The Rome Apartment


Book Description

As I stood on the terrace and gazed out over the most glorious view, he studied my face and said to me ‘Why do you look sad? No-one should be sad in Rome. We only have this one life, you know. Don’t waste it.’ Beth stands in the sunshine outside the magnificent wrought-iron gates of Villa Alba holding her suitcase. Only a few short months ago, she dropped her beloved only daughter off at college, holding back tears at the thought of an empty nest… clinging to the thought of the new chapter that she and her husband Joel could now begin together. But that same day, Joel dropped a bombshell. He thinks their marriage is stale, and wants a break; he says that Beth is no longer the same woman he fell in love with… Searching for an escape, Beth spots an ad in a magazine for an apartment in Rome that is available for three months rental only to ‘an English woman of a certain age’. She reads on… Veronica, the 75-year-old owner, challenges her guests to rediscover themselves, find joy, and live life to the full – and there is no better place to do these things than in Rome, the most beautiful city in the world. Ronnie sets Beth a list of tasks, forcing her to slow down and find beauty in every corner of the city: the sun on a stained glass window, a fragrant bunch of the freshest basil, a painting in a hidden courtyard. But her final task is the most challenging of all: to go out on a date with an unsuitable man. But handsome and adventurous musician Rico, unsuitable in almost every way, may turn out to be just the right man to bring Beth back to life. With her break from Joel coming to an end, can Beth risk embracing the new life of exciting possibilities that Rome has opened up to her, even if it means losing everything? Get swept away to the sunny streets of the most beautiful city in the world with this heartwarming novel about love and second chances. Perfect for fans of Faith Hogan, Elin Hilderbrand and Sheila O’Flanagan. What readers are saying about The Rome Apartment: ‘What a lovely feel-good story this is… I just loved it. The ending was perfect, the twist made me gasp… Marvellous!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars ‘My favourite summertime read… Fantastic… A sweeping engrossing story.’ Cozy Book Reviews, 5 stars ‘Fantastic… Made me want to drop everything and book a trip.’ Goodreads reviewer ‘Superb… This book will go far, 5 stars. Blindingly excellent… This book should come with a disclaimer as once you start reading you aren’t going to want to walk away.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars ‘A perfect summer book… Beyond gorgeous.’ @ecrirejenesaisquoi ‘What a fantastic book.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars ‘A wonderful book.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars ‘I loved this book.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars ‘What a wonderful summer adventure!’ @shortbookthyme




The Woman I Was Before


Book Description

‘For fans of Jodi Picoult and Liane Moriarty, this book is an intense page-turner… a book that you won't be able to put down until the very last page. It’s awesome, read it!’ Our Grand Life A new home can be a happy ending. Or a fresh start. Or a hiding place... Of all the emotions single mother Kate Jones feels as she walks into her brand new house on Parkview Road, hope is the most unexpected. She has changed her name and her daughter’s, and moved across the country to escape the single mistake that destroyed their lives. Kate isn’t the only woman on the street starting afresh. Warm, whirlwind Gisela with her busy life and confident children, and sharp, composed Sally, with her spontaneous marriage and high-flying career, are the first new friends Kate has allowed herself in years. Whilst part of her envies their seemingly perfect lives, their friendship might help Kate to leave her guilt behind. Until one day, everything changes. Kate is called to the scene of a devastating car accident, the consequences of which will test everything the women thought they knew about each other, and themselves. Can Kate stop her own secrets from unravelling, or was her hope for a new life in vain? From the bestselling author of The Silent Wife, The Woman I Was Before is a book about the things we hide from those closest to us – and the terrible consequences that keeping those secrets can have. Perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult, Liane Moriarty and Diane Chamberlain. Readers love The Woman I Was Before: ‘It’s been a long time since I read a whole book in 24 hours but there was no way I was putting down The Woman I Was Before. No one writes complex, painful family love like Kerry Fisher. Real and raw but funny too. Loved it!’ Iona Grey, author of Letters to the Lost ‘Wow, what a corker of a novel… exactly the sort of novel that creeps into your life and you don’t want to put down… will keep you turning the pages, anxiously, excitedly and soon to reach a thrilling conclusion.’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars ‘Loved it!!!! Fell in love with the characters, so real and relatable.’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars ‘I was absolutely smitten with this book! I enjoyed it from the first page to the last.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars ‘I loved this book – I lost my whole Sunday reading – just couldn't put it down!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars ‘Kate’s secret, when revealed, is gut-wrenching... An excellent read.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars ‘A cracking character-driven story that enthralled me.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars ‘5 stars! Kerry Fisher has once again nailed it with this fantastic book about how our lives may not really be as wonderful as we like to present them on social media.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars ‘This is the first book I’ve read by Ms Fisher and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it! It sucked me in from the beginning!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars ‘Wives and mothers have an inexplicable need to use social media to share cozy snapshots and smart hash-tags that give the sense of a bright and shiny life. Kerry Fisher writes an endearing story about what really happens outside of the photo frame for women who are dealing with the challenges life brings. A wonderful read.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars ‘There are secrets galore, some big, some bigger. Very well done!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars ‘Absolutely loved this book.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars ‘An excellent read.’ NetGalley Reviewer, 5 stars ‘I enjoyed every page.’ NetGalley Reviewer




After the Lie


Book Description

‘I just couldn't put it down … It's not very often when reading a book that you find yourself laughing, crying snotty tears, feeling sick with tension … Yes, honestly, it really is that good.’ Being Anne Reading ‘OMG, do I ever like this writer. I don't usually gush … But rarely have I come across a character that I so instantly identified with … The acerbic wit is my style. I want to meet and be friends with Lydia Rushfield.’ All Words Matter ‘An absolutely BRILLIANT read! Oh Gosh I wish I hadn’t finished it so quickly … sheer perfection … gripped me like Velcro from the very start and completely enthralled and entertained me right the way through.’ Beady Jan’s Books Your past will devastate your family. But your lies could destroy them. What would YOU do? Sometimes a lie can split your life in two. There is “before”, and there is “after”. Try as you might – you can never go back. When Lydia was a teenager, she made a decision that ruined her family’s life. They’ve spent the last thirty years living with the consequences and doing their best to pretend it never happened. Lydia’s husband, the gorgeous and reliable Mark, and her two teenage children know nothing about that summer back in 1982. And that’s the way Lydia wants it to stay. The opportunity to come clean is long gone and now it’s not the lie that matters, it’s the betrayal of hiding the truth for so long. When someone from the past turns up as a parent at the school gates, Lydia feels the life she has worked so hard to build slipping through her fingers. The more desperate she becomes to safeguard her family, the more erratic her behaviour becomes. But when the happiness of her own teenage son, Jamie, hangs in the balance, Lydia is forced to make some impossible decisions. Can she protect him and still keep her own secret – and if she doesn’t, will her marriage and family survive? From the author of THE ISLAND ESCAPE comes a powerful and heartbreaking story, perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty and Diane Chamberlain. What people are saying about After the Lie: ‘I absolutely loved it … Kerry Fisher goes straight away to my 'most favourite authors' list … Yes, I was touched by this book as it is one continuous roller-coaster of emotions on a very twisty track.’ Relax and Read Reviews ‘Five out of five stars. Past collides with present in this compelling book.' Portobello Book Blog 'This book was - in a word - addictive.'Voracious Reader's Blog ‘I loved it! A brilliantly woven, emotional, page-turning tale of the damage caused to a family by secrets and lies across the generations’ Rachael Lucas ‘Five out of five stars! This was a real page turner for me, and as the story went on I just couldn't predict how it was going to pan out. ' Dee Cees Reviews 'If you like reading about real women and a compelling family drama then this is the book for you. A terrific read.' Jane Lythell 'This book will make you laugh, frown and cry in equal measure.' Claire Dyer 'Compelling and thought-provoking' Gill Paul 'Believable, relatable and oh so real!' Jo Bartlett 'I absolutely loved it. Her voice is pure gold. I bet her shopping lists are addictive reading.' Iona Grey Read what everyone is saying about Kerry Fisher: ‘Well written and pacey, stuffed full of characters you’ll warm to and a couple you won’t, and a thoroughly enjoyable experience.’ Daily Mail ‘Ms Fisher is a remarkable author with a unique voice, and one I would certainly watch out for.’ This Chick Reads ‘I really found this book compulsive reading, eager to find out what was happening next with Kerry’s writing which was inviting and down to earth.’ Rachel’s Reads




Six Days in Rome


Book Description

In this decadent, deeply evocative novel, a young artist travels to Rome to heal a broken heart, where she ​confronts loneliness and intimacy, rage and desire: “Sensorial as hell . . . A stunningly cool and stylish debut" (Paul Beatty, Man Booker Prize-winning author of The Sellout). Emilia arrives in Rome reeling from heartbreak and reckoning with her past. What was supposed to be a romantic trip has, with the sudden end of a relationship, become a solitary one instead. As she wanders, music, art, food, and the beauty of Rome's wide piazzas and narrow streets color Emilia's dreamy, but weighty experience of the city. She considers the many facets of her life, drifting in and out of memory, following her train of thought wherever it leads. While climbing a hill near Trastevere, she meets John, an American expat living a seemingly idyllic life. They are soon navigating an intriguing connection, one that brings pain they both hold into the light. As their intimacy deepens, Emilia starts to see herself anew, both as a woman and as an artist. For the first time in her life, she confronts the ways in which she's been letting her father’s success as a musician overshadow her own. Forced to reckon with both her origins and the choices she's made, Emilia finds herself on a singular journey—and transformed in ways she never expected. Equal parts visceral and cerebral, Six Days in Rome is an ode to the Eternal City, a celebration of art and creativity, and a meditation on self-discovery. Includes a Reading Group Guide.




The Secret Child


Book Description




The Italian Party


Book Description

One of the Wall Street Journal's "Six More Books to Read This Winter" • "Required Reading,"The New York Post• Library Journal's "Spring/Summer Bests" of 2018 •A Sonoma Index-Tribune Bestseller •One of CrimeReads' "Debuts to Discover Spring 2018" "Deeply funny." —The New York Times Book Review podcast "[A] sweltering thriller set against the backdrop of what is probably your dream getaway destination: Tuscany." —Bustle "Tremendous fun! Wives with big secrets, husbands with bigger ones, swirling around a 1950s Siena teeming with seduction and spycraft." —Chris Pavone, New York Times bestselling author of The Travelers "Seeing the "antiquated" culture of postwar/Cold War Italy through the eyes of Americans, obsessed with modern convenience and progress, sort of mirrors my Italy to America transition in a fun way—plus there are spies! Affairs! and lot of food!!" —Giada De Laurentiis "Imagine Beautiful Ruins plus horses; Toujours Provence with spies, a mystery and sex. The Italian Party is a fizzy, page-turning delight that begs for a Campari and soda!" —Julia Claiborne Johnson, author of Be Frank With Me “I’ve always wanted to take a trip to Italy in the 1950’s and The Italian Party is my ticket. Like the best Italian paintings, this smart and funny book deftly combines the light and the dark. Christina Lynch’s prose pairs well with any hearty Tuscan red.” —Conan O'Brien Newly married, Scottie and Michael are seduced by Tuscany's famous beauty. But the secrets they are keeping from each other force them beneath the splendid surface to a more complex view of ltaly, America and each other. When Scottie’s Italian teacher—a teenager with secrets of his own—disappears, her search for him leads her to discover other, darker truths about herself, her husband and her country. Michael’s dedication to saving the world from communism crumbles as he begins to see that he is a pawn in a much different game. Driven apart by lies, Michael and Scottie must find their way through a maze of history, memory, hate and love to a new kind of complicated truth. Half glamorous fun, half an examination of America's role in the world, and filled with sun-dappled pasta lunches, prosecco, charming spies and horse racing, The Italian Party is a smart pleasure.




A Tuscan Night


Book Description

Some trips start with a suitcase in hand. Other, after a fight. And some when a new job forces you to drop everything and leave. Some journeys have been engraved in our souls. Because they hurt us. Because they made us hurt our loved ones. And some trips are governed by a crazy love. They make us forget what it's like to live and cause the pain of unrequited love. But the thing you may only realize when it's too late is that the best journeys are the ones you never made. The ones you never dared, the ones you never tasted... My journey started on the day I was told that I only had a few months left to live... and it was the most beautiful I have ever made.




Sophie's World


Book Description

A page-turning novel that is also an exploration of the great philosophical concepts of Western thought, Jostein Gaarder's Sophie's World has fired the imagination of readers all over the world, with more than twenty million copies in print. One day fourteen-year-old Sophie Amundsen comes home from school to find in her mailbox two notes, with one question on each: "Who are you?" and "Where does the world come from?" From that irresistible beginning, Sophie becomes obsessed with questions that take her far beyond what she knows of her Norwegian village. Through those letters, she enrolls in a kind of correspondence course, covering Socrates to Sartre, with a mysterious philosopher, while receiving letters addressed to another girl. Who is Hilde? And why does her mail keep turning up? To unravel this riddle, Sophie must use the philosophy she is learning—but the truth turns out to be far more complicated than she could have imagined.




The Island Escape


Book Description

’Funny, warm and beautifully written – I loved it.’ MILLY JOHNSON Can one woman’s marriage survive her best friend’s divorce? Veronica Henry meets Erica James in this gorgeous summer read.




The Silent Wife


Book Description