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BRAND NEW from bestselling author Julie Houston comes a powerful story of first love, long-hidden secrets and second chances.
First love, long-hidden secrets and second chances.
Anna Piasecki thought she had left her university heartbreak behind. After spending decades building a successful life, she arrives at sixty with everything as she wants it – a glittering career, a devoted partner and brightest star of all, her brilliant son Noah, the apple of her eye.
Theo Mandeville is trapped. Bound by aristocratic duty to his sprawling Yorkshire estate, he has spent decades living the life that was expected of him while regretting the star-crossed romance he walked away from.
When their children meet at college, Anna and Theo suddenly find their carefully constructed lives colliding. With a devastating forty-year-old secret hanging over them, can their families survive the truth and do they dare to trust that fate has other plans for them?
Spanning decades, The Way We Are Now is a sweeping, heartwarming and life-affirming tale of first love, friendship and second chances perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes, Marian Keyes, David Nichols and Ruth Jones.
Publisher: Boldwood
Format: Ebook, Audiobook, Paperback (11 September 2026)
Julie Houston has featured on my blog a few times (links to other posts below) and although I knew I wouldn’t be able to review in time for the tour, I had this on pre-order as I always enjoy her books – such great characters and so humorous and this latest book especially appealed. For my turn today I have an extract to share but I hope to get to the book soon and post a review.
EXTRACT
from Chapter 12
Anna has been invited to a hunt ball as the guest of Theo Manderville’s parents in North Yorkshire. This is totally out of her comfort zone and needs advice from Linda, her mate at the NUM headquarters…
John Dyson appeared to have taken a stance of sneery disdain towards me, making sure I saw him flirting outrageously with both Debs and Linda, but particularly the latter, outside my open office door.
When I went to make coffee for the men, Linda came straight in after me. ‘Is it all off with you and John then?’
‘It is.’
‘So, you wouldn’t mind if I… you know…’
‘Be my guest, Linda.’
‘Is that a sarky be my guest…’ Linda air-quoted the words, ‘or you honestly wouldn’t mind if I… you know…?’ Linda looked hopeful.
‘He’s all yours.’ I smiled. ‘But you have to do me a favour first.’
She looked up from the coffees she was making for her own office of men, frowning suspiciously. ‘What?’
‘Right, you’re a woman of the world. What would I wear to a hunt ball?’
‘What’s one of them?’
‘You know. Hunting to hounds…’ I trailed off, not quite sure what was involved myself.
‘Well, can you ride? Have you got the gear – you know, a crop thingy to hit it with if it won’t go and some of them tight white pants? I used to like watching stuff like that on the telly.’
‘Breeches,’ I said. ‘And I think that was dressage. No, it’s a ball.’
‘You mean a posh dance?’
‘Yes, I think so.’
‘No probs. Hang on.’ She left for her office, rummaging round in a desk drawer until she shouted, ‘Bingo,’ coming back with several issues of Cosmopolitan. ‘I knew I’d read something about it recently. I thought they had these things at Christmas or in winter?’
‘Maybe they do, but this is a May one. You know, a May ball like they have at Oxford? Or is it Cambridge? Both probably.’
‘Hey, don’t ask me, love – I left school with three CSEs. And one of them was sewing. Look, it’s an article about balls in general…’ She broke off as one of the men, catching her words, retraced his steps, sticking his head round the open door.
‘Anybody’s balls, girls, or someone we know?’ He gave a dirty laugh and continued on his way.
‘God’s sake…’ we both said in unison before sitting to peruse the article together. ‘Yes, definitely gives Oxford May Ball a mention,’ I went on. ‘Oh, and look, yes, here we are, Hunt Balls – are they still the done thing?’ I started quickly reading. ‘Well, apparently, they are.’
‘There you go.’ Linda paused. ‘So, who you going with then?’ She indicated her head towards John Dyson’s office. ‘With him?’ Her demeanour was hopeful as to my response.
‘No.’
‘Ah! Someone else then? You’ve dumped John for a horse rider?’
I laughed at that. ‘D’you have to actually be able to ride to go to one of these dos?’
‘Well, I’m sure it helps,’ she said sagely. ‘Now, you’re going to have to get yourself a long frock. And off the shoulder too,’ Linda went on in excitement. ‘You’ll need to go to that tanning place in the town centre.’ She stood up and grabbed my long dark hair, twisting it and piling it artfully on top of my head. ‘There you go.’
‘A long posh dress?’ I almost wailed, turning the page of the magazine on a bevy of beautiful women and just as gorgeous blokes. ‘Where am I going to get that from?’ I immediately thought of Fliss and her extensive wardrobe of clothes, and another pang of sadness went through me. She’d have known exactly what to wear and what to say and what to do at a hunt ball, forgetting, for a split second, that had she still been alive, she probably wouldn’t have even been speaking to me knowing I was off galivanting with the man she’d so set her heart on. ‘There’s Angelique’s Modes: Fashions for All Occasions, I suppose. You know, on Manchester Road…’
‘You’re joking! Load a rubbish in there.’ Linda pulled a disdainful face. ‘And Angelique is actually Angela Higginbottom. I was in the same class as her daughter, Susan. Angela Higginbottom still thinks it’s the seventies; she’s got woolly cardies in the window at the moment, even though it’s nearly summer. If you want to look a frumpy freak then yes, head over there.’ Linda sniffed. ‘Look, there’s a fabulous dress agency on the way to Sheffield. I’ll come with you if you like. They’ve got a whole section at the back for posh dos. Red-carpet dos,’ she added knowledgeably, ‘and, you know, cruises…’ Linda breathed the word with such reverence she didn’t need to add, but did anyway, ‘God, I’d love to go on a cruise. Wouldn’t you? You’d meet a millionaire there, I bet.’ She paused from turning the pages of Cosmo. ‘So, who are you off with then? To this ball?’
‘Oh, just a guy from uni,’ I said with some nonchalance, even though my pulse raced every time I imagined the coming event.
‘Hmm.’ She sniffed meaningfully once more. ‘You see, you get yourself a bit of education and blokes from Rothersley become guys from uni.’ She air-quoted both phrases. ‘Don’t blame you a bit, Anna, for forgetting your roots and moving up in the world when you’ve the chance.’
‘I’ve no intention of doing that,’ I said hotly.
‘They all say that.’ Linda grinned. ‘And, listen, our Kath’ll do your hair and make-up. She’s dead good now that she’s almost finished her beauty course at the tech. Ooh, I can see you now,’ she went on, pointing a finger at a beautiful brunette in a red dress. ‘That’s it. That’s the look you want.’
My thanks to Rachel of Rachel’s Random Resources for the tour invite.
Purchase Link – Mybook.to/TheWayWeAreNow
Julie Houston is the author of 17 best-selling Women’s contemporary/Romantic Comedy novels. Represented by Anne Williams at KHLA Literary Agency, she was previously published by Aria/Head of Zeus but now writes for Boldwood. She has had UK top 100 selling books and Looking for Lucy hit the number 1 spot in Australia. Sing me a Secret was shortlisted for, and won, the Popular Romantic Fiction Award in 2021.
Julie is Yorkshire born and bred and lives in Huddersfield where her novels are set. After University, where she studied Education and English Literature, she taught for many years as a junior schoolteacher. After teaching for a few years, she decided to go to New Zealand to work and taught in Auckland for a year before coming back to this country. She now teaches when the phone rings to cover absent colleagues and still loves the buzz of teaching junior-aged children.
Julie is married with a son and daughter, both in their twenties and now living in London. She has been a magistrate on the West Yorkshire bench for the last twenty-four years.
Author Links: X | Facebook | Insta | AmazonUK
Other posts on the blog:
Sing Me a Secret – Review
A Village Affair – Author Guest Post
An Off-Piste Christmas (Author Christmas Q&A and Review)
Goodness Grace and Me – Review
