Ruby Oldbridge needs to learn to take her own advice. A brilliant counsellor at work in York, she is however floundering in her own life. Her romantic track record is woeful, her finances are in a pickle, and she's back in a house-share after splitting up with her useless ex.But one thing Ruby is brilliant at, is helping other people find a way through their problems, and she excels at the job she loves, doing just that. Happy-go-lucky, Mr Positivity, Zac Drewe also loves his job – the trouble is, it's the same as Ruby's, and the management have decided to 'rationalise' their department. There's only room for one of them.As the snow and winter close in on York, Ruby and Zac have everything to lose, and Ruby starts to wonder if the happy face Zac shows the world, might be disguising a sadder secret. Set against one another, they are unlikely friends. But perhaps, if they could take the time to understand each other, they might...

'Beautifully written and both heartbreaking and heartwarming' Jessica RedlandIsabel, Izzy to her friends, has got nothing left to lose when she makes the bravest decision of her life. A month living under canvas on the Yorkshire Moors with five strangers wouldn't normally be her idea of a good time, even if there is prize money to be won at the end of it, but she's all out of options.Joining her in this wild goose chase, being filmed for a TV show, are farmer Seb, whose marriage is creaking but who is desperate not to lose his family. Sheltered Ruth who needs an opportunity to show she can make her own decisions. Glamorous socialite Kanga, who has been living a lie. American Junior who has his own secret that has led him there. And last but not least, mysterious and brooding Mac, who Izzy can't help but be drawn to.As the fickleness of nature tests them all to their limits, this disparate group come together to face the challenge. But when...

Do you want to write Romantic Comedy, but struggle with the comedy element of it? Are you stumped by how inject more humour into your novel? Do you want to know how story structure is just like telling a joke? Do you want to learn these things whilst being lightly entertained and given a giggle or two?Then you've come to the right place.Award winning authors Jane Lovering and Rhoda Baxter have over twenty books between them (where they make a great defensive wall) and extensive experience of cramming laughter into literature. They will show you how to put comedy into your romances, and make you laugh while they do so.This book will teach you:The different types of comedyThe anatomy of a jokeHow to make things funnierDifferent uses for comedy in a novelA simple trick to translate timing onto the pageEmphasis explained via an incontinent dog If you're looking for an easy, accessible How-To guide to writing romantic comedy* then this is the book for you.*Contains confectionery. Bring tea.

A wish to turn back time comes true for two archaeologists in the Yorkshire moors in this time-slip romance by the award-winning author of Hubble Bubble. The loss of the love her life is just one reason that history teacher Grace Nicholls would love to turn back the clock. It's just that an archaeological dig at a Bronze Age settlement isn't what she had in mind. But, encouraged by her best friend Tabitha, that's exactly where she finds herself—in the wind, rain, and sleet of the muddy moors. Professor Duncan McDonald is the site director, and his earnest pursuit of ancient artifacts makes him appear single-minded and unreachable. He has his reasons. But when a woman on the site goes missing, it seems that Duncan's own distant history might be coming back to haunt him. As they dig deeper, Duncan and Grace get more than they bargained for—and come to realize that the past is much closer than either of them ever...

Welcome to the idyllic country retreat of Christmas Steepleton, and let Jane Lovering whisk you away with the most heart-warming, romantic and comforting read of the year.Leaving London and her ex-husband Luc behind, Katie and her 14-year-old daughter Poppy move into their very own, very ramshackle cottage near the village of Christmas Steepleton on the Dorset coast. Harvest Cottage has been unloved for many years, so the job of bringing it back to life is a slow and expensive one. So, with funds running low, Katie jumps at the chance when a film company asks to use the cottage as a location. But even as things are looking up, as harvest time passes and autumn chill starts to bite, the prospect of a cold winter in the country is daunting.Some light relief comes from new friend Gabriel, so different from Katie's exuberant but arrogant ex Luc. Will their friendship blossom into something more romantic, or will the reality of a tough country winter send...

How much can you hide? Jemima Hutton is determined to build a successful new life and keep her past a dark secret. Trouble is, her jewellery business looks set to fail - until enigmatic Ben Davies offers to stock her handmade belt buckles in his guitar shop and things start looking up, on all fronts.

"Maybe he wasn't here because of the lights – maybe they were here because of him ..."It's been over eighteen months since Molly Gilchrist has had a man (as her best friend, Caro, is so fond of reminding her) so when she as good as stumbles upon one on the moors one bitterly cold morning, it seems like the Universe is having a laugh at her expense.But Phinn Baxter (that's Doctor Phinneas Baxter) is no common drunkard, as Molly is soon to discover; with a PhD in astrophysics and a tortured past that is a match for Molly's own disastrous love life.Finding mysterious men on the moors isn't the weirdest thing Molly has to contend with, however. There's also those strange lights she keeps seeing in the sky. The ones she's only started seeing since meeting Phinn ...

Jessica Grant knows vampires only too well. She runs the York Council tracker programme making sure that Otherworlders are all where they should be, keeps the filing in order and drinks far too much coffee. To Jess, vampires are annoying and arrogant and far too sexy for their own good, particularly her ex-colleague Sil, who's now in charge of Otherworld York. When a demon turns up and threatens not just Jess but the whole world order, she and Sil are forced to work together. But then Jess turns out to be the key to saving the world, which puts a very different slant on their relationship. The stakes are high. They are also very, very pointy and Jess isn't afraid to use them - even on the vampire she's rather afraid she's falling in love with ...

Life, love and unlikely legacies.Willow runs into Luke, the university lust-of-her-life, ten years on and this time around he's interested––she's lost twenty pounds and found fashion. But their meeting turns out to be no accident. What is Luke really after, Willow or her new inheritance?Her best mate Cal is gorgeous and...well...gay. Then reveals himself to be more than a mild, unassuming computer geek and she is no longer sure exactly who is telling the truth or who to trust.Is anyone in her life what they seem to be?Add to the romantic confusion, twelve pairs of rubber boots, two elderly spaniels, a pregnant sister and the unexpected contents of a matchbox and you get a funny, touching story of a woman in search of revenge and getting what she needs, rather than what she thinks she wants.

Our memories define us – don't they?And Skye Threppel lost most of hers in a car crash that stole the lives of her best friend and fiancé. It's left scars, inside and out, which have destroyed her career and her confidence.Skye hopes a trip to the wide dusty landscapes of Nevada – and a TV convention offering the chance to meet the actor she idolises – will help her heal. But she bumps into mysterious Sci-fi writer Jack Whitaker first. He's a handsome contradiction – cool and intense, with a wild past.Jack has enough problems already. He isn't looking for a woman with self-esteem issues and a crush on one of his leading actors.  Yet he's drawn to Skye.An instant rapport soon becomes intense attraction, but Jack fears they can't have a future if Skye ever finds out about his past ...Will their memories tear them apart, or can they build new ones together?

Is it all too good to be true? When Willow runs into her old university crush, Luke, she’s a new woman with a new look – not to mention a little bit more cash after a rather substantial inheritance. Could she be lucky enough to score a fortune and her dream man at the same time? Then Willow meets Cal; a computer geek with a slightly odd sense of humour. They get on like a house on fire — although she soon realises that there is far more to her unassuming new friend than meets the eye … But money doesn’t always bring happiness, and Willow finds herself struggling to know who to trust. Are the new people in her life there because they care – or is there another reason?

Be careful what you wish for… Holly Grey only took up witchery to keep her friend out of trouble – and now she’s knee-deep in hassle, in the form of apocalyptic weather, armed men, midwifery…and a sarcastic Welsh journalist. Kai has been drawn to darkest Yorkshire by his desire to find out who he really is. What he hadn’t bargained on was getting caught up in amateur magic and dealing with a bunch of women who are trying really hard to make their dreams come true. Together they realise that getting what you wish for is sometimes just a matter of knowing what it is you want…

They say you'll know when you're in love. What if you don't?Alys, a single parent and certified romantic disaster area, is always falling for unattainable men—the latest one being the dead author of a "borrowed" book of poetry. When she reluctantly returns the book to its rightful owner, she meets Leo. He's very much alive, very much attracted to her and, well, it's love at first sight.Isn't it?After all, she's a single mum with a boring job in a bookshop and, as her daughter puts it, gravity's not going to hold off forever. Leo's got the financial stability she's been craving and he looks like an aftershave advert. So it must be love.Mustn't it?Then there's Piers, whose spontaneity draws her like a magnet. But is it love she feels, or just his infectious love of life? Before she can choose, an unexpected source threatens to lay bare the lie she has been living for the last sixteen years.With happiness close to slipping out of her grasp, Alys is forced...

In the mean streets of York, the stakes just got higher – and even pointier.Jessica Grant liaises with Otherworlders for York Council so she knows that falling in love with a vampire takes a leap of faith. But her lover Sil, the City Vampire in charge of Otherworld York, he wouldn't run out on her, would he? He wouldn't let his demon get the better of him. Or would he?Sil knows there's a reason for his bad haircut, worse clothes and the trail of bleeding humans in his wake. If only he could remember exactly what he did before someone finds him and shoots him on sight.With her loyalties already questioned for defending zombies, the Otherworlders no one cares about, Jess must choose which side she's on, either help her lover or turn him in. Human or Other? Whatever she decides, there's a high price to pay – and someone to lose.Second novel in the series follows Vampire State of Mind.