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The Lost Girls of Ireland (Starlight Cottages Book 1) (affiliate link)
The picturesque beach of Wild Rose Bay is the last place Lydia Butler thought she’d be. But having just lost everything, the run-down cottage she inherited from her Great Aunt Nellie is the only place she can take her daughter, Sunny. Hidden away in a tiny Irish village, she can protect Sunny from the gossip in Dublin, and the real reason they have nowhere else to live…
The cottage is part of the old coastguard station and other eccentric residents are quick to introduce themselves when Lydia arrives. Lydia instantly feels less alone, fascinated by the stories they have about Nellie, and she’s charmed by American artist, Jason O’Callaghan, the mysterious man who lives next door.
But the longer Lydia relaxes under the moonlit sky, the more the secret she’s keeping from Sunny threatens to come out. And as she finds herself running into Jason’s arms, she knows she must be honest and face up to the past she has tried to forget. Has she finally found people who will truly accept her, or will the truth force her to leave the cottage for good?
Patricia Fisher: Patricia Fisher, Ship’s Detective (affiliate link)
On board the world’s finest luxury cruise ship, the days are filled with sunshine, cocktails, and incredible new places to explore.
Unless you are employed as the ship’s detective, that is.
That job falls to a lady called Patricia Fisher, a whip-smart sleuth whose special skills include attracting trouble, getting shot at, and running away screaming.
So, when a mysterious stowaway is found murdered in the bowels of the ship, it falls firmly into her lap to work out not only who he is, but who killed him.
To a backdrop of petty thefts, con artists targeting the rich and famous on board, and her own romance with the captain, the dead body leads to a surprising discovery and a word one should utter with care …
Treasure.
Sew Into You: Luna Sea Plaza Book One (affiliate link)
Imogen:
I never expected the person I would fall in love with at the young age of seven would be my best friend, let alone another female. Yet as our friendship flourished over the years, I found myself drawn to only one person and somehow, she found herself equally as drawn to me.
We shared many firsts together, until one day I woke up and she was gone without a trace, taking my heart along with her when she went.
Esme:
I left my heart in Luna Harbor when I was forced to moved as a teen nearly ten years ago, and though I was taken away from home through no fault of my own, I’ve spent every day working on getting back to the coastal Florida town and back into the arms of the only woman I’ve ever loved.
I don’t even know if she still lives in town, don’t know if she’ll want to see me. But after everything I’ve gone through to get back home, I’ll be damned if I don’t at least try.
Silent tears trickle down her cheeks as she curls inside the tiny cave-like space. She lies on her side, darkness all around her, rubbing her fingers over the little wooden doll he’d carved. He told her to be quiet, not to cry or scream. Not to be a baby. Her throat was raw, her eyes swollen shut. She wanted her mommy and daddy. She wanted to go home.
When Penny Matthews, a seven-year-old girl with blonde curls and a gap-toothed smile, goes missing in the Appalachian mountains, Detective Ellie Reeves is called straight to the scene. All that’s left behind is a pink friendship bracelet etched with “Penny”.
Thanks to her own childhood––which keeps her up at night, tossing and turning––Ellie knows all too well that the endless miles of dark forest and winding rivers are the perfect place for a criminal to hide, and a little girl doesn’t stand a chance. Racing against a brutal winter storm on the horizon, she searches desperately for Penny.
Oyster Shore (The Rosecraddick Chronicles) (affiliate link)
A forsaken friendship
During the golden years before the First World War, two boys run wild through the grounds of a Cornish manor house – until the arrival of the girl destined to change their lives forever. As the storm clouds of war gather over Europe, a chain of events is set in motion which will reach across the decades to haunt the neglected place once known as Oyster Shore.
A lifetime of regret
In the winter of 1964 one of the richest men in England lies dying. Alone and consumed by guilt, Gerald Snowe leaves behind the dark secrets which have driven him to despair and his last wish is that restitution might be made. But who will remain on Oyster Shore long enough to hear the past whispering?
A lost love story
Over fifty years later, broken-hearted writer Lowenna Scott seeks solace in a remote riverside hideaway. Swirling mists and ghostly tales soon draw her into a decades’ old mystery and the company of the enigmatic Noah Wilson. When a long-concealed betrayal unexpectedly comes to light, Lowenna and Noah must look to the past to uncover the truth behind a love affair that changed history, haunts Oyster Shore and possesses the power to alter their own future forever…
Mexican Flavors: Contemporary Recipes from Camp San Miguel (affiliate link)
A master cooking teacher leads you on a delicious adventure with new approaches to Mexican cuisine that can be easily reproduced in any American kitchen.
Discover mouthwatering recipes that are based on Hugh Carpenter’s cooking school in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, a famous artist community located in the high mountain country north of Mexico City. His wife, acclaimed food photographer Teri Sandison, brings the dishes to life with stunning photographs that capture the food and the town.
Mexican Flavors includes classic recipes such as Guacamole, Tortilla Soup, and Barbecue Chicken with Mole Sauce. But there are many gastronomic surprises such as Banana Salsa, Quesadillas with Papaya and Brie, Barbecued Caesar Salad with Chile Croutons, and Fallen Kahlua Chocolate Cake. The recipes use a wide range of seasonings to achieve innovative flavors with a Mexican flair—all from ingredients available at every American supermarket. Throughout the book, Hugh is at your side showing you easy preparation and cooking techniques, what can be completed in advance, and in page-after-page illuminating the techniques, the history, and the unique flavors of Mexican cuisine.
Stone Garden: A Novel (affiliate link)
The Thinking Machine (affiliate link)
For the world’s most brilliant criminologist, every mystery has a solution
His name is Professor Augustus S. F. X. Van Dusen, but to the newspapers he is known as “The Thinking Machine.” Slender, stooped, his appearance dominated by his large forehead and perpetual squint, Van Dusen spends his days in the laboratory and his nights puzzling over the details of extraordinary crimes. What seems beyond comprehension to the police is mere amusement to the professor. All things that start must go somewhere, he firmly believes, and with the application of logic, all problems can be solved.
Whether unraveling a perfect murder, investigating a case of corporate espionage, or reasoning his way out of an inescapable prison cell, Van Dusen lets no detail elude his brilliant mind. In this highly entertaining collection, featuring many of the stories that made The Thinking Machine a national sensation, ingenious criminals and ruthless villains are no match for an egghead scientist.
Every season is gingerbread season! Celebrate the Christmas comfort food all year long with recipes that highlight its spicy and sweet old-fashioned appeal.
Who says gingerbread is just for the holidays? This unique cookbook shows how gingerbread can be enjoyed for breakfast or dessert year-round. Reflecting the wisdom and creativity of a professional pastry chef and dedicated homecook, Gingerbread collects 60 traditional and modern recipes. Start with simple, yummy treats like Gingerbread Rum Cake and Sticky Toffee Gingerbread, then graduate to building your own gingerbread house for the holidays. Any way you slice it, these gingery goodies are sure to be a hit on any day of the year!
The Double Mother (affiliate link)
A school psychologist investigates a four-year-old’s claim that he isn’t his mother’s son in this psychological tale by the author of After the Crash.
Four-year-old Malone Moulin is haunted by nightmares of being handed over to a complete stranger and begins claiming his mother is not his real mother. His teachers at school say that it is all in his imagination as his mother has a birth certificate, photos of him as a child and even the pediatrician confirms Malone is her son. The school psychologist, Vasily, believes otherwise as the child vividly describes an exchange between two women. Vasily begins recording their conversations and reinterprets the creatures Malone uses in the childish tales he recounts to his stuffed toy to piece the story together as much as he can.
Convinced that Malone is telling the truth, Vasile approaches police commander Marianne Augresse with the case, who has been searching for a gang of thieves that robbed a luxury store and left a couple dead in the neighboring town of Deauville to no avail. Not knowing why a child would lie and with perhaps her own maternal and protective instinct kicking in, Marianne takes Vasile’s plead for help seriously.
Glass Town: The Imaginary World of the Brontës (affiliate link)
… See the rest of today ‘s Book Picks here on page 2Page 2