But no one feels very merry.Grace is worried about her husband's life-changing illness…Eden is facing devastating news…Casper is in over his head (of course!)…Amelia is dodging a walk down the aisle…Owen…well, Owen just nearly died, again…But it's Darek who has news that just might destroy the family legacy.The trip home for all is filled with secrets, memories and old dreams. But when they discover the real reason they've been asked home for the holidays, it will shake their world. It'll take a disaster for them to discover that home is the place for answers, hope and most of all…miracles.This year, spend Christmas with your favorite small town family.

    Before her mother's tragic death she'd promised to care for her young brother, Joshua, and teach him the gospel. But her father, Matthew, a lighthouse keeper devastated by the loss of his wife, banished Celena for refusing to renounce her Mormon faith. Five years later, when Matthew suffers serious injuries and Joshua pleads for Celena's help, she returns to her childhood home with a painful tangle of emotions. Can she love and forgive the headstrong, embittered father who cast her out? Celena's arrival catches the eyes of two approving gentlemen, as well as the suspicion of islanders who want control of the vacant lighthouse. Joshua convinces Celena to step forward as the new lighthouse keeper. When acts of vandalism begin to escalate, it's clear that someone on the island wants her gone#151;but who? More complexities arise as Celena makes a shocking discovery that turns her past inside out. Then the web of intrigue on the island turns deadly, with Celena at its very center. Against a backdrop of ocean waves and rich sunsets, this novel of suspense, romance, and reconciliation explores hidden motives and surprising secrets, the power of promises kept, and the hope of light found in unexpected places. Against a backdrop of ocean waves and rich sunsets, this novel of suspense, romance, and reconciliation explores hidden motives and surprising secrets, the power of promises kept, and the hope of light found in unexpected places. 6" X 9", 320 pages ISBN 978-1-59811-552-9

    But before she can arrest him, a mistake sends the case careering off the rails.And then the pandemic hits.Six world-changing months later, and Christine Harvey has been widowed by the disease. She decides to build a new life for her children on the Dorset coast, buying a stunning clifftop property.But no one tells her the house is right next door to where the murdered girl lived. And nobody warns her that the girl’s father – who still lives there – was very much a suspect in the case before it collapsed.Christine tries to commit to her fresh start. But the increasingly unsettling behaviour of her new neighbour leads her to speculate on what really happened on that dark, winter night.She soon realises her own children are in terrible danger, but with nowhere else to go, and the case officially closed, the only person who can help is the detective who blew up so spectacularly in the first place.Together they must unmask a calculating and merciless killer, before he strikes again.And if they fail, Christine’s daughter will be the next child lying dead in the cove.

    Can they reconcile or will death and betrayal mark their lives and the lives of their families forever? Delia O'Toole is determined to escape the nursing home that has become her prison. So when her lifelong enemy, Ruthann, begs her to return to their hometown in North Carolina, Delia realizes it's time to confront Ruthann. It's time to deal with “the accident.” “Tangled Threads,” vetted for accuracy by an expert on early mill villages, moves between the 1890s and the 1950s. Along the way, it explores the limits of forgiveness and the difficult choices that await us at the end of life. Book club discussion questions included.

    knight, a man known to friend and foe alike as The Wolfe of the Borders.... William de Wolfe is a man of strength, ethics, and character. The youngest son of the Earl of Wolverhampton, William has made a name and fortune for himself in the wilds of the England/Scotland border. As the captain of the guard for the Earl of Teviot, one of the more powerful earls in northern England, William has distinguished himself in battle. In love, he falls for his beautiful Jordan and like all wolves, he mates for life. The World of The Wolfe is a vast and complex universe with battles, lust, betrayal, death, and politics, but most of all, of friendship and love. In this never-before collection of it's kind, you can find all of William's books in one collection. This collection is for a limited time only! The Wolfe: Read the saga that started it all. A wounded English knight meets a Scottish lass by chance, and this encounter changes the course of both of their lives forever. Serpent: The Wolfe's daughter, a lady knight in her own right, marries a Welsh prince and finds herself fighting against England... and her father. Scorpion: A godson of The Wolfe, an assassin knight known as the Scorpion, shares a forbidden love with another man's wife. The Thunder Lord: William de Wolfe plays a role in the first book in the Lords of Thunder series. Gallus de Shera, known as The Thunder Lord, is swept up in he battle between Simon de Montfort and Henry III. A complex tale of passion and politics.

    But, some months later, many thousands of miles away in Western Australia, Jessica’s path is destined to cross with Jivan’s once more – and she begins to see a different side to this talented yet reserved and private man. For his part, Jivan finds himself increasingly drawn to the unpretentious Jessica, and impressed by her single-minded determination to follow her dreams of becoming a successful writer. But following a bitter divorce, Jivan has vowed never to get romantically involved with a woman again. Can Jessica break down his emotional barriers? What’s more, Jivan’s vengeful ex-wife is determined to stop him embarking on a new relationship – and is prepared to go to any lengths to achieve her aim.

    She writes of the human condition with precision, in language that is both grave and conversational. Her characters step out of the real world onto the page, where she develops them quietly, but with compassionate fullness. This writer grips the reader with her keen knowledge of the psyche of individuals-—their motives and secrets—and also with the surprising things that happen to them.”—Laura Kasischke, judge, Michigan Literary Fiction AwardsOf Elaine Ford’s novel, Missed Connections, the Washington Post wrote that it is a work “of small episodes, of precise sentences, of unusual clarity.” That same clarity proves an unsettling force in Ford’s stories, where precision of prose often belies uncertainties hidden beneath. In the title piece, an American woman in England, embroiled in a relationship doomed to fail, discovers how little she understands about her own desires and impulses. In another story, another American wife, abandoned in Greece by her archaeologist husband, struggles to solve a crime no one else believes to have been committed.Throughout her stories Ford touches on the mysteries that make up our lives. Each story in itself is a masterpiece of such detail and power as to transform the way we see the world.

    But the more Jean investigates, the more her life becomes strangely (and not unpleasantly) intertwined with that of the Tilburys: Gretchen is now a friend, and her quirky and charming daughter Margaret a sort of surrogate child. And Jean doesn't mean to fall in love with Gretchen's husband, Howard, but Howard surprises her with his dry wit, his intelligence and his kindness — and when she does fall, she falls hard.But he is married, and to her friend — who is also the subject of the story she is researching for the newspaper, a story that increasingly seems to be causing dark ripples across all their lives. And yet Jean cannot bring herself to discard the chance of finally having a taste of happiness...But there will be a price to pay, and it will be unbearable.

    Only an act of faith can reunite them. Trudy Hulst has no idea if her husband survived his attempted escape past the newly constructed Berlin Wall, but she knows too well the consequences of his actions. Now branded the wife of a defector, she faces a life in prison. With no real choice, she is forced to follow, praying she can find a way to claim their child once she’s in West Berlin. Surviving her harrowing break for freedom, Trudy learns the truth about her husband. Left to wander the wall like a ghost, she lives for brief glimpses of her son, stranded behind barbed wire and surrounded by armed soldiers. And Trudy knows she will do anything to get him back.

    The novel explores two historical strands, bringing together an abused housewife from the 1970s and a young girl from the early 1940s in a story of love, loss and unexpected consequences.The Letter follows the life of Tina in the 1970s who seeks respite from her abusive marriage by volunteering at a charity shop. One day, while sorting through the pockets of a second-hand suit, she comes across an old letter. It is still firmly sealed and un-franked. Unable to resist the pull of curiosity, Tina opens the letter. It was written on 4th September 1939. She is so moved by the contents and bemused as to why the letter was never delivered, she embarks on a quest to find out what became of the writer and his intended recipient.The mystery of how this love letter ended up in Tina’s hands is also uncovered through Billy’s story from the early 1940s. He writes a letter that will change his life forever, unaware that it will not be read for another 34 years, and then by a complete stranger.With a swift pace, memorable characters and a wonderful conceptual depth, Hughes’ novel is one that simply can’t be put down.

    During the preparation for the trial, he discovers to his horror that his defense may result in acquittal. As a lawyer, John is bound by his oath to the state to maintain secrecy, to guarantee a fair trial, and to safeguard the law; yet keeping that oath could lead to the murderer's release. Should he abandon the case? Only if he's willing to suffer the state's disciplinary action. Maybe that would be easier to face than the growing anger of the community. Or the disappointment and disbelief of his own family.

    While Brexit and the unpopularity of opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn are factors, there is a more nuanced story explored in Broken Heartlands of how these northern communities have fared through generational shifts, struggling public services, deindustrialisation, and the changing nature of work. Featuring interviews with people from the red wall and the viewpoints of major political figures from both parties, Payne explores the role these social and economic forces, decades in the making, have played in upheaving the political landscape.

    The girl who against all the odds managed to claw her way through school and rise above the expectations of her peers. She is ruthless, unrelenting and driven. She works hard and has no room in her life for anything else. She has no friends and even her own mother flinches when she visits. Her staff fear her and she rips them apart as though they are candidates for the Apprentice. The one focus in her life is making it to the top and today that dream is about to come true. There is only one man standing in her way. Charlie Monroe. Born with a silver spoon in his mouth he had his future mapped out for him from an early age. He was born to wealthy parents and lived the life others could only dream of. He went to Eton and then Oxford and has never had to try for anything because where his brain fails, his looks win. Loved by everyone and desired by many. Popular with his staff and everyone’s friend. Victoria hates him. They are both in the running to take over the company where they work when Mr Rowanson retires. However, to win the company they must complete a set of challenges. One for every day of December and on Christmas Day the winner will be chosen. There is one condition. They must work together and have no other help. Every morning on the stroke of 8 they must open the Advent Calendar to discover their challenge. These challenges will determine the winner and failure is not an option. This is no ordinary Advent calendar and they are not children. This time it's war and the winner takes it all. Prepare for a special kind of Advent where anything can happen……even the unexpected!

    . .On a hot July day in 1967, Odelle Bastien climbs the stone steps of the Skelton gallery in London, knowing that her life is about to change forever. Having struggled to find her place in the city since she arrived from Trinidad five years ago, she has been offered a job as a typist under the tutelage of the glamorous and enigmatic Marjorie Quick. But though Quick takes Odelle into her confidence, and unlocks a potential she didn't know she had, she remains a mystery - no more so than when a lost masterpiece with a secret history is delivered to the gallery.The truth about the painting lies in 1936 and a large house in rural Spain, where Olive Schloss, the daughter of a renowned art dealer, is harbouring ambitions of her own. Into this fragile paradise come artist and revolutionary Isaac Robles and his half-sister Teresa, who immediately insinuate themselves into the Schloss family, with explosive and devastating consequences . . .

     THE WINTER WISH Lady Sarah Dawson has one simple wish for Christmas: to gain the attention of Devlin Heathcliff, the handsome viscount who she has loved for as long as she can remember. Unfortunately for Sarah she is plain, quiet, and embarrassingly shy – the exact opposite of the type of woman Devlin is attracted to. All hope seems lost… Until one afternoon fate steps in and Sarah learns that sometimes, with a little magic, winter wishes can come true. THE RISQUE RESOLUTION Due to a clause in her father’s will, Lily has until Christmas to find a husband. She fears all hope is lost… until she meets the mysterious, insufferable, and oh so handsome Captain James Rigby. Recently returned and still recovering from the bloody battlefields of war, James is missing an arm and, it would seem, a heart. The last thing on the embittered soldier’s mind is marriage, especially to Lily Kincaid, a woman who is as infuriatingly stubborn as she is beautiful. With time running out, can Lily convince James – and herself – true love really exists? Or will she lose everything, including her heart? PLEASE NOTE: Both 'The Winter Wish' and 'The Risque Resolution' are previously published novellas and are available for purchase individually.