Without a Hitch: Yorkshire local Portia MacIntosh on Her New Audible-Exclusive RomCom

From the “Queen of RomComs” Portia MacIntosh comes a sizzling new Audible Original summer romance Without a Hitch featuring jilted wedding journalist, Holly.

Million Copy Bestseller, Portia MacIntosh has written 39 summer romcoms, all of which are available on Audible. Her latest venture, Without a Hitch will be her 74th novel and is only available on Audible. Your Yorkshire Wedding editor Kelly Andrews caught up with Portia about the new wedding-themed release, the perfect honeymoon read, and life as a Yorkshire-based author.

Tell us about yourself and your latest release. 
I’m Portia MacIntosh, a romcom author from Yorkshire. By the end of the year my 40th book will have been published. My 39th, Without a Hitch, is about a woman called Holly and what she does in the aftermath of being jilted at the altar. It changes who she is as a person – not just where she lives and works, but how she feels about love, marriage and trust. In an attempt to heal and move on, she packs up her emotional baggage and heads to Maui, the place where she dreamed of getting married, only to bump into her ex-fiancé, who is there to tie the knot with his new partner. Holly finds herself getting dragged into her ex’s wedding party, while trying to keep her connection to the groom a secret from everyone else, and it gets messy.

What made you choose the Yorkshire Moors as your new home? 
It’s where I grew up. When I was younger and looking for jobs in media it made sense to move to the city for work, because that’s where everything was, but when I finally started writing full time, working for home, I couldn’t wait to move back out to the countryside, for the peace and quiet, and to be closer to my family.  

What do you love most about living in Yorkshire? 
I love that I can enjoy so much variety without having to really go anywhere. I can be on Ilkley Moor in minutes, I can pop for a walk up Main Street in Haworth, I can have lunch in the Yorkshire Dales or go back to Leeds city centre to hang out – and all of it feels like it’s on my doorstep.

Where do you find the inspiration for your stories?
Everywhere. It’s impossible not to take inspiration from everything around you, the things you experience, even the conversations you overhear. I’m always making notes, things pop into my head at the strangest times, it’s like you can’t turn it off.

Was the setting inspired by any part of Yorkshire in particular?
I’ve set so many books in Yorkshire now – I can’t help myself. I love setting books in Leeds but I’ve had my characters go everywhere from Haworth to Huddersfield. I’ve even created my own seaside town based on all of my favourite Yorkshire coast spots.

How did you research the world of weddings for your book? 
I’ve been to a lot of weddings over the years and you can’t help but pick up on what makes a good story. There’s no better research than experiencing things first-hand. For all the details, really, it’s just like planning a wedding. Going online, researching, trying to work out what you (or your characters) want. Plus, I worked for a while as a mystery shopper, which meant going to wedding venues to check them out and then writing a report. I picked up so much useful info.
 
Do you have any wedding planning tips based on your research and your own experience? 
I think, because so much of what I write is comedy, I have to look for the things that can go wrong and usually find ways for the characters to solve their problems. I feel like I’m ready for anything.

Speaking from my personal experience, however, the only thing I can say is: remember why you’re doing it. That way, if everything goes wrong – which it did for me – then you can’t be disappointed. I was one of the people who was supposed to be having their wedding in 2020. We’d given notice to tie the knot at Leeds Town Hall, which they were closing for renovations so we had a choice: get married in the only few days available, just the two of us, or don’t get married at all. We decided to go for it, we had our sneaky lockdown wedding, we couldn’t celebrate it with anyone but, do you know what? I wouldn’t change a thing. It gave me light in a dark time, and a way to look forward. Yes, things didn’t go to plan, but I got to marry the man I love.

What can we learn from your main characters about the wedding pitfalls to avoid? 
In Without a Hitch, I think Holly would probably say: make sure the groom is planning on turning up. Generally speaking though, I would say to make sure that, whatever you’re doing, it’s because you want to do it. It can be so easy to fall into the trap of pleasing other people but it’s your big day.

What do you think makes Yorkshire weddings particularly special? 
My own wedding, for so many reasons, should have been kind of rubbish. We weren’t allowed guests, or to go out and celebrate, so the scenery was all we had. Leeds Town Hall is such a beautiful building, so I was glad we got to get married there, and we had our photo taken with the spectacular lion sculptures outside. Then we took our dog for a sunny walk in a park in North Leeds. It made the day so beautiful.

What does a typical day as an author look like for you?
I could never be one of those authors who does a little bit a day, sitting at a desk, taking months or years to write a book. For me, when I have a story, I have to get it out. So I’ll sit at my laptop, at different times, in different rooms – whatever it takes, while the story pours out of me. I just find that I’m having so much fun, and it’s at the forefront of my brain, so I can’t stop until I’m finished. It’s great being able to take my work around with me – I could probably write anywhere now.

When will it be published, what formats and where can we find it? 
Without a Hitch is an Audible Original so you can listen to it through Audible. It’s being narrated by the fantastic Charlotte Ritchie (Ghosts, You) – she’s so funny. She’s really going to bring the book to life.

Which of your novels should those in their wedding bubble look for next?
I love writing about weddings. Without a Hitch, Here Comes the Ex, Always The Bridesmaid, Better Off Wed, Wish You Weren’t Here – I have so many. They’re just so fun to write. Plus, a great way to figure out what not to do.

What's next for you?
After Without a Hitch, my next book is a travel romcom called A Lot to Unpack – and it will be my 40th book! To be able to share so many of my stories really is a dream come true, and I’ve already got at least four releases on the calendar for 2026, so watch this space.

Find Without a Hitch on Audible from 21st August 2025