News
I’m now represented by Saskia Leach at the Kate Nash Literary Agency!
Keep up with my book news! Sign up to my newsletter here.
A Wedding in the Sun is available for pre-order, out 17 May 2024! It’s my long-awaited road trip romcom where the exes of the bride and groom find themselves travelling together to the wedding and much chaos ensues.
Check out the full catalogue of titles from my publisher Boldwood Books here.
About
I am an author of romantic comedies with great locations and big feelings. I love hearing from readers! You can keep up with my news by signing up to my Leonie Mack newsletter here.
I love creating characters that take you along for the ride as they overcome their obstacles, learn about themselves and about life, and somehow, accidentally fall in love along the way!
I’m represented by Saskia Leach at the Kate Nash Literary Agency.
You can out more about my characters, ideas, interests and methods in the Blog.
Keep in touch using your preferred social media. All my links here. Book available through all usual retailers, audio also on Spotify.
Visit the Boldwood Books bookstore on Amazon.
Blog
Leonie’s always writing about writing. Click here for blog posts about technique, characters, ideas and inspiration.
Confessions of a Romance Author
In my opinion, the romance genre is wider and more varied than any other, as evidenced by the various labels the publishing industry has used in recent years, each of them reductive and most of them patronising. The genre encompasses ‘women’s fiction with romantic elements’ (who are they to say only women can read books…
Me, a Reader
It’s definitely true that the best way to learn to be a writer is to read first. I devoured books as a child and then again when I discovered romance in my late teens. As life got busier, I read almost exclusively romance, the tension of the developing relationship dragging me in no matter what…
A Wedding in the Sun
It’s cover reveal day for A Wedding in the Sun, so I don’t have to keep it secret anymore! I love this cover so much! The pink of Jo’s dress and hat look so lovely against the yellow and blue and the composition, with the winding path and the way the worse frame the figure!…
Books
A Wedding in the Sun
Four exes and a wedding. And a road trip no one expected…
Jo Watters would rather do anything than go to her ex-husband Ben’s wedding to perfect Monica, and if it wasn’t for her beloved children she would already be far, far away. But having promised to be civilised for the sake of their soon-to-be-blended family she is headed to Spain with a fixed smile and hoping for a very fixed drink!
But when Jo realises that she’s on the same plane as Monica’s ex-husband, the devastatingly handsome but equally cantankerous Adrián, she thinks her trip can’t get any worse… she’s wrong. When bad weather forces the plane to land the wrong side of the Pyrenees, and the hotel they’re sent to only has one double room available Jo begins to wish she was anywhere – anywhere – but here…
Determined to get to the wedding however they can, Jo and Adrián make an unlikely team, but as their disastrous trip continues, Jo starts to wonder if fate has other ideas for her and Adrián, especially when he seems to be getting more handsome by the day…maybe this trip won’t be so terrible after all?
Out 17 May 2024, pre-order now.
Snow Days with You
When Luna Rowntree gets an unexpected and life-changing legacy from a man she’s never met, she’s determined to find out why – even if it is Christmas Day and her family are expecting her.
So, with only her mother’s ashes for company – it’s a long story, but Luna knows her mother would have wanted to come on the adventure too – Luna sets off in her trusty Astra to the skiing resort in Chamonix, where her mysterious benefactor had lived.
But her little car isn’t designed for driving through snow-covered mountains, and when she runs out of fuel heart-breakingly close to Chamonix, Luna is relieved to be saved by her very own knight-in-shining armour. Well, knight in mountain rescue uniform anyway.
Yannick is charmed if baffled by Luna’s mission, and before he knows it, he has agreed to help. But Yannick has his own secrets calling him from the mountains, and his own reasons to run away. As he helps Luna understand her past he realises he has to face his as well if he’s ever going to risk opening his heart to love.
Curl up with Leonie Mack’s new winter romance. Perfect for fans of Mandy Baggot, Jo Thomas and Sarah Morgan.
Beer Fest
(a spicy romcom written as Lilo Moore)
‘Beer Fest is one of the best romcoms I’ve read in a long time.’ Rebecca W, Netgalley Reviewer ‘The spice was 10/10!’ Brenda, Netgalley Reviewer
Two best friends, a tipsy Oktoberfest dare and one kiss that could change everything.
It’s been fifteen years since big-shot marketing manager Fi first met her bi best friend Max. Living on different continents has had its challenges, but she’s determined that their friendship will be as strong as ever when she arrives in Munich for an Oktoberfest reunion with their study abroad friends. There’s no one she loves like her Max, even if he has finally grown up a bit and now runs a microbrewery.
But instead of lazy conversations and comfortable day-drinking, as they’d always done when they were younger, the reunion is a slightly desperate meeting of disillusioned millennials escaping real life – until Fi’s jetlagged, drunken rant about being a woman working in beer marketing goes viral and they’re roped into a bad-taste beerfest challenge. As she and Max and their friends from the international dorm tackle fairground stunts, physical challenges and bad karaoke, the one dare that changes everything is the simplest: kiss your teammate.
Now she can’t stop thinking about him in a very more-than-friends kind of way. When kissing leads to more and she discovers that her screwball best friend can talk dirty and light the sheets on fire in the bedroom, she can’t help seeing the years of their friendship in a new – and terrifying – light.
As the challenge progresses with thrill rides, pretzels, lots of lederhosen and a little public nudity, the dares are actually fun, when Fi completes them on her own terms. But the truth questions present the biggest danger to her future. What happens to her precious friendship – and her big promotion – when she admits to herself just how much Max means to her?
A Taste of Italian Sunshine
Jenn has always prided herself on being a city girl – she insists on easy access to good coffee, great food from around the globe, not to mention an easy commute. So, when her job takes her to one of the most famous Italian wine regions in search of the perfect Prosecco, travelling to meetings on a tractor is a bit of a culture shock.
Tiziano hates the city. He was made for the mountains and vineyards of Veneto, and generations of his family have earned their living from the land. But times are changing even in the Italian countryside, and the arrival of Jenn at his grandmother’s B&B opens up a window on a different world.
Jenn has two months to persuade the Prosecco producers to trust her with their business, and Tiziano has one summer to persuade Jenn that there’s more to life than the rat race. But can a city girl and a country boy ever find enough in common to see a future beyond one long summer of sun…
Out now!
Berlin Calling
(a steamy romcom written as Lilo Moore)
The song contest is hotting up, on and off the stage!
Rose writes twee pop, smiles a lot, and believes in magic and rainbows. When the cheesy love song she wrote is chosen for the European Song Contest, her luck seems to be turning around – especially when a chance encounter leads to the hottest one-night stand of her life. It’s almost too bad she’ll never see him again.
But then Rose discovers it wasn’t a chance encounter. The hot German DJ with the sexy deep voice is her rival for song contest glory.
Grumpy Emil is incredibly talented and the song he spins with his sister could be a winner, even if he doesn’t appreciate the playful spirit of the contest. As the continent falls in love with Rose and Emil’s competitive banter on social media, they must hide their history from the press or risk losing credibility – and a future songwriting career.
With an anonymous gossip out to ridicule the colourful contestants and a plot to undermine European public broadcasting bubbling under the shiny surface, Rose must be strong in the face of criticism and stand up for everything the contest means to her.
If this Canadian girl can save the contest, maybe she can believe that her feelings for Emil are the real deal.
Twenty-One Nights in Paris
Irena and Sacha come from two very different worlds…
An heiress to a fortune, Ren’s home-from-home is the Ritz, while the handsome and brooding Sacha has grown up in Paris’s less salubrious suburbs. So when an accident brings them together, romance seems an unlikely outcome.
When Ren’s society engagement reaches a very public end, Irena’s over-protective grandmother wants her home in London. Ren needs an excuse to stay in Paris, and so after some persuasion, Sacha agrees to pose as her new boyfriend. But only for the twenty-one days Ren’s grandmother has allowed her to nurse her broken heart before heading home to face the music.
Over the course of three weeks, Ren realises the world outside her exclusive bubble is more beautiful than she could have imagined. While Sacha reluctantly begins to see the goodness of the woman behind the wealth. When their time is up, will Ren want to return to her gilded cage, and will Sacha be able to let go of the woman he’s been ‘pretending’ to fall in love with…
Out now!
We’ll Always Have Venice
Who can resist the romance of Venice…
When Norah arrives in Venice for a ten-week internship she is surprised to discover that her guide for her work trips around the lagoon is the undeniably gorgeous and kind Gianluca. She can’t help thinking he might be too good to be true, with his endless fascinating local stories, and his infectious laugh.
Norah is still bitter after an accident left her with a serious injury and also meant the end of her long-term relationship. And besides, she’s serious about her career and that means leaving Venice at the end of the summer.
Gianluca has had a summer fling before that led to heartache for him and he won’t do it again. He enjoys the long hours out on the lagoon with Norah, but after a storm strands them on a picture-perfect island for a night, they agree they should just be good friends for the summer.
But life doesn’t always go to plan, and when it’s time for Norah to go, they have to decide whether what they have between them is really just a friendship, and not something more…
Buy here
A Match Made in Venice
Escape to the breath-taking beauty of Venice – The City of Love.
When pragmatic, sensible and resolutely single Deirdre York (Didi to her friends) is sent to Venice for work she is determined not to be taken in by the romantic clichés. Winter in the floating city may be breathtakingly beautiful, but she’s here with a clear purpose and will not let the magic of Venice distract her.
Piero Zanetti is the epitome of the handsome yet tortured artist. Heart-broken by the end of his love affair with a glamorous opera singer, he has lost his ability to work, and his inspiration has drained away, along with his zest for life.
But Didi needs Piero working – she has been tasked with commissioning him to do a glass centrepiece for a luxury department store Christmas display – some how Didi has to cheer Piero up or at least find him a new muse…
As Didi and Piero slowly become friends, and as Venice starts to melt Didi’s heart and gently nudge Piero out of the blues, something special begins to happen. Can Venice – the City of Love – work a Christmas miracle and help Didi and Piero to find their happiness at last…
Order your copy here.
Italy Ever After
TV journalist Lou feels battered and bruised after her divorce from Phil, the father of her daughter Edie. Her confidence and sense of fun have steadily been drained away, and she isn’t sure who she is any more.
When the opportunity arises to accompany Edie on a music camp in Italy for a month in the summer, Lou jumps at the chance for new adventures, new horizons and new friends. The hazy warmth of the summer sun, shining brightly over the stunning Lake Garda, slowly brings Lou back to life.
Nick Romano, Edie’s music teacher, loves being home in Italy, but coaching his students for their concert in Milan, is bringing back difficult memories. His blossoming friendship with Lou is the perfect distraction, although a summer fling would be easier to conduct without the scrutiny of his mother Greta, not to mention the interference of his extended Italian family.
As the summer passes, full of sunshine and breath-taking scenery, gelato and delicious feasts, Lou and Nick get ever closer. But as the time for farewell creeps up on them, will they be able to say goodbye and leave their memories behind in the Italian sun, or can a summer romance last a lifetime?
Leonie Mack is back with a sizzling, sun-baked love story, perfect for all fans of Mandy Baggot, Jo Thomas and Carole Matthews.
Buy the book here.
My Christmas Number One
Cara doesn’t do sexy and she only does ‘Happy Christmas’ under duress. She is, after all, a serious musician, and her stubborn streak is born from her struggle to recover from a serious injury.
Javi lives for escapist fun – in his music, and in his life – especially since he’s always failed at life’s more serious challenges, including marriage and fatherhood.
Javi and Cara are forced to record a Christmas single together, but neither of them have plans to spend any more time with each other than they absolutely have to. With Christmas traditions that couldn’t be more different, and outlooks on life that are worlds apart, the chemistry just shouldn’t work. But the magic of Christmas can bring even opposites together…
From the snowy beauty of London at Christmas, to the candle-lit magic of Javi’s traditional family celebrations, let Leonie Mack whisk you away on a memorable festive adventure. Perfect for fans of Trisha Ashley, Mandy Baggot and Holly Martin.
What readers are saying about My Christmas Number One:
‘Just trust me when I say that My Christmas Number One will be unlike any other Christmas read you have picked up.’
‘I read a lot of romance books and I have to say this book is one of the best in terms of chemistry. Readers – we’re talking red hot!’
‘A hot and sizzling read!’
‘An uplifting, intelligent novel with a lot of substance and of course, plenty of romance’
‘I can’t stop thinking about this book!’
‘A festive, feel-good book with great lightness and vast emotional depth’
‘Beautifully written and with a gorgeously heartwarming Christmas romance this book is a tale of love overcoming adversity and self-doubt.’
‘Beautifully written, this is a great take on the opposites attract theme.’
‘Leonie Mack’s debut is a joy from start to finish and My Christmas Number One is a surefire hit; I can’t wait to read more!’
‘A delight to read with lots of fun, romance and funny bits along the way.’
Lilo Moore
I’m branching out! My Leonie Mack books will keep coming as long as I can keep convincing my publisher to contract them, but I’ve been experimenting with a few side-projects, too, which I’ll be bringing out myself.
Sign-up to the mailing list here.
Beerfest is here!
Two best friends, a tipsy Oktoberfest dare and one kiss that could change everything.
It’s been fifteen years since big-shot marketing manager Fi first met her bi best friend Max. Living on different continents has had its challenges, but she’s determined that their friendship will be as strong as ever when she arrives in Munich for an Oktoberfest reunion with their study abroad friends. There’s no one she loves like her Max, even if he has finally grown up a bit and now runs a microbrewery.
But instead of lazy conversations and comfortable day-drinking, as they’d always done when they were younger, the reunion is a slightly desperate meeting of disillusioned millennials escaping real life – until Fi’s jetlagged, drunken rant about being a woman working in beer marketing goes viral and they’re roped into a bad-taste beerfest challenge. As she and Max and their friends from the international dorm tackle fairground stunts, physical challenges and bad karaoke, the one dare that changes everything is the simplest: kiss your teammate.
Now she can’t stop thinking about him in a very more-than-friends kind of way. When kissing leads to more and she discovers that her screwball best friend can talk dirty and light the sheets on fire in the bedroom, she can’t help seeing the years of their friendship in a new – and terrifying – light.
As the challenge progresses with thrill rides, pretzels, lots of lederhosen and a little public nudity, the dares are actually fun, when Fi completes them on her own terms. But the truth questions present the biggest danger to her future. What happens to her precious friendship – and her big promotion – when she admits to herself just how much Max means to her?
Berlin Calling is out now!
The song contest is hotting up, on and off the stage!
Rose writes twee pop, smiles a lot, and believes in magic and rainbows. When the cheesy love song she wrote is chosen for the European Song Contest, her luck seems to be turning around – especially when a chance encounter leads to the hottest one-night stand of her life. It’s almost too bad she’ll never see him again.
But then Rose discovers it wasn’t a chance encounter. The hot German DJ with the sexy deep voice is her rival for song contest glory.
Grumpy Emil is incredibly talented and the song he spins with his sister could be a winner, even if he doesn’t appreciate the playful spirit of the contest. As the continent falls in love with Rose and Emil’s competitive banter on social media, they must hide their history from the press or risk losing credibility – and a future songwriting career.
With an anonymous gossip out to ridicule the colourful contestants and a plot to undermine European public broadcasting bubbling under the shiny surface, Rose must be strong in the face of criticism and stand up for everything the contest means to her.
If this Canadian girl can save the contest, maybe she can believe that her feelings for Emil are the real deal.
Content/Trigger Warnings
It’s important to me that my books are a safe space for readers to enjoy a cosy love story and escape real life. All of my books end happily and have positive messages about embracing who you are, but the characters do have their challenges and their traumas (usually in the backstory). I’ve decided to list the topics here that some readers might wish to avoid, or which might trigger unpleasant responses in some readers.
My Christmas Number One
- Clinical anxiety/PTSD
- Loss of family members (in backstory)
- Physical disability (lower leg amputation – coming to terms with this is not part of the story, it’s in the past)
Italy Ever After
- Post-partum depression (in backstory)
- School bullying (in backstory)
A Match Made in Venice
- Problematic relationship with a parent (dealt with very gently)
We’ll Always Have Venice
- Physical disability
- Problematic relationship with a parent (again, not dramatic)
Twenty-One Nights in Paris
- Kidnapping (in backstory) and anxiety/PTSD
- Loss of a parent (in backstory)
- Parent with mental health issues leading to loss of custody (again in backstory)
- Racism from secondary characters (which is challenged and ultimately subverted by the character’s happy ending and willingness to stand up to it)
Berlin Calling
- Serious illness of family member (backstory)
- Self-harm (backstory)
A Taste of Italian Sunshine
- Loss of own child (in backstory) (big spoiler. Please highlight if you’d like to see this one. It’s only in the backstory and doesn’t happen on-page)
- Undiagnosed autism
Beerfest
- Depression (mild and in the past)
- Mention of the pandemic in the backstory
Snow Days With You
- Grief
- Mountain rescue gone wrong (in back story)
A Wedding in the Sun
- Moving on from divorce
- Infidelity on the part of an ex (not the main characters)
Leonie Mack 