A New York Times Books Review Best Romances of 2023 pick Following Battle Royal, beloved author Lucy Parker pens another delicious romantic comedy about a fake relationship between a grumpy royal bodyguard and the charming, sunny assistant who melts his cold, hard exterior. Petunia De Vere enjoys being the personal assistant to lovable, bumbling Johnny Marchmont. But the job has its share of challenges, including the royal’s giant, intimidating bodyguard, Matthias. Pet and Matthias are polar opposites—she’s spontaneous and enthusiastic, he’s rigid and stoic—but she can sense there’s something softer underneath that tough exterior… For Matthias Vaughn, protecting others is the name of the game. But keeping his royal charge out of trouble is more difficult than he imagined because everywhere Johnny goes, calamity ensues, and his petite, bubbly assistant is often caught in the fray. Matthias hates the idea of Pet getting hurt and he’s determined to keep everyone safe, even if it means clashing with his adorable new coworker. When a clumsy moment leads to a questionable tabloid photo, the press begins to speculate that Pet is romantically involved with Johnny. To put an end to the rumors, the royal PR team asks Pet and Matthias to stage a fake relationship and the two reluctantly agree. But as they spend more time together outside of work, they begin to wonder what real emotions this pretend connection might uncover. Especially when a passionate kiss leaves both of their heads spinning…

Codename Charming

This just in: romance takes center stage as West End theatre's Richard Troy steps out with none other than castmate Elaine Graham Richard Troy used to be the hottest actor in London, but the only thing firing up lately is his temper. We all love to love a bad boy, but Richard's antics have made him Enemy Number One, breaking the hearts of fans across the city. Have the tides turned? Has English rose Lainie Graham made him into a new man? Sources say the mismatched pair has been spotted at multiple events, arm in arm and hip to hip. From fits of jealousy to longing looks and heated whispers, onlookers are stunned by this blooming romance. Could the rumors be right? Could this unlikely romance be the real thing? Or are these gifted stage actors playing us all?

London Celebrities

Act Like It

Highly acclaimed award-winning author of Act Like It Lucy Parker returns readers to the London stage with laugh-out-loud wit and plenty of drama “To say I loved this book is an understatement—I adored it. The romance is beautifully written and developed and the chemistry between Luc and Lily is explosive.” —All About Romance The play’s the fling It’s not actress Lily Lamprey’s fault that she’s all curves and has the kind of voice that can fog up a camera lens. She wants to prove where her real talents lie—and that’s not on a casting couch, thank you. When she hears esteemed director Luc Savage is renovating a legendary West End theater for a lofty new production, she knows it could be her chance—if only Luc wasn’t so dictatorial, so bad-tempered and so incredibly sexy. Luc Savage has respect, integrity and experience. He also has it bad for Lily. He’d be willing to dismiss it as a midlife crisis, but this exasperating, irresistible woman is actually a very talented actress. Unfortunately, their romance is not only raising questions about Lily’s suddenly rising career, it’s threatening Luc’s professional reputation. The course of true love never did run smooth. But if they’re not careful, it could bring down the curtain on both their careers… London Celebrities Book 1: Act Like It Book 2: Pretty Face Book 3: Making Up Book 4: The Austen Playbook Book 5: Headliners

Pretty Face

If you want to be a successful leader in today’s business world, you need to think like an activist. If you want to be a successful leader in today’s business world, you need to think like an activist. This urgent and essential book shows how to do just that. The Activist Leader argues that the world needs a new kind of business leader, one that thinks differently about their role in today’s challenges. From climate change to inequality, the major crises facing society have become critical issues for business, and the world expects companies to step up. This is a pragmatic book. Jon Miller and Lucy Parker show what it takes to do business in these challenging times, taking a close look at companies such as Apple, Mastercard, Nestle, Maersk, JP Morgan Chase and Walmart. Most people feel powerless when they look at the problems facing the world – but if you’re a leader in a big business, you’re not powerless. Whether you’re a top executive or earlier in your working life, this book shows that thinking like an activist can have a transformative impact – for yourself, for your businesses, and for broader society.

The Activist Leader

“Lucy Parker writes deliciously fun enemies-to-lovers perfection!” — Tessa Bailey, New York Times bestselling author Beloved author Lucy Parker pens a delicious new romantic comedy that is a battle of whisks and wits. Ready… Four years ago, Sylvie Fairchild charmed the world as a contestant on the hit baking show, Operation Cake. Her ingenious, creations captivated viewers and intrigued all but one of the judges, Dominic De Vere. When Sylvie's unicorn cake went spectacularly sideways, Dominic was quick to vote her off the show. Since then, Sylvie has used her fame to fulfill her dream of opening a bakery. The toast of Instagram, Sugar Fair has captured the attention of the Operation Cake producers…and a princess. Set… Dominic is His Majesty the King’s favorite baker and a veritable British institution. He’s brilliant, talented, hard-working. And an icy, starchy grouch. Learning that Sylvie will be joining him on the Operation Cake judging panel is enough to make the famously dour baker even more grim. Her fantastical baking is only slightly more troublesome than the fact that he can’t stop thinking about her pink-streaked hair and irrepressible dimple. Match… When Dominic and Sylvie learn they will be fighting for the once in a lifetime opportunity to bake a cake for the upcoming wedding of Princess Rose, the flour begins to fly as they fight to come out on top. The bride adores Sylvie’s quirky style. The palace wants Dominic’s classic perfection. In this royal battle, can there be room for two? With its quirky characters, witty humor, and mouth-watering descriptions of baked goods, Battle Royal is the perfect beach read for fans of contemporary romance and the Great British Bake Off.

Battle Royal

In which experienced West End actress Freddy Carlton takes on an Austen-inspired play, a scandal at a country estate, an enthusiastic search for a passion outside of acting…and the (some people might say icy*) heart of London’s most feared theater critic. *if those people were being nice “Grade: A, for Absolutely Delightful and Adorable and Also I read it twice in a row.” —Smart Bitches, Trashy Books Freddy Carlton knows she should be focusing on her lines for The Austen Playbook, a live-action TV event where viewers choose the outcome of each scene, but her concentration’s been blown. The palatial estate housing the endeavor is now run by the rude (brilliant) critic who’s consistently slammed her performances of late. James “Griff” Ford-Griffin has a penchant for sarcasm, a majestic nose and all the sensitivity of a sledgehammer. She can’t take her eyes off him. Griff can hardly focus with a contagious joy fairy flitting about near him, especially when Freddy looks at him like that. His only concern right now should be on shutting down his younger brother’s well-intentioned (disastrous) schemes—or at the very least on the production (not this one) that might save his family home from the banks. Instead all he can think of is soft skin and vibrant curls. As he’s reluctantly dragged into her quest to rediscover her passion for the stage and Freddy is drawn into his research on a legendary theater star, the adage about appearances being deceiving proves abundantly true. It’s the unlikely start of something enormous…but a single revelation about the past could derail it all. London Celebrities Book 1: Act Like It Book 2: Pretty Face Book 3: Making Up Book 4: The Austen Playbook Book 5: Headliners

The Austen Playbook

Sparks fly when two feuding TV presenters are thrown together to host a live morning show in Lucy Parker’s latest enemies-to-lovers contemporary romance. “A superb contemporary romance. Parker’s readers, new and returning, are sure to find this one hard to put down.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review He might be the sexiest man in London, according to his fan site (which he definitely writes himself), but he’s also the most arrogant man she’s ever met. She might have the longest legs he’s ever seen, but she also has the sharpest tongue. For years, rival TV presenters Sabrina Carlton and Nick Davenport have traded barbs on their respective shows. The public can’t get enough of their feud, but after Nick airs Sabrina’s family scandals to all of Britain, the gloves are off. They can barely be in the same room together—but these longtime enemies are about to become the unlikeliest of cohosts. With their reputations on the rocks, Sabrina and Nick have one last chance to save their careers. If they can resurrect a sinking morning show, they’ll still have a future in television. But with ratings at an all-time low and a Christmas Eve deadline to win back the nation’s favor, the clock is ticking—and someone on their staff doesn’t want them to succeed. Small mishaps on set start adding up, and Sabrina and Nick find themselves—quelle horreur—working together to hunt down the saboteur…and discovering they might have more in common than they thought. When a fiery encounter is caught on camera, the public is convinced that the reluctant cohosts are secretly lusting after one another. The public might not be wrong. Their chemistry has always been explosive, but with hate turning to love, the stakes are rising and everything is on the line. Neither is sure if they can trust these new feelings…or if they’ll still have a job in the New Year. London Celebrities Book 1: Act Like It Book 2: Pretty Face Book 3: Making Up Book 4: The Austen Playbook Book 5: Headliners

Headliners

Richard Troy è uno degli attori più bravi, famosi e belli dei teatri del West End. Purtroppo la sua immagine è compromessa dal suo brutto carattere e dai vari scatti d’ira che la stampa scandalistica ha documentato con molta soddisfazione. Per migliorare questa immagine, cosa c’è di meglio che fingere una storia d’amore con l’angelo dei teatri londinesi allora? Elaine Graham si ritroverà così coinvolta con un uomo che detesta e di cui si è fatta un’idea ben precisa, per nulla lusinghiera. D’altra parte nemmeno Richard è felice di questo piano che è stato imposto a entrambi dalla direzione del teatro per non perdere spettatori. I primi momenti sono pieni di scintille, ma un po’ alla volta entrambi scoprono un lato dell’altro che li farà ricredere su molte cose. E allora sì che le scintille si faranno infuocate!

Come fosse amore

Luc Savage è uno dei migliori registi e businessman del West End. Ha sempre diretto e prodotto spettacoli di successo e uno dei suoi più grandi sogni, riportare in auge l’antico teatro Queen Anne ereditato dopo la morte del nonno, sta diventando realtà. Ma le difficoltà non mancano, anzi sembrano piovere una dietro l’altra sulla sua testa, mettendo a dura prova il suo proverbiale carattere freddo. Prima si accanisce su di lui la stampa, poi problemi continui nella ristrutturazione e infine, una delle attrici principali dello spettacolo deve segnare il debutto del suo teatro, si rompe entrambe le gambe. Luc deve quindi scegliere una sostituta adeguata e Lily Lamprey non è di sicuro la persona adatta… o no? Lily sogna fin dall’adolescenza di diventare un’attrice di teatro ma al momento ha una sola esperienza lavorativa importante: una serie televisiva storica in cui interpreta un ruolo davvero ingrato. Incredibilmente le si presenta l’occasione di fare un provino per Luc Savage ma lei sa molto bene cosa pensa il regista di lei. La sua bellezza, i suoi capelli biondi platinati e soprattutto la sua voce alla Marilyn Monroe hanno sempre dato a tutti l’impressione sbagliata di lei, e Luc Savage non fa eccezione. L’incontro tra i due non sembra promettere nulla di buono per Lily eppure Luc le dà una possibilità, perché ha intravisto in lei un incredibile potenziale. Ma se si è sbagliato, non solo sarà la fine del suo teatro ma anche della carriera di entrambi. A complicare il tutto poi ci si mettono i sentimenti, emozioni inaspettate che nessuno dei due ha mai pensato di poter provare prima…

Non solo bella

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