Christmas dinners is served with a side of romance

Highclere Castle, known as 'the real Downton Abbey' bustles with activity at the best of times, but it is never more alive than at Christmas. Christmas at Highclere is a look behind the scenes at the routines and rituals that make the castle the most magical place to be throughout the festive season. Lady Carnarvon will guide you through Advent, Christmas preparations and Christmas Eve all the way through to the day itself, and beyond. Learn how the castle and grounds are transformed by decorations, including the raising of a twenty-foot tree in the saloon, the gathering of holly and mistletoe from the grounds. All the intricacies of the perfect traditional Christmas are here: from crackers and carol singers. The festive feeling is carried through to Highclere's Boxing Day traditions, the restorative middle days and the New Year's Eve celebrations. This book also tells the story of historic Christmases at Highclere - of distinguished guests warming themselves by the fire after a long journeys home through the snow, unexpected knocks on the door, and, always, the joy of bringing family - and staff - together after a busy year. As well as telling the stories of Highclere Christmases past and present, Lady Carnarvon provides recipes, tips and inspiration from her kitchen so that readers can bring a quintessentially British festive spirit to their own home. Lady Carnarvon divulges the secret to perfectly flakey mince pies, the proper way to wrap presents so that you and your guests are guaranteed a Christmas to remember. Lavish, celebratory and utterly enchanting, Christmas at Highclere is celebration of one of the UK's most beloved historic houses and is the perfect gift for any Downton Abbey fan.

'So good I could almost taste it. Magnifique!' Milly Johnson 'Fun, food, love and France, what more can anyone want?' Katie Fforde An enchanting French chateau and a handsome town mayor - the perfect recipe for romance... When their grandfather dies, Fliss and her sisters are astonished to inherit a French chateau! Travelling to Normandy to visit the beautiful if faded house, they excitedly make plans over delicious crepes and local cider in the town nearby. They soon discover the chateau needs major work and a huge tax bill is due . . . Unable to sell but strapped for cash, Fliss determines to spruce up the elegant old rooms and open a B&B. But Jacques, the handsome town mayor, is opposed to her plan. When it becomes clear that the only way to save the magnificent castle is to work together, Jacques and Fliss discover that they have more in common than they think... A romantic and uplifting read about turning your dreams into a reality from the author of Escape to the French Farmhouse. ------------------------------- Readers are falling in love with Celebrations at the Chateau: The perfect story for curling up under a blanket, with a mug of hot chocolate A romantic and magical read . . . I couldn't put it down A wonderful hug of a book. Feel-good fiction at its very best! If you love Jo's books, her newest summer novel, Summer at the Ice Cream Cafe, is available now!

What are the world’s greatest destinations? Where are the best places to travel solo? From airport fashion to road trip rules, professional traveller Brooke Saward shows us where to go, what to do and how to get that holiday feeling without even leaving home. Full of beautiful photographs that will ignite the imagination and featuring enduring favourites like Paris, New York, and London, this is the book that will inspire you to make every day an adventure.

THE ENTERTAINING AND HEARTWARMING SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER. Like many couples, Dick and Angel had long dreamed of living in France, but where others might settle for a modest bolthole in the French countryside, the Strawbridges fell in love with a 19th-century fairytale château, complete with 45 rooms, seven outbuildings, 12 acres of land and its own moat. Throwing caution to the wind, Dick and Angel swapped their two-bedroom flat in East London for an abandoned and derelict castle in the heart of the Loire valley and embarked on the adventure of a lifetime with their two young children Arthur and Dorothy. Sharing their full journey for the first time, A Year at the Château follows Dick and Angel from when they first moved to France in the depths of winter and found bedrooms infested with flies, turrets inhabited by bats, the wind rattling through cracked windows, and just one working toilet, which flushed into the moat, through to the monumental efforts that went into readying the château for their unforgettable wedding and their incredibly special first Christmas. Along the way we'll read glorious descriptions of rural life in France, with charming characters, delicious food and wonderful seasonal produce, together with the extraordinary list of renovations and restorations Dick and Angel completed, many of which were never shown on TV. As warm and entertaining as their much-loved show, A Year at the Château is a truly irresistible story of adventure and heart, epic ambitions and a huge amount of hard graft.

When Kim Taylor returns to Bethlehem to run her family's cookie shop, her life is in shambles. She doesn't get along with her dad, and she secretly longs to fix their broken relationship.She's stunned when Luke Barnes, her former high school boyfriend, strolls into her cookie shop. Recently widowed, Luke has returned to Bethlehem to raise his daughter, Lisa, in a wholesome environment. Seeing Kim reawakens Luke's memories from long ago. Their high-school romance is a painful reminder of the man he used to be. However, falling for Kim is not on his agenda right now. Luke is struggling with a problem, and it looks like Kim is the only person that can help him solve his dilemma. Luke has already hurt her once, so, can she find the courage to trust him again?

This publication is made up of a series of photographs taken inside the abandoned Conservative Party headquarters at 32 Smith Square in London. Award-winning artist Lisa Barnard was granted access to the abandoned site in 2009 and documented the building and found objects. This book features previously unseen photos of the interior documenting the dulled shades of corporate blue, stained carpets, peeling paintwork and discarded iconography of past alliances.