Penny Vincenzi Books in Order

Gently comedic non‑fiction in which Penny Vincenzi explores why people bend the truth, from polite white lies to more elaborate deceptions, mixing sharp observations and anecdotes about everyday life, relationships and work.

An irreverent survival guide to early parenthood, this book gathers Penny Vincenzi’s wry advice, hard‑won tips and funny horror stories about babies, toddlers and exhausted adults navigating sleepless nights, school gates and every mishap in between.

Commissioned to mark the OXO cube’s anniversary, this illustrated history looks at more than seventy‑five years of the famous stock cube, tracing its quirky advertising, packaging and place in British kitchens and family cooking.

In this glamorous family saga, two very different women battle for control of Julian Morell’s cosmetics empire after his death, while the secrets behind his will – and the stranger who inherits a crucial share – slowly surface.

Spanning from the 1950s to the end of the century, this novel follows the glamorous yet fractured Caterham clan – heirs to an American banking fortune and an English title – as old affairs, hidden parentage and financial disaster threaten everything they own.

A tragic accident in the 1950s and an apparent suicide years later haunt star presenter Caroline Hunterton, whose carefully buried past is about to be exposed when a determined journalist starts investigating the secrets linking her two estranged daughters.

On the morning of her lavish wedding, Cressida Forrest disappears without a trace, forcing two privileged families to confront resentments, affairs and old betrayals as they search for the runaway bride and uncover the truth about who she really is.

In wartime England, newly married Grace arrives at her husband’s grand country house and soon finds herself at odds with icy sister‑in‑law Florence and fascinated by glamorous Clarissa, uncovering dangerous secrets that could shatter the family’s fragile peace.

Francesca Channing has married into wealth and power as the third wife of charismatic tycoon Bard Channing, but when his dubious business dealings surface she must decide whether to lie for him in court or risk losing everything.

James seems to have it all – loving wife, three children, a secure job and a comfortable house – yet is restless for a different life, and when a tantalising new possibility finally appears, the choice he makes upends everything.

Cassia Fallon is a dutiful country doctor’s wife until an unexpected inheritance makes her rich, freeing her to return to medicine and old passions; as she tastes high‑society glamour, doubts about her marriage and the money’s true source grow harder to ignore.

Tom and Octavia Fleming are a golden London power couple, juggling high‑profile careers and three children, until Octavia discovers Tom’s affair and plots retaliation – never imagining how dangerous his obsessive lover’s idea of revenge will become.

Headstrong aristocrat Celia Lytton marries into a London publishing house just before the First World War and insists on working there, drawing in authors, relatives and a working‑class girl she rescues, as love affairs, war and scandal reshape the powerful Lytton family.

Lytton twins Adele and Venetia grow up in privilege on the eve of World War II, while foster sister Barty claws her way up from the slums; as fascism spreads, their choices in love, work and loyalty have inescapable consequences.

In the final Spoils of Time novel, post‑war prosperity and shifting morals test the Lyttons as Celia announces shocking plans, adopted daughter Barty controls the New York arm of the publishing empire, and buried family secrets threaten to destroy everything they’ve built.

In 1985, three young women meet on a backpacking trip, and one secretly abandons her newborn at Heathrow; sixteen years later, ambitious lawyer Martha, overworked doctor Clio and tabloid reporter Jocasta cross paths again when teenage Kate starts searching for her birth mother.

Set during the boom‑and‑bust years of the 1980s, this novel follows several families whose comfortable lives implode when they are dragged into the financial catastrophe at Lloyd’s, exposing affairs, betrayals and the lengths people will go to save love and status.

On a sweltering Friday, a lorry swerves across a London motorway and triggers a massive pile‑up; as victims and onlookers – a cheating doctor, a runaway bridegroom, a hopeful widow and more – grapple with the aftermath, their intertwined stories change forever.

Against the bright backdrop of 1960s London fashion and property booms, privileged magazine editor Eliza and self‑made Matt fall in love, marry and have a daughter – until their bitter break‑up ends in a bruising custody battle where love, money and class collide.

A collection of short stories and personal pieces, Love in the Afternoon gathers Penny Vincenzi’s sharp, funny takes on love, work, family and friendship, offering bite‑size glimpses of the same emotional drama that drives her big novels.

At the fading House of Farrell cosmetics empire, formidable founder Athina clashes with hard‑driving turnaround specialist Bianca Bailey, as decades of family secrets, shifting loyalties and one last, closely guarded formula decide whether the iconic brand – and its legacy – can survive.

In 1950s London, ambitious working‑class politician Tom Knelston seems poised for greatness, supported by loyal wife Alice, until an affair with glamorous model Diana Southcott and a crisis involving his child force him to choose between ideals, career and family.