Erica James Books In Order

Standalone Novels In Publication Order

The Holiday (1993)
A Breath of Fresh Air (1996)
Time for a Change (1997)
A Sense of Belonging (1998)
Act of Faith (1999)
Airs and Graces (2001)
Precious Time (2001)
Hidden Talents (2003)
Paradise House (2003)
Love and Devotion (2004)
Gardens Of Delight (2006)
Tell It To The Skies (2007)
It’s the Little Things (2009)
The Queen of New Beginnings (2010)
Promises, Promises (2010)
The Real Katie Lavender (2011)
The Hidden Cottage (2012)
Summer at the Lake (2013)
The Dandelion Years (2014)
Song of the Skylark (2016)
Coming Home to Island House (2017)
Swallowtail Summer (2019)

Standalone Novels Book Covers

Erica James Books Overview

The Holiday

Torn between struggling to live up to the expectations of being a Modern Woman and ridding herself of the effect of a repressed upbringing, Izzy Jordan would be the first to admit that it’s time to take stock of her life. She s 31 with a teaching career on the skids not surprising really, given that she harbours a strong desire to lock her pupils in the art room cupboard and throw away the key. She also has a manipulative mother and an ex boyfriend whose parting shot was to tell her she was boring in bed! So when she s invited to spend the summer on Corfu and is offered the chance of a no strings holiday romance with the irresistible Theo, what should she do? Go for it, or listen to the voice of Modern Woman and tell him to sling his hook? Just as she thinks she s made up her mind, along comes Mark, whose turbulent past sets in motion a series of dramatic events that will bring near tragedy, profound change and, finally, happiness for Izzy.

A Breath of Fresh Air

Charlotte Lawrence, widowed at 34, decides to return to all things pre Peter, and that means moving back to the Cheshire village of her childhood. It also means exchanging a clinical company apartment for the pretty but overgrown garden of Ivy Cottage and the constant attentions of her interfering sister Hilary. Most of all it means Alex, Ivy Cottage’s drop dead gorgeous tenant, with whom Hilary is determined Charlotte should find love anew, and whose charming exterior hides his own secret tragedy.

Time for a Change

Hilary had always thought she’d lived a charmed life. With a caring husband, David, and two lively children, she took an active part in both family and village life. Then, one Monday morning, Hilary’s world is turned upside down. She discovers that David is having an affair. How could he? How could he put at risk their children and everything they have built together over the years? But the question is, what should Hilary do? Turn a blind eye, much as neighbour Cindy has done over her own husband’s various dalliances? Confront him, as her outspoken new friend Georgia suggests? Or perhaps she should throw herself at attractive newcomer to the village, Nick Bradshaw…
Whatever happens, it seems certain that for Hilary, life is never going to be quite the same again.

A Sense of Belonging

Slected by Orion for a major promotion a delicious new comedy of love, life and manners by the author whose 1st novel, A BREATH OF FRESH AIR was a Sunday Times Bestseller. When Cholmford Hall Mews, a converted 18th century barn situated in the beautiful Cheshire countryside goes on the market offering a unique opportunity to buy into an exclusive development of 8 properties. The 1st to move in are : Jessica Lloyd, a romantic novelist now seeking something more substantial than the idyllic carefree lifestyle she’s led so far. Kate Wood, young and eager to please the new man in her life even if it does mean having to be friends with his manipulative ex wife; Amanda and Tony Fergusson, the golden couple who have it all including a massive overdraft and a loveless marriage; and brothers Josh and Charlie Crawford, who have always lived life to the full until now, when Josh can no longer ignore the illness that is threstening not just his own wellbeing but his brother’s as well. Erica Jame’s compelling combination of sharp humour, utterly believable characters and superb storytelling promise to make this another great read and a bestseller.

Act of Faith

Bereaved after her son’s death, Ali Anderson is cajoled into spending Christmas with Sarah and her husband Trevor. Ali takes it upon herself to play God with Sarah’s marriage with consequences that even she could never have predicted.

Airs and Graces

Ellen has been living on her own in a picturesque if damp cottage in Cheshire since her husband abandoned her to go and live with another woman in Provence. Having married once for love she is now determined that the second time around it will be for money. Close at hand is Duncan, her not unattractive, and enticingly single, divorce lawyer…
But then two new people enter her life: Jo Jo, a homeless girl several months pregnant; and Matthew, an artist who paints murals in country houses and who, on his first meeting with Ellen, openly criticises her for being mercenary and devious. But, as hostility gives way to friendship, Ellen realises that she has wavered off course from her original plan and she has to remind herself very strongly indeed that Duncan is the man for her…

Hidden Talents

Dulcie Ballantyne knows that creative writers’ groups attract an unlikely mix of people, so when she starts up Hidden Talents, she is well prepared for the assortment of people she is bringing together. Beth King is facing emtpy nest syndrome as her only son, Nathan, looks forward to leaving home for university. Jack Solomon, a local estate agent, is having trouble coming to terms with the shock of his wife leaving him for his best friend. Jaz Rafferty is an intensely private seventeen year old girl, who writes to escape her large, boisterous family. Victor Blackmore is an opinionated know it all, who claims to be writing the blockbuster novel every publisher will be clamouring for. What they all have in common is a need to escape, as well as a desire to keep their lives as private as possible. Even Dulcie, who, at the age of sixty three, has been having an affair with a married man for the last three years. As they grow more confident in their writing skills, friendships develop and gradually they come to realise that a little openness isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Paradise House

Angel Sands is a traditional seaside resort of bed and breakfasts, cottages to rent, and teashops. And with the best views of the tiny beach and surrounding coastline is Paradise House, home to the Baxter girls or the Sisters of Whimsy as they’re known locally. With their mother taking time out to find herself, it’s down to Genevieve to maintain the smooth running of the family owned B&B. Not an easy task given that their father now that his wife isn’t around has suddenly become a magnet for the opposite sex. And there’s little help from her sisters. Nattie is too busy offending her long time admirer, and Polly spends most of her days with her head in the clouds or in a book. But when news spreads in the tightly knit community that a nearby dilapidated barn has been sold, Genevieve finds that a bittersweet trip down memory lane is unavoidable.

Love and Devotion

The terrific new novel from Sunday Times bestseller Erica James

Gardens Of Delight

The Gardens Of Delight brochure promises the opportunity to visit some of the most beautiful and enchanting gardens in the Lake Como area of Italy. For Lucy, the chance to go to Italy offers more than just gardens. Lake Como is where her father lives and the last time she saw him was when she was just a teenager. Recently married Helen and her wealthy husband have just moved into the Old Rectory. With her husband spending so much time away from home, Helen throws herself into caring for the garden that was the pride and joy of its previous owner. But Helen needs help, and friends, and so decides to take the plunge and join the local Garden Club. Conrad isn’t the least bit interested in gardening. Widowed for five years, his life revolves around work and humoring Mac, his curmudgeonly elderly uncle who lives with him, and who has expressed a desire to go on the Gardens Of Delight tour. But only if Conrad will accompany him. Reluctantly, Conrad agrees. ‘Anything for a peaceful life,’ he concedes. But a peaceful life is the last thing any of them are in for.

Tell It To The Skies

The beautiful city of Venice has been Lydia’s home for many years, a place where she has found peace and fulfillment. Then one day she glimpses a young man’s face in the crowd that threatens to change everything. He’s a heart stopping reminder of a dreadful secret she believed she had banished to the past. As a young child, Lydia and her sister were sent to live with grandparents they’d never even met before. It was a cruel and loveless new world for them and it forced Lydia to grow up fast. She learned to keep secrets and to trust sparingly, and through it all she was shadowed by grief and guilt. Now, 28 years later, Lydia is persuaded to leave behind the safe new life she has created for herself and return to England to face the past and maybe her future.

It’s the Little Things

A gripping and poignant novel of how friendship survives the best and the worst of times Dan and Sally Oliver and their friend Chloe Hennessey are lucky to be alive. Three years after surviving one of the world’s biggest natural disasters-the Indian Ocean tsunami-their lives have changed dramatically. Dan and Sally are now parents. Dan is enjoying being a stay-at-home father taking care of their young son, and Sally is the breadwinner and loves her job as a partner in a Manchester law firm. The arrangement has so far worked well, but when Dan starts to question whether Sally has her priorities right, the cracks in their marriage begin to appear. Dan and Sally have everything Chloe wishes for in life-a happy marriage and a beautiful child. Dumped by her long-term boyfriend just weeks after the tsunami, she has been on a mission ever since to find the perfect father for the child she craves. When she meets Seth Hawthorne, she thinks she may have hit the jackpot. But is Seth the man she thinks he is? This is a moving, compelling story of how a life can change in a heartbeat.

The Queen of New Beginnings

Alice knows something about the freedom of reinvention-it makes those tough years in the past a little easier to bear. So when she meets Clayton, she understands why he wants to shrug off his old life. Their unlikely friendship seems stable-until Alice discovers Clayton has betrayed her in the worst possible way. With a gift for believable characters, Erica James deftly tackles infidelity, bereavement, and family breakdown, and her blend of sparkling wit and real emotional power has her poised to take over the States.

Promises, Promises

‘I Must Stand Up for Myself More’ so promises Maggie Storm who spends her days cleaning houses for people who often have more money than manners. Married to a man with as much sex appeal as Mr Blobby, she dreams of a life straight from the pages of a romantic novel. ‘My Head Must Rule Over My Heart’ so promises Ella Moore who, determined never to let her heart get the better of her again, is recovering from seven wasted years of failing to win over the daughter of the man with whom she wanted to spend the rest of her life. ‘No More Women’ so promises Ethan Edwards who, to distract himself from the depressing sham of his marriage, is a repeat offender when it comes to turning to other women for sexual consolation. But when Ella appears unexpectedly in his life, he finds himself turning to her for very different reasons.