Katy Colins - Chasing the Sun - The laugh-out-loud summer romance you need on your holiday!

Praise for

KATY COLINS

‘Brilliant, life-affirming story of a jilted bride who heads off to explore Thailand. Perfect escapism.’

– Heat

‘Katy writes with humour and heart. The Lonely Hearts Travel Club is like Bridget Jones goes backpacking.’

– Holly Martin, author of The White Cliff Bay series

‘The perfect first-sunny-afternoon in the garden book!’

– Kathleen Gray on Destination India

‘I cannot recommend this book enough. It is beautifully written with a brilliant plot and fantastic characters. READ IT!!’

– Blabbering About Books on Destination Thailand

‘Imaginative, fascinating, and funny!’

– What’s Better Than Books? on Destination India

‘If you’re looking for an escape from the cold, winter nights, the drudgery of day to day life and love to read about exotic locations then Katy Colin’s debut novel is the book for you.’

– Ellen Faith on Destination Thailand

‘A great book to pop in your holiday/weekend bag that will make you just want more.’

– The Reading Shed on Destination India

‘ Destination Thailand had me hooked from the very first page and kept me up til 2:30am as I was dying to know what happened next.’

– Books and Boardies

‘I loved this book.’

– For the Love of Books on Destination Thailand

KATY COLINS

KATYsold all she owned, filled a backpack and booked a one-way ticket to south east Asia and never looked back.

The acclaimed travel blogger’s experiences inspired her to pen ‘The Lonely Hearts Travel Club’ series and saw her labelled the ‘Backpacking Bridget Jones’ by the global media.

When she’s not globe-trotting, writing about her adventures and telling anyone who’ll listen to grab life by the horns, Katy loves catching up with her family and friends and convincing herself that her cake addiction isn’t out of control - just yet.

You can find out more about Katy, her writing and her travels on her blog www.notwedordead.comor via social media @notwedordead.

Available from

KATY COLINS

‘The Lonely Hearts Travel Club’

Destination Thailand

Destination India

Destination Chile

John, my husband.

No cheesy quote or cute saying could make this moment any better.

Contents

Cover

Praise Praise for KATY COLINS ‘Brilliant, life-affirming story of a jilted bride who heads off to explore Thailand. Perfect escapism.’ – Heat ‘Katy writes with humour and heart. The Lonely Hearts Travel Club is like Bridget Jones goes backpacking.’ – Holly Martin, author of The White Cliff Bay series ‘The perfect first-sunny-afternoon in the garden book!’ – Kathleen Gray on Destination India ‘I cannot recommend this book enough. It is beautifully written with a brilliant plot and fantastic characters. READ IT!!’ – Blabbering About Books on Destination Thailand ‘Imaginative, fascinating, and funny!’ – What’s Better Than Books? on Destination India ‘If you’re looking for an escape from the cold, winter nights, the drudgery of day to day life and love to read about exotic locations then Katy Colin’s debut novel is the book for you.’ – Ellen Faith on Destination Thailand ‘A great book to pop in your holiday/weekend bag that will make you just want more.’ – The Reading Shed on Destination India ‘ Destination Thailand had me hooked from the very first page and kept me up til 2:30am as I was dying to know what happened next.’ – Books and Boardies ‘I loved this book.’ – For the Love of Books on Destination Thailand

About the Author KATY COLINS KATY sold all she owned, filled a backpack and booked a one-way ticket to south east Asia and never looked back. The acclaimed travel blogger’s experiences inspired her to pen ‘The Lonely Hearts Travel Club’ series and saw her labelled the ‘Backpacking Bridget Jones’ by the global media. When she’s not globe-trotting, writing about her adventures and telling anyone who’ll listen to grab life by the horns, Katy loves catching up with her family and friends and convincing herself that her cake addiction isn’t out of control - just yet. You can find out more about Katy, her writing and her travels on her blog www.notwedordead.com or via social media @notwedordead.

Title Page

Also by Katy Colins Available from KATY COLINS ‘The Lonely Hearts Travel Club’ Destination Thailand Destination India Destination Chile

Dedication John, my husband. No cheesy quote or cute saying could make this moment any better.

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 18

CHAPTER 19

CHAPTER 20

CHAPTER 21

CHAPTER 22

CHAPTER 23

CHAPTER 24

CHAPTER 25

CHAPTER 26

CHAPTER 27

CHAPTER 28

CHAPTER 29

Acknowledgements

Copyright

Transitory (adj.) – Lasting only a short time; brief; temporary

‘Honey, I’m home!’ I sang, pulling my key out of the sticky lock of our front door. It came loose with a tug. I flicked on the lights, illuminating the dark hallway, which was filled with cardboard boxes waiting to be packed for the big move.

‘In here, babe,’ Ben called from the kitchen of our flat. The soothing smells of spaghetti Bolognese currently simmering away in there flooded my nostrils. ‘You’re back late.’

I tried not to trip over the death-trap boxes lining my path and went to wrap my arms around his broad frame, leaning my head against his back. ‘Time ran away with me, again.’ I sighed. ‘Fancy a glass?’ I nodded at the bottle of wine I’d picked up from the off-licence on the way home.

‘Yeah, go on then. Only a small one as I need to be up early and clear-headed tomorrow.’

‘Ah yeah, or should that be ja ?’ I put on a pretty crap Finnish accent, making him laugh.

He turned to face me, and kissed my forehead. ‘I think that’s Dutch not Finnish.’

‘Hmm, languages never were my forte. I know you’ve told me before, but what time’s your flight?’

‘Some godforsaken hour, waaaaay before you wake up. But at least it means I’ll be back here tomorrow night to help with more packing. Speaking of tomorrow, you all set?’

‘I’ll need to do a little work after dinner to make sure it’s pitch perfect, but I think we’re nearly ready.’ I smiled and poured out two glasses of wine.

The bank had an entrepreneurial scheme that we had been trying to get involved in for almost six months now. When I’d received a call saying they wanted to meet us to pitch to them, along with two other companies, the pressure had been on to impress them. If we nailed this, it could mean a major investment into Lonely Hearts Travels, allowing us to expand our services, and hire more dedicated staff. There were still markets we hadn’t branched out to where I was desperate to set up one of our tour groups. We were doing well, but our profits were always ploughed back into our business, so trying to free up extra cash to develop what we offered was tricky; this scheme could really help us out.

‘Dinner and relax first, and then you can run through it with me if you need an honest opinion.’