Book picks similar to
The Books and Bakes Shop by Elaine Walsh
england
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romance
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Summer at Oyster Bay
Jenny Hale - 2016
But what if you know it’ll break your heart?For Emily Tate, returning to her charming childhood home Oyster Bay is like coming up for air after the fast pace of her city life. At the farm her grandfather built, surrounded by sister Rachel’s chatter, Gram’s buttermilk biscuits, and the soft, white sand, Emily is reminded of exactly who she is and what she holds most dear.When Emily starts work at elegant Water’s Edge Inn, Charles Peterson, the handsome new owner, asks for her help. He wants to expand and needs Emily to teach him the local ways, so he can convince the planning commission. Emily vows to make him fall in love with her hometown, just the way it is.At work, Charles is reserved and serious, yet once Emily has him kicking off his shoes in the sand and sailing across the glistening Chesapeake Bay, she sees another side to him, and their easy rapport feels like the start of something big.But when it becomes clear Charles’s plans for the inn involve bulldozing Oyster Bay, Emily is heartbroken. Will she lose her home and Charles all at once, or can she save Oyster Bay, and give true love a chance?
The Reading Group
Della Parker - 2017
Grace, Anne-Marie, Kate, Jojo and Serena are as different as can be but each month they meet in Serena's beautiful cliff-top cottage to discuss a good book - and their lives, which are sometimes stranger than fiction! Between new loves and old flames, cheating husbands and wayward children, there's always a surprise around the corner...
Picking Up the Pieces
Mary Sheepshanks - 1997
But when her daughter Joanna's husband walks out, and Joanna instantly assumes that Kate will step into the supporting Granny role while she goes career and man-hunting, Kate realizes it is time to step outside her family's preconceived expectations--with devastating results. What follows is a delightful story of the relationships and unspoken power struggles between four generations of women.
Slightly South of Simple
Kristy Woodson Harvey - 2017
But now that her marriage to a New York high society heir has fallen apart in a very public, very embarrassing fashion, a pregnant Caroline decides to escape the gossipmongers with her nine-year-old daughter and head home to her mother, Ansley. Ansley has always put her three daughters first, especially when she found out that her late husband, despite what he had always promised, left her with next to nothing. Now the proud owner of a charming waterfront design business and finally standing on her own two feet, Ansley welcomes Caroline and her brood back with open arms. But when her second daughter Sloane, whose military husband is overseas, and youngest daughter and successful actress Emerson join the fray, Ansley begins to feel like the piece of herself she had finally found might be slipping from her grasp. Even more discomfiting, when someone from her past reappears in Ansley's life, the secret she’s harbored from her daughters their entire lives might finally be forced into the open. Exploring the powerful bonds between sisters and mothers and daughters, this engaging novel is filled with Southern charm, emotional drama, and plenty of heart.
Tuesdays at the Teacup Club
Vanessa Greene - 2013
. .The children's books Jenny writes and illustrates from her countryside studio are doing well, and after a lifetime of looking after everyone else, she's finally putting herself first. Meanwhile, Maggie's ordered world is thrown into chaos when her baby son Leo arrives. Candlelit baths have made way for endless night feeds, and she and partner Owen are struggling to find any time for themselves. It's been a long year of financial sacrifice, but working-mum Alison has fulfilled her dream at last - she is now the proud co-owner of a cafe and art gallery.But when Alison's happiness is threatened and news from home shocks Jenny back to reality, the women must band together. Suddenly their friendship is more important than ever.In this digital-exclusive short story, Vanessa Greene revisits the characters we first fell in love with in" The Vintage Teacup Club." Appealing to both new and old fans, this is a real treat for anyone who enjoys warm-hearted and sincere storytelling - and it's best enjoyed with a nice cup of tea."
The Chinese Lantern
Harry Bowling - 1997
In Tanners Alley in Bermondsey, Ruby Neal gives birth to a son, Paul. On the edge of a paddy field in Eastern China, a young woman dies giving premature birth to a girl. A travelling trader takes pity and takes the tiny child to the Anglican mission to be cared for. He becomes the child's guardian and names her Mei Li Ching.By the time Paul and Mei Li reach their twenty-first birthdays, they could not have had more different lives. And it is only as a consequence of war that they ever meet. Instantly attracted to each other, they are soon to discover the problems their cultural differences - and family prejudices - will bring.
Rancher’s Pregnant Ex
Mary Sue Jackson - 2021
Especially when it’s to his beautiful ranch manager and former high school sweetheart.When Derrick returns home after retiring from years on the circuit, Penelope Martinez explains that the fake engagement was just a way to get her dangerous ex off her back. Now she begs him to continue the ruse, but Derrick wants none of it—it's too risky being around the girl that broke his heart. Until he realizes how vital Penelope is to the success of his ranch. So he cuts her a deal: if she stays through the birthing season, he’ll agree to a fake engagement. Penelope is on board, however she has one more condition: absolutely, positively no kissing.What was she thinking? No kissing the sexiest cowboy she’s ever known? Turns out that’s a rule that was made to be broken. More than once. To make the engagement seem real, Penelope moves into the ranch house where working closely together with Derrick makes it almost impossible to keep their relationship all business. Soon enough, they’re rekindling the old flame. Being with Derrick is wonderful—at first. But then he starts putting up barriers and pushing her away, leaving Penelope more than confused and wondering if what they have is real at all. It’s almost as if he’s hiding something from her…She wants them to be together, but is her love strong enough to get past whatever is holding them apart?
Road To Somewhere: Book Two in the Clearwater Series
Julie Mayerson Brown - 2019
The day her kitchen ceiling collapses on top of her, Patty’s life unravels. Whether a sign from above or plain bad luck, she has no idea. But her brush with death shakes her to her core. With no boyfriend, no plans, and no where to stay, she leaves her condemned home and heads to California wine country to be near Cece, her best friend, confidant, and quintessential voice of reason. A few days in the quiet small town of Clearwater will give her the comfort she needs to contemplate one of life’s most enduring questions: "What now?” But instead of quiet and comfort, Patty is met with even more troubles—Cece suffers a crisis of her own, a new friend ropes her into a demanding situation, and an enticing yet complicated man has her spinning toward romantic disaster. However, it’s the mysterious arrival of her younger sister that pushes Patty to the brink and forces her to question everything she thought she knew about her siblings and about the family that rejected her. Now, faced with a monumental decision, Patty has no choice but to gamble on the one person she trusts the least —herself.
Seven Year Itch
Lyndsey Gallagher - 2019
The last thing she expected was to fall in love with a complete stranger at the hen weekend. Which wouldn’t be a problem apart from the teeny tiny fact that she’s already married to somebody else… Is it a case of the Seven-Year-Itch or could it be the real deal? Lucy needs to decide if she is going to leave the security of her stale marriage in order to find out if the grass is indeed greener on the other side, or whether it’s worth having one more go at watering her own garden. Could this party-loving, city girl really leave the country she loves for a farmer from the West of Ireland? Is there such a thing as fate? What about karma? Is John Kelly all that he seems?
Mystery in the Village
Rebecca Shaw - 2015
He's intent on convincing her to pursue a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity - in America. What's more, it looks like Caroline's career isn't the only thing Morgan is interested in.Newlyweds Chris and Deborah Templeton seem to be the perfect union. The old, unpredictable Chris has been replaced by a kinder and gentler man, yet he's still plagued by doubt. Where does Deborah disappear to for days on end? Why won't she tell her husband? After the tragic death of his young grandson, Ron Bissett is further devastated when he loses his wife. Sheila Bissett has taken her own life, and no one can fathom why. But when an unexpected letter is received, it soon becomes clear that Sheila was hiding far darker secrets than anyone ever knew.
A Glimpse of the Mersey
Anne Baker - 2001
Daisy yearns for the love and security that a family of her own would give her, but she finds comfort in her relationship with Brenda, her older 'sister'. One day in 1919 Brenda arrives home flushed with excitement. She has agreed to marry local businessman Gil Fox. Daisy is dismayed at the news, for she doesn't trust the handsome Gil. Not long after their wedding, Brenda begins to realise that Gil isn't the man she thought he was. But Daisy's dreams are about to come true. Ellis - Gil's upright, kind and dependable brother - falls in love with Daisy. A family of her own is finally within her reach. But will it be enough to get her through some stormy times?
Yours Mine Ours
Bridgitte Lesley - 2014
Your children. My children. And sometimes ‘ours’. Dawn and Dutch had both had it rough. Their partners had both moved on. Leaving them both thinking that they were pretty useless. In everything including the bedroom duties. Which really was not the case. It was a Sunday afternoon when Dawn had taken her family out to lunch that she met Dutch. Dutch was with his family doing the karaoke. At a little pub come restaurant. Dawn became the star performer but soon had to run off. Soon enough Dutch and Dawn started dating. They weren’t youngsters. But the feelings coursing through their bodies were both new and strange. They hadn’t lived their lives when they should have. They had one tiny little tiff which provoked the little jealous monster. But it soon blew over. Dutch’ family soon became Dawn’s. Dawn’s family admired Dutch. It ended up as ours. A chuckle awaits you! Enjoy!
The Waffle House on the Pier
Tilly Tennant - 2020
With its pretty painted chairs, sweet smells, and the warm advice of her beloved grandparents, the waffle house is like a second home.But when Sadie’s grandfather dies, leaving her grandmother without an anchor, Sadie must make a difficult decision. She quits her job and moves back home, determined to keep things going. The trouble is, she knows nothing about running a business, and learning at a million miles an hour with a shop full of hungry people isn’t easy. When she nearly burns the waffle house down, she has to admit she needs to get some help.Her ex-boyfriend Declan promises to be there for her but Sadie worries that getting too close is a mistake – especially as he has a new girlfriend now. And anyway she’s just met newcomer Luke, with his gorgeous suntan and mellow voice…Sadie’s family have always loved Declan and they’re not too sure about Luke, leaving Sadie unsure which way to turn. A terrible accident at sea forces her to look into her heart, but what if it’s already too late to tell the right man that she loves him?If you love stolen kisses under the pier, walking along spray-capped shores eating ice cream, and books by Lucy Diamond, Jill Mansell and Jenny Colgan, you will fall in love with this romantic, heart-breaking read.
Adrift (Grace Springs)
Jaycee Weaver - 2018
Adrift in a sea of stress and grief and clinging to the life raft of responsibility.It's time I start swimming again. And someday? Maybe surf the waves instead of being pulled under and dragged out to sea.God offers so much more for Erin than a life of treading water, focusing all her time and attention on running a small business while raising her kids after the death of her husband.Through strangely poignant dreams and a series of run-ins with an unexpectedly attractive guy from church, Erin finds the hope she’ll not only feel alive again, but maybe even ride life’s waves victoriously.Adrift is the first of several novellas tied to the fictional Grace Springs Fellowship in the full-length Everyday Love series.These journal-style novellas are roughly 18-20K words, filled with vivid imagery and reflect the ways in which God at work in the main character's life.
From Shetland, With Love
Erin Green - 2021
She's never fitted in before - is this her chance to find where she really belongs?Finally Melissa has the allotment she's been longing for to distract her while her husband works away - even if it is chest-high in weeds. But when she looks for help in the wrong place, she finds she's the hottest topic of gossip.For Dottie, her allotment and part-time job of 'a little light dusting' at Lerwick Manor keeps a spring in her eighty-year-old step - and her ears open for secrets.Though generations apart, these three women are about to find a common bond in a new-found passion and that true friendship can grow anywhere.