Cassie has spent her married life doing everything right - making sure her children have the perfect life and being a devoted wife to her husband and a dutiful daughter-in-law to his mother, even when her patience has been tested. Although it has left her so exhausted that 'wine o'clock' comes a little earlier each afternoon. But she wouldn't change a thing, she's certain, until temptation comes her way.... Her sister, Coco, runs a vintage dress shop and sure, she's shied away from commitment over the years.

Ginger isn't spending her 30th the way she would have planned. Tonight might be the first night of the rest of her life - or a total disaster. Sam is finally pregnant after years of trying. When her waters break on the morning of her 40th birthday, she panics: forget labour, how is she going to be a mother? Callie is celebrating her 50th at a big party in her Dublin home. Then a knock at the door midparty changes everything....

Sid wears her independence like armour. So when she strikes up a rare connection with unlucky-in-love Finn, they are both determined to prove that men and women can just be friends. Marin has the perfect home, attentive husband, two beloved children - and a secret addiction to designer clothes. She knows she has it all, so why can't she stop comparing herself to other women? Bea believes that we all have one love story - and she's had hers. Now her life centres around her son, Luke, and her support group of fierce single women. But there's something that she can't tell anyone.

Deira is setting out on the holiday she'd planned with her long-term partner, Gavin...only she's on her own. Gavin will not be amused when he finds out she's 'borrowed' his car, but since their brutal break-up Deira's not been acting rationally. Maybe a drive through beautiful France will help her see things differently. Grace has been sent on a journey by her late husband, Ken. She doesn't really want to be on it but she's following his instructions as always. She can only hope that the trip will help her to forgive him. And then - finally - she'll be able to let him go.

Four women, all at different stages of their life, are brought together as they overcome the challenges that life tends to throw in our way - and learn to embrace the surprises, too, as each faces a second chance at happiness.

This edition features an interview with Cathy Kelly. It all started with Paris... At the top of the Eiffel Tower, a young man proposes to his girlfriend, cheered on by delighted tourists. With her trademark warmth and insight, Cathy Kelly weaves a delightful tale spinning out from this once-in-a-lifetime moment, drawing together a terrific cast of characters with stories of their own. Vonnie, a widow and exceptional cake-maker, is just daring to let love back into her life, but someone is determined to stop it.

Romy Kilkenny loves her life in Australia – she has her dream job, an active lifestyle, and best friend Keith who understands her better than anyone. And she couldn’t be further from her family. But when her family needs her back in Ireland, she is thrust into the lives of her mother and half-siblings again. Romy has never fitted in with her family and now with Keith too far away to give comfort, she feels even more like an outsider.

What do you do when the man in you life lets you down? Show him the door? Chuck his clothes out of the window? If only it was that easy - especially when you've got an eight year old to think about and a part-time job that barely pays the milk bill.

What do you do when you find yourself suddenly single? Go suddenly suicidal? Suddenly sexcrazed? Or simply slump into self-pity? Alix Callaghan, who thought she was in control of her busy life, feels like doing all three when her long-term boyfriend insists on settling down to a sensible existence – complete with children, proper meals and early nights – but without her. Little by little, though, Alix begins to think there might be more to the single life than the first shock of rejection suggests...

Two very different sisters, Mia (still in love with Alejo, the married father of her daughter) and Britt (the ice maiden, who has ironically written a romantic bestseller), join a luxury honeymoon cruise in the Caribbean where Britt is the guest lecturer. Also on board are recently widowed Leo, still reeling from the discovery of his wife’s betrayal just before her death, and Steve, a ship’s officer who’s soon looking for more than a holiday romance with Mia.

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.

Delphine has worked hard for her success, and she knows she's got everything she wants. But not everyone agrees. Her opinionated family aren't convinced that living alone with no plans to 'settle down' could possibly make her truly happy, and no one appreciates it when she drops everything, day or night, whenever her boss Conrad calls. Yet Delphine wouldn't change a thing. And when Conrad makes her a surprise offer, it's clear that her hard work is going to pay off.

Lola has a plan. She's going to escape the village she grew up in and make it in the big city. She's smart enough - but she's also headstrong. When, one evening, she has to make a life-changing choice, she decides quickly, and without the full facts. But there's no way back. Bey is every bit her mother's daughter. An impulsive decision puts her in the path of great danger. She's left wary of trusting her own judgement ever again. Then, one night, she's standing in front of the man she loves, with her own choice to make.

As Samantha Wishaw watches the love of her life marry another woman, she’s ready to give up hope of finding her happy ever after. But when a chance encounter leads Sam to find friendship in Thomas - a lonely, grumpy elderly widower living at derelict Hedgehog Hollow - her life is about to change forever. Glad to have a distraction from family feuds and match-making, Sam vows to fulfill Thomas and his wife Gwendoline's dreams of restoring Hedgehog Hollow to its former glory, and to open a hedgehog rescue centre.

What do you do if you’ve been married to a man for half your life and out of nowhere he leaves your bed – permanently? When this happens to Jeanie, she’s furious and determined to confront George, her husband of thirty years. Is he in love with someone else? What did she do wrong? He won’t tell her. The brightest day of her week is Thursday; the day Jeanie takes her granddaughter to the park.