Maeve Haran – författare

Funny, warm, and poignant with her trademark wit and wisdom – The Greek Holiday is Maeve Haran at her very, very best.'Make sure of a happier holiday by packing a Maeve Haran novel in your suitcase' - Jilly CooperFour old university friends, Dora, Penny, Nell and Moira, reunite to relive that first hippy-dippy trip together to a beautiful, unspoilt, romantic Greek island looking for sun, sand and sea.But it’s not just about going back to when they were young. Maybe they do have dreams like Shirley Valentine, because, ultimately, they’re all looking for something to help them through some difficult times in their lives – whether it’s with their career, family or relationships.What they discover in Kyri is an opportunity to reinvent, be themselves, contribute to a community who wants their help, at the same time as having fun, being happy and even finding love. But, crucially, they discover the most valuable lesson of all – understanding the true importance of female friendship.'Hilarious and heartwarming' - Woman & Home'An engaging romance mixing heartwarming friendship with gentle humour in a gorgeous setting' - Daily Mail

Ann More and her four sisters have been brought up in the beautiful country house of Loseley, near Guildford in Surrey, by their grandparents, Sir William and the Lady Margaret More. Their only brother, Robert, lives with his pompous father and shrewish step-mother nearby. But though the sisters are close, it is Ann who is the most unusual in character. Wilful, argumentative, challenging and fiery, she is handsome rather than beautiful, and has an indomitable spirit. It is this that endears her to her grandfather, who encourages her learning and lets her loose in his well-stocked library to browse the volumes of Latin and Greek. Once her favourite sister Bett is married, Ann is sent to live in York House in London, where her uncle is Lord Keeper of the Seal. Ann knows her father is endeavouring to find her a match in marriage, and she is to be presented at the Court of Queen Elizabeth yet the journey past Nonsuch Palace, through Southwark, the city gates spiked with the heads of recent traitors and across the shining river proves unimaginably exciting.Soon, Ann is quite at home at York House, and there, in the company of her young cousin, she meets the poet John Donne, a man older and wiser than her, whose verse and character she just cannot resist. Rich in period detail, vivid in description and character, THE LADY AND THE POET is an utterly irresistible, compelling historical novel. It is, above all, the passionate story of the love match between one of the most famous poets of all time, and his young bride.

‘This is my tale and I will leave you to tell whether it be high romance or tragedy.’ Sixteen-year-old Frances Stuart arrives at the Restoration court to find her innocence and beauty are highly-prized commodities, envied by the women and desired by the men. Before long, King Charles II falls passionately in love with her and will stop at nothing to make her his mistress.But Frances is no conventional court beauty. She is determined to make her own choices in life, and to be with the man she loves. Can she overcome the dangerous pitfalls of the King’s obsession, the Queen’s jealousy, and the traps set for her by the King’s notorious mistresses, and make the life she wants for herself?Set against the drama of the Great Plague and the Fire of London, The Painted Lady brings to life the vibrant and decadent court of Charles II and in Frances Stuart discovers a passionate young woman prepared to fight for her own destiny.Praise for Maeve Haran’s The Lady and the Poet‘This is history as pure entertainment, an inventive and delicious feast of passion, wit and intrigue.’ The Times‘With its fascinating insight into Tudor life, this will absorb you to the end’ She‘The clothes, the jewels, the smell of the place are all evoked; and everyone from the Queen herself to the elusive, sexy figure of Donne come wonderfully to life’ A. N. Wilson, Readers’ Digest

Haven't you heard? Sixty is the new forty. . .Husbands may come and go but friends last foreverYou’ll get by with a little help from your friendsEach month best friends Claudia, Sal, Ella and Laura meet for drinks, celebrating 45 years of friendship. They know each other and their lives inside out. Their dreams, ambitions, husbands, lovers, children, hopes, fears, the paths taken and not taken . . .Sal has spent a lifetime building up a successful career but she hadn’t banked on the one thing she had no control over.Claudia loves living in the city – the thought of the country sent shivers down her spine. But, as many women will know, other people’s needs always seem to come first . . .Ella is ready to try something different. But she hadn’t bargained on a complete life change.Laura has always trusted her husband, yet suddenly she isn’t so sure.Life may not always be kind, but it has taught them one thing, it’s always better with friends. And maybe it’s time to kick off their flatties and have some fun . . .‘Warm, clever, wise and extremely funny. Among its many virtues are creating lovable characters and insights that will strike a chord with everyone’ Daily Mail‘Anyone who thinks sixty is when you swap stilettos for flats and designer gear for elasticated waists needs to read this funny feisty novel’ Daily Express

Your husband. Your children. Your career. Who is the winner in the end?

Liz Ward believed that it was possible to have it all. A glittering career, a successful marriage and a happy family. But it doesn’t take too long for Liz to realise that taking the job of programme controller at Metro TV could be the biggest mistake of her life. When she confesses to her friends, they are scandalized – Liz is their role model and she is shattering the myth they must all live by.But she is tired of pretending that there is no price to pay for her success. She has the big house, a good-looking husband, beautiful children and a wonderful nanny, but she misses the small things which make up family life: meal times, bedtime stories, school events, time alone with her husband. Time to think.Liz makes a life-changing choice, not only for her but for those around her. Did she make the right decision. Only time will tell.Witty, provocative, compassionate, Having It All captures the dilemmas of a generation.It is for everyone woman who works and misses her children, and for every woman who stays at home and wonders if she’s missing out.

Set in the twilight years of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Of Air and Angels tells the story of the illicit, and passionate love affair between the poet John Donne, and, against all odds, his eventual marriage to Ann More. Deeply atmospheric, the characters, the buidlings, the sights and the smells of 16th century London, are vividly brought to life alongside that of a very rural existence at Loseley Park in Surrey, ancestral home of the More family.

Haven't you heard? Sixty is the new forty. . .Husbands may come and go but friends last foreverYou’ll get by with a little help from your friendsEach month best friends Claudia, Sal, Ella and Laura meet for drinks, celebrating 45 years of friendship. They know each other and their lives inside out. Their dreams, ambitions, husbands, lovers, children, hopes, fears, the paths taken and not taken . . .Sal has spent a lifetime building up a successful career but she hadn’t banked on the one thing she had no control over.Claudia loves living in the city – the thought of the country sent shivers down her spine. But, as many women will know, other people’s needs always seem to come first . . .Ella is ready to try something different. But she hadn’t bargained on a complete life change.Laura has always trusted her husband, yet suddenly she isn’t so sure.Life may not always be kind, but it has taught them one thing, it’s always better with friends. And maybe it’s time to kick off their flatties and have some fun . . .‘Warm, clever, wise and extremely funny. Among its many virtues are creating lovable characters and insights that will strike a chord with everyone’ Daily Mail‘Anyone who thinks sixty is when you swap stilettos for flats and designer gear for elasticated waists needs to read this funny feisty novel’ Daily Express

Stella Ainsworth has settled for suburban peace with a pedantic husband, a dissatisfied daughter and a clutch of beloved grandchildren - who all take her presence in their lives for granted. Then Cameron Keene, her boyfriend from her teenage years who'd left for America to become a rock icon of the Sixties, returns to England.Much to Stella's astonishment, Cameron announces in an interview that his most famous song, which became a legendary love anthem across the world, was written about Stella, and that he has come back to find her. What Became of You, My Love? explores the power of music to take us back to our youth, and asks if we can ever relive those giddy times when everything seemed possible.

'As bubbly and enjoyable as a glass of Italian fizz' – Sunday ExpressSunshine, warmth, lemon blossom . . .Springtime in glorious Southern Italy can go to your head. Especially if you are escaping an overbearing husband, the embarrassingly public loss of your company, an interfering mother who still tries to run your life or the pain of a husband's affair with a girl young enough to be his daughter.As the Italian sun ripens the lemons in the groves that tumble down the hillsides and the Mediterranean dazzles beneath them, assertive Angela, extrovert Sylvie, unconfident Claire and mousy Monica find burgeoning friendship and begin to blossom in quite unexpected ways.Packed with memorable characters – from the acid-tongued Grand Old Man of Modern Art who lives next door – to the aspiring gigolo who thinks nothing of a forty year age gap, Maeve Haran's An Italian Holiday is a witty and entertaining reminder of why going a little mad in the sun can sometimes be exactly what you need.'Make sure of a happier holiday by packing this lovely novel in your suitcase' – Jilly Cooper, bestselling author of Rivals

'As bubbly and enjoyable as a glass of Italian fizz' – Sunday ExpressSunshine, warmth, lemon blossom . . .Springtime in glorious Southern Italy can go to your head. Especially if you are escaping an overbearing husband, the embarrassingly public loss of your company, an interfering mother who still tries to run your life or the pain of a husband's affair with a girl young enough to be his daughter.As the Italian sun ripens the lemons in the groves that tumble down the hillsides and the Mediterranean dazzles beneath them, assertive Angela, extrovert Sylvie, unconfident Claire and mousy Monica find burgeoning friendship and begin to blossom in quite unexpected ways.Packed with memorable characters – from the acid-tongued Grand Old Man of Modern Art who lives next door – to the aspiring gigolo who thinks nothing of a forty year age gap, Maeve Haran's An Italian Holiday is a witty and entertaining reminder of why going a little mad in the sun can sometimes be exactly what you need.'Make sure of a happier holiday by packing this lovely novel in your suitcase' – Jilly Cooper, bestselling author of Rivals

In The Way We Were, Maeve Haran shows that we don't have to always do what's expected of us, no matter what age we are.Love can be full of surprises.Rachel is a promising A-level student - until she falls for sexy, dangerous Marko; Mr Darcy with a nose stud.Her mother, Catherine, is trying to be a good parent and work colleague - but wishes the attentions of her attractive boss didn't suddenly seeming so alluring.Grandmother Lavinia is certain of her values, protecting the country village she loves from change - until the return of a long-lost love reminds her that life moves on, for people as well as places. Is it too late for Lavinia to embrace change and find happiness?After all these years - and a lifetime divided by convention - could they really throw other people's expectations to the wind and be the way they were?

In The Way We Were, Maeve Haran shows that we don't have to always do what's expected of us, no matter what age we are.Love can be full of surprises.Rachel is a promising A-level student - until she falls for sexy, dangerous Marko; Mr Darcy with a nose stud.Her mother, Catherine, is trying to be a good parent and work colleague - but wishes the attentions of her attractive boss didn't suddenly seeming so alluring.Grandmother Lavinia is certain of her values, protecting the country village she loves from change - until the return of a long-lost love reminds her that life moves on, for people as well as places. Is it too late for Lavinia to embrace change and find happiness?After all these years - and a lifetime divided by convention - could they really throw other people's expectations to the wind and be the way they were?

‘This is my tale and I will leave you to tell whether it be high romance or tragedy.’ Sixteen-year-old Frances Stuart arrives at the Restoration court to find her innocence and beauty are highly-prized commodities, envied by the women and desired by the men. Before long, King Charles II falls passionately in love with her and will stop at nothing to make her his mistress.But Frances is no conventional court beauty. She is determined to make her own choices in life, and to be with the man she loves. Can she overcome the dangerous pitfalls of the King’s obsession, the Queen’s jealousy, and the traps set for her by the King’s notorious mistresses, and make the life she wants for herself?Set against the drama of the Great Plague and the Fire of London, The Painted Lady brings to life the vibrant and decadent court of Charles II and in Frances Stuart discovers a passionate young woman prepared to fight for her own destiny.Praise for Maeve Haran’s The Lady and the Poet‘This is history as pure entertainment, an inventive and delicious feast of passion, wit and intrigue.’ The Times‘With its fascinating insight into Tudor life, this will absorb you to the end’ She‘The clothes, the jewels, the smell of the place are all evoked; and everyone from the Queen herself to the elusive, sexy figure of Donne come wonderfully to life’ A. N. Wilson, Readers’ Digest

'Wonderfully entertaining . . . Maeve is on cracking form' - Jilly CooperIn A Country Garden is a heartwarming, hilarious tale of growing old not-so-gracefully, from the bestselling author of The Time of Their Lives, Maeve Haran.Lifelong friends Claudia, Ella, Laura and Sal celebrated sixty as the new forty, determined not to let age change things. But now they are looking at the future and wondering how to make growing old more fun.Why not live together and have sunny afternoons on the lawn, helping and supporting each other when any of them need it - and still keep enjoying life? Joined by Claudia’s reluctant husband and Sal’s energetic new fiancé, they ignore the protests of their children and pool their resources in a lovely manor house in the country. Only Laura holds out, determined she still has some living to do, especially now she has met the dashing Gavin through an online dating app.But life still has plenty of surprises in store plus a little romance in what the locals dub a New Age Old Age Commune. But are your best friends the last people you should end up living with?

'Wonderfully entertaining . . . Maeve is on cracking form' - Jilly CooperIn A Country Garden is a heartwarming, hilarious tale of growing old not-so-gracefully, from the bestselling author of The Time of Their Lives, Maeve Haran.Lifelong friends Claudia, Ella, Laura and Sal celebrated sixty as the new forty, determined not to let age change things. But now they are looking at the future and wondering how to make growing old more fun.Why not live together and have sunny afternoons on the lawn, helping and supporting each other when any of them need it - and still keep enjoying life? Joined by Claudia’s reluctant husband and Sal’s energetic new fiancé, they ignore the protests of their children and pool their resources in a lovely manor house in the country. Only Laura holds out, determined she still has some living to do, especially now she has met the dashing Gavin through an online dating app.But life still has plenty of surprises in store plus a little romance in what the locals dub a New Age Old Age Commune. But are your best friends the last people you should end up living with?

Funny, warm, and poignant with her trademark wit and wisdom – The Greek Holiday is Maeve Haran at her very, very best.'Make sure of a happier holiday by packing a Maeve Haran novel in your suitcase' - Jilly CooperFour old university friends, Dora, Penny, Nell and Moira, reunite to relive that first hippy-dippy trip together to a beautiful, unspoilt, romantic Greek island looking for sun, sand and sea.But it’s not just about going back to when they were young. Maybe they do have dreams like Shirley Valentine, because, ultimately, they’re all looking for something to help them through some difficult times in their lives – whether it’s with their career, family or relationships.What they discover in Kyri is an opportunity to reinvent, be themselves, contribute to a community who wants their help, at the same time as having fun, being happy and even finding love. But, crucially, they discover the most valuable lesson of all – understanding the true importance of female friendship.'Hilarious and heartwarming' - Woman & Home'An engaging romance mixing heartwarming friendship with gentle humour in a gorgeous setting' - Daily Mail

'Make sure of a happier holiday by packing a Maeve Haran novel in your suitcase' – Jilly Cooper, bestselling author of RivalsFor all those who imagine escaping to a château and living the dream . . . to find that even dreams can have their complications.Steph, Jo and Meredith have been friends since school. Their lives have all taken very different paths across the years, but when Meredith buys a romantic château in an idyllic village in the Dordogne she finds she can’t do it alone – so who better to enlist for help than her two old friends? Together they hope to bring the château back to life and create the most romantic wedding venue in France.And it seems that the nearby village of Bratenac has much more to offer than sun, wine and delicious French food when a handsome chef and his equally charming son, a local ladies’ luncheon club, a winemaker from New Zealand, and a British bulldog all join the party.Friends and lovers, old and new, come together and fall apart in deepest France, culminating in a very special château wedding. A Very French Wedding is funny, uplifting and poignant – this is Maeve Haran, bestselling author of The Greek Holiday, at her very best.'A slice of pure escapism' – Sunday Express Magazine

'Make sure of a happier holiday by packing a Maeve Haran novel in your suitcase' – Jilly Cooper, bestselling author of RivalsFor all those who imagine escaping to a château and living the dream . . . to find that even dreams can have their complications.Steph, Jo and Meredith have been friends since school. Their lives have all taken very different paths across the years, but when Meredith buys a romantic château in an idyllic village in the Dordogne she finds she can’t do it alone – so who better to enlist for help than her two old friends? Together they hope to bring the château back to life and create the most romantic wedding venue in France.And it seems that the nearby village of Bratenac has much more to offer than sun, wine and delicious French food when a handsome chef and his equally charming son, a local ladies’ luncheon club, a winemaker from New Zealand, and a British bulldog all join the party.Friends and lovers, old and new, come together and fall apart in deepest France, culminating in a very special château wedding. A Very French Wedding is funny, uplifting and poignant – this is Maeve Haran, bestselling author of The Greek Holiday, at her very best.'A slice of pure escapism' – Sunday Express Magazine

‘Make sure of a happier holiday by packing a Maeve Haran novel in your suitcase’ – Jilly CooperFilled with wit, warmth and sunshine, In the Summertime by Maeve Haran has all the things we love about a seaside England in the sun – making us realize you don’t have to go abroad to find romance and adventure.With her marriage falling apart and her longed-for holiday cancelled, Georgina Greenhills gets an unexpected offer: a holiday in the small seaside town nestling in the beautiful South Downs where she grew up. There is only one catch: she must try to solve the mystery of the valuable antiques disappearing from the remote manor house belonging to an old lady called Maudie.Gina gathers her childhood friends, scatty Ruth and feisty Eve, to help her. In the middle of a blazing summer they swim, sunbathe and share cocktails as they watch the sun sparkling on the sea – and Gina realizes how much she missed them and how happy she is to be back here in the summertime. Not least because of bumping into Daniel Napier, her shy and awkward teenage dancing partner, now an alarmingly attractive man. Although there is the small problem of his annoying girlfriend.As Gina tries to solve the mystery at the manor and wonders how to get rid of the girlfriend, an even bigger secret emerges that will take all their skill and experience to resolve . . .‘A slice of pure escapism’ – Sunday Express

‘Make sure of a happier holiday by packing a Maeve Haran novel in your suitcase’ – Jilly CooperFilled with wit, warmth and sunshine, In the Summertime by Maeve Haran has all the things we love about a seaside England in the sun – making us realize you don’t have to go abroad to find romance and adventure.With her marriage falling apart and her longed-for holiday cancelled, Georgina Greenhills gets an unexpected offer: a holiday in the small seaside town nestling in the beautiful South Downs where she grew up. There is only one catch: she must try to solve the mystery of the valuable antiques disappearing from the remote manor house belonging to an old lady called Maudie.Gina gathers her childhood friends, scatty Ruth and feisty Eve, to help her. In the middle of a blazing summer they swim, sunbathe and share cocktails as they watch the sun sparkling on the sea – and Gina realizes how much she missed them and how happy she is to be back here in the summertime. Not least because of bumping into Daniel Napier, her shy and awkward teenage dancing partner, now an alarmingly attractive man. Although there is the small problem of his annoying girlfriend.As Gina tries to solve the mystery at the manor and wonders how to get rid of the girlfriend, an even bigger secret emerges that will take all their skill and experience to resolve . . .‘A slice of pure escapism’ – Sunday Express