Showing results by author "Katharine E. Smith" in All Categories

Alice is finding her feet managing the Sail Loft Hotel when Sam is presented with an offer he can’t refuse. The bad news is, if he says yes, he will have to leave Cornwall. Sam’s visits home see him split in his loyalties between his daughter Sophie, and spending time with Alice. Sophie’s mother, Kate, seems to be doing her best to make things difficult.

All is set to change for Alice and Sam as they expect their first child together. Just how they are going to fit themselves, their baby, and Sam’s daughter Sophie into their little two-bed cottage is a mystery, but Alice is determined not to get stressed out. Her focus is on best friend Julie, who is trying unsuccessfully for a baby, and on Sophie, who is torn between staying in Cornwall with Sam, or moving to Devon with her mum. Then there are Alice’s parents, who don’t seem happy with their own move to Cornwall, and Jonathan, who also appears to be falling out of love.

Two years into her new life in Cornwall, and while Alice Griffiths’ own romantic hopes have been dashed, it appears that whichever way she looks, her friends are getting hitched. A handsome stranger at Bea’s wedding could well change Alice’s fortunes but she may be better off ploughing her energies into her working life. While each season brings a new wedding, the months leading up to Christmas, and David and Martin's big day, become about taking risks for Alice. Should she leave the safety of the Sail Loft Hotel?

The scene is set for the perfect summer. Business is booming. The weather couldn’t be better. Best of all, Sam is coming back to Cornwall. For good. A storm is brewing, however. It seems that somebody, somewhere, has it in for Alice, although it is not clear who, or why. As Julie tries to help her friend, she finds her own thoughts turning progressively towards motherhood. Sam, meanwhile, has the pressure of a new job, as well as a stressed-out girlfriend and a teenage daughter to contend with.

Still recovering from a toxic relationship, Alice realizes she has allowed life to become too predictable, while Julie has just ended things with the man she was due to marry. The two friends decide to throw caution to the wind, coming back to Cornwall, where they spent a long, happy summer before life got serious. As they return to the same small flat in the center of town, and seasonal jobs at the Sail Loft Hotel, Alice harbors both hopes and fears of finding Sam, while Julie is determined to enjoy the freedom she’s been missing.