Book picks similar to
An Ideal Retreat by Michael Griffin


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The Talk of Pram Town


Joanna Nadin - 2020
    . .It’s 1981. Eleven-year-old Sadie adores her beautiful and vibrant mother, Connie, whose dreams of making it big as a singer fill their tiny house in Leeds. It’s always been just the two of them. Until the unthinkable happens.Jean hasn’t seen her good-for-nothing daughter Connie since she ran away from the family home in Harlow – or Pram Town as its inhabitants affectionately call it – aged seventeen and pregnant.But in the wake of the Royal Wedding, Jean gets a life-changing call: could she please come and collect the granddaughter she’s never met?We all know how Charles and Diana turned out, and Jean and Sadie are hardly a match made in heaven – but is there hope of a happy ending for them?Written in Joanna Nadin’s trademark dazzling prose, The Talk of Pram Town tells the story of three generations of Earnshaws and asks whether it always has to be like mother, like daughter . .

A Sweethaven Romance


Courtney Walsh - 2017
    Her only hope of uncovering the truth lies with local firefighter (and long-time Waverly rival) Jason Holloway. With his piercing eyes and troubled past, it's clear from the start it's not only her way of life that's on the line, it's her heart. This novella originally appeared in the novella collection "Right Where We Belong".

The Phantom of the Opal


Jessa Archer - 2019
    The distinctive black opal ring that Caroline had always worn—the ring that she had promised to leave to Tig's fifteen-year-old daughter, Paige—isn't on her finger when they open the coffin. But who could have taken Caroline's ring? Was it the funeral director? Or perhaps the college student who found Caroline's body at the foot of the stairs in the science building?Tig is determined to find the opal and to sort out the odd behavior of her mother's cat, the aptly-named Attila. Her detective skills are a little rusty, however, and this time, there are no writers to tell her whodunit. She'll have to rely on her wits—and maybe a bit of help from the cat.

A Harvest Bond


Lee Tobin McClain - 2017
    Healthy living, working his Pennsylvania farm, and mentoring troubled boys have brought him back from grief and illness into a whole new life. Emily Stern has recovered from losing her husband too young, and she can’t wait to get started on her dream: creating a rural retreat for struggling midlife women. The farm she’s inherited is the perfect place, so much so that she’s willing to move across the country to make it happen. But when Emily arrives at the Covenant Farm, she’s shocked to find her long-ago love, John Moretti, living there… and contemplating very different plans for the place. Forced to compromise by staying at the farm together, they quickly realize there’s still a spark between them. But only John knows what else stands between them: a secret that could break Emily’s heart. Jump into the final novella of the Sacred Bond series… a touching love story about sowing, reaping, and gathering in the harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. John 4:36

The King in Yellow - True Detective Edition: Tales of the Carcosa Mythos


Ambrose Bierce - 2014
    Chambers, Ambrose Bierce, and H. P. Lovecraft. This anthology, edited with an explanatory introduction by a noted weird fiction scholar, collects the tales of those writers that are relevent to True Detective. Unlike other ebook collections, that contain dozens of unrelated stories, such as Chambers's victorian romances and random Lovecraft stories that have nothing at all to do with True Detective, this anthology includes only those stories that directly reference The King in Yellow, Carcosa, and other important themes. This is the only collection that contains all of the stories by these authors that reference Hastur, the ancient god of Carcosa, who appears among the tattoos on Reggie Ledoux. It also includes the correct Lovecraft story that connects all of these works with the Cthulhu Mythos. This is the ideal collection for those who want to understand the many references to early weird fiction that have appeared in True Detective.

Archer Sisters of Goldrush 3 Book Box set


Faye Sonja - 2015
    Adeline Archer is twenty-five and she is DESPERATE!She needs to run from the luxury she's known in New York.Their affluent lifestyle is at an abrupt end! Now her father has taken his own life, leaving either Adeline or her younger sisters commanded to marry to Lex Baxtor- the man they hated most!Well . . . so she needs an ESCAPE PLAN - to become a Mail order Bride with a strict no-love policy. Perfect!Gold Rush . . . and James Blair, are her ONLY option.What will happen in a marriage when two hearts committed to a strict-no-love policy?Will they go through with the annulment they think they want?AMELIA - The Idealistic Bride for Her Insecure Rancher ~ Book 2Amelia Archer is almost twenty - a romantic artist and DREAMER by nature...As a matter of fact, she's imagined her wedding day for as long as she can remember.Along with a wonderful wedding, her thoughts had often to be with her one true love. The touching and poetic letters from Jack Blair have had Amelia's heart in a spin and she knows he's the perfect husband for her.Everything had worked out perfectly well......well... until reality struck...What will happen when Amelia comes crashing down to earth on a ranch which is more rustic than she expected and nowhere near as romantic as she imagined?Dashing Jack Blair loves the ranch but hates ranching. He's insecure about his future and maybe a bride can help give him hope for the future.Will he choose his own bride for love and not for her ability to further the family empire?AVERILL- The Careful Bride for Her Impulsive Sheriff ~ Book 3Averill Archer is eighteen, an intellect, careful and YEARNING for a NEW FUTURE to fulfill all her ambitions . . . and at the same time to fulfill her sister's escape plan.If she must marry, she will do so with a man to match her bright and active mind. When well-written letters arrive from Jacob Blair,. she's EXCITED and absolutely POSITIVE he's the one for her.But there's a problem . . . . .Averill Archer hates liars and drinkers!What will happen if her future husband - Jacob Blair is both a liar and a drinker?Jacob can't read or write and doesn't believe he can ever learn.Being impulsive and hot-headed, his main answer to problems is a bottle of booze.Will Averill's discovery about Jacob's lies and deceit over the letters that captured her heart and his pig-headedness be the end of budding young love?The Big Feisty Bride tamed by Her Scarred Banker ~ BONUS STORY: Book 1 in

Return from the Portal: A time travel story


John Gschwend - 2018
     Sam believes she will soon have to adjust from the slow-paced, farm life of East Arkansas to follow her track scholarship to the University of Arkansas. Her life now is laid-back and predictable just the way she wants it. However, that will soon change as she goes for a morning run down a familiar, rural road and stops for a brief rest at an old, abandoned farm. There at that lonely, isolated place, so peaceful, so familiar, Sam has an experience that will change the course of her life. What will she do and where will she turn as she discovers she is not who or what she thought and this world is not the only one? Are they even her choices to make when a strange, dimension portal proves time travel and other worlds are real? Return from the Portal is the sequel to the time travel novel Portal to the Forgotten. In that story Luke, a reclusive Arkansas Constable, while searching for a missing girl, discovers a time travel portal in the Ozark Mountains that opens to another dimension. He and a reporter are pulled into that world and find it is almost impossible to get back. Return from the Portal is a stand alone novel, but would be better enjoyed by first reading Portal to the Forgotten. Visit John Gschwend at Johngschwend.com to see more of his stories.

Lust, Lies and Lemon Cakes Too


Steven Morris - 2017
    All he wants is to get his leg-over occasionally with his wife, Helen, and to lose enough weight to be able to see his genitals without having to hold his stomach out of the way. So when Carol (the randy work colleague and fellow food lover) who almost seduced him the night before, turns up at his home and introduces herself to his wife, he begins to wonder whether life is playing a cruel practical joke on him. As Carol seems determined to make his life a misery for turning her down, and he's about to discover something's going horribly wrong in the trouser department too, he could very well be right. If that weren’t enough to have him reaching for the comfort food, he also has to contend with an oversexed son who's using the soapy bathroom sponge for something other than cleaning purposes. Plus a daughter who having just discovered boys has started dating a six foot ginger gorilla with huge bushy sideburns. Not forgetting his neighbour’s cat, a vengeful pigeon, a gang of feral children and a vigilante sausage dog. Lust, Lies and Lemon Drizzle: Eric Baxter's continuing struggle with life, love, and his ever expanding waistline. Sequel to the UK Amazon bestseller: Sex, Lies and Chocolate Cakes

Much Ado About a Kiss


Heather Tullis - 2017
    Running the café she’d practically been raised in: Check. Her artwork in a gallery: Check. Volunteering on the library board: Check. The one thing she doesn’t need right now is a guy in her life—especially her brother’s irritating best friend from high school, so when the two men announce that they are moving home to start a ski and mountain bike shop in town, she isn’t pleased. If only she could completely forget that one kiss she and Austin shared in high school. Why does he have to upset her just-fine world? Not this time. Not if she can help it. But can she?

The Complete Aliso Creek Series


Heather B. Moore - 2014
    But that was over ten years ago, and each is still trying to find that perfect someone . . . if perfect is even possible.This box set includes all 5 stories:PICTURE PERFECT: Gemma Staheli has never done anything out of the ordinary, until her boyfriend Randy starts to ignore her. But even cutting and dyeing her hair doesn’t get his attention. She decides to join her old high school friends for spring vacation, only to be faced with Drew, her best friend who suddenly seems interested in her as more than a friend. Gemma must determine if her heart is on the rebound or if it’s finally met its true match.THIRD TIME’S THE CHARM: Liz Carlson will settle for a normal man. A normal man with a job, that is. Married twice, then divorced twice, Liz’s rose-colored glasses fell off and shattered on the ground a long time ago. Her main focus now is raising her six-year-old daughter and surviving long days at work on her feet as a hairdresser. When Sloane Branden answers her call for help, quite literally, Liz doesn’t even give him a second glance. She’s sworn off dating for as many years as it takes, and it seems that Sloane has done the same after his own tumultuous marriage. But when Liz realizes that Sloane defies every stereotypical deadbeat she’s dated, she might just find room in her heart and discover the third time’s the charm.THE DAISY CHAIN: Jess Giles does find her perfect match, but since Charlie’s several years older than she, they never have a moment of harmony from his adult kids who protest the marriage. When Charlie dies in a tragic accident, his kids add insult to injury and sue Jess for her share of the inheritance. The only person Jess trusts for financial advice is Charlie’s financial planner, Preston Michaels. Just talking to Preston on the phone makes Jess feel flustered, yet strangely comfortable at the same time, so she puts off meeting him for as long as possible. When Jess has to attend the formal hearing, she’s about to find out if the man she’s been talking to over the phone for several months lives up to the voice that she’s grown attached to.LOST THEN FOUND: Arie, at the top of her career as VP of an established real estate company, discovers that her success has led to a less-than-successful dating life. But she may have just met the ideal man in work-a-holic film producer, Dustin Jacobs. Seeing each other once a week, or even once a month, is no big deal since they are both ambitious… until Arie realizes she wants much, much more.ONE CHANCE: Valentina is the odd-woman out. She’s part of “the Five” when she dates Drew for a couple of years, and remains friends with the women, but with her traveling schedule as a runway model, it’s impossible to maintain a real relationship. When Valentina attends her cousin’s wedding in LA, she runs into Cesar, who she was school friends with in her native country of Puerto Rico. Cesar is not the young skinny boy she remembers, but a grown man who seems interested in what’s beyond her model-appearance. Back in New York, Valentina can’t get him out of her mind, but she also can’t deny the fact that they’re separated by more than one country.

Brown Sugar


D. Rose - 2019
    During her sabbatical from love, she finds healing in performing poetry at Ray's, a lounge located in the small town of Roseville. What started as an escape turned into a secret admiration for another performer and crowd favorite, Marquis Kent. Marquis Kent, a 28-year-old carpenter, and reformed preacher's kid is desperately in need of a fresh start, and moving from his hometown to Roseville was the first step to a new life. He too finds relief in performing acoustic covers of his favorite songs at Ray’s. His sultry voice paired with his southern charm made him a crowd favorite, including the person he least expected – Shiloh. To Marquis, Shiloh is the perfect woman who has it all together – a woman clearly out of his league. To Shiloh, Marquis is just another heartbreak waiting to happen, but she can no longer resist the temptation... A serendipitous encounter opens their eyes to the realization that they have more in common than what meets the naked eye. But are they willing to put their apprehensions aside and explore what could be? brown sugar is a novella

Sweet Tea and Second Chances


Kelsey Browning - 2015
    That’s what Sheriff Teague Castro promised the good people of Bartell County, Georgia. But when he reunites with his first love, his supporters suddenly wonder if he’s too distracted to uphold his sworn commitment.When Jenny buys an expensive house Teague could never afford on a sheriff’s salary, small-town gossip runs wild. If he can’t take care of his own family, is he fit to protect a whole county? Until his job is secure, Teague presses pause on his love life.But when a crisis calls him to the front line, it triggers memories from a tragic case still haunting him. Only this time, Jenny’s life is on the line, and the confrontation could quickly turn Teague’s forever into never. ***A PICK YOUR PASSION Novella from Kelsey and Nancy – pick your passion level – sweet or heat as you enjoy the continuing romance of Sheriff Teague Castro and Jenny Cady. Let us know how you like the PYP feature by emailing PyP@TheGrannySeries.com.

Somewhere, my Love


Susan May Warren - 2015
    The perfect one, who is exactly the right fit. But sometimes the wait – and the fear of launching out to find that special someone -- keep us from leaping out in faith. From saying hello, accepting that cup of coffee, saying yes to a romantic walk on the beach. Sometimes it just takes a providential moment to change everything. RITA and Christy award-winning, ECPA and CPA best-selling novelist, Susan May Warren brings you three delightful novellas about leaping out into the unknown only to discover that yes, somewhere, my love is waiting. Measure of a Man The last person Calil Deane expects to find trapped in an elevator in Siberia at 2.a.m is Peter Samuelson—the man who broke her heart. Besides, she has a life she loves now - as a missionary in Russia. But Peter is not the man she remembers, and suddenly, she has to take another look, remeasure the man she once knew. But can love be reignited, or will the fears – and mistakes – of the past drive them apart again? "5 Stars for Measure of a Man! Susan Warren's offering, Measure of a Man, is wonderful! Endearing characters and a page-turning plot, romance at its very best and a precious message neatly woven in. I can't wait to read more by this incredible new author! ~ D. Raney Amazon.com reviewer Proof of Your Love Investigative Reporter Justine Proof knows she doesn't belong in the small, backwater town in East Tennessee...not only is she a Yankee, and hasn't the foggiest idea what grits are, but she's pretty sure someone is out to get her. And yes, it might be because she's investigating a murder, but someone is making it personal. Certainly it can't be cute, but redneck, coffee shop owner "Wild" Pat Bells, right? Still, every time she has car trouble, Pat "seems" to show up, raspberry latte in hand. Is he a rogue meaning her harm - or a friend trying to help? Patrick Bells can’t believe he heard a woman plan a murder into her tape recorder. And not just any woman – cute and sassy Justine Proof, a woman he’s been scraping up the courage to meet since the first day she ordered a raspberry latte in his coffee shop, the Right Cup. But Pat isn't going to let anyone get hurt in his town. . . Justine has finally found someone she’d like to trust -- someone who has suddenly become more than just an early morning ray of sunshine in her life. But her suspicious mind stands between her and true love. She’s about to learn that trust is a choice, and that only God can help her make it. This Little House of Mine When they said "Missionary," Interior Decorator Ellen White expected, well, not the hot, tall, and sweet Paul Stoneman, fresh from the backwoods of some Russian village. And sure, she'll help him redecorate his cute missionary home. After all, clearly the confirmed, rough-around-the edges bachelor needs a woman's touch. But when she falls for him, she discovers that loving a man with a heart for God requires more from her than she's willing to give. Paul Stoneman longs for a wife to share his life wife. Sure, he loves his life as a missionary, but admittedly, he's lonely. Beautiful Ellen White is exactly what he's prayed for - right down to her ability to turn his life into something beautiful. But Ellen isn't interesting in leaving the comforts of America for the rustic life of a missionary, right? More than just a romance, this story will tug at the heart of anyone who loves a man whose heart belongs first, to God.

The Culling


Peter Meredith - 2020
    It’s time to tear down and start again. And what better way to eradicate humanity than by unleashing the monsters inside each of us? Destroying mankind is simple compared to perfecting a new version of mankind. Just as evil resides within all of us, the hero does as well. It’s just much harder to bring out. The Chosen are those few who survive the process. They become greater in every regard. The other 98% however, become the stuff of nightmares. Wickedly cunning and ferociously strong, they are insatiable demons that make the average zombie look like it's made of sticks and string.Into this cataclysm Bryce Carter is thrown wearing nothing but a hospital gown. He dared to defy Magnus, who felt injecting him with the serum just wasn’t punishment enough. Barefoot and bleeding, Bryce has to fight his way out of a city overrun with zombies.Led by the demons, the dead sweep across the streets like a grey river, forcing him to crawl through sewers and down into the dark tunnels beneath the blood-soaked streets. He’s hounded relentlessly and growing desperate as he only has so much time. Nuclear weapons are being readied and soon the city will be nothing but dust and ash.

Murder Most Fowl: A Libby Sarjeant Short Story


Lesley Cookman - 2017
    Once again, local butcher Bob is playing the dame, but the whole production is put under threat when someone sabotages his business. Libby Sarjeant recruits Fran Wolfe to help find the culprit and restore the Steeple Martin pantomime.