The journey is only as good as its endâ¦
Itâs been a hard journey, but Lizzie Lambertâs life is a Provençal dream come true. Her business is wildly successful, and with her little boy and the love of her life, Cal, she is making a beautiful home on the vineyard for their blended family.
But when Cal goes to America to support his son through a teenage crisis, it becomes clear the kidâs not the only one with some growing up to do: Calâs glamorous ex-wife wants to get her claws in him again. As Cal spends longer and longer away, Lizzie wonders, was it all too good to be true?
Escape to Provence with Karen AldousâThe Riviera, the perfect read for an idyllic summer.
Copyright
HQ
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd.
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF
First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2015
Copyright © Karen Aldous 2015
Karen Aldous asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the authorâs imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.
E-book Edition © July 2015 ISBN: 9781474036504
Version date: 2018-09-19
KAREN ALDOUS
Inspired by novelists such as Jilly Cooper and Barbara Taylor Bradford, many moons ago, Karen never lost her passion for writing. It always got put on the back burner though with stories and articles fuelling the Aga rather than popped in the mail box. Gaining life experience and confidence has been crucial though, so she feels raising her three children along with being in the property and travel industries have not only brought material for her writing but have allowed her to indulge in her favourite pastimes.
Karen currently lives on the edge of the North Downs in Kent and owns a website design business so is able to use her skills and creativity but she craves nothing other than earning a living from writing romance. Her dream! Her friends call it Karenâs world, and why not? Her teachers always said she had an overactive imagination so it makes sense to put it to good use!
She still gets a kick from travelling and seeking that property bargain but her husband and family, particularly her three grandchildren, continue to steal her affections â along with Bertie, her golden lab. Thereâs barely enough time to go round, she admits, but their love and support never wavers and without them, and that from fellow writers at âThe Write Placeâ and the RNA, her aspirations may never have flourished!
Special thanks and best wishes to Lucy Gilmour, my Editor, Charlotte Mursell, Clio Cornish, Victoria Oundjian and all the wonderful Team at HQ Digital.
Thank you also to all the beautiful establishments featured in this book - you may not know it but youâve provided my characters with some truly memorable moments to share with the readers.
To Glyn for your constant love and strength xx
Chapter 1
Lizzie Lambert rushed from the bedroom tailing Cal McLaren. She had never seen him move so fast.
âYou admitted yourself you thought Kelly was a drama queen,â Lizzie said.
âIt was you who said she was a drama queen.â He charged across the living area to his laptop on the dining table and tossed Lizzie an accusing glance.
âYes, but you agreed,â she said glaring at him. He was obviously concerned. This wasnât the time to begin an argument. Theyâd not argued in the four months theyâd been together. She peered down at her feet on the cool marble floor wishing she had grabbed her slippers.
âOK, so usually she is,â Cal conceded hauling out an iron-framed chair. Lizzie squeezed into the one beside him, her eyes roving over his taut body and approving of the pert bum snuggled into his CK briefs. She waited as he opened the laptop and hit the start button. He tapped his fingers on the table as the machine fired up. âCome on.â