Book picks similar to
Out of the Mountain's Shadow by Rose Alexander


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Lost Memories


Katie Winters - 2020
    Her husband of twenty years had an affair; her children have left the nest; and she hasn’t managed to sell a screenplay in almost ten years. Now, one of the people she loved most in the world—her mother—is dead.“Heartbroken” doesn’t even cover it. She’s never been more lost in her life.Elise and her mother had always lived in Los Angeles. Her mother was an actress and a single mother, who never revealed who Elise’s father was.Now, Elise finds a secret diary within her mother’s things—one that reveals a portion of her mother’s life that Elise never knew about.In the late ‘70s, her mother worked as the personal assistant to acclaimed actress, Jane Seymour. And during this time, she journeyed to the glorious Michigan-based Mackinac Island, for the film, Somewhere in Time.While there, Elise’s mother met a man who changed her life forever. He must be Elise’s father. And Elise is determined to find out.Now, Elise must decide what to do next. How will she grapple with her mother’s death? And could a trip to Mackinac Island change her life, like it did her mother’s?She thought all the adventure in her life was over. She thought she would never find happiness again.But she’s beginning to think the adventure has only just begun. Dive in for a trek of a lifetime: from the glittering sands of Los Angeles, all the way to that gem of an island between the southern and northern peninsulas of Michigan, Mackinac Island, where secrets have been kept for the previous forty years.

Escape to Honeysuckle Hall


Rebecca Raisin - 2021
    One terrible hangover later, she’s packed her bags and swapped her London apartment for the overgrown grounds of Honeysuckle Hall.After years spent catering to others’ whims, Orly is going after what she wants: a simpler life, surrounded by nature. Her plan to set up countryside retreats for burned-out city-dwellers means she soon has the social life she’s been dreaming of – and gorgeous carpenter Leo is always around when she needs something fixed…As Orly’s new life blossoms, so does her friendship with Leo, and she wonders if she’s finally found somewhere to put down roots – until she discovers a series of anonymous notes, warning her off. Was she wrong to trust Leo? Or is someone else trying to sabotage her future?A heartwarming romance full of humour, friendship and honeysuckle-scented dreams! Perfect for fans of Debbie Johnson and Holly Martin.

The Grace Kelly Dress


Brenda Janowitz - 2020
    Three generations of women. A lifetime of love. In Paris, 1958, Grace Kelly’s royal wedding dress is still all the rage in fashion circles. Rose, a seamstress at a famous atelier, has just been entrusted with sewing another gown in its image. An orphan, she needs her job to survive. But when Rose finds herself in love with the bride’s handsome brother, she must decide what matters most: love or security.Sixty years later, Rocky is thrilled to be marrying the love of her life. He truly is her perfect fit. But there’s just one problem: her family’s heirloom wedding dress isn’t. Rocky knows this admission will break her mother’s heart. What she doesn’t know is why her mother is so set on the dress—or about the shocking secret that changed her mother’s life decades before, as she prepared to wear the dress herself. As the wedding day approaches, the mother-daughter pair will finally confront long-buried heartaches, and it might just be the dress that brings them closer than ever.Life-affirming, heartwarming and timeless, Brenda Janowitz’s The Grace Kelly Dress is about the importance of tradition, new and old, and the power of a dress to fulfill even the most impossible of dreams.

Don't Make Me Turn this Life Around


Camille Pagán - 2021
    Yet here she is—cancer-free. So why doesn’t she feel more alive?Sure, Libby’s husband, Shiloh, has been distant. One of their daughters has a serious health condition. And her father’s death hovers over Libby like a rain cloud. Still, this eternal optimist knows she’s the winner of the existential lottery.But when her forced cheer isn’t enough to keep her family from catching her blahs, she decides to fly them all to Vieques. The Puerto Rican island is where she and Shiloh fell in love—and where she decided to fight for her life after her cancer diagnosis. Where better to put their problems into perspective?Then a tropical storm strikes. Libby pretends everything’s fine, even as she fears she’s doomed her family. What she can’t see is that the worst disaster they’ve faced may be the best thing that ever happened to them. But first, they have to get through it.

The Girl with the Scarlet Ribbon: An emotional and gripping World War 2 historical novel


Suzanne Goldring - 2022
    

The Rancher's City Girl


Leslie North - 2020
    After her aunt dies and leaves her a small fortune, Becca immediately knows what she wants to do with her inheritance: buy a ranch and live her dream life. Finding one for sale near her childhood camp seems like fate. Unfortunately, the owner, smoldering-hot cowboy Cade Wells, makes it clear he’s more than skeptical about her ability to handle ranch life. So she makes a deal. She’ll stay on the ranch for one month to prove to Cade she can handle the ropes. While Cade maddeningly sticks to his old-school ways, Becca is determined to introduce him to modern technology. As the two clash heads, they can’t deny the red-hot attraction they have for each other. And as time passes, Becca’s not certain if she loves the ranch or the cowboy more.Single dad Cade has his own demons to vanquish and fully believes selling his ranch is the way to do it. His 10-year-old daughter Jocelyn deserves more than a life among cows and empty fields. And he needs to rid himself of painful memories of his mentally ill ex-wife who nearly destroyed everything he loved. Though he doubts Becca is tough or knowledgeable enough to run the place, he grudgingly gives her credit for knowing what she wants and her willingness to learn. Why couldn’t she be a bit less pretty? A tad less cheerful? A smidgeon less sexy? Now the only demon Cade is fighting is his attraction to Becca, but he doesn’t want to go down the relationship road again. Not even for her. With their time together running out, Cade finds himself torn between protecting his heart or keeping hers forever...

The Inn at Walker Beach


Lindsay Harrel - 2021
    And working a dead-end job, barely paying her bills, and fighting unrequited feelings for her boss aren’t exactly part of the life she always imagined.With her six children grown and her husband constantly traveling for work, Elise Griffin finds herself utterly without purpose for the first time ever at age sixty-three. But “retirement” isn’t as wonderful as it might sound—it gives her far too much time to think about the affair her husband had a year ago ... the one she’s never told anyone about.When both women are invited into the mysterious Barefoot Sisterhood and asked to help restore an old beachside inn for a good cause, they find themselves supported and encouraged in new and exciting ways. This inspiration leads to dream seeking ... and new romance as well.Discover what happens when women give each other the space to finally dream—and in doing so, make the world a better place.

A Woman of Fortune


Kellie Coates Gilbert - 2014
     Texas socialite Claire Massey is living the dream—designer clothes, luxury cars, stunning homes. But everything comes crashing down when her charming cattle broker husband is arrested for fraud. Suddenly she finds herself facing attorneys, a media frenzy, and a trail of broken hearts. Betrayed and humiliated, Claire must maneuver incredible odds to save her family—and discover a life worth living. Author Kellie Coates Gilbert delivers a story both poignant and emotionally gripping that celebrates the kind of fortune that lasts.

A Letter From Pearl Harbor


Anna Stuart - 2021
    Clues that reveal her life as one of the first female pilots at Pearl Harbor, and a devastating World War Two secret.1941, Pearl Harbor: On the morning of December 7th, Ginny is flying her little yellow plane above the sparkling seas when she spots an unknown aircraft closing in on her. She recognises the red symbol of the Japanese fighter planes almost too late. Somehow, she manages to land unscathed but the choices she is forced to make in the terrible hours that follow have tragic consequences…2019, Pearl Harbor: Heartbroken Robyn Harris is reeling from the death of the strong, determined grandmother who raised her. Her only comfort is a letter written in Ginny’s distinctive hand which details a treasure hunt, just like the ones she used to set for her as a little girl. Except this time, the clues are scattered across the beautiful island of Hawaii. Despite her grief, Robyn finds herself intrigued as she follows the trail of letters, revealing the truth about Ginny’s service during the Second World War.But Robyn’s whole world is turned upside down when she’s faced with a shocking secret which has the power to change the course of her own life…Inspired by true events, this is a heartbreaking and unforgettable WW2 novel about love, loss and bravery. Perfect for fans of The Alice Network, The Nightingale and Kathryn Hughes.

Touch the Silence


Gloria Cook - 2003
    The First World War is casting its shadow over the Harvey family of Ford Farm. One brother has already been killed, and Tristan now serves at the Front. Though newly engaged to pretty Emilia Rowse – a friend since childhood – younger brother Ben is desperate to serve his country. But a horrific eye injury causes him to be declared unfit, a blow from which young Ben will never recover. Tensions mount as he is forced to remain at the farm with his elder brother Alec, a man with closely guarded secrets of his own…Filled with a rich cast of unforgettable characters and packed with period detail, Touch the Silence is the brilliant opening to the Harvey family books. For readers of Anne Baker, Maggie Hope and Daisy Styles.

The Measure of Gold


Sarah C. Patten - 2020
    It is 1940, and Germany has just invaded France. Across the ocean, in Sweetwater, Tennessee, Penelope, a beautiful alchemist, receives a letter from her childhood friend, Naomie, urging her to France. Bereft from the loss of her widowed father, Penelope leaves her life and travels to German-occupied Paris. There, she meets Naomie's brother, the brilliant alchemist Fulcanelli and his mysterious apprentice, Lucien.Falling headlong into the alchemy's esoteric world, she helps Fulcanelli and Lucien resist the Nazi forces. She trains as a spy and infiltrates a powerful brothel, Le Chambrement. As the horrors of war close in around her, Penelope must seduce a murderous Nazi officer in a desperate calculation to save her lover, Lucian. Through the devastating magic of life, Penelope learns that alchemy has far more to do with the person than the element.The Measure of Gold is an epic story of alchemy, betrayal, courage, and transcendent love.

The Earl, the Lady and the Song of Love


Fanny Finch - 2021
    Through the pain and suffering, she finally saw clearly: love is not essential for a successful marriage. Or so she thought…Asking her father to secure a good match for her, since her choices had disappointed her so, and having resigned from the tiresome games of courtings, Imogen meets the handsome Earl of Kensington. Their arrangement seems to be smooth until her heart betrays her and she is close to breaking her vow never to love again…The undeniable attraction between them and the bright future ahead of them are hindered solely by the scars of her past until Imogen looks inside her and faces the truth that’s been right in front of her the whole time: this is the man she was always meant to be with…

Reluctantly Home


Imogen Clark - 2021
    But then a tragic accident stops her life in its tracks, and in an instant everything changes. Retreating to her family’s rural farm and the humble origins she has been trying to hide, Pip is haunted by what she has done.When she discovers the diary of actress Evelyn Mountcastle in a box of old books, Pip revels in the opportunity to lose herself in someone else’s life rather than focus on the disaster that is her own. But soon she sees parallels—Evelyn’s life was also beset by tragedy, and, like Pip, she returned to Southwold under a dark cloud.When Pip and Evelyn’s paths cross in real life they slowly begin to reveal the hidden stories that are holding them back. Can they help each other forgive what happened in the past and, perhaps, find happiness in the future?

The Country Village Summer Fete


Cathy Lake - 2021
    On the cusp of her 50th birthday, she suddenly realises that she doesn't have many meaningful relationships in her life. She's single, successful, living alone and thinks she's loving it, but being so focussed on work and always online means she's lost any real connection to people.When Emma gets a call to say her ageing father is becoming increasingly confused, she decides that she should go back home to the countryside to spend some time with him. But returning to Little Bramble, the village she grew up in, after all these years, is filled with complications of its own and people she'd rather avoid.As Emma starts to settle in to her childhood home, she finds herself loving village life - much to her surprise. When the opportunity to get involved in the running of the summer fete comes her way, before she knows it she's embracing jam making, cake baking and bunting. And with romance brewing, Emma begins to doubt the glamorous life in London that she worked so hard to build . . .

The Last Days of Us


Caroline Finnerty - 2021
    So when her husband JP announces on Christmas Day that he is leaving her and their two children, 9 year old Harry and 4 year old Robyn, Sarah is left reeling. But things are set to get worse when Robyn is diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour. Can JP and Sarah unite to fight their biggest battle yet? or will they be on opposing sides once again? With the couple at loggerheads and with Robyn's condition deteriorating day-by-day, precious time is running out and JP is getting desperate.