Margaret Amatt

Maybe this Christmas, they'll find their happy ending After one toxic relationship too many and more failed jobs than she can count, spirited Scarlett Finch has lost her sparkle and doesn't think she can face this year's festive season. The last thing she expects is to land a Christmas job at Glenbriar's Little Station Bookshop, especially not thanks to a slightly unhinged older woman with a parrot, a pug, a wild imagination, and some crackpot ideas for displays - not to mention a flair for making unexpected decisions, like hiring Scarlett without telling the owner. Widowed dad-of-three Lloyd Miller is just trying to keep life on track. Between moving house, juggling his day job, and preparing to take over the bookshop from his retired mum, the chaos inside the shop is the last thing he needs, particularly when it includes Scarlett, the woman he shared a no-strings summer fling with... and hasn't stopped thinking about since. While Glenbriar twinkles with Christmas lights, both Scarlett and Lloyd are haunted by their pasts, drawn together in their present, and uncertain of their future. A bookshop full of anonymous wishes might just give them the courage to make their own - but with neither convinced they deserve a second chance, it'll take more than festive magic to open the book on a new romance. They can't change the past - but they can still choose how the story goes.

Sometimes the hardest match is one you never meant to play. After tennis star Georgie Porter retires at just thirty-one, she buys a campervan and returns to her hometown of Glenbriar, hoping to make amends for the hurts she caused to a former sweetheart. But instead of finding the man whose heart she broke many years ago, she comes face to face with his younger brother, Kerr. Easy-going and quietly loyal, high school teacher Kerr Halley has strong opinions about Georgie Porter - and there are rules about interacting with your brother's ex, no matter how long ago she split with him. Especially when Kerr has always secretly carried a torch for her. When they're thrown together to fundraise for a local sports project, old grudges begin to thaw, and Kerr's true feelings come to light. As Georgie rediscovers the charm of small-town living, she's drawn to Kerr's warmth, his wit, and the way he sees the woman she is now - not just the girl she used to be. But falling for him means confronting her past... and risking fresh heartache within a family she's already hurt. In a town where history runs deep and people have long memories, Kerr's loyalties are tested - and Georgie must decide if she's brave enough to play for love, and not just for victory.

After a couple of dreadful years, Elise Reid has finally found success working for a coach tour operator in Glasgow. But when she's sent back to her hometown of Glenbriar to cover for a sick colleague, she finds herself stuck on a coach with her ex-fianc ... plus his new wife, his stroppy little sister, and his best friend - a man who's always hated her. Burnt out and searching for a break, eco-blogger and environmental activist Gabe Wilder decides a coach tour with his best friend would be a good way to unwind and reset. But when the tour guide shows up, Gabe can't believe his bad luck. He and Elise have never got on, and after what she did to his best friend, he's kept her at arm's length, despite a simmering attraction he's never confessed to anyone - even himself. Unfortunately, neither Elise nor Gabe's resistance to each other got the memo, and the more time they spend together, the more their chemistry sizzles. But between the watchful eyes of the group and the knowledge that this trip has an expiry date, giving in to temptation is a mistake waiting to happen. If they want a real chance at happiness, they must stop looking back, take a risk, and trust that sometimes, the best detours lead exactly where they're meant to be.

A missed path. A lost love. And a second chance to get it right.James Charlton may be second-in-command at his father's lucrative business, but, according to his parents, he's just not 'posh' enough for the kind of woman they expect him to marry. When they decide he would be perfect for the horse-mad daughter of a local earl, James needs to up his game. First step, learn to ride... But James has never even sat on a horse before.Dagmar Ingenfeld's life revolves around horses. She barely has room to breathe, running the stables on a country estate while desperately trying to help her mother save her caf from foreclosure. When a rich and handsome man from her past arrives back in her life, she wants him straight back out again. James Charlton is nothing but bad news. Until he offers her a chance to save the caf .Only one catch. Dagmar must teach him how to ride - and fast.As the lessons begin, Dagmar sees a different side to James, and an old flame is rekindled. But how can their budding romance go anywhere when she's a stable girl, and he's expected to ride into the sunset with the earl's daughter?James must decide whether to follow the money or take a chance on Dagmar, and perhaps, against all odds, discover the true path to happiness.

She's always on the outside looking in, but his door might just be the one to open for her this Christmas.'Her name's Tilly. Tilly Thorpe. She lives in London.'To stop his family from speculating about his love life, travel company CEO Rafe Harrington casually drops Tilly Thorpe's name as his girlfriend. After all, they'll never meet - she's just a name he saw on a rival company's website.But when Rafe arrives at his family's home in Glenbriar for Christmas, he's shocked to find 'his girlfriend' waiting for him.He has some explaining to do and so does Tilly.Why did Rafe's family welcome her with open arms when she's little more than a spy? Someone who's trying hard to please her superiors, hoping it'll bring some desperately desired happiness to her lonely existence.Rafe isn't a big fan of the festive season, but neither he nor Tilly can ignore their instant spark. With bad weather forecast, now is the ideal moment to discover some magic. Tilly's never felt this at home anywhere, but none of it's real, and that's not why she's here.With time running short, can they seize this unexpected chance to fall in love not only with Christmas but also with each other?

Is the best man also Mr Wright?Perpetually single Hayley McBride - hairdresser and hopeless romantic - is delighted when her brother asks her to help plan his wedding. Until that is, she's forced to work with her brother's best friend, Oliver Wright - a cold and aloof divorce lawyer and a man who's always hated her.Oliver has seen enough broken relationships to know love doesn't last. Being his friend's best man is just a formality. What is there to do other than ensure his friend's younger sister, Hayley, doesn't waste too much money on a one-day event?But Hayley has a knack for making people smile, and Oliver has struggled for years to resist her. As they work together, he starts to wonder if he's been living in denial.Hayley keeps chipping away at his walls, and uncovering a different side to him, but can she risk her heart on such a committed cynic?They must decide whether to take a chance on love or stick to being nothing more than Bridesmaid McBride and Mr Wright the best man.