Showing results by publisher "Hodder & Stoughton" in Contemporary

Ben Church has never done anything extraordinary in his life -- until now. Now, he needs to fulfil as many of his dreams as possible while he still can. That's why he's standing in front of his favourite painting by Leonardo da Vinci when he should be at work. Vita Ambrose's life of parties and fabulous clothes looks wildly glamorous but in reality it has no meaning. She's seen too much, lived too much and lost too much. That's why she's come back to the gallery, to seek solace in her favourite painting.

When Sadie and Max are selected as contestants on the famed reality singing show STARMAKER's special festive season, Sadie thinks she's finally gotten her big break—and Max sees a chance to step out of his megastar father's shadow. But then they're paired up for duet week and stun the world with their onstage chemistry. With fans going wild for #Saxie, the judges demand they remain a duo—on and offstage—or exit the competition. Faking a relationship shouldn't be too hard, except for one small problem: Sadie and Max can't stand each other.

New York, 2015. In a city of more than eight million people, there are always new places to visit, new connections to be made, new experiences to be shared. But not for Alice Quick. Determined to finally take her MCAT exam and become a doctor, this has to be a summer of no distractions. So it's a shame that her chaotic roommate Roxy is persistently getting her into trouble, not the most convenient timing for her millionaire brother, Bill, to decide to embark upon a spiritual search for the meaning of life and plain inconvenient that Alice just can't seem to put down her phone.

Seven-year-old Jake's heart is failing, and he doesn't want to leave his dad, Simon, alone. So he makes a decision: to find Simon someone to love before he goes. Beth is determined to forget the past. But even when she leaves New York to start afresh in a Lake District village, she can't shake the secrets that haunt her. Single dad Simon still holds a candle for the woman who left him years ago. Every day is a struggle to earn a living while caring for his beloved son. He has no time for finding someone new.

The last time criminal psychology expert Dr Charlotte 'Charlie' Stone helped capture a serial killer, it was nearly the last thing she ever did. Now she's determined to stick to research - and leave risk-taking to the law. But when dangerous duty calls, she can't refuse. And there's no greater danger than the Cinderella Killer, a charming predator who lures beautiful single women to their deaths.

Marriage is a prison for Kelly. Her controlling and manipulative husband, Christos, videos her in the house, has her followed and tracks her every move. She may be desperate to leave, but she's not stupid. If she runs, he'll make sure she never sees her children again. Christos has a mistress, Sylvie, keen to pander to his every whim and even keener to step into Kelly's shoes, should she ever vacate them.

Pearl Winter hasn't been outside in 43 years. Since she arrived in Dartmoor as a teenager, her isolated cottage has been her whole world. A place of safety. But now Pearl is utterly alone—except for the postman, the local crows, and her memories of the summer when her life turned upside down. Connor Matthews feels like a stranger in his own home. Since his mother's death, he's been adrift from his remaining family and the life that's always been mapped out for him. But when Connor takes a summer job as Pearl's gardener, their unexpected friendship opens the door to a fresh start.

In the little village of Welford, flowers are blooming, the lambing season is underway...and love is in the air. Mandy Hope is on cloud nine. Hope Meadows, the animal rescue and rehabilitation centre she founded, is going really well. And she's growing ever closer to handsome villager Jimmy Marsh. What's more, James Hunter, her best friend, is slowly learning to re-embrace life after facing tragedy. But when an unexpected crisis causes Mandy to lose confidence in her veterinary skills, it's a huge blow.

Veterinary nurse Helen Steer adores her job at Animal Ark, and with the summer ahead things couldn't be better. That is until her best friend goes travelling, leaving Helen unexpectedly jealous and questioning her own stable life with her boyfriend Seb. Charming new vet Toby Gordon, with his flirtatious wit and mysterious family background, suddenly seems a much more exciting prospect. But just as Helen and Toby's friendship starts to become something more, Sunrise Farm, the beautiful fruit farm where Helen lives, is hit by crisis, leaving its future in the balance.

On the day Hannah is finally going to tell her husband she's leaving him, he has a stroke...and life changes in an instant. Tom's only 32. Now he can't walk or cut up his own food, let alone use his phone or take her in his arms. And Hannah's trapped. She knows she has to care for her husband, the very same man she was ready to walk away from. But with the time and fresh perspective he's been given, Tom reevaluates his life and becomes determined to save his marriage.

Unbeknownst to their friends, Bennett and Paloma were each other's first real love, which ended in crippling heartbreak. Bennett still doesn't know what happened, and Paloma is determined to stay away from the comfort she used to find only in his arms. As Bennett discovers the truth about Paloma's past, the threads to his careful control start to come unbound, and both begin to realize that letting go of everything else might be worth it, if it means they both get the real love they once shared again.

Kate is a successful interior designer with two wonderful kids. Kate is also a recent widow, a grieving daughter and worrying about how to pay the bills. Her life might look perfect from the outside, but making things look better than they are is just how Kate copes. Her mother, Jean, worries about her - but she has her own problems. A mystery from the past has come back to haunt her, and she decides now is the time to put the pieces together. When romance makes an appearance in both their lives, can mother and daughter lay the past to rest - and begin again?

Written by Grazia magazine's Features Director, this is a novel about a woman who is trying, and so far failing, to conceive. A hugely funny, searingly honest comedy about what to expect when you're not expecting. Olivia and Felix are trying for a baby. They even moved to the suburbs in anticipation of their future family. But despite approaching her cycle and their sex life with military precision, there's still no sign of what felt like the sure next step, whilst friends' broods seem to be growing by the week.

Amy has her entire life planned out: marry her fiancé Josh, move out of their London flat and live happily ever after in the countryside. There's just one problem - Amy and Josh haven't had sex in 180 days. She's counted. So when Josh's family decide to throw them a surprise wedding, Amy scrambles to cross everything off her to-do list... including Josh. With the help of a glass of red wine (or two), Amy steps out of her star-patterned pyjamas and into a world of too-tight lingerie and sex-positive affirmations.

Suddenly, I'm risking my life to protect her. And then Jameson drags me back to his estate, claiming it's a matter of life-or-death. Now I'm in the most beautiful home I've ever seen, faced with an offer from a man who's just as gorgeous: Be the temporary live-in nanny until he can ensure my safety and find a more permanent solution. He may be powerful, possessive, and protective. But he's also dangerous, demanding, and calculating.

On the night Fliss loses everything - her beloved hotel ravaged by fire and fiancé exposed as a cheat - she receives devastating news: her estranged mother has died. Summoned to a dilapidated guesthouse in France for the reading of the will, Fliss is stunned to discover she has been left all her mother's possessions. As Fliss begins restoring the guesthouse, she unearths long-buried secrets about her mother, their past and the true cost of her long absence.

Emma is pretty sure that love at first sight doesn't exist. She's had enough disappointing dates to have stopped believing in the one. Kieran is recently single and still heartbroken. He has sworn off dating for the foreseeable future and focusing on his career as a chef. When they collide under the clock tower at Gare du Nord, sparks fly, and they begin a whirlwind romance spanning the Channel. As Emma's life falls apart, Kieran invites her to live with him. But as the day they've both been waiting for for so long approaches, what if fate has other plans?

All aspiring novelist Honor has ever wanted is to be successful. It's the only way she can impress the father who abandoned her, the boyfriend who gave up on her, and the nagging voice in her head that tells her she's not good enough. Still, wanting to tell a story is not the same as having a story to tell, and Honor knows she needs to find a new source of inspiration. When she's invited to spend a summer abroad in The Hamptons, Honor realises it could be the dream setting for a book, especially when a chance encounter provides her with the perfect leading man.

Eurovision is always the highlight of Millie's year. So when she and her best friend James get the chance to see the final live in Oslo, it's a dream come true - until they get swept up the excitement and try to break backstage, along with carefree German singer Ingrid and charismatic Australian backpacker, Noah. Getting thrown out of the stadium wasn't exactly the plan, but it might just spark the friendship - and the pact - of a lifetime. The four of them are going to reunite for every final, every year, every Eurovision.

Eoin is doing great. He's 27, gainfully employed and in a long-term relationship with his boyfriend Rich. Okay, so his best friend Jax is diving into yet another disastrously bad relationship and Eoin's going to be the one dealing with the fallout. And his boss at the café, Rebecca, seems to have vanished, so somehow Eoin's left managing the place. And to be honest, he's not got much else going on. But still, he's got his boyfriend Rich - steady, sensible and dependable Rich. That is, until Eoin's world is turned upside down when Rich announces that he wants an open relationship.