In ISOBEL'S WEDDING from no. 1 bestselling author Sheila O'Flanagan, Isobel faces every bride-to-be's worst nightmare. Not to be missed by readers of Freya North and Veronica Henry. Four hundred and twenty pearls hand-sewn onto the wedding dress. The Mediterranean honeymoon booked for months. A pile of presents bigger than Everest. And her lovely Tim, the most perfect bridegroom a girl could wish for. Except, two weeks before the wedding, he changes his mind... Isobel's wedding is off. Her world in tatters, Isobel turns to Spain, a new job, a new life and as many men as she can decently manage. Including the very appealing Nico with whom, she feels, there could be a long-term future. But part of Isobel knows that she will have to go back home some day. And that, despite all that's happened since she left, she still has unfinished business...
AN ARTIST'S PASSION Young Englishwoman Isobel Jefferson is delighted to gain employment as an au pair to a couple in Milan, certain the history and romance of Italy will inspire her artistic talent. But instead of nurturing dreams, Isobel is trapped in the nightmare world of her employer, Nina Fischer, an artist and Holocaust victim now descending into madness. Running from Milan, Isobel enters the glittery world of 1960s Italian society, where she meets Furio Bonetti, scion of a powerful political family, whom she marries. But bliss is short-lived, and soon Isobel finds herself alone, pregnant, and terrified, struggling to build a life from broken dreams. Love and laughter await, as does tragedy. But it is the haunting presence of Nina who will ultimately bring Isobel full circle--to her destiny and her talent.... "AN INTRIGUING NOVEL...RECOMMENDED." --Library Journal
“The Summer Wives is an exquisitely rendered novel that tackles two of my favorite topics: love and money. The glorious setting and drama are enriched by Williams’s signature vintage touch. It’s at the top of my picks for the beach this summer.” —Elin Hilderbrand, author of The Perfect Couple New York Times bestselling author Beatriz Williams brings us the blockbuster novel of the season—an electrifying postwar fable of love, class, power, and redemption set among the inhabitants of an island off the New England coast . . . In the summer of 1951, Miranda Schuyler arrives on elite, secretive Winthrop Island as a schoolgirl from the margins of high society, still reeling from the loss of her father in the Second World War. When her beautiful mother marries Hugh Fisher, whose summer house on Winthrop overlooks the famous lighthouse, Miranda’s catapulted into a heady new world of pedigrees and cocktails, status and swimming pools. Isobel Fisher, Miranda’s new stepsister—all long legs and world-weary bravado, engaged to a wealthy Island scion—is eager to draw Miranda into the arcane customs of Winthrop society. But beneath the island’s patrician surface, there are really two clans: the summer families with their steadfast ways and quiet obsessions, and the working class of Portuguese fishermen and domestic workers who earn their living on the water and in the laundries of the summer houses. Uneasy among Isobel’s privileged friends, Miranda finds herself drawn to Joseph Vargas, whose father keeps the lighthouse with his mysterious wife. In summer, Joseph helps his father in the lobster boats, but in the autumn he returns to Brown University, where he’s determined to make something of himself. Since childhood, Joseph’s enjoyed an intense, complex friendship with Isobel Fisher, and as the summer winds to its end, Miranda’s caught in a catastrophe that will shatter Winthrop’s hard-won tranquility and banish Miranda from the island for nearly two decades. Now, in the landmark summer of 1969, Miranda returns at last, as a renowned Shakespearean actress hiding a terrible heartbreak. On its surface, the Island remains the same—determined to keep the outside world from its shores, fiercely loyal to those who belong. But the formerly powerful Fisher family is a shadow of itself, and Joseph Vargas has recently escaped the prison where he was incarcerated for the murder of Miranda’s stepfather eighteen years earlier. What’s more, Miranda herself is no longer a naïve teenager, and she begins a fierce, inexorable quest for justice for the man she once loved . . . even if it means uncovering every last one of the secrets that bind together the families of Winthrop Island.
Witty, one-of-a-kind wedding book keeps the bride from going bonkers! What causes a seemingly normal, well-adjusted woman to become obsessed and emotionally unstable after her boyfriend pops the question? She's obviously gone bridal! Going Bridal is an actual syndrome, coined by journalist Li Robbins, who in these pages takes a sharp and witty look at what makes a bride go nuts and explains how to prevent emotional overload from spoiling the Big Day. Filled with helpful, humorous stories from brides who have, regretfully, experienced Going Bridal firsthand as well as those who have narrowly escaped a memorable meltdown, this fun, chatty guide puts it all in perspective. Before it's too late, brides on the brink learn to identify and treat the four major causes of their condition, which include: Family-induced freak-outs Vendor-induced high-decibel venting Fiancé (oh, yeah, whatshisname)-induced fits Friend-induced frenzy Forget the place settings and the perfect dress; this unique bridal guide focuses on the key ingredient for a successful wedding day--a sane and centered bride!
