Showing results by publisher "Orion" in Small Town & Rural

Five seconds of honesty: Wells Canyon is the last place Blair Hart wants to be. But her mother's illness leaves her no choice except to return to the hometown-and the traumatic past-she's spent thirteen years hiding from. A run-in with the boy who tore her life to pieces is inevitable in a town like Wells Canyon, but that doesn't mean she's prepared for the way Denver Wells can turn back time with a single smile.

After saving her family farm from falling into disrepair Framboise, a secretive widow, lives a quiet life splitting her time between home and the creperie where she brings her mother's recipes to life. When her nephew approaches her to exploit her family's culinary legacy, Framboise is forced to confront her dramatic childhood at the heart of the German Occupation of France.

In the snowy market town of Wetherly, Merry is about to take on her biggest project yet, the arrival of a new baby. She has always dreamed of being a mother, particularly as she lost her own mother at such a young age. Everyone is so excited, so why is Merry feeling terrified? And why is she struggling to open up to business partner and best friend Nell, whose help she needs at the thriving candle shop more than ever?

Trapped between his unfulfilling career, a dwindling grasp on reality and his childhood memories, Jay Mackintosh takes the snap decision to buy a derelict French farmhouse, running from London to the village of Lansquenet. Returning to his childhood haunt, Jay is forced to confront a ghost from his past, a secretive widow and the terrible secret she's hiding.

Anthea is the new owner of Spindle Hall. A renowned perfumer who lost her sense of smell, she's not interested in making new friends. Yet somehow that seems impossible in this idyllic village. Years ago, Peony left Honeystone with a broken heart, and now she has returned with it freshly bruised. Her single father, Robert, is struggling with slow business at the Hare and Thistle pub. Perhaps this time they can help each other?

Cherry, Maggie and Rose are mother, daughter and granddaughter, each with their own hopes, dreams and even sorrows. They have always been close, so when, in a moment of impulse, Cherry buys a gorgeous but run-down pub in the village she grew up in, it soon becomes a family affair. All three women uproot themselves and move to Rushbrook, deep in the heart of Somerset, to take over The Swan and restore it to its former glory. Cherry is at the helm, Maggie is in charge of the kitchen, and Rose tends the picturesque garden that leads down to the river.

When the bizarrely mutilated body of a young woman is found near the tiny isolated Norfolk village of Manham, it isn't just the fact that she was a friend that disturbs Dr David Hunter. A one-time high-profile forensic anthropologist, he was once all too familiar with the different faces of death, until a devastating personal tragedy made him abandon his former life and career.

Change and taking risks have never worked out too well for Jess. After losing her beloved grandmother, Jess finds herself suddenly unemployed when the local library closes down, and for the first time in her life, Jess is at a crossroads. Either she stays in the 'nowheresville' town of her upbringing, or could it finally be a chance for her to find her own fresh start?

As a kid, Nina O'Brien spent all her summers at her grandparents' cabin by the beach at Stepping Stone Bay. Long, sunny days full of fun and laughter with her best friends, Leo, the boy from the boatyard next door, his older brother, Adrian, and local girl Maeve - and, as Nina grew older, the magic of falling in love with Leo. But one summer night changed everything, and those glorious days came to an abrupt end for them all.

Veronica Beecham's cottage is the neatest house on Mapleberry Lane. A place for everything, and everything in its place—that's her motto. But within her wisteria-covered walls, Veronica has a secret: she's hardly left her perfect home in years. Then her teenage granddaughter, Audrey, arrives on the doorstep, and Veronica's orderly life is turned upside down.

Le Devin is a small island off the coast of Brittany. For more than a hundred years two communities have fought for control of the Island's one beach against the backdrop of ever-encroaching seas and an unchanging life. For the returning Mado, though, the island's sleepy exterior hides dual threats to her community's survival. Can she overcome the death of her mother, and her family's secrets, to bring hope back to her village?

When Jennie Whitmore arrives at her school reunion, she immediately regrets her decision. Why would she choose to surround herself with people who were never nice to her? Who still aren't, even now she's a police officer? The only person who truly looked out for her all those years ago was charming, beautiful Hannah. Until the day she disappeared. Jennie is ready to finally put White Cross Academy behind her, the old school building demolished the morning after the party. But with the demolition comes a call: a teenage girl's remains have been found on the grounds.

Driving back through Wales in a fierce winter storm, forensic anthropologist David Hunter is forced to seek shelter at a remote village in Eryri mountains. But a one-night stop-over becomes something very different after a gruesome discovery in depths of the local forest. With communications down and the only road washed out by the storm, Hunter is unsure who - if anyone - he can trust. And as long buried secrets begin to emerge, he knows that, whatever dark past the isolated community might be hiding, there's no one he can call on for help. This time he's on his own.

Hannah went from high flyer in the city to business owner and has never looked back. In the cosy Cotswold village of Butterbury she runs Tied up with String, sending handmade gifts and care packages across the miles, as well as delivering them to people she thinks need them the most. But when her ex best-friend Georgia turns up and wants in on the action, will Hannah be willing to forgive and forget?

The last time Vee left the shores of Unity Island, she thought she'd left forever. But this summer, she's returning with her charming husband, Mike. Vee's unexpected arrival, this time as one of the wealthy 'summer people', sets the small island community alight with gossip. What's more, her childhood best friend, Sterling, is furious that she's come back—Vee abandoned him when he needed her most. And then Vee meets Rachel, Sterling's wife, and a spark is ignited within her that she can't extinguish.

Gayle is a teacher and each year she brings her class to the island to see the local flora and fauna, from sea birds to playful seals. Martin, the island's caretaker and only human resident, lives in and maintains the lighthouse, which opens to the public for just this one day a year. Gayle is effervescent but feels trapped, while Martin is lonely and isolated. As their love slowly builds over time, they both yearn for the annual field trip where they can finally see each other. Until one year Gayle doesn't come back, and Martin has to leave his island hideaway to find her.

Will Harker has always believed the best things in life are free: the great outdoors, a good laugh, a perfectly steeped brew. He's earning his keep as an apprentice farrier at Stanley Lampitt's workshop - although his gaffer would say he makes half the money and causes double the trouble. But business isn't exactly booming. While Stanley's trying to make ends meet, Will is handed a wedge of family inheritance - and a problem as big as a horse to sort out. As every Yorkshireman knows, where there's muck there's brass. So just how dirty are Will's hands going to get?

As soon as Jess Green arrives at her new home, 14 Christmas Street, she knows this will be no ordinary December. The residents of this little road have come together to create something extraordinary: a real-life advent calendar, where one house will open its door each day until Christmas for a festive celebration. Each day, that is, except Christmas Eve. It should be the loveliest moment of all, but no one can persuade the octogenarian Mr Winters at Number 24 to be involved.

Nora Clanton sells caskets. It wasn't her dream job, but it's the family business. She lives in a sleepy town in the middle-of-nowhere, and her only friends are decades older than her. Her life might be comfortable but sometimes she finds herself wanting more. Then Garrett Bishop turns up and sweeps her off her feet. He's handsome, charming and seems to have a good (if vague) job. There is one little thing though . . . death seems to follow him and rumours never stay buried in her tiny town.

Sometimes all it takes to make the world a better place is a small act of kindness.... When Ceri Price arrives in the small seaside village of Dwynwen in West Wales, she only means to stay for a couple of nights - long enough to scatter her mother's ashes and then go back to her life as a successful makeup entrepreneur. But a case of mistaken identities means she lands a job as the barmaid in the local pub, unexpectedly finds friendship and wonders if love might follow....