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Only The Beautiful by Susan Meissner is Heartbreaking but Inspirational

400 pages Berkley publisher April 18,2023 publish date

A heartrending story about a young mother’s fight to keep her daughter, and the winds of fortune that tear them apart by the USA Today bestselling author of The Nature of Fragile Things and The Last Year of the War.

About The Book

California, 1938—When she loses her parents in an accident, sixteen-year-old Rosanne is taken in by the owners of the vineyard where she has lived her whole life as the vinedresser’s daughter. She moves into Celine and Truman Calvert’s spacious house with a secret, however—Rosie sees colors when she hears sound. She promised her mother she’d never reveal her little-understood ability to anyone, but the weight of her isolation and grief prove too much for her. Driven by her loneliness she not only breaks the vow to her mother, but in a desperate moment lets down her guard and ends up pregnant. Banished by the Calverts, Rosanne believes she is bound for a home for unwed mothers, and having lost her family she treasures her pregnancy as the chance for a future one. But she soon finds out she is not going to a home of any kind, but to a place far worse than anything she could have imagined. 

Austria, 1947—After witnessing firsthand Adolf Hitler’s brutal pursuit of hereditary purity—especially with regard to “different children”—Helen Calvert, Truman’s sister, is ready to return to America for good. But when she arrives at her brother’s peaceful vineyard after decades working abroad, she is shocked to learn what really happened nine years earlier to the vinedresser’s daughter, a girl whom Helen had long ago befriended. In her determination to find Rosanne, Helen discovers that while the war had been won in Europe, there are still terrifying battles to be fought at home.

Grab A Copy Here

My Thoughts

Only The Beautiful is absolutely heartbreaking.


California 1938, When Rosie is sixteen years old there is a tragic accident that takes her parents and brother’s life. Rosie has nowhere to go and the owners of the vineyard who her parents worked for reluctantly have taken her in. No compassion is shown to her by The Calvert’s, and she is a maid there. When she falls pregnant through no fault of her own, she is sent to an institution. Her Mama told her to never tell her secret, she has Synesthesia, (When you hear music and see shapes or see a color when you hear a word.) Because this is not an understood thing at that time this is why she was sent to an institution.
The institution practices eugenics, after her giving birth, this is forced on her.

Austria, 1947, Helen is the sister of Truman Calvert and has nannied out of the country for decades. Helen has seen many injustices including eugenics and the death of disabled people being ordered. When the children she cares for no longer need her she returns to the USA and is determined to meet and help Rosie who has aged out of the institution.

Its absolutely heartbreaking to read what has happened during the eugenics movement which began during the Progressive Era and remained active through 1940. It began in England then moved to the US and other countries.

I did enjoy Rosie’s and Helen’s characters a lot. They were kind and gracious people despite what they had endured and experienced.
I have always enjoyed reading this author’s books as she brings to light subjects that should not be forgotten. This is historical fiction at it’s best!

Pub Date 18 Apr 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

The Author

Susan Meissner is the USA Today bestselling author of historical fiction with more than three-quarters of a million books in print in eighteen languages. Her novels include The Nature of Fragile Things, starred review Publishers Weekly; The Last Year of the War, a Library Reads and Real Simple top pick; As Bright as Heaven, starred review from Library Journal; Secrets of a Charmed Life, a 2015 Goodreads Choice award finalist; and A Fall of Marigolds, named to Booklist’s Top Ten women’s fiction titles for 2014. She is also RITA finalist and Christy Award and Carol Award winner. A California native, she attended Point Loma Nazarene University and is also a writing workshop volunteer for Words Alive, a San Diego non-profit dedicated to helping at-risk youth foster a love for reading and writing.

Visit Susan at her website: https://susanmeissnerauthor.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/susanmeissnerauthor/ on Twitter at @SusanMeissner or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/susan.meissner

Enjoy your weekend and thanks for stopping in.

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Bookouture Blog Tour for The Cuban Daughter by Soraya Lane

An utterly gripping and heart-wrenching novel about family secrets, lost loves and new beginnings…

About The Book

A totally unforgettable and heartbreaking page-turner full of family secrets (The Lost Daughters Book 2)

Cuba, 1950: As Esmeralda moved past Christopher, her breath stilled as he caught her finger in his. It was only a split-second, their fingers intertwined in a hold so brief that no one could have possibly noticed, but it told her everything she needed to know. He didn’t just come to see Cuba. He travelled all this way to see me.

London, present day. When Claudia discovers that her grandmother was born at Hope’s House, a home for unmarried mothers, everything she thought she knew about her family is shattered in an instant. Looking down at a faded family crest, she is determined to discover how it can possibly relate to her grandmother. Soon Claudia learns that the crest belongs to the Diaz family, once one of the wealthiest dynasties in Cuba. Impulsively Claudia books a ticket to Havana, feeling sure in her heart that she will be able to uncover her family’s true story.

Arriving in the bustling and vibrant city she meets a young man named Mateo, a chef who loves nothing more than to cook his family’s recipes. As they get to know each other over dinner, Mateo says that his grandfather worked for the Diaz family and he too wants to uncover what happened.

But when they arrive at the Diaz family home, they find it completely abandoned as if preserved in time from the 1950s. It’s not long before they uncover a heartbreaking story about Claudia’s family and of a young woman who was forced to leave behind everything she’d ever known in search of true love.

As Claudia becomes closer to Mateo, will her family’s story of bravery and sacrifice inspire her to follow her own heart to Cuba? Or will the tragic love story force her home?

An utterly gripping and heart-wrenching novel about family secrets, lost loves and new beginnings. Perfect for fans of Santa Montefiore, Lucinda Riley and Victoria Hislop.

Listen now! UK: http://ow.ly/mm4w50Np7pB US: http://ow.ly/7Kt550Np7pA

Buy Link

My Thoughts

Oh, what a beautiful story! Taking place in two time frames this time-slip would not let me put it down. Taking place in the 1950’s and modern days in Havanah and England. The atmosphere is perfect it just draws you in. Esmeralda is a rich beautiful young woman living in Havanah in the 1950’s with her Papa and 3 sisters. She is the eldest sisters and the apple of her father’s eye. Social expectations hold her head and shoulders above normal society and it feels as though she lives in a gilded cage. She lives in opulence and her Papa freely lets her spend money on dresses and fripperies. What she doesn’t have is the freedom to love the man she is in love with. Christopher is the man she loves; he is a businessman from England. When she goes missing there is a scandal. What has happened to Esmeralda, and will she ever see her family again?
In London present day Claudia is dealing with the death of her grandmother and when her mother asks her to help trace her grandmother’s history the only clue, she has is the family crest. From London to Havanah, she travels, once there she meets Mateo a fabulous chef whose grandfather used to be a cook for Esmerelda’s family. Working together will they be able to put the pieces together of what happened to this elite family. So many twists and turns, so heartbreaking. Each page had a new discovery on it of history, mystery, intrigue and intensity.
This author really knows how to draw you in!

Pub Date 23 Mar 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Follow the Tour Here

The Author

Soraya Lane graduated with a law degree before realising that law wasn’t the career for her and that her future was in writing. She is the author of historical and contemporary women’s fiction, including the #1 Kindle bestselling novels The Last Correspondent and The Secrets We Left Behind.

Soraya lives on a small farm in her native New Zealand with her husband, their two young sons and a collection of four legged friends. When she’s not writing, she loves to be outside playing make-believe with her children or snuggled up inside reading.

Amazon UK | Amazon US | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Website

Have a wonderful weekend. Thank you for stopping in today.

Best Update Ever, Scottie Morris

I am sure many of you have been following this case. It is not my business to judge, I don’t know the parents, siblings or formerly missing teen. I don’t know what they’ve experienced separately or together but I do praise God that 8 days after running away he’s been found. This missing boy has been weighing heavily on my heart.

Eaton Police Department Indiana

Thank you Eaton, Indiana Police Department and the many people around the world who have helped in any way including praying for this young man. What a blessing.

Have a wonderful day!

Deanne

Second Time Around by Melody Carlson-Who doesn’t love a second chance?

304 pages March 7, 2023 publish date Revell publisher

About The Book

Who doesn’t love a second chance?

When empty nester Mallory Farrell inherits her grandmother’s run-down tourist shop in Seaport, Oregon, it seems the only sensible thing to do is to sell it. But when her former secret crush, Grayson Matthews, wants to buy the property in order to complete his plans to redevelop the funky town’s business district into a soulless, cookie-cutter outdoor mall, Mallory digs in her heels and decides to renovate the property herself.

With a lot of hard work and a little bit of help, Mallory makes incredible progress turning the store into an eclectic home décor shop called Romancing the Home–all while trying to ignore the depressing and decrepit apartment she’s living in on the second floor. When the shop catches the eye of a popular renovation TV show producer, Mallory is thrilled–until it becomes clear that her apartment is to be part of the segment as well.

She’s tempted to abandon her dreams and the town under a cloud of shame. But perhaps there’s more to Grayson than meets the eye. Can he swallow his pride, change his plans, and help Mallory romance her own home–and possibly her life?

Grab A Copy Here

My Thoughts

I have reading Melody Carlson’s books for many years. She is one of my favorite feel-good inspirational writers. The last book I read of hers was her Christmas book last year. Every year I look forward to reading her Christmas books. Her books are ones that I know that I’ll be a better person for having read them. Second Time Around takes place in Seaport, Oregon, a quaint, touristy, small-town area.  Mallory Farrell inherits her grandmother’s run down and let go tourist shop right on the main street. It also has a living area apartment upstairs, but no one has lived there in years and it’s an absolute mess. Garishly painted and in need of many expensive repairs including needing new wiring and waterlines. With the grand idea of touring the tourist shop into her own eclectic interior design shop she catches the eye of a popular renovation TV show producer she’s thrilled, just think of the business it’ll bring in. When she realizes the filming will include the whole building including her upstairs apartment, she’s devastated as she knows how much work and money it’ll cost in a very limited amount of time. With her former crush Grayson Matthews offering to buy the property for his real-estate purposes she wonders should she abandon her dreams. A fun and entertaining home improvement project book with a slow burn romance. I will always pick up this author’s books.

Pub Date 07 Mar 2023

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.

All opinions expressed are my own.

The Author

Melody Carlson has written more than 200 books (with sales around 6.5 million) for teens, women and children. That’s a lot of books, but mostly she considers herself a “storyteller.” Her novels range from serious issues like schizophrenia (Finding Alice) to lighter topics like house-flipping (A Mile in My Flip-Flops) but most of the inspiration behind her fiction comes right out of real life. Her young adult novels (Diary of a Teenage Girl, TrueColors etc.) appeal to teenage girls around the world. Her annual Christmas novellas become more popular each year. She’s won a number of awards (including Romantic Time’s Career Achievement Award, the Rita and the Gold Medallion) and some of her books have been optioned for film/TV. Carlson has two grown sons and makes her home in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and yellow Lab dog. To find out more about Melody Carlson, visit her website at http://www.melodycarlson.com/

Enjoy your weekend. Thanks for stopping in.

First Line Friday

Happy Friday & welcome to First Line Friday hosted by Reading Is My Superpower! It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line. Today I’m featuring the first line of Death Knells and Wedding Bells by Eva Gates. I love that her books take place on the Outer Banks of North Carolian, it’s such a beautiful and relaxing place to visit.

And the first lines are………….

“I can’t remember when, if ever, my feet hurt this much,” my husband said to me. I leaned my head on his shoulder and attempted to smother another burp.

About The Book

Librarian Lucy’s wedding is nearly perfect—aside from a missing guest and the strangled body she finds. Now, she must vow to find the killer in this 10th Lighthouse Library mystery.

Lucy and Connor planned for the perfect Outer Banks wedding—and that’s exactly what they got. Aside from typical rumblings of familial tensions, the late spring weather allowed for a beautiful day, the food was delicious, and everyone had a good time, until one of the guests goes missing.

Before Lucy can look forward to the rest of her life in Nags Head and the work she does at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library, she gets a phone call from her boss, Bertie James. Eddie, Bertie’s friend, never made it back home after the reception. Initially, Lucy doesn’t think anything of it—sometimes wedding guests simply have a little too much fun. But this quickly turns to something darker when she discovers the body of a wedding guest strangled in a locked closet, and the police immediately start asking questions about Eddie. Lucy must figure out if the two are connected before it’s too late—both for Bertie’s friend and the rest of her wedding guests.

With the Classic Novel Reading Club reading the Selected Works of Edgar Allan Poe—Lucy wonders if the master of the macabre can assist her investigation or if the hunt for the killer’s identity will remain as nothing more than an unsolved mystery.

Let me know the first lines of the book closest to you.

We are having rain for the second day in a row, hopefully it’s sunny where you are.

Enjoy your weekend.

The London Girls are motorcycle dispatch riders. Book by Soraya M. Lane

324 pages Lake Union Publishing November 8,2022 publication date

About The Book

From the bestselling author of The Last Correspondent comes a remarkable story of three young women who defy the bombs to do their bit for Britain. Will they survive the dark streets of London to see the Allies win the war?

London, 1941. The Blitz. When a Royal Navy memo arrives at head office, requesting female recruits to sign up as motorcycle dispatch riders, delivering highly classified orders across the country, three women jump at the chance to sign up for the most dangerous jobs in London.

Olivia grew up riding motorcycles with her brothers, and with them fighting abroad she feels it is her duty to join up. The thrill of adventure draws Ava, but with more enthusiasm than skill, will she learn to navigate the treacherous London streets safely? Having lost her family during one of the first air attacks, Florence knows how important it is to have help arrive on the scene—fast—and so she steps up, outmanoeuvring the men behind the wheel of an ambulance. When Olivia, Ava and Florence meet for the first time they know they have found something all of them need—family.

As bombs fall, decimating the city they love, these three brave women build a sisterhood amid the rubble, facing down anyone—even their own families—who objects to their service. And while romances bloom and fade, their connection grows ever stronger. But none of them dare consider the terrifying reality that one night Florence’s ambulance may be rescuing someone she loves…

My Thoughts

Once again, another fabulous book based on real people and events which I find so interesting and informative. This type of historical fiction always draws me in. 3 women who didn’t know each other before they joined the WRENS .

The Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS), also known as the Wrens, was formed in 1917 during the First World War, as a branch of the Royal Navy.

The initial intention behind the Wrens was that the service would free up men for frontline action by serving in roles such as cooks, dispatch riders and sail-makers.

Olivia, Ava, and Florence come from different backgrounds and home lives but after joining the WRENS they wanted to do all they could for their country and signed up to be motorcycle dispatch riders. Navy dispatch riders, all women who deliver urgent orders and messages between headquarters and military units. These women performed bravely and heroically in London. The women willingly risk life and limb for their country.

Pub Date 08 Nov 2022

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.

All opinions expressed are my own.

About The Author

Soraya M. Lane graduated with a law degree before realizing that law wasn’t the career for her and that her future was in writing. She is the author of historical and contemporary women’s fiction, and her novel Wives of War was an Amazon Charts bestseller.

Soraya lives on a small farm in her native New Zealand with her husband, their two young sons and a collection of four legged friends. When she’s not writing, she loves to be outside playing make-believe with her children or snuggled up inside reading.

For more information about Soraya and her books, visit http://www.sorayalane.com or http://www.facebook.com/SorayaLaneAuthor, or follow her on Twitter @Soraya_Lane

What interests you about The London Girls? Would you read this title?

Enjoy your day and thanks for stopping in.

An Invitation to Seashell Bay: Part 1: A heartwarming and feel-good romcom that will make you smile this summer by Bella Osborne.

May 10, 2023 publish date Avon publisher

About The Book

The brand-new summery rom com from Bella Osborne, full of laughter, love and life’s twists and turns!

This is the first part of a new feel-good romantic comedy, published as a four-part serialised novel.

*****************************************************

One ambitious businesswoman.

One irresponsible heir.

A deal that will turn both their lives upside down…

To save her business, All Things Crafty, Nancy is in desperate need of two things: help and money. After a pitch goes horribly wrong, Nancy is convinced she’s failed to secure either. But, when a potential investor recommends an assistant, she jumps at the chance to hire them – hoping it will help her land a much-needed deal. 

Enter Freddy Astley-Davenport, a notorious socialite with zero work experience. He’s poised to inherit his family’s estate in sunny Seashell Bay, but only if he can hold down a job for six months first. Nancy is not impressed. Freddy’s late, rude and totally incompetent – and that’s just the first day!

Nancy is further horrified to learn of Freddy’s plan to take the assistant role in name only, then do the least work he possibly can, expecting Nancy to lie to his parents on his behalf. She has other ideas, though, and the pair butt heads from day one.

However, as they argue, sparks begin to fly…

An absolutely escapist, funny, feel-good summer romance. Fans of Cathy Bramley, Katie Fforde and Milly Johnson will adore Bella Osborne.

My Thoughts

One thing you can count on with Bella Osborne books is that they are FABULOUS! Once I started this one that was it, I simply couldn't put it down. Read it all in one sitting. There is lots going on in this novella length book which is fabulous as it sets us up for lots of books to come in this series. Several times it had me laughing out loud as I imagined the going-ons. The perfect escapist read I can't wait to be back in Seashell Bay again shortly. I LOVE these characters!

Publish date 	10 May 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.


Grab A Copy Here

The Author

Enjoy your day and thanks for stopping by.

The Metropolitan Affair (On Central Park Book #1)Historical fiction, thriller, Egyptian Art forgery- By Jocelyn Green

393 pages March 14, 2023 publish date Bethany House Publishers

Grab A Copy Here

About The Book

Bestselling author Jocelyn Green sweeps you away in a dazzling novel of secrets, betrayal, and romance within one of New York City’s most esteemed museums.

For years her explorer father promised Dr. Lauren Westlake she’d accompany him on one of his Egyptian expeditions. But as the empty promises mounted, Lauren determined to earn her own way. Now the assistant curator of Egyptology for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Lauren receives two unexpected invitations.

The first is her repentant father’s offer to finally bring her to Egypt as his colleague on a new expedition. The second is a chance to enter the world of New York’s wealthiest patrons who have been victims of art fraud.

With Egyptomania sweeping the city after the discovery of King Tut’s tomb, Detective Joe Caravello is on the hunt for a notorious forger preying on the open wallets of New York’s high society. Dr. Westlake is just the expert he needs to help him track the criminal. Together they search for the truth, and the closer Lauren and Joe get to discovering the forger’s identity, the more entangled they become in a web of deception and crime.

My Thoughts

THE METROPOLITAN AFFAIR is the first book in the On Central Park series.
Now let me just say, I have read and loved ALL of Jocelyn Greens’ books but in this one she’s taken it to a new level of writing.
I would classify the book as a historical fiction novel as it takes place in Manhattan, New York City in mid 1920’s but with the action and suspense and its rich layers I would also classify it as a thriller.
Exquisitely researched, I found the book not only fascinating but informative as well.
I have never read about ancient Egyptian art forgery before, and I really learned a lot.
I learned you check for forgery by weight, material used, a scratch test and more, I’m sure.
The book was pretty intensive as a police detective and the assistant curator of Egyptian art at the Metropolitain Museum of Art are trying to figure out who is the head of and its members of the Egyptian forgery ring. These two characters knew each other during childhood but life had taken them their separate ways. Now they are back together working professionally and as these characters try to solve the crime will they see each other on a more personal level as well?
After hardly being around her father growing up Lauren is not close to him, but this is not of her choosing. Her heart was crying out for his companionship, but he was always traveling for his Egyptian work he did. Never being there for her and her mother. She also has a deep interest in Egyptian things as well, first as a way to get close to him but it’s a genuine interest now. Now that her father needs her help with some work-related things, she wonders, should she involve herself in it? There was a pretty big twist in the last part of the book that I just didn’t see coming, really took me by surprise. I also found it fascinating that many of the characters are based on real life people. Make sure to read the author’s notes at the back of the book, very informative.
I highly recommend this book.

Pub Date 14 Mar 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

About The Author

Jocelyn Green is a former journalist who puts her investigative skills to work in writing both nonfiction and historical fiction to inspire faith and courage.

The honors her books have received include the Christy Award in historical fiction, and gold medals from the Military Writers Society of America and the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association.

Complex and nuanced characters, rich historical detail and twisting plots make her novels immersive experiences. Her fiction has been praised by Historical Novel Society, Romantic Times, Library Journal, historians specializing in her novels’ time periods, as well as popular and acclaimed authors Laura Frantz, Lori Benton, Jody Hedlund, Sarah Sundin, Joanne Bischof, Julie Lessman, and more.

Jocelyn loves Broadway musicals, the color red, strawberry-rhubarb pie, Mexican food, and well-done documentaries. She lives in Iowa with her husband, two children, and two cats she should have named Catticus Finch and Purrman Meowville.

Visit her at jocelyngreen.com.

Have you read any book by this author? What were your thoughts?

Have a wonderful day and thanks for stopping in.

Can’t Wait Wednesday

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted here, at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally, they’re books that have yet to be released.

I can’t wait for ……………….

Oh, I just love these author’s books. The cover is so beautiful, and the purples really do the cover justice. I am really looking forward to reading this one.

The Heart’s Choice by Tracie Peterson and Kimberley Woodhouse Publish Date May 16,2023 Grab A Copy Here .

About The Book

They must uncover the truth before it’s buried forever.

After witnessing a wrongful conviction as a young girl, Rebecca Whitman–the first female court reporter in Montana–is now determined to defend the innocent. During a murder trial, something doesn’t sit well with her about the case, but no one except the handsome new Carnegie librarian will listen to her.

Librarian Mark Andrews’s father sent him to college hoping he would take over the business side of the family ranch, but Mark would rather wrangle books than cows. When a patron seeks help with research in hopes of proving a man’s innocence, Mark is immediately drawn to her and her cause.

In a race against time, will Rebecca and Mark find the evidence they need–and open their hearts to love–before it’s too late?

What upcoming titles are you looking forward to?

Thanks for stopping in and enjoy your day.

Top Ten Tuesday

Welcome to another TTT! This week’s topic is TTT Rewind, which means you’re invited to scan the list of 641 past topics that have been done over the last 13ish years and pick one you’d like to do! Maybe you missed a fun one that you’d like to write about, or maybe you’d like to write a follow-up or update to one you’ve done previously. Top Ten Tuesday is hosted at That Artsy Reader Girl . I am choosing a topic from April 19, 2021

Top Ten Colorful Book Covers

I’ll admit colorful book covers do draw me towards a book. Here are some colorful book covers on my tbr list still waiting for me to pick them up and give them a read.

Pub Date 03 Oct 2023

ingle all the way to Silver Bells, Wyoming, for the coziest holiday read of the season!

Clumsy, earnest baker Sylvie West has worked at the Christmas Café in Silver Bells, Wyoming, ever since her boozy eggnog fruitcake won the town’s annual holiday bakeoff fifteen years ago. Her forever happy place, the café compliments her sweet, well-ordered life with her roommates: recently-widowed Gramps and her yappy chihuahua-pug Crumpet.

When Sylvie learns the café might be sold, she’s determined to put the Christmas Café on the map in a big way. Good thing the Holiday Channel* is filming in Silver Bells. And how perfect of bra-snatching Crumpet to have forced an awkward encounter with the film’s charming lead actor, Royce. When Gramps and Sylvie make a pact to be brave this Christmas, Sylvie knows just how to stretch her wings and save the Christmas Café in the process: get the film team to set a scene at the café!

Between her newfound acting gig, a booth at the Christmas Festival, an appearance at the Christmas Parade, and a budding romance with Royce, Sylvie has a lot on her plate. Good thing her old friend, gruff yet reliable Abe has just come back home to manage his parents’ goat farm. That is, until she catches herself feeling all too merry and bright in his presence. With a little help from family, friends, Crumpet, and the goat farmer down the way, Sylvie just might make this Christmas the sweetest she’s ever had…

Pub Date 23 May 2023 

In this charming installment of the Heart Lake series, a grumpy single dad and a small-town bookseller—who’s secretly an advice columnist—find love when they least expect it.

As chaotic as it can be, Rosie Dean loves her unruly life. But between raising twins alone, running her struggling bookshop, and secretly writing a parenting advice column, the single mom can’t think about dating. At least that’s what she tells herself . . . until her high school crush (and his incredible blue eyes) return to Heart Lake for the summer. Even though Evan has grown into a huge grump, he’s still a super sexy one, and soon sparks begin to fly.

Single dad and widower Evan Mills is used to hearing he’s too serious. But with a grieving tween daughter to raise on his own, the graphic designer is just trying to stay strong for her. He hopes a few weeks at the lake will be the fresh start they both need. Evan never anticipated reconnecting with Rosie, or that she could make him feel whole again—if he’d give her the chance. Will one steamy summer with Rosie be long enough to melt Evan’s heart?

Pub Date 25 Jul 2023 

t’s Halloween weekend and Beacon Harbor, Michigan, has a packed schedule of events, including the Pumpkin Pageant, featuring humans and their canine counterparts. For treats, there’s plenty of pumpkin goodness from bakery/café owner and local lighthouse resident Lindsey Bakewell. But someone wants to spoil the fun with a deadly trick . . .

Lindsey prefers to keep her bakeshop’s Halloween decor light and autumnal, rather than gruesome and ghoulish. But everyone knows her lighthouse home is haunted. Some intrepid teens have even tried to break in to witness the resident ghost themselves. Dreading Halloween night, Lindsey reluctantly allows her influencer and podcaster best friend, Kennedy, to host a live ghost-hunting investigation in the lighthouse, conducted by a professional team. Protective of her ghost, Lyndsey is understandably nervous about what they might uncover . . .

The segment is uneventful—until things take a terrifying turn. The team freaks out. As Kennedy joins the mad dash outside, she bumps into what looks like the prankster teens’ creepy clown costume hanging from a tree. But when Lindsey’s dog, Wellington, begins to whine, they make a grim discovery: the clown is no dummy. It’s a corpse.

Now Lindsey and company will need to keep their cool if they want a ghost of a chance to solve the murder—and see another Halloween . . .

Pub Date 01 Apr 2023

In 1944 in war-torn Dubrobvnik Branko Milisic holds his newborn daughter Safranka and wishes her a better future. But while the Nazis are finally retreating, the arrival of the partisans brings new dangers for Branko, his wife Dragica and their new baby…

As older sister to two half-siblings, Fran has always known she has to fit in. But now, for the first time in her life Fran is facing questions about who she is and where she comes from.

All Fran knows about her real father is that he was a hero, and her mother had to flee Dubrovnik after the war. But when she travels to the city of her birth to uncover the truth, she is devastated to discover her father was executed by the partisans in 1944, accused of being a collaborator. But the past isn’t always what it seems…

Pub Date 06 Apr 2023

Welcome back to The Starfish Café for a glorious summer, but with a few dark clouds on the horizon…

This is the final book in The Starfish Café series and is best enjoyed after reading the other two books in the series – Snowflakes Over The Starfish Café and Spring Tides at The Starfish Café.

Pub Date 02 May 2023 

A random connection sends two strangers on a daylong adventure where they make a promise one keeps and the other breaks, with life-changing effects, in this breathtaking new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Every Summer After.

Fern Brookbanks has wasted far too much of her adult life thinking about Will Baxter. She spent just twenty-four hours in her early twenties with the aggravatingly attractive, idealistic artist, a chance encounter that spiraled into a daylong adventure in the city. The timing was wrong, but their connection was undeniable: they shared every secret, every dream, and made a pact to meet one year later. Fern showed up. Will didn’t.

At thirty-two, Fern’s life doesn’t look at all how she once imagined it would. Instead of living in the city, Fern’s back home, running her mother’s lakeside resort—something she vowed never to do. The place is in disarray, her ex-boyfriend’s the manager, and Fern doesn’t know where to begin.

She needs a plan—a lifeline. To her surprise, it comes in the form of Will, who arrives nine years too late, with a suitcase in tow and an offer to help on his lips. Will may be the only person who understands what Fern’s going through. But how could she possibly trust this expensive-suit wearing mirage who seems nothing like the young man she met all those years ago. Will is hiding something, and Fern’s not sure she wants to know what it is. 

But ten years ago, Will Baxter rescued Fern. Can she do the same for him?

Pub Date 30 Apr 2023

Love Heart Lane – where friends are there for you no matter what

When Bea Fernsby discovers her fiancé’s eyes have been wandering, she calls off the wedding and hits the road. The village of Heartcross in the Scottish Highlands is about as far away from home as she can get, and when she stumbles into the ideal summer job at The Little Blue Boathouse and meets gorgeous vacationer Nolan Hemingway, things finally start looking up.

Now, as an old mystery surfaces and Bea and Nolan band together to find out what happened to his late grandfather’s one true love, fate throws Bea some unexpected curveballs…and promising opportunities.

Bea’s stay is only supposed to last a couple of weeks, but as the old saying goes: ‘Once you arrive in Heartcross, you never want to leave…’

Pub Date 23 Mar 2023

As Esmeralda moved past Christopher, her breath stifled as he caught her finger in his. It was only a split-second, their fingers intertwined in a hold so brief that no one could have possibly noticed, but it told her everything she needed to know. He didn’t just come to see Cuba. He travelled all this way to see me.

Havana, 1950. As the daughter of one of the wealthiest families in Cuba and regarded as the most beautiful girl in Havana, Esmeralda knows the importance of marrying well for her family. But when her father takes her on a business trip to London, she falls in love with a young merchant named Christopher.

When Christopher is invited to visit her father’s sugar farm, Esmeralda knows that they must keep their love affair hidden at all costs. But when the country falls into revolution, Esmeralda is faced with an impossible choice – flee to America with her family or follow her heart and travel to London to be with Christopher. But Esmeralda has been keeping a secret from her family for months, and her decision will have devastating consequences.

London, present day. Claudia is rebuilding her life and following her passion of restoring unloved houses back to their former glory. But when her mother asks for her help in tracking down her grandmother’s history, her curiosity is piqued. Her only clue is a family crest, which she learns is for the Diaz family, once one of the wealthiest dynasties in Cuba. Impulsively Claudia books a ticket to Havana, feeling sure in her heart that she will be able to uncover her family’s true story.

Arriving in the bustling and vibrant city she meets a young man named Mateo, a chef who loves nothing more than to cook his family’s recipes. As they get to know each other over dinner, Mateo says that his grandfather used to work for the Diaz family and he too wants to uncover what happened.

But when they arrive at the Diaz family home, they find it completely abandoned as if preserved in time from the 1950s. It’s not long before they uncover a heartbreaking story about her family, who were forced to leave everything they had ever known. As she becomes closer to Mateo, will her family’s story of sacrifice convince Claudia to leave behind her own home and follow her heart to Cuba?

An utterly gripping and heart-wrenching novel about family secrets, lost loves and new beginnings. Perfect for fans of Santa Montefiore, Lucinda Riley and Victoria Hislop.

Pub Date 02 Mar 2023

Hold on to that feeling of a holiday by the sea with this gorgeous romance.
‘A wonderfully warm, romantic read’ Karen Clarke
Bella is happiest running her tiny antique business from the front room of her cottage on the Boardwalk.
To ensure she has enough income coming in, she also rents out two of her bedrooms to paying lodgers.
But she didn’t count on having a secret crush on Jack Collins, one of her lodgers and her best friend’s brother…
As if life wasn’t complicated enough,her world-travelling mother appears on her doorstep on the same evening that Jack’s ex-fiancée arrives on the Boardwalk determined to win him back.
Bella has a lot of thinking to do and soon discovers that not all gems sparkle.

Pub Date 04 Apr 2023

Julia Rothman’s series of Anatomy books are beloved by children and adults alike. In Wildlife Anatomy, Rothman captures the excitement and distinctive attributes of wild animals around the world. The book is packed with hundreds of her charming, original illustrations, detailing the unique features of animals of the rainforest, desert, grasslands, oceans, and much more. From lions, bears, and zebras to monkeys, mongoose, bats, elephants, giraffes, hippos, and much more, Rothman’s visual guide covers all the key features, right down to the anatomy of a lion’s claw and a wild horse’s hoof. All the illustrations are accompanied by labels, intriguing facts, and identifying details, such as: When is a Panther Not a Panther? and What Makes Aardvarks So Odd? Rothman’s characteristic combination of curiosity and an artist’s eye makes this wildlife treasury rich and full and promises new discoveries every time it’s opened.

Thank you for stopping in today. Have a wonderful day.

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