Emily Banting

A Sapphic Celebrity Ice Queen Romance

Sydney MacKenzie, personal assistant to the rich and famous, is looking forward to a well-earned break to go travelling in her beloved VW camper van, Gertie — that is, until Gertie cries off sick. When her boss calls in a favour, one that will pay Sydney handsomely and put Gertie back on the road, she can’t refuse.

Internationally renowned actress Beatrice Russell — adored by her fans and despised by those that know her — is splashed across the tabloids, all thanks to her broken leg. She limps back to her palatial English country estate to convalesce for the summer, where she finds herself in need of yet another new assistant.

Enter Sydney, who doesn’t take kindly to the star’s demands, attitude, or clicking fingers — much less her body’s own attraction to the gorgeous diva. If not for that, and Gertie’s worn-out engine, she would leave tomorrow. Or so she tells herself.
As the summer heats up, the ice queen begins to thaw, and Sydney glimpses the tormented woman beneath the celebrity bravado, drawing her ever closer to the enigmatic actress — sometimes too close.

Can Sydney reach the real Beatrice and help heal her wounds before the summer ends and she returns to filming in the States, or is the celebrity broken beyond repair?

91,000 words

Broken Beyond Repair

A heart-warming, contemporary, lesbian, quintessentially English village novel series, centred on the ruins of Nunswick Abbey

The Nunswick Abbey Series Book 1: A Contemporary, Lesbian, Village Romance

Lost in Love (The Nunswick Abbey Series Book 1)

Sydney MacKenzie, personal assistant to the rich and famous, is looking forward to a well-earned break to go travelling in her beloved VW camper van, Gertie - that is, until Gertie cries off sick. When her boss calls in a favour, one that will pay Sydney handsomely and put Gertie back on the road, she can't refuse. Internationally renowned actress Beatrice Russell - adored by her fans and despised by those that know her - is splashed across the tabloids, all thanks to her broken leg. She limps back to her palatial English country estate to convalesce for the summer, where she finds herself in need of yet another new assistant. Enter Sydney, who doesn't take kindly to the star's demands, attitude, or clicking fingers - much less her body's own attraction to the gorgeous diva. If not for that, and Gertie's worn-out engine, she would leave tomorrow. Or so she tells herself. As the summer heats up, the ice queen begins to thaw, and Sydney glimpses the tormented woman beneath the celebrity bravado, drawing her ever closer to the enigmatic actress - sometimes too close. Can Sydney reach the real Beatrice and help heal her wounds before the summer ends and she returns to filming in the States, or is the celebrity broken beyond repair?

Spend Christmas in Nunswick with TRUST IN TRUTH, the enthralling follow-up to LOST IN LOVE. After the events of the summer, Katherine and Anna are looking forward to spending a quiet, cosy Christmas together before hosting a New Year's Eve party at Nunswick Abbey. When a romantic weekend away for Anna's birthday doesn't go to plan, it proves to be the beginning of their Christmas woes, and as workplace pleasantries grow too friendly, a cloud of jealousy and suspicion forms. As Anna plans the most important party of her career, can she convince Katherine their co-worker has more than pub lunches on the brain? Can Katherine keep her composure as the tension rises at Abbey House? As they count down to the New Year, will Anna and Katherine's relationship survive the calamitous Christmas season?

A Sapphic Christmas Novella

Trust in Truth (The Nunswick Abbey Series Book 2)

From the multi-award-winning, bestselling author of Broken Beyond Repair comes a new sapphic celebrity ice queen romance — a standalone novel and the third and final instalment in the South Downs Romance series.
Gillian Carmichael is grieving, not for the loss of her husband, but for what his death has cost her — Kingsford Manor, her beloved home. To make matters worse, she can observe the new 'Lady of the Manor' from her small abode in Kingsford Lodge, and observe her, she does.
Viola Berkley, an internationally renowned classical singer, retreats to the quiet of the countryside after her mother’s sudden death, seeking peace and anonymity. What she finds is an unwelcome adversary in her outspoken neighbour Gillian Carmichael, who is quick to critique Viola's suitability for her new role and her lack of village sensibilities.
As their worlds collide, both women realise they have more in common than divides them, and the line between animosity and attraction begins to blur. With Gillian shackled to her past, unable to let go of the life she lost, and Viola carrying the weight of her grief, can the pair find a path forward, or will the shadows of the past keep them apart?

South Downs Romances #3

Beyond Her Manner

GOLDIE FINALIST 2024: CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE LONG NOVEL

From the multi-award-winning, best-selling author of Broken Beyond Repair comes a new sapphic celebrity ice queen romance — read as a standalone or as the second book in the South Downs Romance series.

Sculptor Arte Tremaine is thrown into the hospitality industry when her beloved late grandmother bequeaths her and her sister a charming yet rundown country hotel with zero guests. Arte is determined to make a success of the business, despite her sister snapping at her heels to sell it and painful memories confronting her inside.

Charlotte Beaufort, heiress to a hotel empire, television celebrity, and self-confessed city woman, hits the countryside to film an episode of her reality television show, Hotel SOS, where she immediately clashes with the overwhelmed Arte and her inquisitive Labrador, Rodin.

Arte doesn’t take kindly to Charlotte’s attitude and frank opinions about her hotel, but when they are thrown together, she begins to realise not everything is as it seems with her attractive nemesis. As Arte begins to chip away at Charlotte's icy exterior, both women begin to realise dreams and reality rarely entwine and that, sometimes, our dreams are not even our own.

Can the artsy dreamer and ambitious heiress face the reality of their situations and discover their true paths? And if so, can those paths lead them toward true love?

A Sapphic Celebrity Ice Queen Romance

Reality In Check

After the events of the summer, Katherine and Anna are looking forward to spending a quiet, cosy Christmas together before hosting a New Year’s Eve party at Nunswick Abbey.

When a romantic weekend away for Anna’s birthday doesn’t go to plan, it proves to be the beginning of their Christmas woes, and as workplace pleasantries grow too friendly, a cloud of jealousy and suspicion forms.

As Anna plans the most important party of her career, can she convince Katherine their co-worker has more than pub lunches on the brain? Can Katherine keep her composure as the tension rises at Abbey House?

As they count down to the New Year, will Anna and Katherine’s relationship survive the calamitous Christmas season?

Emily Banting

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