Newly widowed Poppy Shilling should be feeling distraught at the death of her husband, Phil. But, instead, she can’t help feeling relieved. No longer will she have to endure Phil’s iron fist ruling over her and their two young children, or his unfortunate penchant for Lycra cycling wear. And when a secret is revealed after his death, Poppy’s memories of their life together are turned upside down. Freed from her loveless marriage, Poppy is determined not to make the same mistakes again. As she embraces village life to the full, will Poppy have the courage to follow her heart? It’s time for a new beginning, and a chance to discover what real love feels like…Alison Reid reads this hilarious, heartwarming novel from bestselling author Catherine Alliott.

Abby Rogers has been on health kicks before - they involve eating one blueberry muffin for breakfast instead of two. When Abby is encouraged to join her sporty best friend's running club - by none other than its gorgeous new captain - she finds a mysterious compulsion to exercise. Then her colleague, Heidi, turns up at work and makes a devastating announcement, one that will change her life - and Abby's - forever.

Emma and her friends are about to turn 30, and for Emma it's a defining moment. Defined, that is, by her having achieved none of the things she'd imagined she would. She's never jumped out of a plane, hasn't met the man she's going to marry or snogged anyone famous. As Emma hurtles towards her thirtieth, she discovers, with hilarious consequences, that some of them are trickier to tick off than she'd thought....

When Flora, James, and their two teenage daughters are offered the holiday of a lifetime in a chateau in the South of France in return for one simple good deed, they jump at the chance. But Flora didn't anticipate a mysterious guest and a whole heap of family baggage coming along too… Their dream holiday suddenly takes some very unexpected turns.

Imogen and her friends Meredith and Nicola have had their fill of budget holidays. So when Meredith wins a VIP holiday at Barcelona's hippest new hotel, they plan to sip champagne with the jet set and party. But when the worst crisis of her working life erupts, Imogen has to juggle her BlackBerry with a Manhattan. Between a robbery and an encounter on a nudist beach, the friends stumble from one disaster to the next.

When Lucy Fellowes is offered a dream house in the country she leaps at it. It's hard enough living in London on an uncertain income, but when you're widowed with two small boys it's even harder. And anyway, a rural retreat will bring her closer to Charlie, the only man in four years to make her heart beat faster. Perfect. Or it would be. If only he didn't belong to someone else.

Dreamy, scatty, and impossibly romantic, Polly McLaren is a secretary in an advertising agency, but the day a stranger on a train catches her eye, her life changes for ever. This American Romeo, who's recognised her old school scarf, begs Polly to help him find his missing Juliet. Over an intoxicating dinner at the Savoy, Polly agrees to play Cupid and her investigations begin. The last thing she needs now, however, is trouble from the men in her life.

Lola has every reason to be interested in who Paddy de Courcy is marrying - because although she's his girlfriend, she definitely isn't the bride. Heartbroken, she flees the city for a cottage by the sea. But will her retreat prove as idyllic as she hopes? Not if journalist Grace has anything to do with it. Grace knew Paddy a long time ago. But why can't she forget him?

Everyone's got one, an old boyfriend they never fell out of love with, they simply parted because the time wasn't right. And for 30-year-old Tessa, it's Patrick Cameron, the gorgeous, moody, rebellious boy she met at 17; the boy her vicar father thoroughly disapproved of; the boy who had left her to go to Italy to paint. And now he's back.

How do you say 'I love you' in Italian? Anna's knows the father she's never met is Italian. Now she's baking focaccia and learning the language, determined to go and find him. After Catherine's husband walked out on her, and she's trying to pick up the pieces of her life. But she discovers his deception runs even deeper than infidelity. As their Italian evening class gets underway, friendships form and love affairs blossom; it's going to be a year that they will never forget.

At 29, Claire is full of the joys of life - that is, until her husband leaves her on the day she gives birth to her baby. With a broken heart, a beautiful newly born and an expanding mirror image, she decides to visit her eccentric family in Dublin. There she starts to feel better. So much better, in fact, that James is in for a surprise when he decides to slither back into her life....

In a gorgeous quay-side hotel in Cornwall, the long weekend is just beginning...Claire Marlowe owns 'The Townhouse by the Sea' with Luca, the hotel's charismatic chef. She ensures everything runs smoothly - until an unexpected arrival checks in and turns her whole world upside down.And the rest of the guests arrive with their own baggage. There's a couple looking for distraction from a family tragedy; a man trying to make amends for an affair he bitterly regrets...and the young woman who thinks the Cornish village might hold the key to her past.

Rachel and Becca are stepsisters living far apart, with little in common. Rachel is the successful one: happily married with three children and a big house. Becca, meanwhile, lurches from one dead-end job to another and has given up on love. The two of them have lost touch, but when Rachel doesn't come home one night, Becca is called in to help. As Becca begins to untangle Rachel's secrets, she is forced to confront some uncomfortable truths.

Flora's been in love with her husband for 20 years. The trouble is, he's been married to someone else for the past 15. Now she's been invited to spend the summer in the shady lanes and sandy coves of Cornwall. It should be blissful. There's just one small snag: she'll be staying with her former mother-in-law, Belinda. And Flora discovers she's not the only one invited when her ex-husband shows up out of the blue, complete with his new wife. So now there are two small snags.

Laurie and Pete should never have met. But fate has pushed them together for a reason. Six months ago, on the same night, Laurie and Pete both lost their partners. Struggling to manage the grief, they join the same counselling group - and meet each other. From their sadness, Pete and Laurie find happiness growing, and they sense a fresh new beginning. Except, the more they talk, the more Laurie begins to spot the strange parallels in their stories. Then Pete discovers a truth that changes everything. But, as surely as a compass points north, some people cannot be kept apart.