Download or read book The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill Tales from Ivy Hill Book 1 written by Julie Klassen and published by Baker Books. This book was released on 2016-12-06 with total page 490 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: First Series from Bestselling Author Julie Klassen! The lifeblood of the Wiltshire village of Ivy Hill is its coaching inn, The Bell. But when the innkeeper dies suddenly, his genteel wife, Jane Bell, becomes the reluctant owner. Jane has no notion of how to run a business. However, with the town's livelihood at stake and a large loan due, she must find a way to bring new life to the inn. Despite their strained relationship, Jane turns to her resentful mother-in-law, Thora, for help. Formerly mistress of The Bell, Thora is struggling to find her place in the world. As she and Jane work together, they form a measure of trust, and Thora's wounded heart begins to heal. When she encounters two men from her past, she sees them--and her future--in a different light. With pressure mounting from the bank, Jane employs innovative methods to turn the inn around, and puzzles over the intentions of several men who seem to have a vested interest in the place. Will her efforts be enough to save The Bell? And will Thora embrace the possibility of a second chance at love?

Download or read book The Bride of Ivy Green Tales from Ivy Hill Book 3 written by Julie Klassen and published by Baker Books. This book was released on 2018-12-04 with total page 329 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Much has happened in idyllic Ivy Hill in recent months, and while several villagers have found new love and purpose, questions remain--and a few dearly held dreams have yet to be fulfilled. Jane Bell is torn. Gabriel Locke is back and has made his intentions clear. But Jane is reluctant to give up her inn and destine another man to a childless marriage. Then someone she never expected to see again returns to Ivy Hill. . . . Mercy Grove has lost her school and is resigned to life as a spinster, especially as the man she admires seems out of reach. Should she uproot herself from Ivy Cottage to become a governess for a former pupil? Her decision will change more lives than her own. A secretive new dressmaker arrives in the village, but the ladies soon suspect she isn't who she claims to be. Will they oust the imposter, or help rescue her from a dangerous predicament? In the meantime, everyone expects Miss Brockwell to marry a titled gentleman, even though her heart is drawn to another. While the people of Ivy Hill anticipate one wedding, an unexpected bride may surprise them all. Don't miss this romantic, stirring conclusion to Tales from Ivy Hill.

Download or read book The Ladies of Ivy Cottage Tales from Ivy Hill Book 2 written by Julie Klassen and published by Bethany House. This book was released on 2017-12-05 with total page 499 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: New from the Top Author of Inspirational Regency Romance Return to Ivy Hill in The Ladies of Ivy Cottage as friendships deepen, romances blossom, and mysteries unfold. Living with the two Miss Groves in Ivy Cottage, impoverished gentlewoman Rachel Ashford is determined to earn her own livelihood . . . somehow. When the village women encourage her to open a subscription library with the many books she has inherited or acquired through donations, Rachel discovers two mysteries hidden among them. A man who once broke her heart helps her search for clues, but will both find more than they bargained for? Rachel's friend and hostess, Mercy Grove, has given up thoughts of suitors and fills her days managing her girls' school. So when several men take an interest in Ivy Cottage, she assumes pretty Miss Ashford is the cause. Exactly what--or who--has captured each man's attention? The truth may surprise them all. Meanwhile, life has improved at the coaching inn and Jane Bell is ready to put grief behind her. Now if only the man she misses would return--but where is he? As the women of Ivy Hill search for answers about the past and hope for the future, might they find love along the way?

Download or read book The Maid of Fairbourne Hall written by Julie Klassen and published by Bethany House. This book was released on 2012-01-01 with total page 417 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Regency Romance and Mystery from Bestselling Author Julie Klassen Pampered Margaret Macy flees London in disguise to escape pressure to marry a dishonorable man. With no money and nowhere else to go, she takes a position as a housemaid in the home of Nathaniel Upchurch, a suitor she once rejected in hopes of winning his dashing brother. Praying no one will recognize her, Margaret fumbles through the first real work of her life. If she can last until her next birthday, she will gain an inheritance from a spinster aunt--and sweet independence. But can she remain hidden as a servant even when prying eyes visit Fairbourne Hall? Observing both brothers as an "invisible" servant, Margaret learns she may have misjudged Nathaniel. Is it too late to rekindle his admiration? And when one of the family is nearly killed, Margaret alone discovers who was responsible. Should she come forward, even at the risk of her reputation and perhaps her life? And can she avoid an obvious trap meant to force her from hiding? On her journey from wellborn lady to servant to uncertain future, Margaret must learn to look past appearances and find the true meaning of "serve one another in love."

Download or read book Shadows of Swanford Abbey written by Julie Klassen and published by Baker Books. This book was released on 2021-12-07 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Agatha Christie meets Jane Austen in this atmospheric Regency tale brimming with mystery, intrigue, and romance. When Miss Rebecca Lane returns to her home village after a few years away, her brother begs for a favor: go to nearby Swanford Abbey and deliver his manuscript to an author staying there who could help him get published. Feeling responsible for her brother's desperate state, she reluctantly agrees. The medieval monastery turned grand hotel is rumored to be haunted. Once there, Rebecca begins noticing strange things, including a figure in a hooded black gown gliding silently through the abbey's cloisters. For all its renovations and veneer of luxury, the ancient foundations seem to echo with whispers of the past--including her own. For there she encounters Sir Frederick--magistrate, widower, and former neighbor--who long ago broke her heart. When the famous author is found murdered in the abbey, Sir Frederick begins questioning staff and guests and quickly discovers that several people held grudges against the man, including Miss Lane and her brother. Haunted by a painful betrayal in his past, Sir Frederick searches for answers but is torn between his growing feelings for Rebecca and his pursuit of the truth. For Miss Lane is clearly hiding something. . . .

Download or read book The Girl in the Gatehouse written by Julie Klassen and published by Bethany House. This book was released on 2011-01-01 with total page 399 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Miss Mariah Aubrey, banished after a scandal, hides herself away in a long-abandoned gatehouse on the far edge of a distant relative's estate. There, she supports herself and her loyal servant the only way she knows how--by writing novels in secret. Captain Matthew Bryant, returning to England successful and wealthy after the Napoleonic wars, leases an impressive estate from a cash-poor nobleman, determined to show the society beauty who once rejected him what a colossal mistake she made. When he discovers an old gatehouse on the property, he is immediately intrigued by its striking young inhabitant and sets out to uncover her identity, and her past. But the more he learns about her, the more he realizes he must distance himself. Falling in love with an outcast would ruin his well-laid plans. The old gatehouse holds secrets of its own. Can Mariah and Captain Bryant uncover them before the cunning heir to the estate buries them forever?

Download or read book The Secret of Pembrooke Park written by Julie Klassen and published by Baker Books. This book was released on 2014-11-25 with total page 506 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Praise for Julie Klassen "A remarkable tale with many unpredictable twists and turns."--CBA Retailers+Resources "A treat for [readers] who want their historical romances served up with a generous dash of mystery."--Booklist "[Klassen's] work appeals to all who seek a riveting Regency romance."--RT Book Reviews Abigail Foster is the practical daughter. She fears she will end up a spinster, especially as she has little dowry, and the one man she thought might marry her seems to have fallen for her younger, prettier sister. Facing financial ruin, Abigail and her father search for more affordable lodgings, until a strange solicitor arrives with an astounding offer: the use of a distant manor house abandoned for eighteen years. The Fosters journey to imposing Pembrooke Park and are startled to find it entombed as it was abruptly left: tea cups encrusted with dry tea, moth-eaten clothes in wardrobes, a doll's house left mid-play... The handsome local curate welcomes them, but though he and his family seem acquainted with the manor's past, the only information they offer is a stern warning: Beware trespassers drawn by rumors that Pembrooke Park contains a secret room filled with treasure. This catches Abigail's attention. Hoping to restore her family's finances--and her dowry--Abigail looks for this supposed treasure. But eerie sounds at night and footprints in the dust reveal she isn't the only one secretly searching the house. Then Abigail begins receiving anonymous letters, containing clues about the hidden room and startling discoveries about the past. As old friends and new foes come calling at Pembrooke Park, secrets come to light. Will Abigail find the treasure and love she seeks...or very real danger?

Download or read book Empress Orchid written by Anchee Min and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. This book was released on 2004 with total page 369 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From a master of the historical novel, Empress Orchid sweeps readers into the heart of the Forbidden City to tell the fascinating story of a young concubine who becomes China's last empress. Min introduces the beautiful Tzu Hsi, known as Orchid, and weaves an epic of a country girl who seized power through seduction, murder, and endless intrigue. When China is threatened by enemies, she alone seems capable of holding the country together. In this "absorbing companion piece to her novel Becoming Madame Mao" (New York Times), readers and reading groups will once again be transported by Min's lavish evocation of the Forbidden City in its last days of imperial glory and by her brilliant portrait of a flawed yet utterly compelling woman who survived, and ultimately dominated, a male world.

Download or read book Julia s Hope written by Leisha Kelly and published by Revell. This book was released on 2002-09-01 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Like countless others in 1931, Samuel Wortham lost his job. And he lost his wife's inheritance, their home, and much of his self-respect. Samuel, his wife, Julia, and their two young children hitchhike from Pennsylvania to Illinois in hope of work. Caught on the road by a sudden storm, the Worthams take shelter in an abandoned farmhouse out of desperation. Feeling oddly at home, Julia insists on finding the owner of the property, despite Samuel's objections, and asks for permission to stay. The owner is Emma Graham, a woman in her eighties who longs for home but can no longer live by herself. Emma and the Worthams work out a plan to live there together and restore the farm. Samuel struggles with not being able to provide for his family, and Julia and the kids confront unpleasant surprises when a busybody neighbor turns against them. Julia's Hope is an endearing story of faith and faithfulness as Emma teaches the Worthams to live fully, give generously, and love unconditionally. She insists that the family grow where they are planted, like the garden they tend, and each member of the family is forever changed by her wisdom.

Download or read book A Castaway in Cornwall written by Julie Klassen and published by Baker Books. This book was released on 2020-12-01 with total page 383 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Set adrift on the tides of fate by the deaths of her parents and left wanting answers, Laura Callaway now lives with her uncle and his disapproving wife in North Cornwall. There she feels like a castaway, always viewed as an outsider even as she yearns to belong. While wreckers search for valuables along the windswept Cornwall coast--known for its many shipwrecks but few survivors--Laura searches for clues to the lives lost so she can write letters to next of kin and return keepsakes to rightful owners. When a man is washed ashore after a wreck, Laura acts quickly to protect him from a local smuggler determined to destroy him. As Laura and a neighbor care for the survivor, they discover he has curious wounds and, although he speaks in careful, educated English, his accent seems odd. Other clues wash ashore, and Laura soon realizes he is not who he seems to be. Despite the evidence against him, the mysterious man might provide her only chance to discover the truth about her parents' fate. With danger pursuing them from every side, and an unexpected attraction growing between them, will Laura ever find the answers she seeks?

Download or read book The Painter s Daughter written by Julie Klassen and published by Baker Books. This book was released on 2015-11-24 with total page 493 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Julie Klassen Is the Gold Standard for Inspirational Regency Fiction Sophie Dupont, daughter of a portrait painter, assists her father in his studio, keeping her own artwork out of sight. She often walks the cliffside path along the north Devon coast, popular with artists and poets. It's where she met the handsome Wesley Overtree, the first man to tell her she's beautiful. Captain Stephen Overtree is accustomed to taking on his brother's neglected duties. Home on leave, he's sent to find Wesley. Knowing his brother rented a cottage from a fellow painter, he travels to Devonshire and meets Miss Dupont, the painter's daughter. He's startled to recognize her from a miniature portrait he carries with him--one of Wesley's discarded works. But his happiness plummets when he realizes Wesley has left her with child and sailed away to Italy in search of a new muse. Wanting to do something worthwhile with his life, Stephen proposes to Sophie. He does not offer love, or even a future together, but he can save her from scandal. If he dies in battle, as he believes he will, she'll be a respectable widow with the protection of his family. Desperate for a way to escape her predicament, Sophie agrees to marry a stranger and travel to his family's estate. But at Overtree Hall, her problems are just beginning. Will she regret marrying Captain Overtree when a repentant Wesley returns? Or will she find herself torn between the father of her child and her growing affection for the husband she barely knows?

Download or read book The Bridge to Belle Island written by Julie Klassen and published by Baker Books. This book was released on 2019-12-03 with total page 392 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After a humiliating mistake, lawyer Benjamin Booker resolves to never again trust a beautiful woman. When an old friend is killed, the senior partner isn't satisfied with Bow Street's efforts and asks Benjamin to investigate. Eager to leave London for a while, Benjamin agrees. Evidence takes him to a remote island on the Thames, a world unto itself, shrouded in mist and mystery. Soon he finds himself falling for the main suspect--a woman who claims not to have left the island in ten years. But should he trust her? On Belle Island, Isabelle feels safe and leads a productive life, but fear keeps her trapped there. When Mr. Booker arrives with news of her trustee's murder in London, Isabelle is stunned. She has not left the island, yet she has a recurring dream about the man's death. Or is it a memory? She had been furious with him, but she never intended . . . this. When a second person dies and evidence shockingly points to her, Isabelle doesn't know who to trust: the attractive lawyer or the admirer and friends who assemble on the island, each with grudges against the victim. Can she even trust her own mind? While they search for the truth, secrets come to light and danger comes calling.

Download or read book Double Desire written by Cassandra Dee and published by Cassandra Dee Romance. This book was released on 2019-04-22 with total page 142 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Karlie: When my mom married Jerry McKesson, I thought my life was over. Jerry’s twin sons, Colt and Cain, are insufferable, rude, and arrogant, not to mention football stars. My quiet life as a photographer has been upended because now, I live down the hall from two gorgeous men who do whatever they want. They bring friends over late at night, blast music until the crack of dawn, and of course, there’s an endless stream of floozies. The banging noises at night? The creaky headboard and breathy, soundless moans? The twins live to torment me, even if I secretly want to be the object of their affections. Colt: My brother and I couldn’t believe it when we met our new stepsister. Karlie was curvy, unassuming, and totally innocent. We figured our nightly escapades would shock the socks off her but looks definitely lie. One night, we take a trip to the big city to “make it rain” with our football buddies. It’s a pre-game tradition: we hit up local joints looking for pretty girls, and then toss bills for good luck. But when the curtain pulls apart at a particularly seamy club, suddenly the beautiful woman on the stage makes our jaws drop. Are our eyes deceiving us, or have we just unveiled a shocking secret about our shy stepsister? Hey Readers – You’ll love this steamy romance because of its crazy twists and turns! Karlie, Cain and Colt face uphill battles but of course, the trio come out winners in the end. You’ll love it, I promise! Xoxo, Cassie

Download or read book Minding Molly The Courtships of Lancaster County Book 3 written by Leslie Gould and published by Baker Books. This book was released on 2014-02-04 with total page 345 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Molly Zook Has Everything Planned Just Right. Or So She Thinks! Molly Zook's always liked being in control, so she's struggling with her mother's wish that, to save the family farm, she marry Mervin Mosier. Especially after Molly meets Leon Fisher. He's from Montana but is now training horses at a nearby ranch. He's tall and muscular and confident--Molly has never met anyone like him and she's sure he feels the same about her. Determined to let nothing get between them, Molly tries to coax Mervin into falling back in love with Molly's best friend, Hannah. A weekend camping trip in the Poconos could be just the place...but things quickly go awry, and it seems Leon and Hannah might be falling for each other instead! Will Molly keep struggling to control everyone and everything around her? Or will she learn to let God handle the twists and turns of her life?

Download or read book A Bride for Us written by Lily Orevba and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-07-06 with total page 314 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As if being orphaned, broke and forced to answer an Ad for a mail order bride isn't bad enough, Lily finds out, much too late, that she must be a mother as well. Unfortunately for her, being a mother is the least of her problems compared to the very glaring problem of whose mother she has to be; a mother to six children. Raymond doesn't exactly have a choice when he decides to put out an Ad for a mail order bride, excluding the major detail of his six children. With the dire need of proper feeding, care and love that his children are in, he would much rather lie to a woman than lose his children to starvation. The plan was to acquire a housekeeper in the guise of a wife and live as friendly strangers. Raymond is not prepared for the feisty blond that answers to his Ad or the fact that it is becoming more and more difficult to ignore her presence.

Download or read book Ella Enchanted written by Gail Carson Levine and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2012-12-26 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This beloved Newbery Honor-winning story about a feisty heroine is sure to enchant readers new and old. At her birth, Ella of Frell receives a foolish fairy's gift—the “gift” of obedience. Ella must obey any order, whether it's to hop on one foot for a day and a half, or to chop off her own head! But strong-willed Ella does not accept her fate... Against a bold backdrop of princes, ogres, giants, wicked stepsisters, and fairy godmothers, Ella goes on a quest to break the curse forever. A tween favorite for 25 years—now shared with today's young readers by moms, teachers, and other adults who remember the pleasure of discovering this fun fairy-tale retelling themselves!

Download or read book With This Collar written by Sierra Cartwright and published by Mastered. This book was released on 2023-08-08 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Julia Lyle will have nothing to do with domineering men, no matter how tall, dark, or devastatingly sexy. But billionaire Dominant Marcus Cavendish will stop at nothing to possess the fiercely independent Julia. At her friend's wedding, fiercely independent Julia is stunned when the bride kneels to accept her husband's collar. Before she can process her shock, the firm relentless hands of a gorgeous billionaire clamp down on her shoulders-a subtle warning not to interfere. After the ceremony, the masterful tycoon offers her a glimpse of her friend's lifestyle. Following a devastating heartbreak, Julia wants to marry a nice man, making the enigmatic and powerful Marcus Cavendish an unlikely choice. With his self-assured arrogance, the billionaire embodies everything she's not looking for. Yet, she finds herself irresistibly drawn to his commanding presence and raw sensuality. Marcus hasn't been intrigued by a woman for a long time, but Julia's entrancing blend of naivety and luscious curves ignites a desire he can't deny. Determined to claim her heart, he vows he'll do whatever it takes. Will Marcus be able to persuade the skeptical beauty that she's meant to be his forever? The stunning, bestselling Mastered series is back in a special tenth-anniversary edition featuring additional scenes. With This Collar is a steamy billionaire romance novel. Welcome to the spectacular Colorado mountains where masterful billionaires ignite the fantasies of the women they love. All books are standalone novels that can be read in any order and have a guaranteed happily-ever-after ending.