Rural Life

With the high summer season underway at the Seabreeze Inn, Ivy Bay faces new challenges. She has just one season to make the inn a success to pay the tax bill her late husband left behind. And her neighbor’s lawsuit could mean an end to the Seabreeze Inn. Yet her daughter Sunny’s arrival in Summer Beach is also a chance to renew their strained relationship. While the mayor, Bennett Dylan, develops deeper feelings for Ivy, new trials weigh on their romantic relationship. Sensing Ivy’s sadness over her sister Shelly’s departure, Bennett encourages Mitch, the Java Beach owner, to contact Shelly.

Junie Raines is ready for a second chance at life on a sunny island off the coast of Southern California. She’s managing the gift shop at the Majestic Hotel, a Victorian-era beach resort, and her sister Maileah is trying her patience with her sibling rivalry. It’s been two years since Junie’s husband died. She longs for a second chance to have a family while she’s still young, but dating has its challenges with Maileah around. Junie is looking for a beach cottage, and her sister is determined to move in with her.

In the imposing Glen Carrick House overlooking Scotland’s famous Loch Ness lives eighty-eight-year-old Mimi McKinlay, cared for by her three adult sons. Hamish has inherited his mother’s musical talents, Fin is the responsible brother, and Angus has the complicated and brooding personality to match his dashing good looks. But what all the brothers share is a concern that their beloved mother is living in her memories of her days on stage, while letting her present days pass her by.

This could be any small town. It aches under the heat of summer. It flourishes in the cooler months. Everyone knows everyone. Their families, histories and stories are interwoven and well-known by one and all. Or at least, they think they are. But no one sees anything quite the same way. Perceptions differ, truths are elusive, judgements have outcomes and everything is connected. For better or for worse.

The Power of Suffering is psychologist David Roland’s personal investigation into the nature of human suffering. When our world is turned upside down, what does it do to us, how do we survive it, and, most importantly, how can we grow as a result? David takes the lived experience of eleven...

Esmae Grace Williams has settled into life in the country quite well. She has found contentment and happiness in the small town of Meadow Creek. After having her heart broken and swearing off men, Esmae has decided to date once again. The problem is, which guy should she choose? Esmae is finally ready to move forward. That is, until Brooklyn arrives in town. Who is this Southern Belle? Quickly, Esmae discovers that her dating plans may all come to a screeching halt. Now, Esmae wonders if she will find the man of her dreams—or will she end up all alone?

One summer evening, Lib Hanson is confronted by her painful past when Matt Marlow, the forty-year-old son she abandoned as an infant, shows up on her porch. Fiercely independent, Lib has never revealed her son's existence—or her previous marriage—to her husband, Jack. Married nearly three decades but living in separate houses (to the confusion but acceptance of their neighbors), they enjoy an ease and comfort together in small-town Anthem, Wisconsin. But Jack is a stickler for honesty, and Lib's long-dormant secret threatens to unravel their lives.

Charmaine moves to Coral Island and lands a job working at a local florist shop. It seems as though the entire island has caught wedding fever, with weddings planned every weekend. It's a good opportunity for her to get to know the locals, but what she doesn't expect is to be thrown into the middle of a family drama. Penny and Rowan's wedding is coming up fast, and Penny's working too hard to give it her full attention. Rowan's still figuring out what to do with his life when a suggestion from a friend gives them both an idea.

When an unexpected flame ignites between me and a rogue wolf, things get hot and heavy fast. It’s my last summer of freedom before I take over the pack back home, and he’s the perfect guy, but he can’t come home with me.

When two teenagers - Johannes and Mari - are found murdered inside their school, in the small Norwegian village of Fredheim, the finger is soon is pointed at 18-year-old Even, whose relationship with Mari ended just before she died. Mari was writing a story for the school newspaper about Even and his dad, who died in a car accident 10 years earlier. But was it really an accident? And had Mari uncovered information that someone was willing to commit murder to protect?

Harley Altmyer should be in college drinking Rolling Rock and chasing girls. He should be freed from his closed-minded, stricken coal town, with its lack of jobs and no sense of humor. Instead, he's constantly reminded of just how messed up his life is. With his mother in jail for killing his abusive father, Harley is an orphan with the responsibilities of an adult and the fiery, aggressive libido of a teenager.

Emily, the local librarian, has started a writing group, but as the group stumbles through both the fiction and reality of their lives, they’re learning much more than how to write. But Emily suddenly has other things on her mind when a friend from her past shows up in Harmony's library. Now she must deal with a secret she’s kept for fifteen years - a secret that changed her life and threatens to shatter her future. Meanwhile, new lawyer Rick Matheson thinks he’s in charge of his world until accidents start happening all around him.

Through Birddog’s tender yet unflinching voice, we witness the harsh beauty of rural America: a world of broken promises, family secrets, and unexpected moments of grace. Both devastating and redemptive, this story lingers long after the last word is spoken.

Crystal methamphetamine is widely considered to be the most dangerous drug in the world, and nowhere is that more true than in the small towns of the American heartland. Methland tells the story of Oelwein, Iowa (pop. 6,159), which, like thousands of other small towns across the country, has been left in the dust by the consolidation of the agricultural industry, a depressed local economy, and an out-migration of people.

This book is for city dwellers that wish to move to a rural area and know what they will face. It is also for rural residents trying to save money while living in the country. Learn to survive in the country. This book covers all aspects of rural living. It is a book that teaches the difference between the small towns, large towns, and wooded areas. Listeners will know which utilities are available in the country. This book also teaches how to navigate the forest without getting lost or injured. Learn about rural neighbors and how to avoid neighborly disputes.

Lola Getz and Webster Bond felt an instant spark when they met as high school students in Victory Shores. But their budding romance was cut short when Lola’s parents died in a plane crash and she had to return to Mexico. There, she became a famous artist and married a man who turned out to be a fraud. Webster, meanwhile, joined the army, earned medals of honor, and came back to his hometown as a cop. Years later, Lola’s life is in danger when armed men break into her house.

In late November 1899, in Tishomingo, Indian Territory, 17-year-old Eva Baker is caught between two worlds: the future she's always dreamed of and the family obligations threaten to shape her destiny—a destiny she never wanted. Eva has spent her life in Tishomingo, helping with the family and their small farm. She has graduated from Bloomfield Academy with high honors. Now, she wants to learn the art of midwifery under the tutelage of Aurora Harrison, a local and admired midwife.

How did the hottest hockey player in the NHL wind up braiding hair and hosting tea parties? Because someone was foolish enough to name him co-guardian of their children. That's how. Cole Montgomery's living his best life—until he gets a call from an attorney letting him know he's been entrusted with the care of two little girls. He can't imagine why anyone would think he was a good role model. He can't even keep a plant alive.

Meg needs to make a decision about her upcoming wedding, but will her choice shock her mother, Julie? William makes a life-changing decision, but then everything keeps falling apart. How will it affect his relationship with Janine?

The seventh animal in the hilarious AWESOME ANIMALS series – awesome adventures with the wildest wildlife. Watch out for Larry the drama-loving llama in the next instalment of the wonderful AWESOME ANIMALS series...