<div><P>In this delicious romantic comedy, a young Englishwoman gets an unexpected proposal from a dashing American, but it's not what you think<br><br> Sophie Apperly's frustratingly dismissive family has never taken her seriously, but they do take advantage of her. So when an old friend offers her the chance of a lifetime, she decides to swap Little England for the Big Apple, and heads off to the land of opportunity.<br><br>From the moment Sophie arrives in Manhattan, she's determined to enjoy every minute of her big adventure. And when fate throws her together with Matilda, a spirited <I>grande dame</I> of New York society who invites her to Connecticut for Thanksgiving, she willingly accepts. English-born Matilda is delighted with her new friend—though her grandson Luke, undeniably attractive but infuriatingly arrogant, is anything but welcoming.<br><br>When Luke arrives in England a few weeks later, Sophie hardly expects him to seek her out. But Matilda has hatched some complicated plans of her own—and so Luke has a proposal to make, but it hardly seems perfect.<br><br>With all the warmth and wit that have made Katie Fforde's novels huge bestsellers in the UK, <I>A Perfect Proposal </I>is an irresistible tale of love and literature and the quest for a happy ending. Katie Fforde "has imagination to spare, using witty writing and plotting to build a story" (<I>The New York Times Book Review</I>).</P></div>

A Perfect Proposal

<div><P>Grace Soudley's life is coming apart at the seams. Recently divorced, she is still living in the beautiful yet crumbling old house her godmother left her, but unless she can find a fortune, the house will disintegrate around her.<br>     Artist Ellie Summers' life is unraveling too. She's pregnant, but her boyfriend is less than enthusiastic about parenthood, and her parents are not exactly inviting her to move back home. She has to come up with a new plan. Fast.<br>     Ellie needs a place to stay; Grace needs a lodger. Each of them needs a friend, and together they begin the work of fixing up the house. But then an unexpected and disconcertingly handsome man arrives on the scene, apparently determined to help. And when Grace discovers some beautiful and potentially valuable paintings hidden behind the tattered dining-room curtains, the whole business of restoration starts to get serious....<br>     This fresh, funny romance from bestselling novelist Katie Fforde offers charm, wit, and restorative new beginnings for all.</P></div>

Restoring Grace

<div><P>Anna, a newly qualified interior designer, has decided it's time to put her money and her expertise where her mouth is and risk everything to buy a tiny but adorable cottage in desperate need of renovation.<br><br>Outside, the chocolate-box cottage is perfect, but inside, all is chaos. With a ladder for a staircase, no downstairs flooring, candles the only form of lighting, and a sleeping bag and camping mat for a bed, Anna soon wonders if she's bitten off more than she can chew.<br><br>Her neighbor Chloe comes to the rescue, providing tea, wine, and sympathy---and a recently rescued greyhound, Caroline. But just as Anna's starting to settle in, make new friends, and see the house transforming before her eyes, the good-looking yet impossible Rob Hunter arrives on the scene and puts even more obstacles in her way. Will Anna be able to get over all of life's hurdles in the end, or will she stumble and fall?</P></div>

Practically Perfect

<div><P>Single, thritysomething Thea traded her promising career as a photographer for the quiet countryside of the English Cotswalds.  But when she meets a promising, sexy Irish painter while vacationing in Provence, her creative spirit is unexpectedly reawakened.  <br><br>Impressed by Rory's charm, but even more taken by his talent, Thea is determined to showcase his paintings for the art world.  Resisting his sex appeal, convincing him to forgo the London art scene, and transforming an abandoned building into a cutting-edge gallery in the less-than-hip countryside all give Thea more of a challenge than she bargained for.<br><br>Add to the mix a group of old friends, some reluctant teens, a passel of puppies, and a new romantic prospect or two, and Katie Fforde's latest novel delivers art, friendship, love, sex, and delicious new beginnings.</P></div>

Artistic License

<div><P>For years, things have run quite smoothly for Perdita and her organic gardening business. So what if her hair needs a complete overhaul, her sweater has more holes than Swiss cheese, and there's no hope of a boyfriend on the horizon? The last thing Perdita wants is a meddlesome man in her life-but she's about to get one, in the form of her completely infuriating ex-husband, Lucas.<br><br>Lucas in disagreeable, curt, arrogant, and smolderingly gorgeous. He's also the new chef at Grantly House, Perdita's number-one customer. Worse, Mr. Grantly has the insane idea of starting a television cooking show that will put Lucas and Perdita together as "The Gourmet and the Gardener."<br><br>Now, things are heating up in the kitchen--and elsewhere. With the bright lights blazing and old feelings stirring the pot, it could be a recipe for disaster...or absolute delight.</P></div>

Second Thyme Around

<div><B>An out of work and out of love young woman plots to save a crumbling British country mansion from becoming a theme park in this charming romantic comedy.</B><br/><br/><I>“You’re not doing very much at the moment, darling. I don’t suppose you’d care to house-sit for a while?”</I><br/><br/>Thus begins the irresistible story of two fixer-uppers—an old house and a young woman—and their efforts to recapture their true luster.<br/><br/>When Hetty Longden, freshly dumped and brokenhearted, agrees to look after her great-uncle’s long-abandoned mansion in the British countryside, she’s at something of a lifetime low. With no job, no lover, no prospects, and no particular talent for resuscitating crumbling estates, she hope for nothing more than some good old-fashioned escape. What she finds includes a cast of quirky an ever-present neighbors, a couple of SNAGs (Sensitive New Age Guys), some very humorless bank officials, two disarming little canines, one gracious, dilapidated, romantic old house, and, just maybe, enough elbow grease to polish everything up again.<br/><br/>A British bestseller that’s as inviting as an elegant old house full of unexplored rooms (after a good scrubbing-down, of course), <I>Stately Pursuits </I>is the funniest, smartest, and warmest read of the season.</div>

Stately Pursuits

<div><P>Julia Fairfax isn't quite herself today.<br><br>It's not like Julia to quit her job just because she was over for a promotion. Or to call off her engagement just because her fiance is a bore. And it's certainly not like her to pack her bags, sublet her house, board a rattletrap hotel boat, and pass herself off as a gourmet cook. It's just not like Julia to be so recklessly--and delightfully--in control.<br><br>And she's loving every minute of it...<br><br>But Julia's new life soon gets anchored with familiar baggage--like an old boyfriend, a meddling mother, and a spurned fiance nipping at her heels--all of them bursting with unsolicited advice. Now, Julia's got a surprise in store for each and every one of them. And somewhere between dry-dock and a bargeful of hot-tempered tourists, between old friends and new lovers, Julia's got to turn survival into a skill if she wants to turn a season adrift into the summer of a lifetime...</P></div>

Life Skills

<div><P>Althea Farraday is a thirty-eight-year-old divorced mother of three who's got a teenage son who's a Buddhist, a hypercritical sister who knows how to push all her buttons, a job on the endangered species list, and a love life to match. Just as she's settling in to a comfortable level of chaos, a near-perfect man enters her life. Equipped to steal her heart and help turn her passion for designing gardens into a new career, Patrick Donahugh may be too good to be true. Amid wild roses, California poppies, scarlet flax, sweet rocket, love-in-mist, and, of course, plenty of dirt, <I>Wild Designs</I> is a refreshingly honest and funny read that celebrates the almost-ready-to-bloom aspect of all our lives.</P></div>

Katie Fforde
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Books By Katie Fforde (8 Books)

A Perfect Proposal

Restoring Grace

Practically Perfect

Artistic License

Second Thyme Around

Stately Pursuits

Life Skills

Wild Designs

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Katie FfordeFollow this author