Small Life

In the romantic tradition of The Notebook and Nights in Rodanthe, number-one New York Times best-selling author Nicholas Sparks returns with a story about a chance encounter that becomes a touchstone for two vastly different individuals - transcending decades, continents, and the bittersweet workings of fate.

The Briscoe family is once again the talk of their small town when March returns to East Texas two years after he was caught having an affair with his brother's wife. His mother, June, hardly welcomes him back with open arms. Her husband's own past affairs have made her tired of being the long-suffering spouse. Is it, perhaps, time for a change? Within days of March's arrival, someone is dead, marriages are upended, and even the strongest of alliances are shattered. In the end, the ties that hold them together might be exactly what drag them all down.

Sweets & Treats opened to enthusiastic response from customers, but a summer of torrential rain has dampened sales—and Clara’s mood. Determined to make her patisserie dream a reality, she’s working around the clock to refine her business model and attract customers. Meanwhile, Maisie has launched her cooking school, adding new classes to meet growing demand. Both women find themselves inundated with unsolicited advice from the men in their lives, leading them to rely on each other for support and encouragement. Tensions rise as Kurt wonders if Clara has time for their relationship. ...

A bachelor’s life… Because of a not-so-happy childhood, Logan McCall never wanted kids. His sister’s dying wish was that he raise her twin girls. Paralyzed by grief, Logan turns the girls over to their deadbeat dad. He’s regretted that decision ever since, but what can he do? They’re gone. A nanny with dreams… Nanny Thea Gayle is just trying to make ends meet while she works on her PhD. When her employer goes missing and the only family member she can find is the twins’ Uncle Logan, she takes the girls from Seattle to Silver Bend, Idaho. But once there, she’s not sure Logan ...

Crystal methamphetamine is widely considered to be the most dangerous drug in the world, and nowhere is that more true than in the small towns of the American heartland. Methland tells the story of Oelwein, Iowa (pop. 6,159), which, like thousands of other small towns across the country, has been left in the dust by the consolidation of the agricultural industry, a depressed local economy, and an out-migration of people.

When the McPheron brothers see Victoria Roubideaux, the single mother they’d taken in, move from their ranch to begin college, an emptiness opens before them—and for many other townspeople it also promises to be a long, hard winter. A young boy living alone with his grandfather helps out a neighbor whose husband, off in Alaska, suddenly isn’t coming home, leaving her to raise their two daughters.

Divorced from his own wife and carrying on halfheartedly with another man's, saddled with a bum knee and friends who make enemies redundant, Sully now has one new problem to cope with: a long-estranged son who is in imminent danger of following in his father's footsteps. With its uproarious humor and a heart that embraces humanity's follies as well as its triumphs, Nobody's Fool, from Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Richard Russo, is storytelling at its most generous. Nobody’s Fool was made into a movie starring Paul Newman, Bruce Willis, Jessica Tandy, and Melody Griffith.

If you loved Alaska Spark, Book One of the Blazing Hearts Wildfire series, and want to read more about Angela and Gunnar, this is the book for you! Can a chance encounter at an Olympic ski competition lead to true love under a midnight sun? Wildland firefighter Angela Divina lost her beauty title and had a comfortable but unfulfilling life as a southern lady. Rebelling against her father's expectation of marrying a man she didn't love, Angela lands a spot on the Aurora wildland fire crew in Alaska, longing for adventure and dreaming that someday she'll find a love of her own choosing. ...

In Recipe for Romance, influencer Emma fakes a relationship with small-town chef Jack to save her image. What starts as pretend soon feels all too real. As secrets boil over and sparks fly, they must decide whether their unexpected connection is just for show—or the beginning of something truly delicious.

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.

The last thing playboy PI Kaden Greer expects to catch is a case of amnesia. Brandy Carter mysteriously landed in my small town with a baby in tow. She’s young and scared and beautiful. And now my client. She can’t remember anything. All she knows is that she has to take care of little Archie. My professionalism is tested as I am drawn to her like a moth to a flame. When a crime boss abducts her and the baby, my instinct to protect them goes into overdrive. Calling on my siblings, we make a plan to rescue them. Will we be in time to save them? The bigger question is, can I give up my ...

Twenty-one-year-old Jenilee Lane's dreams are as narrow as the sky is wide. She doesn't imagine any good could come out of the tornado that has ripped across the Missouri farmland where she's made her home. But some inner spark compels her to take action. To rescue her elderly neighbor, Eudora Gibson, from the cellar in which she's been trapped. To make her way to the nearby town of Poetry, where the townspeople have begun to gather in the only building left standing. To collect from the devastated landscape fragments of life that lie strewn about in the tornado's wake.

April Rivers is ready for the road trip of a lifetime! A crosscountry adventure is exactly what she needs to get the wanderlust out of her system. ...And everything was going great until her car broke down just outside of the small town of Love Springs. When Ben Walker reluctantly takes the call to tow April into town, the last thing he wants or needs in his life is a cheerfully optimistic blonde that barely has a penny to her name. April is everything Ben isn't. She's too spontaneous, she smiles too much, and she's way too interested in trying to get to know the town's local grumpy ...

The Calabrian Coast books are standalone stories that intertwine with recurring characters. Camillo runs a popular café on Altavicia’s main square. Giada runs an equally popular café across the square. They have both entered Altavicia’s Best Café competition. Scarred by his father’s death, Camillo’s greatest wish is to escape the Calabrian seaside village and return to his beloved London, where his family was last together and happy. Abandoned by her parents, Giada’s greatest wish is to earn her nonna’s love. The competition trophy is the ticket to both their dreams, but only...

There are few things Jeremy Marsh was sure he'd never do: He'd never leave New York City; never give his heart away again after barely surviving one failed marriage; and most of all, never become a parent. Now, Jeremy is living in the tiny town of Boone Creek, North Carolina, married to Lexie Darnell, the love of his life, and anticipating the birth of their daughter. But just as his life seems to be settling into a blissful pattern, an unsettling and mysterious message re-opens old wounds.

It's easy to feel at home in Mitford. In these high, green hills, the air is pure, the village is charming, and the people are generally lovable. Yet Father Tim, the bachelor rector, wants something more. Enter a dog the size of a sofa who moves in and won't go away. Add an attractive neighbor who begins wearing a path through the hedge. Now, stir in a lovable but unloved boy, a mystifying jewel theft, and a secret that's 60 years old.

A Cozy Romance strong on family values and rural principles. Justin is a country boy dealing with big-city culture shock and facing a family crisis. Natalie is a high school graduate with her life’s goal crushed. The story starts with Justin leaving home for Drexel University in Philadelphia. On his way out of town, he stops to see Natalie one more time. As they talk, what they once had crumbles and falls to ashes at Natalie’s feet. When Justin’s family crises brings him back home, will Natalie want him back? What about the beautiful wheelchair-bound blond he’s falling for in ...

Chief of Police Ed Kapenash is about to retire. Blond Sharon is going through a divorce. But when a 22-million-dollar summer home is purchased by the mysterious Richardsons—how did they make their money, exactly?—Ed, Sharon, and everyone in the community are swept up in high drama. The Richardsons throw lavish parties, flirt with multiple locals, flaunt their wealth with not one but two yachts, and raise impossible hopes of everyone they meet. When their house burns to the ground and their most essential employee goes missing, the entire island is up in arms.

When her 30-year marriage falls apart, Mary Elle finds herself at a crossroads in life. With nothing tying her down, she leaves her old life behind and embarks on a new adventure to a small town in the Blue Ridge Mountains. As she settles into her new town, Mary Elle discovers the beauty of the mountains, a community that welcomes her with open arms, and the unexcepted love of a kindhearted man. Just as she's feeling at home, an accident lands her in the hospital. When her estranged sister rushes to her side, they must confront the secrets and grudges that kept them apart for years. With ...

Scarlett Fontaine is a true Hollywood legend—a singer, actress, and beloved fashion icon. But Scarlett dies tragically at just thirty-six years old, leaving behind no children. Or so the story goes… Gwen Hollingsworth is the curator at a museum dedicated to Scarlett’s life. She’s also sole heir to Scarlett’s fortune as a descendant of the star. But all is not well in Gwen’s world. She’s dealing with a messy marital separation and is struggling to move forward.