"‘Absorbing, compelling and completely unputdownable, every Lulu Taylor novel grips you to the very end’ Lisa Jewell
IS WHAT WE INHERIT A BLESSING . . . OR A CURSE?
The Carrington family is blessed with good looks, brains and talent – and far more than their fair share of money. The business acumen of an eighteenth-century ancestor has blossomed into an empire in which generations have played their part and taken their share.
But the family is also cursed – pursued by drama, addiction and bad fortune. These things poison their world, each generation handing down its problems to the next. Can the cycle ever be stopped?
In A Legacy of Secrets we meet the beautiful but wounded Flick Templeton and her daughter Etta. Flick’s quest is to find an identity apart from her mother, and to find the man who can love her for herself, not her money or name. For Etta, it is surviving her own and her mother’s pain, and discovering the answer to the question: who is my father?
Seen through the eyes of Flick, and then her daughter Etta, the story is told alternately through their changing perspectives over the years, as the drama unfolds and secrets are revealed . . .
Full of glamour, drama and the peaks and troughs of fortune, A Legacy of Secrets is the unmissable new novel from Lulu Taylor.
'A book to lose yourself in as nights draw in' Gill Paul
'Lulu Taylor is the Queen of winter fiction' Veronica Henry
'Beautifully written, emotionally compelling' Daily Mail
'Fantastic, all-consuming' Heat
'An engrossing read' Sunday Mirror"
"'Completely unputdownable, every Lulu Taylor novel grips you to the very end' LISA JEWELL
'A book to lose yourself in as nights draw in' GILL PAUL
'Lulu Taylor is the Queen of winter fiction' VERONICA HENRY
An island full of secrets. A truth that could change everything . . .
1940s: Young and romantic, Veronica cannot help falling in love, even with unattainable men like handsome film star Jack Bannock. Her other passion is St Elfwy, the windswept jewel of an island off the coast of Pembrokeshire. It becomes her retreat, a refuge from war and a place to recover from lost love. But even peaceful St Elfwy cannot prevent tragedy and heartbreak. . .
Present Day: When Romy arrives on St Elfwy, now a bird sanctuary and retreat, she only has the enigmatic warden for company. As she devotes herself to understanding the lure of this beautiful, haunting place, she is drawn into the past and the tale of Veronica Mindenhall. The island hides stories of betrayal and loss, as well as redemption - but it is a perilous path to discover its secrets. . .
Praise for Lulu Taylor
'I love Lulu Taylor’s enchanting novels - captivating stories that keep me hooked until the final page!' VERONICA HENRY
‘A beautifully written, emotionally compelling story’ DAILY MAIL
‘Utterly compelling. A really excellent winter’s story’ LUCY DIAMOND
‘A hugely enjoyable, escapist treat’ DAILY MIRROR"
"The Forgotten Tower is a mesmerising gothic mystery about a castle full of dark secrets and buried history, from Sunday Times top ten bestselling author Lulu Taylor.
Georgie is reluctant to move when her husband inherits Wakefield Castle, but he is determined to restore its fortunes. When exploring her new home she finds an old handwritten recipe book which leads her to suspect that the castle hides secrets as troubling as her own . . .
In 1939, as war is declared, the Wakefield family open the castle to shelter unusual guests. As the Wakefield children learn to cope with the loss of their missing parents and the presence of newcomers, the castle becomes a refuge and a keeper of secrets.
As Georgie's fascination for the castle grows, it becomes a place for her own escape. But when unravelling the mysteries of its past, she realises that in order to be truly free, she must confront what she most dreads.
'Don't you just want to grab this, switch off the phone and curl up on the sofa? Winter bliss from Lulu Taylor' - Veronica Henry, author of The Foreign Exchange
5 Star Reader Reviews:
'A mesmerising gothic novel, written to perfection'
'I have loved everything this author has written and this was no exception'"
"A house full of secrets is at the heart A Winter Memory, an absorbing family drama from bestselling author Lulu Taylor - perfect for the winter months.
Now
Years ago, Helen fell for the charming Hamish and was enchanted by his family home, the romantic Ballintyre House. Elegantly sat on the edge of a loch in western Scotland, the house has been home to the Ballintyre family for decades. Now, seeking refuge from a scandal that has cost Hamish his job, they are living with his older brother Charlie at the house, while his troubled mother is never too far away. Struggling with her own problems, Helen is surprised to find that Charlie's wife has vanished. No one else seems at all concerned. Where has she gone, and why?
Then
In 1968, sixteen-year-old Tigs is madly in love with James Ballintyre, her childhood friend and hero. When he marries another woman, her heart is broken. She tries to find her way to a new life and a new love but, somehow, everyone is called back to Ballintyre in the end. Tigs is no exception . . .
Forever
Ballintyre has always been the setting for revelations of love, obsession and betrayal. Now, as Helen seeks the answer to Charlie's wife's disappearance, she is forced to confront her own difficult truths - as the events of the past reach forward to touch the lives of those who still call Ballintyre home, and reveal their secrets . . .
'Don't you just want to grab this, switch off the phone and curl up on the sofa? Winter bliss from Lulu Taylor' - Veronica Henry, author of Escape To The Cornish Bakery series."
"A Midwinter Promise by Sunday Times top ten bestselling author Lulu Taylor is a dramatic story of loss, grief and the legacy of secrets.
'Don't you just want to grab this, switch off the phone and curl up on the sofa? Winter bliss from Lulu Taylor' - Veronica Henry, author of A Night on the Orient Express.
The past
A lonely and imaginative child, Julia loves her family's beautiful and wild Cornish home with all her heart. But, marked by dark troubles, she enters her adult years determined to leave and seek a new beginning in London. It's there she meets the handsome David. They fall in love but, when Julia becomes pregnant, even he can't stop the terrible echoes of the past from ringing in her ears. The only sound to be heard above the noise is the old Cornish house, calling her home . . .
The present
For Julia's adult children, Alex and Johnnie, the house hides the history of their family within its walls. For Alex, it is full of memories of her late mother. For Johnnie, it is the house - rightfully theirs after Julia's death - that was stolen. With their father now lying in a hospital bed, time is running out for Alex and Johnnie to uncover the secrets of what happened to their mother all those years ago. Can they discover the truth before the house closes its doors to them forever?"
"The Winter Secret is a thrilling mystery from Lulu Taylor, top ten bestselling author of The Snow Rose.
'My dear boy, the place is cursed. It always has been and it always will be . . .'
Buttercup Redmain has a life of pampered luxury, living in beautiful Charcombe Park, Dorset. Her older husband, Charles Redmain, is wealthy and successful, and proud of the house he has painstakingly restored, once owned by a famous ancestor. Buttercup is surrounded by people who make her life delightfully easy. But the one thing she really wants seems impossible.
There are other discomforting realities: her husband's ex-wife still lives nearby - though Buttercup has never met her. Soon, it becomes very clear that all the people who make Buttercup's life so carefree are also watching her every move. Does she actually live in a comfortable but inescapable cage? And what is the truth of her husband's previous marriage?
In the late 1940s, Xenia Arkadyoff lived in Charcombe Park with her father, a Russian prince, and her mother, a famous film star. Life seemed charmed, full of glamour and beauty. But behind the glittering facade lay pain, betrayal, and the truth about the woman Xenia spent her life protecting.
Now Charcombe Park is calling back people who were once part of its story, and the secrets that have stayed long hidden are bubbling inexorably to the surface . . ."
"Her Frozen Heart is a thrilling mystery from Lulu Taylor, top ten bestselling author of The Snow Rose.
Caitlyn, there's something I have to tell you. About Sara.
Caitlyn thinks her marriage to Patrick is a success. For one thing, he is one of the few people not to fall head over heels for her beautiful friend, Sara. Life is lived on his terms, but they are happy.
Aren't they?
When a devastating accident turns her existence upside down, Caitlyn is forced to reassess everything she thought about her marriage, what she truly knows about Patrick, and his real feelings for her best friend. In the refuge of an old manor house, she begins to discover the truth.
In 1947, the worst winter in decades hits England, cutting off entirely the inhabitants of Kings Harcourt Manor. For Tommy Carter, widowed at the start of war, it is particularly hard: the burden of the family falls on her. She has the solace of her children, and the interesting presence of her brother's friend, Fred. But there is also Barbara, a mysterious figure from her past who appears to want a piece of Tommy's future as well."
"The Snow Rose is the gripping story of a woman on the run from her past by Lulu Taylor, author of The Winter Folly.
'It's psychologically intense, brilliantly written and perfect escapism' - Daily Mail
I know they think I shouldn't keep her . . . That's why I've escaped them while I can, while I still have the opportunity . . .
Kate is on the run with her daughter Heather, her identity hidden and their destination unknown to the family they've left behind. She's found a place where they can live in solitude, a grand old house full of empty rooms and dark secrets. But they're not alone: in the cottage next door live two strange older ladies, sisters Matty and Sissy. They know what happened here long ago, and are curious about Kate. How long can she hide Heather's presence from them?
When an eccentric band of newcomers arrive, led by the charismatic Archer, Kate realizes that the past she's so desperate to escape is about to catch up with her. And inside the house, history is beginning to repeat itself . . ."
"The Winter Children is a haunting mystery from Lulu Taylor, author of The Snow Angel.
Behind a selfless act of kindness lies dark intentions . . .
Olivia and Dan Felbeck are blissfully happy when their longed-for twins arrive after years of IVF. At the same time, they make the move to Renniston Hall, a huge, Elizabethan house that belongs to absent friends. Living rent-free in a small part of the unmodernised house, once a boarding school, they can begin to enjoy the family life they've always wanted. But there is a secret at the heart of their family, one that Olivia does not yet know. And the house, too, holds its darkness deep within it . . ."
"Cressida is living the high life in 1960s London. Her father decrees that she must have her portrait painted to mark her upcoming marriage. When Cressida meets the painter Ralph, she knows her life will never be the same.
In the present day, Emily is told of a mysterious legacy: a house in Cumbria, left to her by a woman she has never met. Could this house provide the chance to start anew?"
"The Winter Folly is a gripping mystery of family secrets and past sins by Lulu Taylor, author of The Snow Angel.
In this house there are many secrets . . .
It is 1965 and young Alexandra Crewe obediently marries the man her father has selected for her. But, very soon, both she and her husband Laurence realize that their marriage is a disaster. When real love finds Alexandra, plucking her out of her unhappy existence, she is powerless to resist. Her home becomes Fort Stirling, a beautiful Dorset castle, but Alexandra fears that there will be a price to pay for this wonderful new life. When tragedy strikes, it seems that her punishment has come, and there is only one way she can atone for her sins . . .
In the present day, Delilah Young is the second wife of John Stirling and the new chatelaine of Fort Stirling. The house seems to be a sad one and Delilah hopes to fill it with life and happiness. But, when she attempts to heal the heartbreak in John's life, it seems that the forces of the past might be too strong for her. Why does John have such a hatred for the old castle on the hill, and what happened to his mother when she vanished from his life? As Delilah searches for the truth, she realizes that perhaps some secrets are better left buried . . ."
