Mother's Story (39 page)

‘Oh, let me see… since I was pregnant with Dominic.'

‘Who is now sixteen?'

‘Yes, that's right, although it doesn't seem possible! Sixteen… it goes so quickly, doesn't it? You must find that with Sophie. Sometimes I feel as if I was chasing a chubby toddler around the house, then turned my back for a second to find he's suddenly become this invincible life force, “a teenager”. Sorry, Roland, I'm going off-piste a little, aren't I?'

She watched his expression, understood his predicament. Kathryn knew that it didn't sound plausible; it sounded completely bonkers that she had been talking about Mark Brooker, the headmaster! She knew that Roland and every other parent would only ever be able to picture Mark offering a firm handshake and a clever quip. They would all agree that the whole affair was most shocking. What would Mark's PA, Judith, make of it all? Kathryn smiled to herself as she considered the woman's reaction, she could just imagine her statement: ‘
Mark didn't look like a nasty man, in fact he was quite gorgeous
…'

Kathryn hoped that in time and once all the facts had been revealed, people would ask themselves one important question: if her life had been as perfect as Roland and everyone had thought, why would she have done it? Why would she fabricate the whole nightmare and then ask for punishment if it weren't true? Unless she was crazy, of course. And Kathryn was determined to prove that she was anything but.

Roland took a deep breath and prepared to repeat his questions.

Available now

Jessica's wedding was like a fairytale. She looked radiant in a dress strewn with crystals. Her Dad conquered his nerves and made a tearful speech. And her gorgeous husband Matthew declared himself the luckiest man alive. Together, Jessica and Matthew feel like they can take on the world.

But when their beautiful baby girl is born, Jessica is gripped with panic and fear. She can't tell anyone how she feels. Even when her life starts to spiral out of control…

This is her story. A mother's story.

‘A cracking page-turner'
The Bookseller

‘This story of a woman's fight to rebuild her shattered life is captivating, heartbreaking and superbly written.'
Closer

‘An absolutely gripping read… the characterisation is done superbly.'
Iain Dale, LBC Radio

‘Great novel – let's get it to number 1!'
Gok Wan

‘Poppy Day is a brilliant book, I couldn't put it down.'
Carol Vorderman

‘A rattling good book to curl up on the sofa with, I thoroughly recommend Poppy Day by army wife Amanda Prowse. She has turned her own fear and anxiety into a page-turning novel of loss and courage.'
Lorraine Kelly,
The Sun

‘A modern day love story.'
Daily Mail

‘A deeply emotional story of a woman who will stop at nothing to save the man she loves… A fast, unputdownable read, Amanda Prowse adeptly fuses a tale of love and courage with the stark realities of war, both on the field and at home.'
Red

‘This romantic story of courage and determination is simply captivating.'
Closer

‘Army wife turns fear into fiction.'
Sunday Mirror

‘Set to become a bestseller.'
RAF News

‘Heartbreaking, but uplifting.'
Carol Vorderman

A
MANDA
P
ROWSE
has always loved crafting short stories and scribbling notes for potential books. Her ambition is to create stories that stop people turning off the bedside light, with characters that stay with you long after the last page is turned.

Amanda's first novel,
Poppy Day
, was self-published in October 2011 and achieved a #1 spot in the eBook charts. She was then signed up by publishers Head of Zeus and her second novel,
What Have I Done?,
became a #1 bestseller in 2013, and gained rave reviews from readers.

Amanda lives in the West Country with her husband Simeon, a soldier, and their two sons Ben and Josh. She has now published five novels and four short stories, which share a common theme of ordinary women doing extraordinary things for love. After many years, she finally has her dream job – a full-time writer.

You can follow Amanda on Twitter
@MrsAmandaProwse
, become friends with her on
Facebook
, or visit her website
www.amandaprowse.org

Amanda Prowse's
No Greater Love
sequence is a series of contemporary stories with love at their core. They feature characters whose histories interweave through the generations: ordinary men and women who do extraordinary things for love. They are stories to keep you from switching off the bedside lamp at night, stories to remember long after the final page is turned...

Poppy Day

Ever since hairdresser Poppy Day married her childhood sweetheart, Mart, she's been deliriously happy. Now Mart is fighting in Afghanistan, and Poppy is counting the days until he returns.

It takes one knock at the door to rip Poppy's world apart. Mart has been taken hostage, and it's too dangerous for the army to rescue him.

Poppy is determined to bring him home herself. But her journey will lead her to a heartbreaking dilemma. What price will she pay to save the man she loves?

This is a gripping story of loss and courage from an author who knows what it is like to be the one left behind.

Poppy Day
is available
here
.

What Have I Done?

Kathryn Brooker is the headmaster's wife. While her husband spends his days disciplining unruly teenagers in the grand halls of Mountbriers Academy, Kathryn spends hers baking scones for her son's cricket match in a beautiful cottage in the manicured school grounds.

In the evenings, when her husband strides home to compliment her cooking and kiss her hello – ignoring jokes from their children about grown-up lovebirds – Kathryn Brooker is the very picture of a fulfilled wife and mother. Anyone who peered through the downstairs sash window at the four figures sat easily around their scrubbed-pine kitchen table would see a happy family without a care in the world. They would envy Kathryn her perfect life.

But they would be wrong. Kathryn is trapped in a nightmare. And she is about to do something to change it. Something only a truly desperate woman would do...

What Have I Done?
is available
here
.

Jump to free preview
here
.