A sweet, heartwarming Christmas novella about second chances and finding the courage to choose the gift of joy. Sarah Wilson is skipping Christmas this year. Tucked away in the Scottish Highland village of Applemore, it's been three years since her mum passed away - and she's thrown everything into running the Harbour Cafe in her memory. The little coffeeshop and bakery might be filled with the scent of cinnamon and gingerbread, but this Christmas, with her brother escaping to Morocco and no plans, she's planning to pretend the holiday isn't happening. Then Jim Fletcher walks through the door... The American professor is spending Christmas in Applemore, researching small-town revivals and running from his own ghosts. A simple cup of coffee turns into something neither of them expected - snowy beach walks, sharing spiced apple cider by the village Christmas tree, and facing up to the possibility of wanting something more. But Jim's research will end. He'll return to New England and Sarah will stay exactly where she's always been - won't she? Sometimes it takes a stranger to help you see that honouring the past doesn't mean surrendering your future. A standalone, sweet Christmas novella set in the much-loved village of Applemore! Discover the other novels in the The Winter Cottage The Flower Farm Midsummer House Christmas at Applemore The Cottage by the Shore The Lighthouse Library and coming in early spring of 2026 - pre-order The Harbour House today!
Author
Rachael Lucas has written 15 novels for adults and teenagers, including the Carnegie nominated THE STATE OF GRACE, the top ten bestseller SEALED WITH A KISS and many more. She is also the author (as Rosie Curtis) of sweet holiday romance We Met in December, an Amazon Editors' Pick. Her novels have been translated into many languages, including Korean, Hungarian, Italian, Turkish, French, German, Latvian, Estonian, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, and more. Sign up for Rachael's newsletter at rachaellucas.com, and find her on Facebook at facebook.com/rachaellucaswriter for behind the scenes news and updates. Rachael lives by the seaside in the north west of England with her family and two very enthusiastic spaniels. When she's not writing at the kitchen table with a coffee by her side, she's out walking the dogs on the beach or the nearby pinewoods. She's a huge Kindle fan - her ten year old self would have been over the moon to be able to carry a whole library around in her pocket - and a lover of sweet, romantic, small town stories, which is exactly what she likes to write. She's a big Hallmark movie fan, wanted to be Anne of Green Gables when she was growing up, and Jo March was her literary heroine. (She still is.) Rachael's books are full of warmth and gentle humour, as well as beautiful small town settings which give her readers an escape from everyday. Rachael has been described as having "a gift for capturing complex emotion and both romantic and platonic intimacy" and writing which "exudes positivity and warmth" which has received starred reviews in Publisher's Weekly. The British Guardian called her "honest, romantic and hilarious". Her teenage boys think she's a bit disorganised, and that she forgets to cook dinner when she's writing. (Luckily they don't get to leave a review.)
