Margins
Applemore Bay book cover 1
Applemore Bay book cover 2
Applemore Bay book cover 3
Applemore Bay
Series · 5 books · 2021-2024

Books in series

The Winter Cottage book cover
#1

The Winter Cottage

2021

The first in a brand new cosy romantic series from the bestselling author of The Village Green Bookshop! A heart-warming, feel-good novel full of friendship, family secrets, and finding love where you least expect it... When Rilla Clark’s long lost father dies, she leaves New England and heads to his cottage in the Scottish Highlands to sort out his affairs. Rilla's determined that her visit will be a fleeting one. The little village of Applemore holds a lot of memories for her, but looking back might just open up her heart, which she’s kept well-guarded until now. Lachlan Fraser is less than delighted with his inheritance. He left the grand, crumbling Applemore House as soon as he could, and he can’t see why his three sisters love it so much. Gathered together at their family estate, the battle of wills over what to do with the house is just beginning when into their life walks Rilla, who they haven’t seen for over fifteen years… Old friendships and long-hidden emotions are rekindled as the romance of a Highland winter works its magic - will Rilla and Lachlan discover that home isn’t a place, but a feeling? Full of warmth and romance, this is the perfect cosy escape to curl up with, ideal for fans of Cathy Bramley, Holly Martin, and Katie Fforde.
The Flower Farm book cover
#2

The Flower Farm

2022

Beth Fraser is a single mum of twins with a blooming flower farm business. The last thing she needs is Jack MacDonald landing with a crash in the middle of her precious baby plants - so it’s no surprise that they get off to a rocky start. Beth’s spent the last few years growing her business, turning the overgrown walled garden of Applemore House into a beautiful and productive flower farm. Everything is going perfectly well - yes, her friends think she needs to find someone new, and no, she has no intention of looking - until her ex husband drops the bombshell that she’s going to have to find a way to make it pay more - and fast. City boy Jack McDonald arrives in Applemore with something to prove. He’s carrying a secret from his past which drives him on, and he’s determined to make his new outdoor adventure centre a success. With his neighbour Beth unimpressed by his arrival, he’s the talk of the little coffee shop in the village. Can he find a way to show Applemore that the work he’s doing with troubled teens is vital - and will he acknowledge that what Beth thinks of him matters more than he’d care to admit?
Midsummer House book cover
#3

Midsummer House

2022

When the millionaire one night stand turns out to be your new housemate… Self confessed control freak Charlotte Fraser takes a leap out of her comfort zone with a one-night stand in the city. There’s no way, after all, that she’s ever going to bump into the ultra hot Rob Jones in her tiny village in the Scottish Highlands… Back home, she’s determined to get her hands on Midsummer House, the dream property for her holiday cottage business – even if that means giving in to the slightly odd request by the eccentric owner that she house-sit for three months while she takes a trip around Europe to make her mind up about selling. High-flying financial trader Rob Jones is at an unexpected loose end when his long-lost aunt Frances calls looking for some advice. He hasn’t been back to visit since the tragedy which cut the threads that bound his family together, but deciding to make amends, he heads to the Highlands to stay at her place and help out with some repairs… With both having a reason to stay, it’s a battle of wills to see who’ll give in and move out first. Rob realises that Charlotte is determined nobody should know what happened – but with the undeniable attraction between them, how easy is it going to be? As the village of Applemore casts a welcoming spell on Rob, he starts to wonder if he’s got his priorities in life all wrong… but if he stays put, where does that leave Charlotte’s plans for Midsummer House?
Christmas at Applemore book cover
#4

Christmas at Applemore

2022

Harry Robertson is determined to make the Applemore Hotel a success. As the busy season ends, the builders are ready to get to work. He’s closing the doors on the final guests of the year when a chance encounter changes everything. Capricious media star Ivy Winter causes a stir when she arrives in the tiny Highland village with her fiancé Ben. Harry's delighted to hear she wants nothing more than to marry in the hotel her parents loved... there's just one tiny problem. Ivy's got her heart set on a Christmas wedding - and what Ivy wants, she gets. Harry's best friend Polly Fraser reassures him they can make it work - between her farm shop stuffed with local produce, her sister Beth’s flower farm to provide the wedding flowers, and artisan bakers to create the wedding cakes of their dreams. The tight-knit community pull together, determined to make it a Christmas Applemore will never forget. But disaster strikes, and the village is on tenterhooks. Can they pull it off? As snow begins to fall over the Highlands, romance is in the air. Will this Christmas wedding be the one to bring Harry and Polly together at last?
The Lighthouse Library book cover
#6

The Lighthouse Library

2024

Part of: Applemore Bay Series (6 books) Meg’s life changes forever the day her husband dies… but not in the way everyone thinks. A summer house-sitting her old friend’s place on the old lighthouse in the little village of Applemore seems like the perfect opportunity to work out what she wants from the second half of her life. She arrives to discover she’s responsible for keeping an eye on the little free library on the lighthouse path, and soon learns that it has a not-so-secret role - it’s used as a drop off point to exchange everything from fresh-laid eggs to lost keys and love notes. It’s hard to stay invisible in a small town, and it turns out that friendship, family and love can be found when you least expect it… A brand new standalone novel set in the much-loved village of Applemore, from the bestselling author of The Winter Cottage.

Author

Rachael Lucas
Rachael Lucas
Author · 19 books

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.)

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