Part of Series
She came to Provence in the hope of a fresh start, she never expected she would fall in love and find herself along the way. Inheriting an old stone house in Provence, along with her sisters is the catalyst Ellie Gilchrist needs to put some distance between her and her grief. But when she arrives at the run down ‘La Masionette’ hidden amongst overgrown lavender and ivy, she wonders if she’s made a mistake? That is until she meets her guarded neighbour Julien and his adorable little boy, and she’s surprised by the flutters of excitement she never thought she’d feel again. Add in rescuing a stray dog and she has the much needed distraction she needs. Ellie decides to stay temporarily and work on bringing the little house back to life again. If only she can ignore the fireworks that explode every time she’s around Julien. They both have hearts they want to protect, but a little temporary affaire can’t be too dangerous, especially when Ellie has stated she will be leaving after the last summer market of the season. But something in the alchemy of what she discovers in this part of France seems to be casting an irresistible spell making it difficult to walk away.
Author
I was born in Dunedin, New Zealand. My father's medical career took us overseas when I was five, and I went to school in London for a year before moving to Washington, D.C. Eventually we returned to Dunedin, where I finished school and then trained as a primary school teacher. After I married my husband, who works as a doctor, we moved to Christchurch where I worked for a time as a research technician in a hospital and indulged my academic interests by taking University courses in early European history and philosophy. This was followed by another move - to Glasgow, for two years. This provided me with the perfect opportunity to pen my first novel - a medical thriller with a good dash of romance! Our return to New Zealand began a new chapter in my life, with my creative efforts being channelled into entertaining a baby daughter, renovating a very old farmhouse with an enormous garden and caring for a menagerie of donkeys, sheep, hens, dogs and cats which I happily began to collect. My writing led to a new passion in life when I went to research the ambulance service and fell in love with the job. I became a qualified paramedic and spent many hours on the road. I also spent many hours as a pony club mother as my talented daughter became an awesome eventer and broke in her own yearling who lived with us on another country property that became home after my marriage ended. The massive earthquake in Christchurch in 2011 was life changing for many of us and I’m currently embracing a new lifestyle in Auckland. Writing continues to be my touchstone passion and I’ve added a non-fiction element as part of my new part-time job as a clinical educator in the department of Paramedicine and Emergency Management at an Auckland university. My brilliant daughter, Becky, is now an amazing young sculptor who lives in Melbourne. Apart from my writing, family and friends the other passions in my life are dancing (Ceroc – so much fun!) and learning French. My dream is to spend a year or two in France in the not too distant future so that I can get really fluent. It should be great research for new stories as well :-)
