Unmasked is the story of what happened in Okoboji, a small Iowan tourist town, when a collective turn from the coronavirus to the economy occurred in the COVID summer of 2020. State political failures, local negotiations among political and public health leaders, and community (dis)belief about the virus resulted in Okoboji being declared a hotspot just before the Independence Day weekend, when an influx of half a million people visit the town. The story is both personal and political. Author Emily Mendenhall, an anthropologist at Georgetown University, grew up in Okoboji, and her family still lives there. As the events unfolded, Mendenhall was in Okoboji, where she spoke formally with over 100 people and observed a community that rejected public health guidance, revealing deep-seated mistrust in outsiders and strong commitments to local thinking. Unmasked is a fascinating and heartbreaking account of where people put their trust, and how isolationist popular beliefs can be in America's small communities.

Do you love someone enough to let them go?It was love at first sight when talented art student Felicity "Flick" Johnston-Hart and Jim MacDuff's worlds collided at Oxford University. However, after years of blissful marriage, everything crashes down when their marriage comes to a painful and abrupt end, thanks to Flick's interfering mother Penelope. Finally succumbing to maternal pressure, Flick falls into the high-flying career her mother believed she was destined for. However, she soon realises life without Jim isn't all she'd hoped, and that some decisions, once made, cannot be undone. Meanwhile, Jim is settling back into life as a single man in the beautiful Highland village of Shieldaig, when an unexpected visitor brings painful news. A letter from beyond the grave leads him to do something he never imagined and takes him on a journey he didn't anticipate. Can either of them heal and truly move on? Or is it true that a broken heart can never be a blank canvas? This book was previously published as Through the Glass. Praise for Lisa Hobman: 'I love it! - escape to the beautiful Isle of Skye with this feel-good, uplifting story of lost love and second chances...' Holly Martin 'Simply gorgeous. An uplifting story of two broken individuals trying to find the courage to take a chance on love again' Jessica Redland 'A really uplifting, feel-good read about hope, love and second chances, that really did warm my heart.' Kim Nash 'A gorgeous, heart-warming romantic journey, reminds us to never give up on love...' Lucy Coleman 'You will fall in love with this story of fresh starts and mending broken hearts' Mandy Baggot 'A heart-breakingly beautiful story of love and loss set in the stunning village of Glentorrin. Be prepared to fall in love over and over again.' Nancy Barone 'What a beautiful read this was. I was rooting for Juliette from the first page. Lisa handled some tough subjects with a delicate and deft touch. I'm ready to escape to Skye!' Sarah Bennett

Do you love someone enough to let them go?It was love at first sight when talented art student Felicity "Flick" Johnston-Hart and Jim MacDuff's worlds collided at Oxford University. However, after years of blissful marriage, everything crashes down when their marriage comes to a painful and abrupt end, thanks to Flick's interfering mother Penelope. Finally succumbing to maternal pressure, Flick falls into the high-flying career her mother believed she was destined for. However, she soon realises life without Jim isn't all she'd hoped, and that some decisions, once made, cannot be undone. Meanwhile, Jim is settling back into life as a single man in the beautiful Highland village of Shieldaig, when an unexpected visitor brings painful news. A letter from beyond the grave leads him to do something he never imagined and takes him on a journey he didn't anticipate. Can either of them heal and truly move on? Or is it true that a broken heart can never be a blank canvas? This book was previously published as Through the Glass. Praise for Lisa Hobman: 'I love it! - escape to the beautiful Isle of Skye with this feel-good, uplifting story of lost love and second chances...' Holly Martin 'Simply gorgeous. An uplifting story of two broken individuals trying to find the courage to take a chance on love again' Jessica Redland 'A really uplifting, feel-good read about hope, love and second chances, that really did warm my heart.' Kim Nash 'A gorgeous, heart-warming romantic journey, reminds us to never give up on love...' Lucy Coleman 'You will fall in love with this story of fresh starts and mending broken hearts' Mandy Baggot 'A heart-breakingly beautiful story of love and loss set in the stunning village of Glentorrin. Be prepared to fall in love over and over again.' Nancy Barone 'What a beautiful read this was. I was rooting for Juliette from the first page. Lisa handled some tough subjects with a delicate and deft touch. I'm ready to escape to Skye!' Sarah Bennett

Escape to hills high above the French Riviera with international bestseller Jennifer Bohnet.After tragically losing her husband, Nicola Jacques and her teenage son Oliver relocate to his father's family's olive farm in the hills above the French Riviera. Due to a family feud, Oliver has never known his father's side of the family but Grandpapa Henri is intent that Oliver will take over the reins of the ancestral farm and his rightful inheritance. Determined to keep her independence from a rather controlling Grandpapa, Nicola buys a run-down cottage on the edge of the family's Olive Farm and sets to work renovating their new home and providing an income by cultivating the small holding that came with the Cottage. As the summer months roll by, Nicola and Oliver begin to settle happily into their new way of life with the help of Aunts Josephine and Odette, Henri's twin sisters and local property developer Gilles Bongars. But the arrival of some unexpected news and guests at the farm, force Nicole and Aunt Josephine to assess what and where their futures lie. This book was previously published as The French Legacy.

From the top 10 bestselling author of The Cornish Midwife. Two years after losing her husband, Finn, Lexie Turner is still struggling. She knows she needs to move on, but she has no idea where to begin. Packing up her life in London, Lexie heads to the coastal town of Port Kara to spend the summer working out her next move. With only her beloved Labrador for company, it's the perfect place to start again. But life in Port Kara is nothing like Lexie expected! Soon, she finds herself drawn into the close-knit community, unable to hide away. And when she meets local man, Elliott Dorton, Lexie begins to feel her broken heart slowly come back to life... Elliott is kind but adventurous and his job requires him to take risks daily - something Lexie isn't ready to deal with. Can she trust in Elliott and risk her heart breaking a second time, or will their one Cornish summer be all that Lexie can hope for? From Jo Bartlett, the bestselling author of The Cornish Midwives Series, comes another emotional read about second chances and having the courage to grab them with all your heart. Praise for Jo Bartlett: 'I love second chance stories. I love returning home stories. So a book combining both is an absolute winner for me. The Cornish Midwife is simply gorgeous. Stunning setting, wonderful characters, and oozing with warmth. A triumph from Jo Bartlett.' Jessica Redland 'Perfectly written and set in the beating heart of a community, this story is a wonderful slice of Cornish escapism.' Helen J Rolfe

From the top 10 bestselling author of The Cornish Midwife When Scarlett West's useless husband, Luke walks out one day and never returns, she's left to try and make a new life for herself and her four-year-old daughter, Ava. But with debts mounting, there's only one place she can go... Returning home to the village where she grew up, Scarlett starts to slowly rebuild her life. Their cottage is beautiful, Scarlett has a new job and also the support of her family and friends. Maybe this is the second chance she so desperately needs? And then there's Cameron Ellis, Scarlett's gorgeous new boss. Everyone thinks Scarlett and Cameron are perfect for each other, and as Scarlett spends more and more time with him, she begins to think that maybe he could be part of their new future, too. That is until Luke returns, desperate to get his family back.... From Jo Bartlett, the bestselling author of The Cornish Midwives Series, perfect for fans of Jessica Redland, Holly Martin and Christie Barlow. This title was previously published as The Little Village on the Hill

From the top 10 bestselling author of The Cornish Midwife When Scarlett West's useless husband, Luke walks out one day and never returns, she's left to try and make a new life for herself and her four-year-old daughter, Ava. But with debts mounting, there's only one place she can go... Returning home to the village where she grew up, Scarlett starts to slowly rebuild her life. Their cottage is beautiful, Scarlett has a new job and also the support of her family and friends. Maybe this is the second chance she so desperately needs? And then there's Cameron Ellis, Scarlett's gorgeous new boss. Everyone thinks Scarlett and Cameron are perfect for each other, and as Scarlett spends more and more time with him, she begins to think that maybe he could be part of their new future, too. That is until Luke returns, desperate to get his family back.... From Jo Bartlett, the bestselling author of The Cornish Midwives Series, perfect for fans of Jessica Redland, Holly Martin and Christie Barlow. This title was previously published as The Little Village on the Hill

In many communities across North America in the 1960s and 1970s, the rural-relocation movement became both a way of life and a path forward for many people inclined to buck the mainstream-and Paul Salstrom embraced it. His experiences in rural Lincoln County, West Virginia, led him to the self-sufficient, "neighborly networking" lifestyle well known in many Appalachian communities since the early nineteenth century. In Appalachia's Alternative to Mainstream America, Salstrom outlines his Appalachian experiences in a memoir, revisiting this back-to-the-land tradition that guided his cultural experience during this time. While he pursued a number of experimental alternatives to a mainstream way of life during the late 1960s, it was not until he landed in Lincoln County a few years later that he found himself engaging in an alternative way of living that didn't feel "experimental" at all. This distinctive way of life was largely characterized by a closer connection to the earth-local sufficiency informed by homesteading, subsistence farming, and gardening-and the community-wide trading of favors in a spirit of mutual aid. Over time, Salstrom's engagement in this "neighborly" occupation has nurtured an informed belief that Americans will be drawn back to landed customs, taking care of the earth and of one another to thrive as individuals and communities. Emerging crises like pandemics, climate change, and deepening political divisions, as well as positive developments, like the embrace of organic food and the farm-to-table movement, Salstrom contends, might be just what America society needs in order to realize its democratic aspirations.

Crowning the Year offers a practical guide to celebrating the key moments of the liturgical year in rural multi-church contexts. It considers the nature and distinctiveness of the rural church, the patterns of its worship and its ministry, reflecting on the importance of place, local community, the church building and the occasions which rural communities celebrate. In doing so, it offers an attractive and welcome ecclesiology and theology of the rural church. Crowning the Year will equip all who lead or assist with worship in rural contexts, lay and ordained. It offers essential groundwork on liturgical theology, and a theology of ministry in rural, multi-parochial contexts. It then provides practical ideas and direction on how to prepare for and conduct worship for the principal feasts and seasons of the Christian year, with a special emphasis on Christmas, Holy Week and Easter and the occasions such as Harvest, Plough Sunday and Rogation that are especially significant in rural communities.

'Sarah Bennett is back, and better than ever!' Rachel Burton When her dreams of young love were cruelly shattered, Nerissa Morgan found it hard to move on. Now, at forty-three, everyone around her is enjoying life while she's just going through the motions. With her boss retiring and rumours of a new doctor coming in to take over the practice she manages, change is coming, whether she's ready for it or not. Following the death of his beloved wife, Tom Nelson buried himself in work at his busy inner-London GP practice. When his teenage children find themselves in trouble at school, he realises he's completely lost touch with them. Desperate to reconnect before it's too late, he whisks his family away to the pretty seaside village of Mermaids Point determined to make a fresh start. But all is not as idyllic as it seems. With his predecessor reluctant to let go of the reins and the children as distant as ever, the last thing Tom needs is an undeniable attraction to the woman he unexpectedly finds himself sharing a roof with... Warm, escapist, feel-good and altogether brilliant story-telling from bestselling author Sarah Bennett. Perfect for all fans of Trisha Ashley and Milly Johnson. Praise for Sarah Bennett: 'A wonderful tale of taking a chance on love again. Sarah writes with such warmth, in a setting that feels like home, with characters who feel like friends. A gorgeous escapist read.' Jessica Redland 'I adored this book. From the moment I read the first page, I was swept up in the beautiful setting, the wonderfully rounded characters and the masterful storytelling. This is a must for fans of emotional storytelling, escapist reading and people and places that will take your breath away. I can't wait to read the next one!' Fay Keenan 'A joyful, heart-warming book full of human kindness and affection. I adored it.' Celia Anderson 'A charming, delightful book. Pour yourself a cup of tea and hunker down. You'll want to read this in one go.' Terry-Lynn Thomas 'This is the perfect escapist read and I can't wait to follow the characters in what promises to be a wonderful series. Five sparkling stars!' Rachel Griffiths'What a Mer-mazing book! I'm so glad this is a series and I'll get to meet the characters again because you won't want to leave them after the final page.' Catherine Miller 'Wonderful! So great to read the story of an older heroine getting a second chance. Highly recommended. Five stars.' Rachel Burton 'An absolutely gorgeous book. It's wonderful from start to finish. The ending had me sniffing back tears. And, as usual, it was beautifully written.' Katie Ginger 'Another fabulous trip to the beautiful setting of Mermaids Point which will have you rooting for Nerissa all the way. The perfect cosy read.' Bella Osborne 'This adorable book was an absolute joy to read - everything about it was wonderful.' Victoria Cooke

A fresh start in a picture-perfect English town brings the hope of new friends, new adventures and even new romance in this heart-warming novel from readers' top pick Fay Keenan. When Kate Harris accepts the job of redecorating her brother Aidan's house in the picturesque town of Willowbury, she knows it's just a stop gap before she has to decide what to do with the rest of her life. While her three sons spend the summer holiday with their father, Kate has an opportunity to prove to herself that there is a new life, after her divorce. Harry Sinclair is the owner of Vale Volumes book shop on Willowbury High Street. Content, if a little bored with his lot, his shop, as well as his life, could do with freshening up. When Kate offers to spruce up Vale Volumes ready for the visit of a famous author, they find they have a lot more in common than colour schemes. But both have secrets and responsibilities, and when the trials of family life threaten their burgeoning friendship, can they overcome the experiences of their pasts? Will Somerset's most magical town cast its spell on them? Or will Kate and Harry have to concede that their friendship really is just for the summer? Let Fay Keenan transport you to the perfect British summertime, with beautiful countryside, an unforgettable romance, and just the right dose of escapism. Perfect for all fans of Debbie Macomber, Cathy Bramley and Katie Fforde. What authors and readers say about Fay Keenan's novels: 'Guaranteed to put a spring in your step. Feel-good, frisky and great fun with a hearty dash of romance and intrigue.' Julie Houston 'Moving, funny, thoughtful and romantic. Bring on the next one!' Jenny Kane 'This is a lovely and heart-warming story, that has a serious side hidden within the romance.' Amazon reviewer ' It was a wonderful book, guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Amazon reviewer 'I was so engrossed in the storyline, which is thoroughly heart-warming, that I read the entire book without stopping. I always enjoy Keenan's books and am looking forward to the next one!' Amazon reviewer

Using the cultural history of Oregon's Nestucca Valley as a case study, Taylor illustrates the wisdom of seasonal labor, the complex relationships between work and identity, and the resilience of rural economics across a century of almost continual change.

Brand NEW from the bestselling author of The Village Shop For Lonely Hearts.After escaping her parents' unhappy marriage to sleepy Cranbridge a long time ago, Belle Clarke dreams of staying at The Black Swan Inn forever. But with the rundown Inn threatened with closure, Belle may be forced to leave, unless a buyer can be found ... quickly. So, when her oldest friend Pete Kennedy returns from working abroad with a plan to save the Inn, Belle should be overjoyed. The trouble is, Pete has some rather radical ideas for the renovation which Belle disagrees with. But when a snow storm hits, Belle and Pete are forced to put aside their differences and work together to help the village. Can Belle realise her dreams to stay in Cranbridge and can Pete ever stop running from his past? As they try to save The Black Swan Inn, secrets are revealed and just maybe they'll finally find out how they really feel about each other. Praise for Alison Sherlock: 'Glorious escapism. Uplifting, heartwarming and joyful, Alison Sherlock writes with a warmth and lightness of touch' Kerry Fisher 'A lovely story of finding yourself and discovering what home means. I couldn't stop turning the pages. Loved it.' Jessica Redland