Sing Me a Secret: A warm, irresistible summer novel from the bestselling author of A Village Affair

Julie Houston

May 2020 · Head of Zeus Ltd

About this ebook

Winner of the RNA 2021 Sapere Books Popular Romantic Fiction Award

'A warm, funny story of sisters and the secrets they keep' Sheila O'Flanagan.

'Warm, funny and well written, with a page-turning plot, this book has everything! I loved it!' Katie Fforde.

The four Sutherland sisters have all had very different paths in life, but one secret and a slighty tense production of Jesus Christ Superstar are about to bring them all back together again...

When the news that pop-superstar Lexia Sutherland is returning to Westenbury, not everyone is thrilled by the news – including Lexia. There are too many memories she doesn't need to face – or need re-surfacing.

Meanwhile, Juno Sutherland just wants a little peace and quiet. As the local village doctor, she's got her priorities in order; kids, job, husband, tenacious pony, a role in the village musical... So when the sexy new locum turns up – and steals her office – the last thing she needed was to be hit with rising temperatures and an over-active imagination.

Will these sisters be able to uncover the past, deal with the future and put on the performance of a lifetime?

Praise for Julie Houston:

'Julie Houston at her best – heartfelt and hilarious' Sandy Barker

'Laugh-out-loud hilarious and heartwarming!' Mandy Baggot

'This book is an absolute gigglefest with characters you'll fall in love with!' Katie Ginger

'Without a doubt a five-star read' NetGalley Reviewer

'Absolutely LOVED it' NetGalley Reviewer

'An excellent read, highly recommended' NetGalley Reviewer

Ratings and reviews

I've loved every book by Julie Houston, and relish having her name on my reading list; I have so looked forward to this one and it's a total delight to visit Westenbury once more. Juno Sutherland has more than enough on her plate; a part-time job as a local doctor keeps her very busy, and then there's home, two children, her husband and a pony with a mind of it's own to take care of - not to mention her broken family which has left her mother needy and her sisters estranged. So she could do without a new locum joining the practice and booting her out of her room . . . Well, it didn't take long for me to burst into laughter! The author's golden touch shone through the pages mixing joy, fun, laughter and angst - seamlessly. In what seemed like no time at all I was totally invested in all these fabulous characters as they became almost real. I felt that Juno was a close friend who I got to know better and better as the story expanded to include all of her family and I was thrilled when a few of the locals popped up - especially those who has been the focus of previous novels. I love that, while each book is a stand-alone read, those who came before are never entirely forgotten. With her trademark warmth, compassion - and terrific humour - this author has created another winner. Superbly written and wonderfully entertaining, this is absolutely a five star novel!

This was my first Julie Houston experience and I was an instant convert and quickly became a rabid fan. I adored her wry wit and clever levity and wore a near-constant smirk throughout my perusal of this deftly crafted and amusing tale of high achieving members of a dysfunctional family, one that would give new meaning to the term. The writing was engaging, observant, and easy to fall into and inhabited by oddly enticing characters who entertained even when they were annoying, and that takes mad skills. I relished each page and added every book on her listing to my TBR. In addition to a cleverly amusing read Ms. Houston provided me with 3 new additions to my Brit Words and Phrases List with swinging a leg - being idle or avoiding work; locum - a person who temporarily takes the place for someone else of the same profession; and fit as a butcher’s dog – extremely healthy.

About the author

Julie Houston lives in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire where her novels are set, and her only claims to fame are that she teaches part-time at Bridget Jones author Helen Fielding's old junior school and her neighbour is Chocolat author, Joanne Harris. After university, where she studied Education and English Literature, she taught for many years as a junior school teacher. As a newly qualified teacher, broke and paying off her first mortgage, she would spend every long summer holiday working on different Kibbutzim in Israel. After teaching for a few years she decided to go to New Zealand and taught in Auckland for a year before coming back to Britain. Julie now only teaches when the phone rings asking her to go in for supply work, but still loves the buzz of teaching junior-aged children. She has been a magistrate for the past twenty years, and, when not distracted by eBay, Twitter and Ancestry, spends much of her time writing. Julie is married, with two adult children and a ridiculous Cockerpoo called Lincoln. She runs and swims because she's been told it's good for her, but would really prefer a glass of wine, a sun lounger and a jolly good book – preferably with Dev Patel in attendance. You can contact Julie via the contact page, on Twitter or on Facebook.
Twitter: @juliehouston2
Facebook.com/JulieHoustonauthor