Jill Steeples - Hopelessly Devoted To You

Book List Also by Jill Steeples Book List Praise Title Page Copyright Author Bio Acknowledgements Dedication Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty-One Chapter Twenty-Two Epilogue Extract Endpages About the Publisher Desperately Seeking Heaven Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off

Praise Praise for JILL STEEPLES Praise Title Page Copyright Author Bio Acknowledgements Dedication Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty-One Chapter Twenty-Two Epilogue Extract Endpages About the Publisher ‘ Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off by Jill Steeples is a well written and easy to like book. If you are looking for a chick lit with a twist then give this one a read.’ Harlequin Junkie ** ‘So gripping, vivid, enjoyable and fascinating!!!’ Sky's Book Corner on Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off ** ‘It was a thoroughly enjoyable read that kept you wanting more.’ A Book and Tea on Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off ** ‘Jill is a great writer, she knows how to tell a story. I can’t wait to read more of Jill Steeples.’ Dreaming with Open Eyes ** ‘If I had to sum this book up in three words, they would be Romantic, Marvellous and Amazing.’ 23reviewstreet on Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off * ** ‘A truly magical novel’ – Chick Lit Reviews and News on Desperately Seeking Heaven ** ‘A very cute book! It was fun, funny, and endearing and also heart-wrenching at times.’ Book Binge on Desperately Seeking Heaven ** ‘A cute and easy read’ This Chick Reads on Desperately Seeking Heaven *Amazon reader reviews

Title Page Hopelessly Devoted to You Jill Steeples

Copyright Copyright Copyright Author Bio Acknowledgements Dedication Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty-One Chapter Twenty-Two Epilogue Extract Endpages About the Publisher HQ An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2014 Copyright © Jill Steeples 2014 Jill Steeples 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 author’s 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 © June 2014 ISBN: 9781472096494 Version date: 2018-07-23

Author Bio Jill Steeples lives in a small market town in Bedfordshire with her husband and two children. From an early age she fell in love with the fabulously funny romances of Jilly Cooper, and vowed, one day, she would have a go at writing one of her own. Jill loves writing short stories, particularly those with a twist in the tail, and her work has appeared in popular women’s magazines around the world and in a number of charity anthologies. Hopelessly Devoted to You is her third novel.

Acknowledgements I would like to express my huge thanks to the wonderful HQ Digital team for their continued support and encouragement in helping me bring my books to publication. In particular, I would like to thank Lucy Gilmour and Victoria Oundjian, editors extraordinaire, for their amazing insight and editorial advice. A big thanks too must go to the extremely talented HQ Digital design team for producing such beautiful, eye-catching covers. I still spend a disproportionate amount of time gazing at my covers longingly. One unexpected bonus of being published is all the lovely people I’ve met along the way. My fellow HQ Digital authors are a fabulously talented, funny and kind bunch of people - it’s been a pleasure to share this journey with you. I’ve been overwhelmed by the huge swell of support I’ve received from the new friends I’ve met - mainly on twitter - book bloggers, reviewers and readers. To each and everyone of you who has taken the time to read my books I give my heartfelt thanks. It goes without saying that this applies to my old friends too! Finally, I’d like to thank my lovely family for putting up with me still. One day there will be food in the fridge, clean socks in the drawers and a cheerfully sunny wife/mother in the kitchen, and I know you'll all be there for her when she deigns to put in an appearance.

Dedication For Nick, Tom and Ellie With love

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Epilogue

Extract

Endpages

About the Publisher

Chapter One

“Finn, we need to talk.”

“Finn, there’s something I have to tell you.”

“The thing is, Finn, I…”

“Look, Finn, I’m really sorry, but the thing is…the thing is I don’t love you. I wonder if I’ve ever loved you. I’m calling off our wedding.”

Aargh, no! Ruby dropped her head into her hands, a familiar sense of dread sweeping the length of her body. She couldn’t do it. Every time she thought about telling her fiancé she didn’t want to marry him it sent her into a cold panic. How could she do such a bitchy, despicable thing to the sweetest, loveliest man on earth?

She’d tried. Lord knew, she’d tried. Thinking about it, she’d been trying ever since he’d proposed to her over eighteen months ago, presenting her with the biggest, shiniest, most beautiful rock she’d ever clapped eyes on. Swept up in the moment, surrounded by her closest family and friends, champagne bubbles fizzing up her nose, there had only ever been one glorious heartfelt answer.

‘Yes!’ she’d cried, in a blink of an eye.

It was only the morning after when she was alone in her flat, a humongous hangover throbbing in her head, which had nothing to do with the amount of champagne she’d drunk but more to do with the enormity of what had occurred the previous evening, that she wondered if she hadn’t actually been a little hasty in her gushing agreement to Finn’s proposal.

Did she actually want to get married? To Finn, in particular, or to anyone else when she came to think about it? Was she ready for that whole commitment thing? Finn’s unexpected proposal had brought these questions and a hundred and one assorted other ones into startling focus.