Goodbye, Jimmy Choo

In rural Ringford, England, the smalltown snobbery of the "Mercedes Mums" sets the standard, but two London transplants, Maddy Hoare, a prickly, wealthy housewife, and Izzie Stock, a free-spirited, lovably disorganized freelancer, realize they share a maverick sensibility. When Maddy discovers a recipe for healing balm in an old family journal, what begins as an experiment becomes a lucrative, trend-setting enterprise she and Izzie run together, as women all over England buy Paysage Enchanté. Despite their increasingly public lives, neither Maddy nor Izzie can escape the everyday—Izzie's marriage is struggling, and Maddy, who is newly widowed, must figure out how to handle her affectionate French cousin, Jean Luc. Plus, both women have young children. To add to their troubles, Pru, their PR adviser, insists that they stick to an "earth-mother" image—the polar opposite of their urban style. A warm, genuine friendship—along with a successful cosmetics line—develops in this refreshing debut, a pseudonymous collaboration from Annie Ashworth and Meg Sanders. (May)