageously sexy murals. She has a job that she loves, working as an art therapist, and a new boyfriend who's giving her way more than her daily"a of time doing whatever she wants. The other half, she follows Mark's very explicit instructions. Tia thinks that her life is perfect- until she takes on a new project. Her roommate Noelle is desperate for help with her brother Jeremy. After dropping out of college, Jeremy needs guidance, supervision, and a place to live. Noelle thinks that Tia would be the perfect babysitter for a 22-year-old wild child. Suddenly she's caught in an erotic double-bind between Mark, the master of mind games, and Jeremy, the gifted and impulsive boy wonder.
Kat Matthews believes life is an adventure, to be taken at leisure. When vacationing with her mother in Vale, Colorado, she meets an eccentric, rich couple who have a bizarre proposition. They want to hire her to date their son. And not just date him. They want her to train him in how to date so he
Kat Matthews believes life is an adventure, to be taken at leisure. When vacationing with her mother in Vale, Colorado, she meets an eccentric, rich couple who have a bizarre proposition. They want to hire her to date their son. And not just date him. They want her to train him in how to date so he
When Alicia Carlyle returns to the home of her childhood after the tragic death of her husband, she is hoping to put the past behind her. But first she must come face to face with the woman who nearly destroyed her marriage and tore her family in two
When twins Amanda and Marian Laton lose their father unexpectedly, they are stunned to discover that in his will he has put them in the charge of their Aunt, who lives on a sprawling Texas farm. Horrified to be leaving the town where they have spent their lives so far, the twins arrive at their Aunt Red
Jeremy was holding Tia so close that his body was all but melting into hers. His Hands slid up to the bend in her waist. She was supposed to be keeping this guy under control, but he was the one guiding her body as she made her first brush stroke. He was the one making her feel like she'd start acting like a wild thing as soon as he let her go. Tia is an artist who dreams of painting the city with outrageously sexy murals. She has a job that she loves, working as an art therapist, and a new boyfriend who's giving her way more than her daily"a of time doing whatever she wants. The other half, she follows Mark's very explicit instructions. Tia thinks that her life is perfect- until she takes on a new project. Her roommate Noelle is desperate for help with her brother Jeremy. After dropping out of college, Jeremy needs guidance, supervision, and a place to live. Noelle thinks that Tia would be the perfect babysitter for a 22-year-old wild child. Suddenly she's caught in an erotic double-bind between Mark, the master of mind games, and Jeremy, the gifted and impulsive boy wonder.
Georgie: gorgeous, glamorous and successful. But her bank balance is a molehill and her credit card bill a mountain. Lin: the gap between her dreams and reality is as wide as the Grand Canyon -- not ideal when you're a single mother. Cookie: smart and sassy, but all too aware that fairy tales don't happen for those not heroine-shaped. For these three women life just isn't turning out as planned. Working in publishing -- the parties, book launches and long lunches -- isn't nearly as glamorous as it sounds. And each is aware of something missing in their lives. So when the opportunity comes for them to wish for something, they jump at the chance. For where there's a wish, there's a way, especially with a little help from your friends.. .
When May teams up with Sally and Harriet it is the best day's work she's ever done. Each of them needs money, badly. Which is why they are reduced to working for Quality Cleaners under the watchful eye of 'Slimeball' Slater. When they discover it is them being taken to the cleaners, they set up as an independent team. And that is when things really begin to take off. With more lucrative jobs coming in, they soon find that they are able to take the first steps towards freedom and independence. For May that means paying the mooring fees for her adored houseboat. Harriet can take art classes and reveal her gift for painting, and Sally can save up for a place of her own. But while they are making a success of their working lives, they risk overlooking the romantic possibilities they have created-
If May, Sally and Harriet didn't need the money so badly, they definitely wouldn't be working for Slimeball Slater at Quality Cleaners. So when they discover it's Slimeball taking them to the cleaners, they decide to set up their own business - and that's when things really start to take off.
Working for themselves gives them the freedom and independence they've been longing for. May can afford the mooring fees for her beloved narrowboat; Harriet discovers a true gift for painting and Sally's dream of a place of her own is fast becoming reality. But is it too much, having made such a success of their working lives, to expect similar success in their romantic ones?
When journalist Rachel Carmedi is kidnapped and murdered by a Colombian drug cartel, her lover and partner Tom Chambers, racked by guilt, vows to avenge her death.
Ellen Shelby and Michael McCann want to turn Rachel's story into their first Hollywood movie. Chambers agrees to track down the killers. But his need for vengeance soon overrides their desires.
In London, high-flyer Sandy Paul, helping to raise finance for the film, still harbours a fierce passion for Michael, and aims to remove Ellen from his life.
Love, lust, jealousy and ambition take the stage with high finance, power and mortal danger. Torn loyalties, male pride and female desires turn the movie into a terrifying trap of death threats and destruction...
When journalist Rachel Carmedi is kidnapped and murdered by a Colombian drug cartel, her lover and partner Tom Chambers, racked by guilt, vows to avenge her death.
Ellen Shelby and Michael McCann want to turn Rachel's story into their first Hollywood movie, whilst Chambers agrees to track down the killers. But his need for vengeance soon overrides their desires.
In London, high-flyer Sandy Paul, helping to raise finance for the film, still harbours a fierce passion for Michael, and aims to remove Ellen from his life.
Love, lust, jealousy and ambition take the stage with high finance, power and mortal danger. Torn loyalties, male pride and female desires turn the movie into a terrifying trap of death threats and destruction...
In the third volume of Madame B's saucy tales our intriguing hostess tells all. Ten women confess their stories of seduction, revealing their most intimate and devilish desires and steamy sexual encounters.
Jet - a young woman finds herself joining a very exclusive club when she is upgraded to business class Menage a Trois - a voyeur gets to see her neighbours at close quarters The End of the Pier Show - a night out clubbing in Brighton comes to an unexpected climax for Kyra and her friends Rick and Sam I Heard Love Is Blind - deprived of sight, a woman goes on a sensory journey with her young lover Rumble in the Jungle - a yoga retreat is spoiled by the presence of the obnoxious David; or do opposites attract? The Camera Never Lies - models Sara and Kim get carried away at a magazine photoshoot Fetisch - a waitress at a fetish club meets an intriguing new customer The Captain's Table - an invitation to dine with the captain on a swinging cruise ship means more than just dinner for one young couple Shopped - a security guard comes up with a novel 'punishment' for shoplifting Fireman's Pole - on her hen night, a bride-to-be decides to have one last fling... with the stripper!
No fantasy is off limits, and with private indulgences stripped bare for all to see, Madame B's Stories of Seduction ensures that nothing remains a secret any more.
Annie has always been a rebel. While her sensible sister settled down in Middle America Annie blazed a trail of fast living on the West Coast, constantly seeking thrills. She is motivated by a voracious appetite for physical passion and a mission to keep changing her life. She's never short of men, and she keeps her lovers in a spin of erotic confusion. Every man she encounters is determined to discover what makes her tick, but no one can get a hold of Annie for long enough to find out what it is. Maybe the dark and moody IImar can unlock the secret. However, by succumbing to his charms, is Annie stepping into dangerous territory?
When fashion designer Lauren Redstone gets drunk in Las Vegas to celebrate a successful deal, she does something very impulsive: she bumps into a tall, drawling cowboy called Grayson, sleeps with him and then marries him the same day. Sober the next morning, she flees the hotel room and tries to renage on the arrangement. But Grayson refuses to play ball, insisting she gives their unlikely coupling a chance out on his ranch where she can get to know the stranger she married. And in return, he agrees to spend an equal amount of time in her high society Californian world. But as the couple fall for one another in these wildly different environments, it seems both Lauren
It was to be a great adventure for Melissa MacGregor - an escape from the wilds of her Scottish home into the world of the London Season. There she hopes to find a suitable husband who will not be intimidated by her sixteen uncles, six of whom are called Ian. But before she begins her pursuit of a new life, she encounters an intriguing stranger on her grandfather