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Exciting news. The publication date for Educating Kelly Payne has been brought forward to 28th April.

If you’re an ebook reader, you can order it now and have it to read as soon as it comes out. It will also be available on Kindle Unlimited and paperback from launch day.

If you’re a member of my readers’ club, you can take a sneaky peek at the first three chapters.

If you’re not a member yet, you can join here

How to learn about love … the hard way.

Kelly Payne wants only two things in life.

To stop being stupid and to stop loving Will Grey.

But how do you make yourself smart when you hate education, and how do you stop loving when your heart doesn’t want to?

Her friend Geraldine says reading makes you clever, so Kelly begins with Pride and Prejudice. Inside, she finds an old postcard that might just change her life. Suddenly Kelly’s imagining all kinds of possibilities. And when the beautiful, cherry-lipped Marcus asks her out, she even dares to dream of a happy ending without Will.

But old doubts have a habit of dragging her down, and when long buried secrets resurface, Kelly finds herself questioning all the truths she held dear. Then along comes Obie, Man of Misery, and life is instantly more annoying.

Kelly is about to learn the hard way, there’s more to education than books and learning, and everything she thought she knew about love and loneliness was completely wrong.

Because happy endings don’t belong in real life. And there’s no man in the world like Mr Darcy, is there?

Here at Hope St Press we’ve been beavering away at some new covers for the Netta Wilde series.

What do you think?

And they’re looking good. Here are a just a few…

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Gripping.. And life changing

Beautifully written about topics that must resonate with many… Helped me find my own way back.. Can’t wait for the fourth.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Another Cracker!

I laughed and cried and devoured this book, as I did the first two. The characters come to life in the pages and I love them all. Thank you for another wonderful book, keep them coming please.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A cracking story by a brilliant storyteller.

Hazel Ward is an extremely talented storyteller. Geraldine’s story (like all the best ones) combine humour and pathos and is sympathetically told. There’s never a need to skim bits because the books are hugely entertaining and never ‘dip’ in the middle. The characters are wholly believable and thoroughly engaging. Highly recommended.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ So Powerful.

It was such a powerful read that totally consumed me. I did not so much read the book – I ‘lived’ it. This was my first book by Hazel Ward but I want more, more, more! Her story and style really resonated with me. Saving Geraldine Corcoran was a marvellous read.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Another great story a brilliant read third in series.

Geraldine and Kelly had me hooked couldn’t wait to turn the page.

Saving Geraldine Corcoran

One shameful secret. One hidden letter. Two unlikely guardian angels.

One shameful secret. One hidden letter. Two unlikely guardian angels.

Geraldine Wilde has been afraid for as long as she can remember.

Mostly, it’s the little things that frighten her. Little things like putting flowers on her mum’s grave. But Geraldine gets by. She has a secret system to calm her nerves and keep everything hidden so that no one suspects she’s not normal.

But when her daughter, Netta, stumbles upon a hidden letter, a terrible secret returns to haunt her. She’s tormented by the memory of Geraldine Corcoran, the tragic girl who was once saved by the remarkable Ada Wilde and her son, Arthur.

Suddenly, the system is unravelling. Geraldine’s fear is spiralling out of control and, this time, there’s no one left to rescue her. Ada is dead, and her beloved Arthur is an old man who tiptoes around her as if he’s treading on eggshells. Netta can’t help her and, to make matters worse, that mouthy Kelly Payne insists on befriending her.

Geraldine is sinking and she can’t find a way back up to the surface.

Is there anyone out there who can save her now?

Not all guardian angels have wings and halos. Sometimes they come in the most unlikely packages.

If you like Harold Fry, Eleanor Oliphant or Veronica McCreedy, you’ll love Geraldine Corcoran. Perfect for fans of moving and uplifting page-turners.

Saving Geraldine Corcoran.

A riveting and uplifting summer read.

Geraldine has lots of memories from that time. Some good. Some she’d much rather forget. She was doing a good job of it too. Until her daughter, Netta, found a hidden letter.

Now the past has come back to haunt Geraldine. She’s sinking and she can’t find a way back up to the surface. Netta can’t save her and to make matters worse, that mouthy Kelly Payne insists on befriending her.

Is there anyone out there who can save Geraldine?

Saving Geraldine Corcoran. Out 20th August. Or you can pre-order here now.

My next book Saving Geraldine Corcoran is coming out on 20th August. If you can’t wait until then to order your copy you can pre-order it here now.

It’s a cracker. Even if I do say so myself.

I’m over the moon with the reviews that are coming in for ‘Finding Edith Pinsent.’

Here are some snippets:

“The book is so beautifully told and heart-warming, you will be rooting for both Edie and Netta and turning the pages to find out what happens to them. Edie’s story is especially involving, because it includes the Second World War and the 1950s and you really get a feel for the time, as well as the hardships and heartbreak those eras brought, especially for women”

“It’s quite an emotional story full of secrets and the trials and tribulations of being human. Well, that‘s life! So, open your arms, close your eyes and taste the sky as Edith says. A wonderful, inspiring and captivating read.”

“Bittersweet, enchanting and utterly immersive, I absolutely loved this book. The characters are screamingly real to me, honest, vulnerable and brilliantly created, layer upon layer. It is a real comment on the ups and downs of life, chance encounters, the rough course that true love often takes and enduring friendships and loyalties. Hazel Ward’s writing is sensitive, emotional and beautiful. She draws you in and you stay there with bated breath, following the characters as they journey along their paths.”

“This is a worthy successor to Netta Wilde and if Hazel Ward chooses to continue the series, I’ll be first in the queue to read the next book.””This is the second book I have read from this author, absolutely loved it.”

Have you added your

Finding Edith Pinsent – book 2 in the Netta Wilde series – is now out.

To celebrate the launch Edith is going on tour from today. See below for your favourite bloggers.

Being Netta Wilde is 99p or 99c. Sale closes at midnight tonight (GMT/PST).

An uplifting story of love, loss and second chances that celebrates friendship and human connections.

Netta Wilde was all the things Annette Grey isn’t.

Netta Wilde was raw, unchecked and just a little bit rebellious. She loved The Clash and she loved being Netta Wilde.

Annette Grey is an empty, broken woman who hardly knows her own children. Of course, it’s her own fault. She’s a bad mother. An unnatural mother. At least, that’s what her ex-husband tells her.

The one thing she is good at …
the one thing that stops her from falling …
is her job.

When the unthinkable happens, Annette makes a decision that sets her on a journey of self-discovery and reinvention. Along the way, her life is filled with friends, family, dogs, and jam. Lots of jam.

Suddenly anything seems possible. Even being Netta Wilde again.

But, is she brave enough to take that final step when the secrets she keeps locked inside are never too far away?

Get it here: