The Imperfect Lives series

The Sweet Second Life of Darrell Kincaid Book 1 in the Imperfect Lives series   #1 New Zealand best-seller!  "Absolutely brilliant."  "It's hard to see how the book could have been any more assured or engaging." "Lots of very good jokes."   Cast adrift after the unexpected death of her husband, romance novelist Darrell Kincaid decides to leave behind her old life and start another as far away as possible, free from constant reminders of her lost 'happy ever after'. She lands in London, and to stave off loneliness becomes a regular at her local Italian café, along with three others who Darrell secretly nicknames. There's intimidating, private Big Man, New Age Miss Flaky, and the handsome, posh, uptight Mr Perfect. Darrell is also thrown into the company of the Romani family of her landlord, property mogul Patrick King, in particular, his cousin, Anselo, who is renovating Darrell's rented house. But it's when she meets Mr Perfect's equally handsome and un-uptight brother, Marcus, that Darrell's second-chance life becomes very complicated indeed. (374 pages approx)    

The Not So Perfect Life of Mo Lawrence Book 2 in the Imperfect Lives series   #1 New Zealand best-seller! "Intelligent, complex, forthright and hilarious." "An empowering read with strong female characters, fun from the first page to the last."   Michelle 'Mo' Lawrence's life is just as she's designed it – perfect –  and she can see no good reason why this should change. But then her husband, Chad, takes a job all the way across the country and change is upon her, whether she likes it or not. As if building a new life with two small children in a place filled with cat-eating coyotes isn't enough, Michelle's husband Chad is becoming increasingly distant, her oldest friend, Darrell, is getting wedding jitters and her newest, Connie, is a little too obsessed with clean taps. And down the street, there's Aishe Herne, a woman who could pick a fight with a silent order of nuns. In Aishe's own life there's room for her, her teenage son and no one else. But when cousin Patrick lands in town like a Cockney nemesis, both Aishe and Michelle are forced to look more closely at what it is that actually makes their lives perfect. (391 pages approx)  

The Misplaced Affections of Charlotte Fforbes Book 3 in the Imperfect Lives series     #1 New Zealand best-seller! "Humorous, evocative and as much fun as its predecessors." "Entertainment with a bit of grit."   Charlotte Fforbes' loveless childhood taught her that feelings only lead to disappointment, and that it's much safer to manage all aspects of your life with aloof efficiency. And it works brilliantly, right up until the day she falls in love with Patrick. Her married boss. Any sane woman would know that her feelings will never be reciprocated. But first love has muffled Charlotte's reason with duct-tape and locked it in a cellar, and she will do anything to find a way into Patrick's heart. Including arranging to be nanny-for-a-month to the small children of Patrick and his wife and two other families at a Lake Como villa. Charlotte's complete lack of child-minding experience is the least of her worries. She must also fend off unwanted seducers, dogs, gate-crashers and a large, vengeful ghost from Patrick's past. But her biggest test comes when she finally sees the folly of her plan and has to ask – can she ever feel love like this again?   (364 ages approx)

The Midlife Misgivings of Edward Marsh Book 4 in the Imperfect Lives series   #1 best-selling New Zealand author "Catherine Robertson is a new national treasure."   Edward 'Ned' Marsh has upturned his entire life for love. He's exchanged sunny Italy and steady work for unemployment and a dismal flat in London. Regrets, he has a few. But his best woman friend, Darrell, encourages him to look wider, and he scores an interview for a plum gardening job in the Buckinghamshire estate of wealthy Anne Reynolds. It comes with a cottage. It's Ned's idea of heaven. Of course, nothing can be that perfect. Anne's son has come home. Ned met Marcus Reynolds in Italy and pegged him as a feckless womaniser. Marcus has his eye on his Darrell and if he doesn't back off, Ned may have to kill him and bury his body under the prize magnolias.  And what about Ned's own girlfriend. Will she support him? Or will a new start for Ned mean an end to the whole reason he left his old life in the first place? (105 pages approx)