Books by Maeve Haran

Friends and lovers, old and new, come together and fall apart in deepest France culminating in a very special chateau wedding.

From the bestselling author of An Italian Holiday comes a humorous, thought-provoking novel about friendship, family and romance.

A novel about friendship and making the most of life from the bestselling author of Having It All, The Time of Their Lives and An Italian Holiday

A novel about romance, friendship and all there is to love about Italy from the bestselling author of Having It All, The Time of Their Lives and What Became of You My Love?

In The Way We Were, Maeve Haran shows that we don't have to always do what's expected of us, no matter what age we are.Love can be full of surprises.Rachel is a promising A-level student - until she falls for sexy, dangerous Marko; Mr Darcy with a nose stud.Her mother, Catherine, is trying to be a good parent and work colleague - but wishes the attentions of her attractive boss didn't suddenly seeming so alluring.Grandmother Lavinia is certain of her values, protecting the country village she loves from change - until the return of a long-lost love reminds her that life moves on, for people as well as places. Is it too late for Lavinia to embrace change and find happiness?After all these years - and a lifetime divided by convention - could they really throw other people's expectations to the wind and be the way they were?

'This is my tale and I will leave you to tell whether it be high romance or tragedy.' Sixteen-year-old Frances Stuart arrives at the Restoration court to find her innocence and beauty are highly-prized commodities, envied by the women and desired by the men. Before long, King Charles II falls passionately in love with her and will stop at nothing to make her his mistress. But Frances is no conventional court beauty. She is determined to make her own choices in life, and to be with the man she loves. Can she overcome the dangerous pitfalls of the King's obsession, the Queen's jealousy, and the traps set for her by the King's notorious mistresses, and make the life she wants for herself? Set against the drama of the Great Plague and the Fire of London, The Painted Lady brings to life the vibrant and decadent court of Charles II and in Frances Stuart discovers a passionate young woman prepared to fight for her own destiny. Praise for Maeve Haran's The Lady and the Poet 'This is history as pure entertainment, an inventive and delicious feast of passion, wit and intrigue.' The Times 'With its fascinating insight into Tudor life, this will absorb you to the end' She 'The clothes, the jewels, the smell of the place are all evoked; and everyone from the Queen herself to the elusive, sexy figure of Donne come wonderfully to life' A. N. Wilson, Readers' Digest

Liz Ward believed that it was possible to have it all. A glittering career, a successful marriage and a happy family. But it doesn't take too long for Liz to realise that taking the job of programme controller at Metro TV could be the biggest mistake of her life. When she confesses to her friends, they are scandalized - Liz is their role model and she is shattering the myth they must all live by. But she is tired of pretending that there is no price to pay for her success. She has the big house, a good-looking husband, beautiful children and a wonderful nanny, but she misses the small things which make up family life: meal times, bedtime stories, school events, time alone with her husband. Time to think. Liz makes a life-changing choice, not only for her but for those around her. Did she make the right decision. Only time will tell. Witty, provocative, compassionate, Having It All captures the dilemmas of a generation. It is for everyone woman who works and misses her children, and for every woman who stays at home and wonders if she's missing out.

Ann More and her four sisters have been brought up in the beautiful country house of Loseley, near Guildford in Surrey, by their grandparents, Sir William and the Lady Margaret More. Their only brother, Robert, lives with his pompous father and shrewish step-mother nearby. But though the sisters are close, it is Ann who is the most unusual in character. Wilful, argumentative, challenging and fiery, she is handsome rather than beautiful, and has an indomitable spirit. It is this that endears her to her grandfather, who encourages her learning and lets her loose in his well-stocked library to browse the volumes of Latin and Greek. Once her favourite sister Bett is married, Ann is sent to live in York House in London, where her uncle is Lord Keeper of the Seal. Ann knows her father is endeavouring to find her a match in marriage, and she is to be presented at the Court of Queen Elizabeth yet the journey past Nonsuch Palace, through Southwark, the city gates spiked with the heads of recent traitors and across the shining river proves unimaginably exciting. Soon, Ann is quite at home at York House, and there, in the company of her young cousin, she meets the poet John Donne, a man older and wiser than her, whose verse and character she just cannot resist. Rich in period detail, vivid in description and character, THE LADY AND THE POET is an utterly irresistible, compelling historical novel. It is, above all, the passionate story of the love match between one of the most famous poets of all time, and his young bride.