Julie Klassen

When her husband dies suddenly, Jane Bell becomes the reluctant landlady of The Bell, an inn in the village of Ivy Hill. Jane has no idea how to manage a business, but with the town's livelihood at stake and a large loan due, she must quickly find a way to save the inn. Despite their strained relationship, Jane turns to her mother-in-law, Thora, for help.

"In 1815, a painter's daughter on the north Devon coast agrees to marry a stranger to avoid scandal, but her choice is complicated by the return of a former lover and a growing affection for the husband she barely knows"--

In an abandoned gatehouse on an old estate, Mariah Aubrey lives in seclusion. She supports herself by writing novels in secret--at a time when such writing is considered improper and unladylike. Soon the wealthy and ambitious Captain Bryant leases the estate and is intrigued by the beautiful girl in the gatehouse. But will he risk his plans--and his heart--for a woman shadowed by scandal?

"Laura Callaway daily walks the windswept Cornwall coast, known for many shipwrecks but few survivors. And when a man with curious wounds and an odd accent is washed ashore, she cares for him while the mystery surrounding him grows. Can their budding attraction survive, and can he be returned to his rightful home when danger pursues them from every side?"--

Pampered Margaret Macy flees her home in London to avoid marrying a dishonorable man. Now, with no money and no place to stay, Margaret does the unthinkable: she takes a job as a housemaid in the home of two brothers--both of whom are former suitors. As an "invisible" observer, Margaret realizes she may have misjudged one brother and wonders if it's too late to win his admiration.

"Evidence from a mysterious death takes Benjamin to an island on the Thames. There, Isabelle is trapped by fear and a recurring dream about a man's death. Or is it a memory? When a second death brings everyone under suspicion, she realizes her island sanctuary will never be the same"--

Exposed to fashionable society and romance--as well as clues about her mother--Lillian Haswell, brilliant daughter of a local apothecary, is torn when she is summoned back to her ailing father's bedside to save the family legacy at a time when women are forbidden to work as apothecaries and the suspicious eyes of a scholarly physician and a competing apothecary are upon her.

1822. Richard Brockwell, younger son of Ivy Hill's most prominent family, hasn't been home for Christmas in years. He prefers to stay far away from Brockwell Court, the old family secret that haunts him, and the shadows of his past mistakes. After his mother threatens to stop funding his carefree life unless he comes home for Christmas, he plans to return to London and his unencumbered bachelor life as soon as the festivities are over. Christmas surprises...