Daddy's Girls - Tasmina Perry (2006)

Lord Oswald Balcon may have it all but he is a nasty and bullying character. So when he turns up dead everyone is a suspect. Even his daughters. Venetia is an interior designer who is in a loveless marriage and desperately wants to have something else besides her career to fulfill her. Camilla is a rising political star who is destined for great things but has a long list of unworthy lovers. Then there is Cate who is launching a magazine and is looking for love. Serena is a famous actor and party girl who is constantly in the paparazzi's sights. When the sisters meet up after the death of their father, someone shows up and starts claiming that one of them killed their father and he knows who. A great book with a mysterious twist - you'll find it hard to put down. (CG)

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Daisy Dooley Does Divorce - Anna Pasternak (2007)

'There's only one thing worse than being thirty-nine and single. Being thirty-nine and divorced.' And so begins the story of Daisy Dooley, who has just got divorced after a brief marriage to Jamie. Guided by friends Lucy, who's married with two children, and Jess, a single GP who has lots of one-night stands, Daisy embarks on dating again. She goes on a blind date with an older man, has a fling with a twenty-something guy, considers a relationship with her best male friend and even gets involved with her very rich former boyfriend and possible soulmate, who unfortunately is about to marry an heiress. Written by the author of the widely panned Princess in Love (about Princess Diana and her cad James Hewitt), I must admit I was very apprehensive about this book and after reading it I still can't say if I liked it or hated it. Inspired by Pasternak's own life, Daisy Dooley Does Divorce is based on her weekly column in the Daily Mail. It introduces a number of terms such as the sexual sorbet (first person you sleep with after a break-up; it removes the taste of a bad relationship) and PDD (post divorce date). A pilot TV show, produced by Ashton Kutcher's company Katalyst in the US, is in production for ABC.

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Dancing with Mules - Morag Prunty (2001)

Also known as Wild Cats & Colleens

Irish-American billionaire Xavier Big has advertised for an Irish wife, and is on his way to Ireland to choose from the finalists. PR queen Lorna, whose firm looks shaky after her accountant failed to pay her clients' taxes, is hoping this will save her day. Journalist Sandy isn't looking for a husband - she just wants to do a documentary on Mr Big's search. Gloria's hairdressing salon would be quite profitable if her ex-husband Frank stopped dipping his hand in the till - she's determined never to live in poverty again.

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Dancing Shoes and Honky-Tonk Blues - LuAnn McLane (2007)

Abby is a waitress in her mother's restaurant in a small town in Kentucky. When her younger brother nominates her as a contestant for the reality show Dancing with the Rednecks, Abby doesn't want to compete but the prize money is just too good to pass up. As Abby rehearses with dance partner Rio Martin, a sexy Mexican ballroom dancing champion, sparks fly between the two on and off the dance floor. This is a fun-filled story that would appeal to fans of Dancing with the Stars. (AO)

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Dating Da Vinci - Malena Lott (2008)

Since the passing of her husband two years ago, Ramona Elise, 36, hasn't been able to move on with life. The only things that provide her with the minimum joy she needs to get through this horrible mess are her two sons and passion for the English language. When she meets Leonardo da Vinci, a hot 25-year-old Italian immigrant who is a student in her ESL class, Ramona sees him as a remedy for her grief, and goes out of her way to help him - even to the extent of providing him a place to stay, in her own backyard. Ramona finds herself edging closer to Da Vinci, crossing the boundaries of age and love. It wasn't the mindblowing romantic tale I was expecting, or the haunting story of grief and misery, but a really fresh take on widowhood and family. The parts I enjoyed most were the musings of the main character, Ramona, on how grief changes her life, and how it isn't what people imagined it would be. (XT)

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Daughters of Fortune - Tara Hyland (2010)

The Melville sisters have one thing in common: they're heiresses to the exclusive Melville fashion dynasty. However, that's about all they do have in common - Elizabeth, Caitlin and Amber couldn't have been more different if they tried. Elizabeth and Amber were born with a silver spoon in their mouths and have never wanted for anything, but for middle child Caitlin, the illegitimate daughter from William's extra-marital affair with a young Irish woman, things couldn't have been more different. Thrown in at the deep end, Caitlin struggles to fit in and after being betrayed in the worst possible way during her first year at boarding school, she withdraws further and further into herself. Not wanting anything from the father she barely knows, Caitlin vows to leave the family estate and make it on her own, and although she's successful it's not long before events conspire against her and she's forced to go home where she's faced with even more heartache. Yet one event manages to bring the sisters and family back together for one last fight, however, this time it's not a fight between each other but against someone they thought they could trust. This is a thoroughly enjoyable blockbuster of a read - and an impressive debut. (KC)

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Daydream Girl - Bella Pollen (2005)

aka B Movies, Blue Love (1999)

"Sometimes life can be like a bad movie. You sit through it, hoping it will get better, suspecting that it won't and wondering at what point you can reasonably walk out..." Kit Audrey Butler is nothing like the Hepburn girls that she's named after. The manager of the Orange, a rundown cinema, Kit, 35, is also a writer but has had her third screenplay recently rejected. Her life is rather messed up - with her gorgeous actor boyfriend Luke drifting further away from her, an estranged relationship with her father and making the mistake of sleeping with her friend Johnny. I found this a disappointing read, because it lacked realistic characters and the ending was poor. (XT)

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Decent Exposure - Phillipa Ashley (2006)

Emma Tremayne has moved to the Lake District after losing her boyfriend and her high-flying PR job in London. Trying to convince the men of the local mountain rescue team to pose for a naked fundraising calendar, Emma butts heads with handsome entrepreneur Will Tennant. Bit too cheesy for my tastes but this book won the Romantic Novelists' Association Joan Hessayon award for new writers.

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Dedication - Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus (2007)

Kate Hollis gets a phone call from her best friend Laura that her ex-boyfriend, pop star Jake Sharpe, has come back to their Vermont hometown with a fiancée in tow. Kate immediately hops on a plane, just a few days before Christmas, with the intention of confronting him. Since Jake just up and left her 13 years ago, his recording career has laid bare some of their most private relationship moments, including his breakout hit Losing, about their first sexual encounter. With flashbacks to high school, the story takes Kate from her days of pining for a distant Jake to him standing her up at prom. Now she's back in his life, will she exact revenge and find closure?

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Deranged Marriage - Faith Bleasdale (2003)

Imagine signing a pact at 20, saying you'll marry your friend 10 years later if you are both still single. That's just what Holly and her best friend, George, did in a drunken haze. But now as Holly turns 30, George, a lawyer, is back to take her to court to enforce the marriage pact - ignoring the fact that she already has a gorgeous boyfriend.

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Desire - Louise Bagshawe (2010)

Lisa Costello wakes up the morning after her wedding at an exclusive Thai resort to find her new husband Josh, an influential movie producer, stabbed to death and the knife in her hand. They had argued the night before, she had had a lot to drink - had she killed him? Lisa - who is not some dim trophy wife - goes on the run, needing to get out of the death penalty country before the police catch up with her. What follows is an action-packed race through Hong Kong and Europe, with USA Weekly journalist Sam Murray - who was once trained by the FBI - also on her trail. As the pair try to work out who was behind the hit, the assassin is closing in again. The running from an assassin while the sexual tension builds plot was just too similar to her previous novel Passion and the love scenes - which I guess are necessary for a book in this genre - were plain distracting. But negatives aside, just try to put down this addictive mix of danger and desire.

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Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend - Jenny Colgan (2008)

Life changes drastically for rich party girl Sophie when her father dies and according to the terms of his will, her stepmother casts her out to survive on her own for six months. Sophie moves into a rundown house on Old Kent Road, sharing with four guys - artists Cal and Eck, soldier James and student Wolverine. Because she can't pay the full deposit or utilities bills, she becomes their cleaner "Cinders" and starts working as a photographer's assistant. A funny, sparkling tale of one girl's journey from riches to rags.

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Diary of a Mad Bride - Laura Wolf (2001)

When Amy Thomas was bridesmaid for a friend, she was driven nuts by her demands and vowed she'd never become a crazy, self-centred bride. So now that she is engaged herself (after Stephen proposed in a movie popcorn queue), why are her friends and work assistant cringing every time she comes near? For Amy is quickly discovering that while marriages are made in heaven, weddings are made in hell. While Stephen only has to pick out the wedding band, Amy has a list of 70 items to tick off. Will this couple ever make it to happily ever after?

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Diary of a Mad Mother-to-Be - Laura Wolf (2003)

After being married to Stephen for two years, Amy Thomas Stewart decides that she wants to have a baby. With the pregnancy guide BABY HOW BABY NOW and an inaudible gynaecologist she dubs the Crotch Whisperer, Amy has to keep it together as she learns how to be a mother-to-be. She also has to keep her pregnancy a secret from her PR company while she promotes a soap actress who has written an anti-kid book.

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Diary of a Manhattan Call Girl - Tracy Quan (2001)

High-class call girl Nancy Chan has been a prostitute since her teens. Now in her 30s, she has a regular rota of clients but her fiancé, Matt, has no idea about what she does for a living. As she gets involved with sex community meetings, a blacklisted john and someone a bit close to home, can she keep up her secret life? This novel developed from Quan's Salon.com columns (she is a former call girl) and is one of our Top 10 Most Disappointing Books.

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Divas - Rebecca Chance (2009)

Stunning looks, a gorgeous fiance and a limitless trust fund - London's IT girl Lola Fitzgerald is a spoilt and pampered princess whose father gives in to her every whim. Evie Lopez is just as stunning but she's had to work her way up to become financially stable. But these two women are in for a rude awakening when Lola's father - and Evie's lover - falls into a coma, giving his new wife Carin control over the finances. First thing on her list is to get rid of Lola by cutting off her financial support and leaving her penniless. Next on her hit list is her husband's mistress Evie, who she plans to evict. Although Lola and Evie cannot stand one another, they must combine forces to overthrow their number one enemy - The Ice Queen. This is a classic tale about going from riches to rags overnight, with a Cinderella/Snow White-inspired villainess thrown in. (PP)

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Divas Don't Knit - Gil McNeil (2007)

After her husband dies, Jo Mackenzie moves to a sleepy seaside town to run her grandmother's knitting shop. She struggles to adjust to her new life with her two boys, but is helped along by her Gran, her famous glamorous TV presenter best friend and her new-found Italian friend Connie. By setting up the 'stitch and bitch' knitting group and establishing an A-list actress as a customer of the shop, she makes knitting cool again and gets her life back on track. With a hint of romance, likeable characters and a lot of knitting, not only is the story a fairly good yarn, it will have you looking out your gran's old knitting needles before the end. (AB)

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Divine - Michelle Holman (2008)

"What do you do when your husband leaves you, not for another woman but because he wants to be a she?" Tara Whitehead has been married to husband Richard for 16 years and everything is perfect as Tara has been transformed from a Westie to a Remuera trophy wife. Until one day Richard drops a bombshell and tells her he is leaving her, to become a woman. Forced out of her home, in order for her husband to pay for his surgery, Tara and their 15-year-old daughter Jennifer move to the small town of Divine, which is as far as her designer stilettos will take her. Tara is dogged by financial worries until her new friend Sian finds her a telephone job with the pseudonym Mistress Fury. This is another hilarious and delightful read from Michelle Holman - just divine, in fact. (PP)

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Divorcing Dwayne - J.L. Miles (2008)

Would anyone think Francine Harper deserves to be locked up for shooting at her husband Dwayne and his stripper ex when she caught them in her marital bed? Especially since she missed - three times. Well, apparently the politically ambitious district attorney Warren Wilson does. When Francine is bailed on home detention, she discovers that their joint bank account is $30,000 richer and is worried that Dwayne has got mixed up in a shady mob deal. And she certainly isn't about to let the ankle monitor stop her from finding out the truth. But when Dwayne goes missing, presumed dead, Francine - the town's newly crowned celebrity - becomes the No. 1 suspect. You don't need to live on the right side of the Mason-Dixie line to enjoy the side-splitting humour. Full of crazy characters such as Nanny Lou who believes her husband isn't dead but just run off with the floozy from across the street.

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Does My Bum Look Big In This? - Arabella Weir (1997)

This is the diary of Jacqueline M. Pane, who thinks her life would be perfect if only she had a smaller bottom. She's a neurotic single 30-something conference organiser living in London who over-analyses everything that happens to her. But after a while her insecurities become wearying and unfortunately she comes across as Bridget Jones' poorer cousin.

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Do Not Disturb - Tilly Bagshawe (2008)

When Honor Palmer takes over the running of her family's grand old Palmers Hotel in East Hampton, she is determined to restore it to its former glory. But first she has to go head to head with ambitious ladies man Lucas Ruiz, who's opening up tycoon Anton Tisch's latest luxury hotel on her doorstep. Check in for a five-star romp as this bonkbuster has it all - villains and divas, sex and dirty tricks, scandals and revenge.

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Don't Let It Be True - Jo Barrett (2009)

Texan oil heiress and philanthropist Kathleen King has two secrets - one she's broke and the other she hasn't even revealed to her long-term boyfriend, Dylan Grant. Then Dylan discovers he is also penniless when his father dies, having gambled away their last oil property in a poker game. Meanwhile his brother Wyatt has a Vegas mobster chasing him to pay up his debts. So Kat and Dylan scheme to win back the oil money through dirty tactics and enterprise.

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Don't Tell Eve - Airlie Lawson (2009)

Eve has reluctantly arrived in town (presumedly Sydney), intending to turn Papyrus Press' finances around quickly with the help of her devious sidekick Hilary - and then get her pass off the island. For someone in charge of a publishing company, Eve doesn't actually like reading books - and relies on Hilary to brief her while her downtrodden husband Todd runs her errands. For staff member Jess, the arrival of the evil Eve (a devil in sequins and shoulderpads) comes at a time when her main client, celebrity chef Alex, is holed up in a Himalayan mountain retreat, saying he'll never do another book. But Jess, also an artist who creates under the pseudonym JJ, seems to have a creative way of dealing with Eve. After colleagues are given their marching orders, a replica doll of Eve wearing one of her outlandish outfits arrives on their doorstep. But who can Eve trust - her ex Jack, her designer friend Zoe who can't seem to keep a secret, her womanising colleague Phil or inquiring journalist Oliver who is writing a feature on Eve? With a web of intrigue intended to keep you guessing, the problem with this book is it gets all too confusing - nor does it deliver that redeeming twist you were holding on for.

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Do You Remember the First Time - Jenny Colgan (2004)

Also known as The Boy I Loved Before

As her best friend Tashy cuts into her wedding cake, 32-year-old Flora realises she's disillusioned with her life. So she wishes that she could go back to age 16 and do it all again. The next day, she wakes up in her childhood bedroom as a teenager. Can Flora get things right this time round, including preventing her parents' divorce, standing up to a bully and getting together with her high school crush? And will she want to resume her normal life?

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Do You Want to Know a Secret? - Claudia Carroll (2008)

Successful PR agent Vicky is single - but doesn't want to be. Her friend Barbara wants to be a lauded actress - but is struggling to win a part in a commercial. And mother of four Laura is counting down the days till she can get back to her natural habitat, the courtroom. When Vicky is given an old book which promotes the Law of Attraction - you can get anything you want if you just ask the universe for it - the three women form a group to help each other get their greatest desires. For Vicky that means going out on the prowl with femme fatale Barbara. And soon she's attracting all sorts of men, including Eager Eddie, who can't take no for an answer; and Ex-Files Peter, who talks so much about his ex that Vicky could write her biography. But why isn't the law of attraction working on her latest client? Carroll sure knows the secret of easy-reading chick lit.

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Double Trouble - Shari Low (2003)

IT sales manager Clark Dunhill thinks of himself as the Shagmeister. Good looking, well-groomed, with designer clothes - what woman could resist him? When he has a bet with his mates that he can walk into the pub with two girls on his arms - one with brains, the other with beauty - he has no idea of the double trouble he's about to get himself into. Cassandra Haven, the brains, is the financial director of Systems Solutions, the company where Clark works. She has focused on her career, spending most hours tied to her desk, and has now decided it's time to have a baby - she just needs a sperm donor without any attachments. When she spots Clark at a business conference she decides he's the perfect man for the job. Polly Kent, the beauty, also works for the company as a marketing assistant but she's really waiting for a husband and family. From a rich hotel family, she meets Clark at the pub where her best friend, the acidic Fiz, works and they start dating. Clark seems like the perfect partner, so when her pregnancy test is positive, she's sure he'll be thrilled.

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