Books by Catherine Alliott

The immensely funny and heartwarming number one bestseller. Molly gets a second chance in life - but will she have the courage to take it?Molly has traded London for a dream home in the country - except it was her husband's dream, not hers. And David is, well, rather dead now.So when a distant relative leaves her a London townhouse, Molly is ready to quit 'The Good Life' and return to her good life.But there's a rather tall, handsome problem - a man who's already living in Molly's new house. And when a face from her past reappears, she's no longer quite sure where she belongs.Do any of the men in Molly's life have honourable intentions?Is she ready to ditch muddy wellies for high heels?Or is she saying goodbye to the delights of country life too soon?Readers love Catherine Alliott's books:'Like going on holiday and travelling by book!' *****'Side-splittingly funny' *****'A big slice of sunny escapism' *****'Alliott always manages to write serious subjects with cracking humour' *****'The mistress of this genre' *****

From the Sunday Times bestselling author of A Cornish Summer comes a hilarious feel-good story of a family holiday gone wrong . . . 'Wonderful story that made me laugh but also cry... great escapism' 5***** Reader ReviewWhen Flora, James and their two teenage daughters are offered a free holiday in a beautiful chateau in the South of France in return for an act of kindness, they obviously jump at the chance. A break from hectic London - what could be better?But Flora wasn't expecting a whole heap of family baggage coming along too - including some surprise guests.And especially not James developing a crush on their famous host. Perhaps this won't be the dream holiday she had in mind . . .If you like Jill Mansell, Cathy Kelly and Fern Britton you'll love this. _________'Catherine Alliott at her best' 5***** Reader Review'A breezy, comic, summery romp' Sunday Mirror'Warm, witty, easy to read . . . a thoroughly engaging, entertaining read' Daily Mail'Hilarious and full of surprises' The Times'I fell in love with the characters' 5***** Reader Review

Step into Alliott country with the fabulously funny and wonderfully heartwarming My Husband Next Door.When Ella married the handsome, celebrated artist Sebastian Montclair at just nineteen she was madly in love. Now, those blissful years of marriage have turned into the very definition of an unconventional set-up. Separated in every way but distance, Sebastian resides in an outhouse across the lawn from Ella's ramshackle farmhouse.With an ex-husband living under her nose and a home crowded by hostile teenaged children, gender-confused chickens - not to mention her hyper critical mother whose own marriage slips spectacularly off the rails -Ella finds comfort in the company of the very charming gardener, Ludo.Then out of the blue Sebastian decides to move on, catching Ella horribly unawares. How much longer can she hide from what really destroyed her marriage . . . and the secret she continues to keep?'I raced through it, completely gripped from start to finish' Daily Mail'An entertaining read that's as light as the summer breeze' Daily Express'A captivating and heartwarming tale' Closer

Fans of Catherine Alliott's bestselling novels One Day in May and A Crowded Marriage, will love her latest gorgeously romantic novel A Rural Affair.'If I'm being totally honest I had fantasized about Phil dying.'When Poppy Shilling's bike-besotted, Lycra-clad husband is killed in a freak accident, she can't help feeling a guilty sense of relief. For at long last she's released from a controlling and loveless marriage.Throwing herself wholeheartedly into village life, she's determined to start over. And sure enough, everyone from Luke the sexy church organist to Bob the resident oddball, is taking note. Yet the one man Poppy can't take her eyes off seems tantalizingly out of reach - why won't he let go of his glamorous ex-wife?But just as she's ready to dip her toes in the water, the discovery of a dark secret about her late husband shatters Poppy's confidence. Does she really have the courage to risk her heart again? Because Poppy wants a lot more than just a rural affair . . .Praise for Catherine Alliott:'I raced through it, completely gripped from start to finish' Daily Mail'An entertaining read that's as light as the summer breeze' Daily Express

From the bestselling author of One Day in May and A Crowded Marriage comes a heart-warming look at what happens when your whole world is turned upside-down.Evie Hamilton has a secret . . . one she doesn't even know about. Yet . . .Evie's an Oxfordshire wife and mum whose biggest worry in life is whether or not she can fit in a manicure on her way to fetch her daughter from clarinet lessons. But she's blissfully unaware that her charmed and happy life is about to be turned upside-down. For one sunny morning a letter lands on Evie's immaculate doormat. It's a bombshell, knocking her carefully arranged and managed world completely askew and it threatens to sabotage all she holds dear. What will be left and what will change forever? Is Evie strong enough to fight for what she loves? Can her entire world really be as fragile as her best china?Praise for Catherine Alliott:'Classy, wonderfully gossipy and breathless' Red'We defy you not to get caught up in Alliott's life-changing tale' Heat'Alliott at her best' Daily Telegraph

The Wedding Day is a sparkling romantic comedy from the bestselling author of A Rural Affair and A Crowded Marriage, Catherine Alliott.Annie O'Harran is getting married . . . all over againA divorced, single mum, Annie is about to tie the knot with David. But there's a long summer to get through first. A summer where's she's retreating to a lonely house in Cornwall, where's she's going to finish her book, spend time with her teenage daughter Flora and make any last-minute wedding plans.Annie should be so lucky.For almost as soon as Annie arrives her competitive sister and her wild brood fetch up. While Annie's louche ex-husband and his latest squeeze are holidaying nearby and insist on dropping in. Plus there's the surprise American houseguest who can't help sharing his heartbreak.Suddenly Annie's big day seems a long, long way off - and if she's not careful it might never happen at all . . .Step into Alliott country with The Wedding Day.Praise for Catherine Alliott:'Alliott's joie de vivre is irresistible' Daily Mail'Possibly my favourite writer' Marian Keyes

From Catherine Alliott, bestselling author of A Crowded Marriage and The Secret Life of Evie Hamilton, comes One Day in May, a gorgeous rural romantic comedy about facing up to your past.One day in May, Hattie's life changes for ever . . .Hattie Carrington has good reason to be happy. Her antiques business is flourishing, her teenage son is settled at school and she's enjoying a fling with a sexy, younger man. But when work takes her back to the village of Little Crandon, heartbreaking memories of her first love surface. It seems that the secret affair with married politician Dominic Forbes, which changed the course of her life, just won't go away. So when Hattie's bumps into Dominic's widow and his gorgeous younger brother, Hal, her world is turned upside down. Though she's still trying to hide from her mistakes, she knows that if she's ever to fall in love again she needs to be honest with others, and herself. Can she admit what really happened with Dominic all those years ago? And, if so, is she ready for the consequences?Step into Alliott country with One Day in May.Praise for Catherine Alliott:'Another charming tale of love and heartbreak from this wonderfully warm and witty author' Woman'She's getting better and better. A complete pleasure to read' Daily Mail'A fun, fast-paced page-turner' OK

The Real Thing is a sparkling romantic comedy about not being quite able to let go of the past, from bestselling author of A Rural Affair and A Crowded Marriage Catherine Alliott.Every girl's got one - that old boyfriend they never quite fell out of love with . . .Tessa Hamilton's thirty, with a lovely husband and home, two adorable kids, and not a care in the world. Sure her husband ogles the nanny more than she should allow. And keeping up with the Joneses is a full-time occupation. But she's settled and happy. No seven-year itch for Tessa.Except at the back of her mind is Patrick Cameron. Gorgeous, moody, rebellious, he's the boy she met when she was seventeen. The boy her vicar father told her she couldn't see and who left to go to Italy to paint. The boy she's not heard from in twelve long years.And now he's back.Questioning every choice, every decision she's made since Patrick left, Tessa is about to risk her family and everything she has become to find out whether she did the right thing first time round . . . Step into Alliott country with The Real Thing.Praise for Catherine Alliott:'The writing is both intelligent and sparkling' Marian Keyes'You're in for a treat' Daily Express

The bestselling author of A Crowded Marriage and One Day in May tells a brilliantly romantic tale about a woman putting her mistakes behind her in Rosie Meadows Regrets . . .'Tell me, Alice, how does a girl go about getting a divorce these days?'Three years ago Rosie walked blindly into marriage with Harry. They have precisely nothing in common except perhaps their little boy Ivo. Not that Harry pays him much attention, preferring to spend his time with his braying upper class friends.But the night that Harry drunkenly does something unspeakable, Rosie decides he's got to go. In between fantasizing how she might bump him off, she takes the much more practical step of divorcing this blight on her and Ivo's lives.However, when reality catches up with her darkest fantasies, Rosie realizes, at long last, that it is time she took charge of her life. There'll be no more regrets, and time, perhaps, for a little love.Praise for Catherine Alliott:'Alliott's joie de vivre is irresistible' Daily Mail'Possibly my favourite writer' Marian Keyes

From the bestselling author of A Rural Affair and A Crowded Marriage comes Catherine Alliott's brilliantly warm and funny take on taking control of your life, in Olivia's Luck.'I don't care what colour you paint the sodding hall. I'm leaving.'When her husband Johnny suddenly walks out on ten years of marriage, their ten-year-old daughter and the crumbling house they're up to their eyeballs renovating, Olivia is at first totally devastated. How could he? How could she not have noticed his unhappiness?But she's not one to weep for long.Not when she's got three builders camped in her back garden, a neighbour with a never-ending supply of cast-off men she thinks Olivia would be drawn to and a daughter with her own firm views on . . . well, just about everything.Will Johnny ever come back? And if he doesn't, will Olivia's luck ever change for the better?Step into Alliott country with Olivia's Luck.Praise for Catherine Alliott:'The writing is both intelligent and sparkling' Marian Keyes'Alliott's joie de vivre is irresistible' Daily Mail

Number one bestselling author Catherine Alliott tells a hilarious story about the twists and turns of love, loyalty and getting mixed up in someone else's affairs in The Old-Girl Network.Finding true love's a piece of cake - as long as you're looking for someone else's true love . . .Polly McLaren is young, scatty and impossibly romantic. She works for an arrogant and demanding boss, and has a gorgeous if never-there-when-you-need-him boyfriend. But the day a handsome stranger recognises her old school scarf, her life is knocked completely off kilter.Adam is American, new to the country and begs Polly's help in finding his missing fianc . Over dinner at the Savoy, she agrees - the girls of St Gertrude's look out for one another. However, the old-girl network turns out to be a spider's web of complications and deceit in which everyone and everything Polly cares about is soon hopelessly entangled.The course of true love never did run smooth. But no one said anything about ruining your life over it. And it's not even Polly's true love . . .Step into Alliott Country with The Old-Girl Network.'Compulsively readable' The Times'Hilarious and full of surprises' Daily Telegraph

From the bestselling author of A Crowded Marriage and One Day in May, comes Going Too Far, a gorgeous rural romantic comedy.'You've gone all fat and complacent because you've got your man, haven't you?'Polly Penhalligan is outraged at the suggestion that since getting married to Nick and settling into their beautiful manor farmhouse in Cornwall she has let herself go. But watching a lot of telly and gorging on biscuits, not getting dressed until lunchtime and waiting for pregnancy to strike are not the signs of someone living an active and fulfilled life. So Polly does something rash.She allows her home to be used as a location for a TV advert. Having a glamorous film crew around will certainly put a bomb under the idyllic, rural life. Only perhaps she should have consulted Nick first. Because before the cameras have even started to roll - and complete chaos descends on the farm - Polly's marriage has been turned upside down. This time she really has gone too far . . .'An addictive cocktail of wit, frivolity and madcap romance' Time Out

Catherine Alliott, bestselling author of A Rural Affair and A Crowded Marriage, examines just the sort of trouble a girl can land herself in when she gets caught in the middle of a love triangle in Not That Kind of Girl.A girl can get into all kinds of trouble just by going back to work . . .Henrietta Tate gave up everything for her husband Marcus and their kids. But now that the children are away at school and she's rattling round their large country house all day she's feeling more than a little lost.So when a friend puts her in touch with Laurie, a historian in need of a PA, Henrietta heads for London. Quickly, she throws herself into the job. Marcus is - of course - jealous of her spending so much time with her charming new boss. And soon enough her absence causes cracks to form in their marriage that just can't be papered over. Then Rupert, a very old flame, reappears, and Henrietta suddenly finds herself torn between three men. How did this happen? She's not that kind of girl . . . is she?Step into Alliott country with Not That Kind of Girl.Praise for Catherine Alliott:'Compulsively readable' The Times'Possibly my favourite writer' Marian Keyes

Catherine Alliott, bestselling author of One Day in May and A Crowded Marriage, tells a wonderfully warm and witty story of love, loss and laughter in her novel A Married Man.'What could be nicer than living in the country?'Lucy Fellowes is in a bind. She's a widow living in a pokey London flat with two small boys and an erratic income. But when her mother-in-law offers her a converted barn on the family's estate - she knows it's a brilliant opportunity for her and the kids.But there's a problem. The estate is a shrine to Lucy's dead husband Ned. The whole family has been unable to get over his death. If she's honest the whole family is far from normal. And if Lucy is to accept this offer she'll be putting herself completely in their incapable hands. Which leads to Lucy's other problem. Charlie - the only man since Ned who she's had any feelings for - lives nearby. The problem? He's already married . . .Step into Alliott country with A Married Man.Praise for Catherine Alliott:'A joy . . . you're in for a treat' Daily Express'I literally couldn't put this down. An addictive cocktail of wit, frivolity and madcap romance' Time Out

Catherine Alliott, bestselling author of A Rural Affair and One Day in May, asks the question - how many is too many? - in her novel A Crowded Marriage.There isn't room in a marriage for three . . .Painter Imogen is happily married to Alex, and together they have a son. But when their finances hit rock bottom, they're forced to accept Eleanor Latimer's offer of a rent-free cottage on her large country estate. If it was anyone else, Imogen would be beaming gratitude. Unfortunately, Eleanor just happens to be Alex's beautiful, rich and flirtatious ex.And from the moment she steps inside Shepherd's Cottage, Imogen's life is in chaos. In between coping with rude locals, murderous chickens, a maddening (if handsome) headmaster, mountains of manure, and visits from the infuriating vet, she has to face Eleanor, now a fixture at Alex's side. Is Imogen losing Alex? Will her precious family be torn apart? And whose fault is it really - Eleanor's, Alex's or Imogen's?Step into Alliott country with A Crowded Marriage.Praise for Catherine Alliott:'An intelligent, acutely drawn picture of a difficult marriage' Daily Telegraph 'A rip-roaring read that begs the question: How many people make a crowded marriage?' Sun