Showing results by publisher "-emdashery books-" in Small Town & Rural

Jane Bancroft has returned to Lovett, Tasmania after 20 years away, minus one ex-husband but plus one outraged teenage daughter. Life in the city – life in general – hasn’t quite panned out as she would have liked. With her mother unwell, now seems as good a time as any to come back to where it all began, and perhaps even start a new life here in the heart of Tasmanian apple country. But the legacy of Jane's wild apple youth has not been forgotten by small-town Lovett and her homecoming is haunted by past tragedy.

Richard is a middle-aged Englishman who runs a B&B in the fictional Val de Follet in the Loire Valley. Nothing ever happens to Richard, and really that’s the way he likes it. One day, however, one of his older guests disappears, leaving behind a bloody handprint on the wallpaper. Another guest, the exotic Valérie, persuades a reluctant Richard to join her in investigating the disappearance. Richard remains a dazed passenger in the case until things become really serious and someone murders Ava Gardner, one of his beloved hen...and you don’t mess with a fellow’s hens!

Rachel Norris wants to forge a new life and career. And she wants to forget her past. When Rachel qualifies as nurse, she does so because she wants to help others and make a difference. But she is also running from a past life that must stay hidden forever. Completing her training, Rachel moves...

Six months ago, I had my life all figured out. I was going to be free of this horrible town, away from the small-minded, perfect people who judged me at first glance without bothering to look again. Nothing has changed. And yet everything has changed. The alphas that once acted as my shield now look at me with hatred in their eyes. They say it's my fault. All of it is my fault. But when fate decides I haven't suffered enough, she slaps me across the face with a mating bond none of us wanted.

Alison Hartmann is a woman with secrets no one wants her to keep. Gold Hill, with its idyllic setting, is the perfect place to hide. Light-hearted Hope Sullivan doesn't see it that way. What else is a small town for if it isn't about strong bonds and a close community? On a gloomy day by the lake, their lives collide, leading both women to question: Is Gold Hill a haven or a bolthole? Can you ever really be safe?

Someone is stalking Audrey Young. And she has no idea why. Complicating matters is her landlord and new neighbor, Josiah Haven. She doesn’t usually go for the big, surly lumberjack type. But there’s something about that broody man. He intimidates her a little, but she kind of likes it. She could totally handle the mess that is her life, except the strange feeling of being watched is just the beginning. Next thing Audrey knows, she’s a target, and she doesn’t know who’s behind it or why. For Josiah Haven, none of that makes her his problem.

Working the land and raising my boys as a single mom is the only life I’ve ever known. But between managing a struggling farm in small town Whispers and nurturing a growing side hustle, I dream of a life beyond poverty, a chance to turn our hopes into reality. I’m done living on handouts. Then Sawyer shows up on my doorstep, the new local lawyer. A billionaire from the city, polished and privileged, he’s clueless about small-town struggles. He says he wants to help, but I’m not some damsel in distress. He’s polished perfection, and I’m pure chaos. Total opposites.

In between jobs, Olivia Greer is helping residents of the Hello Age retirement community onto their bus when one of their own is found dead. Murdered in the herb garden, a sprig of thyme is clutched tight in his cold, lifeless hand. Worse yet, Olivia's former student, Raleigh Ulrich, is suspected of the crime.

Barry Laverty, M.B., can barely find the village of Ballybucklebo on a map when he first sets out to seek gainful employment there, but already he knows that there is nowhere he would rather live than in the emerald hills and dales of Northern Ireland. The proud owner of a spanking-new medical degree and little else in the way of worldly possessions, Barry jumps at the chance to secure a position as an assistant in a small rural practice. At least until he meets Dr. Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly.

Chicago surgeon Emily Hartford has never quite shaken off the dust of her hometown in Michigan. She may be a professional success and have a princely boyfriend in the Windy City, but she can’t seem to let go of being “the coroner’s daughter” from Freeport. Once again, she finds herself pulled back to her hometown when Jeremiah—the eleven-year-old son of her best friend, Jo—goes missing on the frigid shores of Lake Michigan.

Anny Woodvine's family has worked at the ironworks for as long as she can remember. The brightest child in her road and the first in her family to learn to read, Anny has big dreams. The moment she is asked to run messages to the big house, she's ready to grab the opportunity with both hands. Margaret King, only daughter of the King family, is surrounded by privilege and wealth. But behind closed doors all is not what it seems. When Anny arrives, Margaret finds her first ally and friend. Together they plan to change their lives.

One incredible weekend in Maine, and Beckett Porter is officially a distracted man. He’s not unfamiliar with hot and heavy flings. He knows how it goes. But Evie wove some sort of magic over him during their tumble in the sheets. He can’t stop thinking about her laugh, her hand pressed flat against his chest, her smiling mouth. So when she suddenly appears on his farm as part of a social media contest, he is confused. He had no idea that the sweet and sexy woman he met at a bar is actually a global phenomenon: social media influencer Evelyn St. James.

Wyatt Rivers is the perfect no-strings hookup—a cowboy Casanova who rocks a Stetson, looks smokin' hot in his Wranglers, and never rests his head on the same pillow twice. He's exactly what I'm looking for. If only Wyatt wasn't also my best friend…I'm back in my hometown of Harstville, Texas for a few months while I wait for my dream job to start thousands of miles away. While I'm here, I hope to end an epic dry spell in the bedroom, preferably with a local cowboy. If the rumors are true, they really do ride harder and stay on longer.

In the weeks since he moved to Ghost, Oregon, Maz Amani’s life has gotten so much better. Charming small town? Check. Queen Anne beauty of a house? Check. Project organizing the fascinating papers of Ghost’s founding family? Check. Adorable handyman who might morph into more than a friend? Check. Rafts of friendly townies? Check. And did he mention the house? Sure, there’s the occasional professional annoyance—ghostwriters can’t always be picky about the gigs they take in the name of keeping their cat in kibble. But on the whole, things are awesome.

Maya Bredesen and her husband plan to journey from Norway to a new life at her cousin's boardinghouse in America, but on one last fateful fishing trip, a fierce winter storm steals away her husband. With her dreams for the future crushed, Maya is left grieving on the voyage to Iowa, accompanied instead by her brother, who plans to finish his seminary degree. Arriving at a boardinghouse spilling over with orphans and a newly married couple, Maya struggles to find her place amid the chaos.

Frankie and Simone are sisters and best friends. Could a new man in town drive a wedge between them for the first time ever? Café owner Frankie has been unlucky in love all her life. It's hard in a small town like Bunyip Bay to meet prospective partners. Her sister, Simone, lost the love of her...

Trisha’s bestselling Christmas book will have you hooked from start to finish – the perfect read as those cold winter nights draw in. Christmas has always been a sad time for young widow Holly Brown. So when she's asked to look after a remote house on the Lancashire moors, the opportunity to...

Wren King is the one person in town everyone can rely on: need someone to watch your kids? She’s got it, you deserve a night off! Want five dozen cookies for a bake sale? Call up Wren; she loves to bake. Holly Ridge’s sweetheart is always available to help, even if it leaves little time for herself along the way.

'I loved it - another hugely satisfying read from Roisin' Sheila O'Flanagan, author of The Honeymoon Affair Three great loves. Two very different countries. One step closer to finding her way home... As a new decade begins, hopeless romantic and big dreamer Ellen is finally moving on from her...

As the eldest of the Rivers sisters, she's too focused on keeping her family's campground running in the wake of a devastating tragedy to even think about romance. When Kim Jefferies shows up at the local small town bar looking like a lesbian snack on a stick, Emily writes her off as yet another tourist just passing through-no matter how much the butterflies in her stomach try to tell her otherwise.