Kitty Black

'Kitty Black remembers it wasn't that long ago she'd wanted to lick melted chocolate from David Gandy's fit body.' That was until she found the love of her life in bed with another man. Matt's actions numbed her before shattering her heart. But men had always let her down. Her abusive father made her and her alcoholic mum's life hell and committed suicide after they'd agreed to put the past behind them. Her wild brother, Johnny, was killed at a tragically young age, snatching away her childhood innocence and leaving her an only child in a fractured family. Her first boyfriend, car-stealing Paul, seemed to vanish once her family left for Hong Kong, despite her heart-felt letters to him and his parents. Tom, who was married had professed his undying love for Kitty, left his mark and changed her life forever, before returning to his wife.

Keepsakes mean a lot to Kitty, they swell her heart and never let her down. Precious reminders of happier times are her constant but also the sad sum total of an ex-patriot forever on the move, forced to leave friends and familiarity behind.

When she finally climbs out of another heartbreak abyss with the help of her long-suffering friend, Gill, she realises she has wasted too long on a man who does not exist. She embarks on putting right the tragedy of her teenage years. The result is momentous.