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When Antonia Heaveringham's aristocratic husband Hugh tells her he's gay and moving in with his hairdresser boyfriend, she finds she is increasingly snubbed by the social set in her adopted city of Sydney. But Ant refuses to fade away . . . instead she goes into the antiques business and joins a gym to lose her post-separation podge where she meets the mysterious James.
5/10
Ricky Biscayne is a Latin singing sensation who is trying to cross over into the mainstream market. Milan is his biggest fan and is soon to become more intimately involved with him as his new publicist. Milan's sister Geneva is setting up Miami's hottest new club Club G and wants Ricky involved. Jill Sanchez, a manipulative Latina star who's having an affair with Ricky, also wants in to the club. Jasminka, Ricky's supermodel wife, finally starts eating something now she's found out she's pregnant. Meanwhile firefighter Irene wants to keep her high school romance with Ricky out of the spotlight unlike her daughter Sophia, who is beginning to suspect she looks a lot like the superstar. Then there's producer/songwriter Matthew, who's been with Ricky from the beginning but is now having to take on too big a role. A pacy novel told from the various points of view.
7/10
Financial consultant Kate Svenson has been engaged three times but at 35, is still looking for her ideal man. So friend Jessica convinces her to follow her plan to snare a successful businessman at a resort in remote Toby's Corner. There, Kate accepts several dates from different men but things just keep going awry. And there's one man Kate knows she should keep away from but just can't - Jake, the resort's outdoor manager who seems to spend his days lying in a row boat.
5/10
5/10
Newspaper obituaries writer Holly Hastings - a compulsive therapy user - writes her own obituary and is less than impressed to find she's going to die alone at 85. Inspired by the Marilyn Monroe movie How to Marry a Millionaire, she decides to do just that and write a book on the topic. Honing her search to some of America's most wealthy regions, she and best friend George arrive in San Francisco (home of most millionaires under 50) and start dating two rich men. But they find that money doesn't necessarily buy love.
6/10
Secretary Amy is used to keeping secrets from her opinionated mother. Like the fact that her best friend Ant is gay. Or that she's been smoking for years. Or that she has written a sexplicit chick lit novel under the assumed name of Marsha Mellow. The book has been flying off the shelves since the Daily Mail decried it for leading teens astray. The only people who know about Amy's novelist life are her sister Lisa and agent Mary. With the tabloids on her tail, an ex back on the scene, a private detective to deal with and the publisher wanting his next bestseller, Amy realises she's not going to be able to keep Marsha a secret for much longer - and can she?
7/10
Kendra has returned to England from Australia, looking for a fresh start. Leaving behind her lover Will, she takes on a recruitment job with an old friend and moves into a flat owned by architect Kyle. Despite her misgivings, she develops a close relationship with his six-year-old twins, Summer and Jaxon - forging a bond over Saturday breakfast as they come to terms with their mother's absence. But it seems Kendra can't escape her bad memories - as one ghost from her past shows up in her life again. As secrets are slowly revealed, we find out who is hurting and who did the hurting.
7/10
Annabelle Granger, who has inherited her grandmother's matchmaking business, runs late to her first appointment with Heath Champion, a wealthy, good-looking sports agent known as The Python. He already has the Power Matches agency working for him, but Annabelle's best friend, Molly, is married to his top client and convinces him to give Annabelle's business a go. Trouble is he demands that Annabelle sit in on all his matchmaking dates, and then they start falling for each other.
7/10
Journalist Pamela Drury feels like she's missed out on love and marriage. Why didn't she say yes to Robert Dickson when he proposed 13 years ago? Racked with regret, Pamela collides with someone who is about to change her life - herself. In fact, it's the Pamela who did marry Robert all those years ago and has gone on to have three kids. Then Pamela #2 disappears, leaving her stranded in her family's life. This book is also a film starring Rachel Griffiths.
6/10
New York book shop assistant Emily Albright finds that no modern man can live up to Pride and Prejudice's Mr Darcy. So when her friend Stella invites her on an 18-30s trip to Mexico, she instead books a guided tour of Jane Austen country in England. But she's hardly going to find her dream partner on a coach full of pensioners. The only eligible man is a prickly journalist called Spike Hargreaves who's purely along for the ride because he's writing an article about why women love Mr Darcy. And he wins no favour with Emily when he describes her as 'pretty dull, average looking.' Then during a visit to one of Austen's homes, Emily finds herself face-to-face with a handsome stranger wearing beeches and a frock coat who calls himself Mr Darcy. What happens when her fantasy man comes to life? OK, so many critics hated it, the plot's totally predictable and you may get annoyed that the character is so slow picking up on the Pride and Prejudice parallels in her own story but I read it with a smile on my face.
6/10
This continues the risque shenanigans at St Benedict's when the four main characters are joined by Amber, a Bride of Wildenstein-like plastic surgery junkie who's in the midst of a nasty divorce from Egyptian art collector Daniel; and teenage hotpant-wearing golfer Taylor who's attracted fellow pro golfer Sam's still wandering eyes. Cindy is hired to redesign Amber's mansion; Laura finds she hates her newborn son Tiger; Keeley's latest footballer boyfriend is keen to try swinging; and Marianne is trying to get her hands on the local reverend.
6/10
Venus Gilroy is the girl with three ex-husbands, two fathers and a mother who hates to fly. When her faux pa Whitman, a travel writer, introduces her to Susanna Hyde, author of a sex advice column and new editor of Aura magazine, Venus decides it's time she gets a career and move to New York, so she takes a job as Susanna's lowly paid PA. Somehow she has to keep on the right side of her power-hungry boss as she begins ghostwriting the sex column and meeting up with Susanna's latest toyboy. This is one of three books about Venus (which I didn't realise before I started reading but it becomes very obvious at the beginning that another story had been told about her marriage to eco-crusader Tremaynne). This book just feels like the author is dragging out yet another story on the character. More tired than wired.
5/10
When Cam proposes to Gabby Wolf on the eve of her leaving for a dream job in New York, she wishes on a star that she didn't have to choose between a fiancé and her job. Suddenly Gabby is leading a double life - each morning, she either wakes up in Phoenix planning a wedding (or watching her overbearing mother-in-law Alice do it) or in New York being a TV producer. Soon she decides that New York life maybe isn't for her - her best friend has started dating Cam, her flatmate is psycho. But in Phoenix she doesn't have a job, she's comfort eating and biting her nails, and of course she has to deal with Alice. But how does she end the battle of Me vs Me?
8/10
Thirty-year-old Midori Saito feels she has never fitted into Japanese life so when the opportunity comes to head to San Francisco to marry Kevin, she jumps at the chance. But at their engagement party, he dumps her for his blonde ex, Kimberley. With her smattering of English supplemented by watching daytime soaps, a dwindling savings account and a visa about to expire, Midori turns to Kevin's Japanese-born friend, Shinji, for help. He lets her move in with him, while the aspiring pastry chef works out how she's going to stay in America. You'll laugh at Midori's mixed idioms as she finds herself 'up the creek without a saddle' and root for her as Midori and her soap-inspired alter-ego searches for her American Dream - and the perfect dessert.
6/10
Back in the 1980s, TV production assistant Beau found herself torn between two men - her high school sweetheart Mike and a wannabe actor also called Mike who she met at an airport bar. With boyfriend Mike not wanting to live in New York, she is drawn to the other guy who loves the city. One she married, the other she left behind. Now years later, with her marriage under strain and the other Mike back in contact, she is wondering if she made the right choice. Alternating between past and present, the story only reveals at the end which Mike she married.
7/10
Florist Molly Bailey has just discovered she's won 4.2 million pounds on the lottery. But since her grandfather, father and brother's attitude to money would make Scrooge look generous, Molly realises she can't let them get their hands on her winnings. Instead she decides to give most of it away to people in need. So she takes off on a journey across Britain, leaving behind bundles of 50 pound notes and yellow gerberas. Meanwhile small-time reporter Tom Mackenzie realises he may be on to the story of a lifetime, and with his young daughter Flora, takes off after the mysterious benefactor. When he realises Molly is his woman (far too quickly in my mind), the story soon puts Tom and Molly on the front pages and sets the grumpy Bailey boys on to her trail too. Perfect for days when you need a feel-good story that won't tax the brain cells.
6/10
Romance author Ruby Dixon can't imagine her family living anywhere else but New York. Even with her husband Jack away constantly for work, the parking hassles, the expensive property . . . But then her car is stolen and Jack, who has always lived within ten blocks of where he grew up in Queens, is keen to accept a transfer to Portland, Oregon. Soon Ruby's in the north-west house-hunting. Their three children settle in well to the new neighbourhood, while Ruby is run off her feet with media interviews and killer deadlines as her latest book takes off. But Jack is working away just as much as before - and this time his absence is about to take a big toll. Just beware those looking for a read about desperate housewives: the title is misleading.
7/10
Welcome to the Upper East Side - a world of competitive mothering where the toddlers are bilingual and have pacifier consultants and the Chanel-wearing mothers are assisted by a team of helpers. Hannah moves into the neighbourhood with her banker husband, Josh, and two-year-old daughter, Violet. With her overbearing, socialite mother-in-law Lila now dropping in without warning, Hannah soon learns she must play ball and get Violet into the right nursery. She meets some of the yummy mummies, including Bee, who sees herself as the queen bee of her social set, and Hallie who can't stop her "momologues" about her genius daughter. Feeling adrift in her new jungle while Josh works long hours, she meets up with her former art tutor and college crush, Tate.
6/10
Evelyn Morgan Reed-Sinclair and Alexander Velazquez first lock eyes through a train window. He's a lawyer from a working-class background, while she's from a prestigious family trying to make it on her own. Evelyn has fled Paris and her life as an art student after being confronted by her married lover's wife. Back in San Francisco, she is loath to live the pampered life of her socialite sister, Tannin, so she takes on an assistant's job at the web company where her friend, James, works. Alexander is back in town after losing his job and breaking up with his girlfriend. As the son of a union activist, he reluctantly takes on the case of a wealthy widow being sued by her underpaid staff. Evelyn and Alexander watch each other through their office windows and their paths nearly cross several times as events play out over a 10-day period. If you love will-they-or-won't-they-meet books (and I do), then you'll find this is more than bliss.
7/10
Desperate housewife Fran Clark is approaching crisis point. Once a talented voiceover artist, she hasn't had the confidence to go back to work after having her now school-age children, Thomas and Molly. On the night of her 37th birthday party, things come crashing down around her, and she soon hits rock bottom after she hits the wine bottle too often (Watch what happens with the chapter numbers.) It's hard looking after the kids, keeping up with the other bitchy school mums and dealing with the fact that her husband Richard doesn't want her any more. But with the help of her two best friends, Fran drags herself back up from the mother of all breakdowns.
8/10
Gwen, Alison and Katherine meet at a morning tea for class mothers at Farquhar's. Gwen's husband, Rob, is made redundant as another baby is on its way so he heads off to work in England while she stays at home with their other three children. Alison, a journalist with one daughter, is writing a series about attacks on prostitutes but her husband, Darren, is making her feel guilty about all the overtime and her reluctance to extend their family. Katherine, a trophy wife whose two children are reared by a nanny, finds her husband has moved on to one of his mistresses.
8/10
When they were young girls, Laura and Kate's mother walked out - and hasn't been seen since. Now in their 20s, Laura is a withdrawn bulimic who works for a self-important accountant; while Kate is trying to make it as a journalist without falling back on her newspaper mogul father's connections. Kate heads to Lancashire to work for a small paper and is thrown straight into the deep end when a local girl goes missing. In a pacy read, the story continues as both girls find themselves with the wrong men, face unexpected life turns and try to keep the family business afloat.
7/10
Libby Mason is looking for The One. She's not sure she's found it in her boyfriend Nick, an attractive but struggling wannabe author who lives in a grotty bedsit. Then Libby finds herself being pursued by investment banker Ed, who is not so attractive but lives in a mansion. She gets engaged, convinces she can fall in love with him. What happens when your head says one thing, but your heart says something else?
7/10
Psychotherapist Chloe Zhivago is shaken by her reaction when a patient reminds her that she is never going to sleep with any other man apart from Greg, her husband of 17 years. She soon meets Ivan, a seductive Russian, at a friend's party and the lust and longing begins. But will she dare to have a fling? The secret behind her father's affair and her husband's quirky method of keeping Alzheimer's at bay add some intriguing ingredients but could have done without the recipes at the start of each chapter.
6/10
Cait spends her days writing copy about tongue scrapers and pile ointment, and bringing up her three children. Husband Martin has just moved out to live with the water-cooler saleswoman from work who obviously offered such irresistible after-sale service. So when her friend Millie offers her work as the agony aunt of an up-market parenting magazine Bambino, Cait wonders how anyone with her problems can possibly advise others. But she soon finds she enjoys the work, especially when a mystery single father, only known as R, starts emailing. An entertaining and refreshingly honest look into the mayhem and magic that life as a single mum entails. You'll want to keep reading to get the f-word (final word) on who R is and whether he's the one for her.
7/10
This is the story of four people who are connected through a website for mothers. Magazine journalist Caroline (who logs on as Part Time Mum) has three children, including a daughter who is spending her gap year travelling overseas. She is wondering if she can ever forgive husband Roger for his affair. Mark (who joins the website under the pseudonym Mimi) is looking for support as he works from home as a public relations consultant while his wife is away. Susan (Rainbow) has a daughter with cerebral palsy and for once in her life just wants everyone to treat her as normal. When her ex Josh returns, married to a nurse and wanting to spend more time with Tabitha, she doesn't realise at the time that it'll give her the chance to find herself again. And Lisa (Expectent Mother) is a young child-care worker from a bad background who is desperate for her own baby. A well-woven tale with engaging characters and several twists to keep you reading.
7/10
Sarah Hurlihy, a 40-something divorced preschool teacher, is about to delve back into the dating world, putting a personal ad in the newspaper for a man who 'must love dogs'. Although her first date with a man with a yellow rose turns out to be a disaster, to put it mildly, she soon finds herself with more than one man on her radar, including John Anderson, who borrowed a dog for their first date, and Bob O'Connor, the father of one of her students. If only her interfering family would stop turning up at the most inopportune times. This book was adapted into the 2005 movie, starring Diane Lane and John Cusack.
7/10
Kamryn Matika hasn't been in contact with her best friend since she discovered that Adele had slept with her fiancé, Nate - and that her daughter Tegan is the result. Then she gets a letter from Adele, telling her that she's dying of leukaemia and she wants Kamryn to adopt the five-year-old. With Tegan being mistreated at the hands of Adele's father and stepmother, Kamryn finds she doesn't have much choice - even though she has a busy job and has never wanted to have children. With the help of her new boss, Luke, Kamryn finds she has to adapt quickly to being a mother. Then Nate comes back into her life. Many readers have rated this as their favourite chick lit book.
7/10
Roxy is glam, adventurous and works as a receptionist in a swanky London brothel. Librarian Ginny is drab, sensible and is still living in her teenage bedroom with a Westlife doona. But despite being so different they've been best friends for years. When Roxy complains that she's had enough of city living and men, Ginny sees a way out of her rut, including 12 years with boyfriend Darren. She suggests that they swap lives for a month. Roxy will come back to their sleepy hometown Farnham Hills to work in the library and stay with her mum; Ginny will try on Roxy's glamorous job and lifestyle, living with her handsome flatmate and wearing her designer stiletto boots. Get ready for a romp with lots of sex.
7/10
On the night of her latest successful program launch, TV producer Caitlin Cooper discovers that her assistant Kennedy has been . . . well . . . assisting her husband, Max. And now Kennedy is pregnant and it looks like mother-of-two Cait is on her way to her first divorce. With her new-age best friend and her over-the-top mother moving in and her creative juices flowing, it seems there's no time for her to just hide out under the doona. This tale of 'from dream life to ex-wife' veers all over the place and, apart from the amusing reaction of Cait's parents to her separation, falls well short of its potential. And don't blink or you'll miss the love interest.
5/10
It has been six months since Lucy left her much older husband after he admitted that she was far from the only woman in his life. Then she gets the call to return to Archie's deathbed. With her hands on his little black book, she decides that all his other sweethearts should be here for the bad times too. And one by one, they show up for their final farewell. Some visitors stay longer, including Elspa, the former drug addict whose life he saved; and John, the son Artie always wanted. As time runs out, will Lucy be able to forgive him? Original premise with quirky characters.
6/10
