An unexpected inheritance is most people's dream, but not for Paula. Having put bad times behind her, she is now happy and secure in Western Australia with her own business. This is a complete contrast to her rootless childhood, and she has little interest in the minor stately home in the English countryside of which she is apparently now the owner.Persuaded to visit the property in Wiltshire, Paula travels to England, but she has to confront complications both romantic and financial that will test the old adage that home is where the heart is.

From the much-loved author of the Peppercorn Street seriesWhen the teenage girl who has been hanging around near the house knocks on the door and tells her she's her granddaughter, Cassandra Bennington is shocked rigid. There's only one way this can be true: if Evie is the daughter of the baby Cassie gave away for adoption when she was herself a troubled teenager. Is this a trick? Or is Evie's tale true?When she discovers why the girl has come to find her, it brings a tangle of other problems that she can't ignore. This was the last thing she expected to be dealing with as she moves into her new home in a leisure village in Wiltshire.

This collection of stand-alone short stories is a treat for new readers and dedicated fans alike. In each of these 17 stories, an ordinary person takes on an extraordinary journey to a new life, discovering facets and strengths they never knew they possessed. Across a variety of time periods and settings, these stories capture Anna Jacobs' unique style and showcase her mastery of emotional tales.The collection includes:The Cotton Lass: Widow Sarah is struggling to make ends meet as England suffers from the cotton famine brought on by war in the United States. Will the opportunity to move to Australia provide a new life for her?Sunshine and Parrots: Penny has moved to Perth, Australia to be closer to her brother. She finds herself attracted to her handsome new neighbour, Matt, but will a series of misunderstandings keep them apart?Going Out in Style: Mrs Kelly is widely acknowledged as uncooperative and a trouble maker in her...

'A pacy page-turner with a ripping plot and characters you care about' Daily MailWhen novelist Sophie Carr rescues a man from a group of paparazzi, she finds that her new neighbour is ageing pop star Jez Winter. She has loved his music for years and knows he has had a tough time lately, with a violent intruder and then a car accident putting his ability to play music at risk. Life's not been easy for Sophie either, losing her husband just as she was taking off as a novelist and having her hands full with her children. While Jez and Sophie's families continue to complicate their lives, Sophie also has a secret to hide. One that makes her very wary of getting involved with Jez ..

In Australia Simone has been widowed for 4 years and is ready to make a more interesting life. Her friends are driving her mad introducing her to eligible men; her busy daughters are just the opposite, wanting her available for baby-sitting. When she is offered a house swap with a couple in the UK she takes it, not without some trepidation.In the UK, Russ has just taken possession of his new house and wants only peace and quiet after a few months of rehab following a serious injury. Can these two help one another avoid meddling friends and relatives, and build new lives?

Lara Perryman has spent her whole life travelling for her busy corporate job, so it's a relief when she takes early retirement and settles in a leisure village in Wiltshire. She quickly makes friends with the other residents and finds herself entangled in the ups and downs, triumphs and tragedies of her new community.A brand new contemporary series from Anna Jacobs, following the success of her Honeyfield and Greyladies novels, this is the perfect follow up for fans who loved Moving On.

'Anna Jacobs' books are deservedly popular' Historical Novels ReviewChristmas is approaching but the mood on Peppercorn Street is anything but jolly. Claire is convinced her stalker ex will catch up with her and her young daughter, and Luke is finding that living with his estranged teenage daughter brings its own problems. When a road accident brings them together, Luke impulsively offers them shelter in his home. Will this Christmas give them the best present of all: a new family? Or will Claire's ex again cause trouble?

When Mara Gregory receives a letter from the father whom she believed to have died when she was a child, her world is turned upside down. Aaron Buchanan only discovered that he had a daughter a couple of years ago and now he's desperate to play a part in her life.In the face of her mother's opposition, Mara arranges to go to Australia to meet her father and his family. Will she find him the disappointment that her mother promises? And when Australia brings another man into her life, she's faced with some huge decisions and some heartrending choices.

'JACOBS IS ADORED BY A WHOLE ARMY OF WOMEN READERS FOR HER HEART-WARMING STORIES OF LOVE AND LIFE' LANCASHIRE EVENING POSTRosalind's husband forces her to move from Australia to England because of his job with a multi-national company. But he's called away to deal with a crisis in Singapore and she's left to settle into a new country on her own. One by one, her three grown-up children need help with major life problems and there's only her to help them, because as usual, Paul puts his job first. Then she finds out that her husband's been unfaithful for years, and it's the final blow to their marriage, especially as she's met another man she finds attractive and kind. Her confidence grows as she wins acclaim as an embroidery artist and then she comes into an inheritance. Will her loyalty keep her with her husband, as it has before, or will Paul get more than he'd bargained for with the new, independent Rosalind?

"A brand new short story collection from one of the UK's most popular authors - ""Short and Sweet "contains fifteen short stories by Anna Jacobs, each with an introduction by the author. From the gentle romance of 'Kissing Emily Baker', to the trials and tribulations of a young family setting out for a new life in 1920s Australia in 'Group Settlers Wife', ""this collection will enthral both Anna Jacobs' many fans and new readers alike.About the AuthorAnna Jacobs grew up in Lancashire and emigrated to Australia in 1973, but loves to return to England and visit her family. She has two adult daughters and lives with her husband in a spacious waterfront home.

1871. When Fergus Deagan's wife dies in childbirth, she makes him promise to take their family to Western Australia to join his brother Bram, also to marry again. She's right. His young sons and newborn daughter do need a mother's love and he needs something different.Disowned by her father for becoming pregnant, Cara Payton bears a stillborn baby. She's in deep despair, until a plea to wetnurse a motherless baby gives her life new purpose. When Fergus proposes marriage, she accepts. She respects him and is happy to stay with the baby she now loves.During the voyage to Australia, she and Fergus draw closer. Then her past rears its ugly head and they face a terrible crisis.When they finally get to Fremantle, Fergus and Bram, always rivals, struggle to make friends. To make matters worse, Bram has financial problems and there is no railway where Fergus can find engineering work. Can the two brothers solve their problems? Will the newcomers find a way to build a new life?

Lizzie Kershaw is an independent spirit. At twelve, she loses her father and her happy family life ends as her mother grows to resent her. Then circumstances push Lizzie into an early marriage, where she finds her mother's petty cruelties replaced by her husband's frequent beatings.But she is a survivor. When World War I breaks out, Lizzie's husband is forced to join up and she seizes the opportunity to run away. She finds independence and friendship in a munitions factory - plus the promise of a new love. But as war ends, the shadow of her husband looms again. Can she break free of him and find happiness?This is a vivid and engrossing tale of endurance, set in Lancashire from 1909-1914. Anna Jacobs has once again created characters so real you laugh and weep with them and you will never forget Our Lizzie.

An unexpected inheritance offers Libby Pulford the opportunity to escape her abusive marriage and return to her Lancashire roots with her young son Ned. But her domineering husband Steven won't let her go so easily. Just as she's beginning to settle into her new life, Libby's troubled past catches up with her. The one person she can turn to for help is her new neighbour, former police detective Joss Atherton, to whom Libby feels a growing attraction. But Joss has troubles of his own.In the meantime, Emily Mattison is enjoying new-found domestic happiness with her fiance Chad. The only blot on the horizon is the fact that she's been unable to make contact with the long-lost daughter she was forced to give up for adoption so many years before.People's lives are destined to intertwine in ways they could never have imagined.

Now that Nell's three sons are in work and becoming more independent, she's ready to build a new life for herself. She's been left a house in England by an elderly aunt and decides to leave Australia to start a new chapter. On her arrival at Peppercorn Street, Nell encounters Angus Denning, a software engineer with an Honourable title and a stately home at the end of the road. Then there's Winifred, an elderly lady who lives alone but has made friends with young, single mum Janey. It's not long before the quartet are firm friends and Nell has trouble resisting Angus's charms. But life doesn't always run smoothly; Winifred is being harassed by an estate agent to sell the only home she's ever known to the Cinnamon Gardens development and Janey realises she and her daughter, Millie, are being stalked. With things far from settled, can Nell build a new life with Angus? Will Winifred surrender her home to the greedy property developer? Can the residents of Peppercorn Street find happiness?