S&S UK clinches Sophie Loxton's romances in 24-hour pre-empt

Simon & Schuster UK (S&S UK) has secured two books in a 24-hour pre-empt from romance author Sophie Loxton. 

UK and Commonwealth rights to Wild About You and another untitled romance novel were bought by Clare Hey, publishing director for adult fiction, from Jane Finigan and Daisy Parente at Lutyens & Rubinstein. Wild About You will be published in paperback original, e-book and audio in summer 2025. 

The blurb reads: “Anna Whitlock is done being nice. After a lifetime of saying yes to everything – work deadlines, sponsored runs, impromptu drinks and especially her fiancé Sean – everything Anna has worked so hard for falls apart in one terrible afternoon. With a broken heart she heads to the countryside to start again.  

“The glorious Stonemore Estate in the wilderness of Northumberland holds more than enough distraction for a city girl. There’s Callum, the gorgeous estate manager, and an enthusiastic beagle called Hugo. And then there’s Jamie, Stonemore’s sexy but emotionally unavailable owner, who seems to be hell-bent on making Anna’s rewilding job as difficult as possible.   

“But when romance with Callum begins to flourish, is her newfound resolve to stop people-pleasing about to falter? And why can’t she stop thinking about Jamie? Can she really start to put herself first and let herself say yes to the thing which will make her happiest, falling truly madly wildly in love?” 

Hey, who pre-empted within 24 hours, said: “When this novel landed in my inbox I jumped straight on it and could not put it down. Sophie Loxton has created a swoon-worthy romantic world, complete with a steamy scene in a bothy readers will love, and I knew it was perfect for the S&S romance list.” 

Finigan and Parente said: “It was clear to us from the very first page that Sophie Loxton will be the Next Big Thing in romance. Wild About You captured us completely – it’s funny, sexy and gorgeously romantic. This is a novel with a big heart and we know readers will fall in love as quickly as we did.” 

Loxton, who lives in Kent, said: “I am delighted to be working with the amazing team at S&S UK and I can’t wait to share Anna’s adventures with the world.”