Rural Life

A FEW SHORT TALES ABOUT SETTING DOWN. LIFE IN THE BURBS. You want to try new things, but you get in the way of yourself. You try to become a bit of a gardener...You think about moving to a quieter neighbourhood...These are a few short stories, which are suburbia in a nutshell.

This collection of humorous short essays combines affection for the timeless values of community life in an English village with a nostalgia for aspects that are quietly slipping away. Easy to dip into, this light-hearted volume provides entertaining reading for anyone interested in modern English rural community life, wherever they live. Written between 1991 and 2015, most of these essays first appeared in the Hawkesbury Parish News, the community newspaper for Hawkesbury Upton, the Cotswold village in which Debbie Young has lived for the last 25 years. Very active in village life, she is ...

Everything Hope knows about the Orchard House is from the stories of her late mother. So when she arrives at the northern Michigan family estate late one night with a terrible secret and her 10-year-old daughter in tow, she’s not sure if she’ll be welcomed or turned away with a shotgun by the aunt she has never met.

Wishes in branches tied with string. Someone's hopes. Another's dreams. As the cameras roll for Season 2 of hit home-improvement show Wishes of Home, Pam Olson and Steve Turner dive into their biggest project yet: building the first no-kill animal shelter in their region. With their wedding just around the corner, they find themselves juggling work, wedding plans, and community service, while trying to squeeze in a moment or two of romance. When a wildfire threatens their community, Pam and Steve rally the town of Linden Falls to come together in the face of disaster. With a nearby animal ...

For years, Isobel Latimer has composed serious novels for serious people, but to dwindling acclaim and ever-more dwindling gain. Now her husband is ill and she must carry their financial burden alone, and in secret. But if the public don’t want careful moral fables any longer, why not provide an outrageous tale of sex and satanism, and an author to match? The incomparable, uncontrollable Zelda de Vere is born.

The latest in this enchanting and fast-selling series, featuring the beloved ghost Aunt Dimity, opens in a picturesque English cottage where the lovable Lori Shepherd is up to her elbows in pureed carrots and formula bottles, striving to be the perfect mother to twins! Luckily, a beautiful Italian nanny arrives just in time - so Lori can help settle the local civil war stirred up by a visiting archaeologist's excavation. With Reginald, the stuffed pink rabbit, and Edmond Terrance, the stuffed tiger in tow, Lori hunts down a missing document.

Violet Clarke is ready to take over the world, one strawberry at a time, after she inherits her grandfather's old farm. That's the plan, at least... But when firefighter, William Baxter, shows up for a routine safety inspection, he informs her in no uncertain terms that her raspberry-themed world takeover is shut down until she fixes the berry farm's storage shed. Yes, she understands it's a fire disaster waiting to happen. No, she doesn't have any money for repairs, Will. So when the rough and rugged fireman returns, offering her his grumpiest help to restore the shed, well... She can't ...

Jay Austin did what it took to get ahead and make the quick sell at work. Problem was - the more successful he was, the more he traded what really mattered. His integrity. His relationship with his wife. His time with his son. He was chasing things that had no eternal significance. It wasn’t until God slowly unraveled everything that he saw how empty his life had become.

Wendell Combs is as local as they come. Born and raised in the small town of Saybrook, Connecticut, his venture into the larger world was met with heartbreak. Now, middle-aged and a confirmed bachelor, he seeks solitude from his tour of duty as a soldier back in his hometown, working as head caretaker for wealthy Alan Lancaster’s forty-acre estate, White Pines, a place he has come to love for its beauty, peace, and quiet.

As Darby Dixon sits in a tiny Texas church bathroom on her wedding day holding a positive pregnancy test, she realizes marrying her fiancé would be the worst decision of her life. She's never been very good at standing up for herself, but she'll sure as hell stand up for her baby. With very little cash and a ton of courage, she flees town to take a new name and start a new life.

Write what your know, they say. The author presents a novelization of her parents' marriage. Wife Betty recounts their World War II romance, a rocky beginning to what should be wedding bliss, the births of a son and daughter, and a move to rural Idaho. A man who could build or fix anything, Mitch gradually spirals into mental illness, obsessed with the Virgin Mary and extra-terrestrial flight. Betty relies on her love for the land and her own courage to fulfill her marriage vows and protect her family. From a life of subservience to the family bread-winner, temptation, fear and love give a ...

Satisfy your desire for clean romance with this amazing heartwarming series based upon the Fruits of the Spirit. Welcome to the enchanting world of The Fruits of Orchard County, a captivating Christian Romance Series inspired by the timeless wisdom of the Fruits of the Spirit verses found in Galatians 5:22-23. Set in the serene landscapes of rural Michigan, this series unfolds in a county abundant with lush orchards and sprawling fields of vibrant vegetables. Life in Orchard County is marked by its unhurried pace, cherished traditions, and unwavering commitment to family values. Within the ...

Aurora Sinclair is about to fulfill her lifelong dream of becoming a small town baker. There's only one problem. The rundown bakery she inherited from her Uncle Jim is in serious need of repairs. How does Randall Woods fit into this equation? He's the best (and grumpiest) man for the job. The lumberjack with a troubled past knows exactly what Aurora needs to get her uncle's old bakery up and running in no time. If he's willing to help, that is... And who better to convince him than the sweetest new resident of Love Springs! Aurora bakes up a plan to persuade the grumpy lumberjack to help. ...

Emma Laurent has always preferred helping others to asking for help. But now, she’s the one in need. Her stepmother is selling her late father’s candy shop, her grandmother’s assisted-living facility has become a financial burden, and the anniversary of her fiancé’s death is quickly approaching. Rather than face her problems, Emma does what she does best - finds someone else to help by offering a mother and son with nowhere to go somewhere to stay.

A hot fling offers them both a chance to escape their pasts… Bridget Hitchcock – Birdie to her friends – is getting married to the man of her dreams. Or so she keeps telling herself. When Fate intervenes to ruin the big day, Bridget’s devastated, but she’s honest enough to admit that the humiliation and embarrassment has upset her more than actually losing Mal. Standing on Wellington quay in the rain in her wedding dress, she contemplates where to go from here, and has no idea. Aaron Reed is dashing through the rain with his son to their hotel room when he spots the beautiful ...

In the imposing Glen Carrick House overlooking Scotland’s famous Loch Ness lives eighty-eight-year-old Mimi McKinlay, cared for by her three adult sons. Hamish has inherited his mother’s musical talents, Fin is the responsible brother, and Angus has the complicated and brooding personality to match his dashing good looks. But what all the brothers share is a concern that their beloved mother is living in her memories of her days on stage, while letting her present days pass her by.

★★ Fall in love with clean, wholesome, and cozy small-town romance, filled with delightful characters and brimming with joy! ★★ Savor the magic of romance in the complete collection of Josie Riviera’s 1-800 home-flipping series. SIX clean, sweet, and wholesome contemporary romances—exclusively in one giant collection. Small-town romance at its best. Cozy up with your favorite beverage and lose yourself in these delightful stories. This collection includes the following 6 books:1-800-CUPID A house flipper looking for quick profit. A survivor with a dream. Can two broken hearts ...

In the vein of The Lovely Bones and The Little Friend, Ghosts of the Missing follows the mysterious disappearance of a 12-year-old girl during a town parade and the reverberations of this tragedy throughout the town.

Rosa Galvez’s attraction to Officer Wyatt Townsend is as powerful as the moon’s pull on the tides. But with her past, Rosa knows better than to act on her feelings. When Wyatt and his adorable son become Brambleberry House’s newest tenants, Rosa finds her resolve slipping. Her solo life slowly becomes a sun-filled family adventure - until dark secrets threaten to break like a summer storm.

After suddenly inheriting a funeral home from her father - from whom she hadn't heard in decades - Ilka Jensen has impulsively abandoned her quiet life in Denmark to visit the small town in rural Wisconsin where her father lived. There, she's devastated to discover her father's second family: a stepmother and two half sisters she never knew existed. Then a local woman is killed, seemingly the victim of a home invasion turned violent. But when Ilka learns that the woman knew her father, it becomes increasingly clear that she may not have been a completely random victim after all.