Rural Small Town Fiction

Long-time residents of Promise Lodge welcome a wave of newcomers that includes a pretty potter who's come to help an expectant couple, and a hard-working dairy expert ready to manage the herds on the expanding Burkholder farm. Then there's Isaac Chupp, the handsome, charming son of a notoriously unyielding Bishop from nearby Coldstream. Isaac has recklessly rebelled against his dat, and his bad boy reputation precedes him. Now he seeks a fresh start, applying for work at Dale Kraybill's bulk store.

With this follow-up to The Royal Wulff Murders, acclaimed author Keith McCafferty brings back fly-fishing PI Sean Stranahan for a second quirky adventure. When two graves are found on the mysterious Sphinx Mountain, the local sheriff suspects murder and calls on Stranahan to join the case. Then a vintage Gray Ghost lure from a riverside cabin disappears, and Stranahan begins to suspect that a deeper mystery is lurking just beneath the surface.

To save her son, shy but determined waitress Becky McAllister would do just about anything. But she never expected "anything" to include the brother of the man who broke her heart. Steve Parker needs a wife, now, if he has any hopes of winning his local DA election and becoming the advocate for the underserved he's always dreamed of being. The sweet waitress seems like just the person—if he can get her to agree. One year of marriage—no strings, no personal attachments. Becky gets the insurance funds she needs for her son's surgery while Steve's poll ratings soar.

A mysterious virus has infiltrated the good people of Lake Wobegon, transmitted via unpasteurized cheese made by a Norwegian bachelor farmer, the effect of which is episodic loss of social inhibition. Mayor Alice, Father Wilmer, Pastor Liz, the Bunsens and Krebsbachs, formerly taciturn elders, burst into political rants, inappropriate confessions, and rhapsodic proclamations, while their teenagers watch in amazement. Meanwhile, a wealthy outsider is buying up farmland for a Keep America Truckin' motorway and amusement park.

Ending up in the same bed with my brother's best friend on a spontaneous road trip to his own wedding? Definitely not part of the plan. But when Oliver and I got stuck overnight at a hotel—with only one bed—temptation won. What was supposed to be a one-time thing… was just the beginning. Because now, he's secretly my husband. For convenience, of course. I think.

Colorado's Redstone Ridge is a place of extraordinary beauty, but this rugged mountain wilderness harbors a horrifying secret. When a charred body is discovered in a shallow grave on the ridge, officer Mattie Cobb and her K-9 partner, Robo, are called in to spearhead the investigation. But this is no ordinary crime - and it soon becomes clear Mattie has a close personal connection to the dead man.

There's something about those Wyoming men... New York Times bestselling author Diana Palmer returns to the Cowboy State with a brand-new tale of desire and deception. Cultivating his vast Wyoming ranch is all security expert J. C. Calhoun wants. His land is the only thing the betrayed rancher can trust in after discovering his fiancée was pregnant by another man. But all J.C. holds dear becomes compromised when a lost little girl leads him to Colie Jackson, the woman who destroyed his life.

When a series of disasters lands her living on her cousin's couch—and back in the small island town she never thought she'd see again—Neavh is forced to confront the truth: leaving Clover behind was the biggest mistake of her life, and she'd give every star in the sky for another chance.

When high flying, workaholic Katy Smith is suddenly made redundant, she needs to find a job fast! After mistakenly answering an advert online, she quickly realises that the rundown railway station in sleepy Cranfield isn’t the 5-star London hotels she’s used to working in! But a job’s a job. Right? Chef Ryan Connelly is having a crisis of confidence after his Italian dream turns sour. Returning home to try to pick up the pieces of his parents broken marriage, he soon discovers that his family home, the railway station, is close to financial ruin.

When Lori Hawthorne trades her high-powered city life for the unexpected inheritance of her late aunt's neglected fruit farm in Sedona, Arizona, she soon realizes that mending a broken orchard is only half the battle. Seeking a chance to rewrite her story, she's determined to breathe new life into both the farm and her own existence.

Camden Hunter doesn't belong here. I've spent my entire life in the small town of Sutten Mountain, where everyone knows everyone, and you can spot trouble from a mile away. Camden is trouble. He's an arrogant, self-absorbed billionaire from the city with too much money and not enough manners. And he just opened a fancy art gallery next door to my bakery. When he comes to me desperately needing a favor, I can't help but propose a deal: I'll cater his grand opening, and in return, he has to spend a day with me as a local—to experience the beauty and talent this town has to offer.

For years, Harris Hayes has taught his daughter, Aggie, the ways of the northern woods, where she sketches nests of wild birds as an antidote to sadness. Then her depressed, unpredictable mother forbids her to climb the trees that give her sanctuary and comfort. Angry, ten-year-old Aggie accidentally lights a tragic fire and flees downriver. She lands her boat near untamed forest, then hides among trees and creatures she believes are her only friends—determined to remain undiscovered.

A remarkable collection of stories, Bad Dirt is filled with the vivid characters for which Annie Proulx has become known. In every story in this book, Proulx displays her wit and her knowledge of the West, of history, and, most of all, of characters who must use sheer will and courage to make it in tough territory.

With the ownership of the property settled, Eliza knows that she’s found the place where she belongs. But she can’t take a chance on something completely new until she finally lets go of the grief that has gripped her heart, and saying that last goodbye is one of the hardest things she’s ever had to do. Her sister, Claire, is tackling her own emotional challenges. While her lifelong fantasy for a reunion has finally happened, it comes with a cost. She must face the choices of her past, and fight for a love she never thought she could have…and still could lose at any minute.

When her last two plays are dismal failures and her relationship with her temperamental mentor falls apart, writer Bree O’Brien abandons Chicago and the regional theater where she hoped to make a name for herself to return home. Opening Flowers on Main promises to bring her a new challenge and a new kind of fulfillment. But not all is peaceful and serene in Chesapeake Shores, with her estranged mother on the scene and her ex-lover on the warpath.

A million likes vs. one true love. Bryce Bauman is one half of a famous influencer couple...until his boyfriend dumps him and puts the whole ugly scene online. Several months later, Bryce is at the end of his rope—he’s lost all his endorsements, along with his so-called friends. Licking his wounds, he escapes to the tiny town of Serenity, Pennsylvania, where he’s surrounded by too much nature and quiet. And...the hot as hell owner of the bed-and-breakfast who makes him think there might be life beyond what’s on a screen.

It’s all fun and games until the fake relationship puts their lives on the line. Gage Howard’s last name is a legacy, and not a good one. The Howards and the Pattons have been rivals for half a century, but his sister's actions have branded her a traitor. Now, his own loyalty is divided. Hadley Morgan has no clue how bloody the family feud between the Howards and the Pattons is when she volunteers to help her new roommate get information to Gage. A fake relationship with her roommate’s brother is a simple solution to stay below the radar.

The new girl next door? She’s adorable, but totally off-limits. I don’t do commitment—been there, done that, got the broken heart—and sweet-as-pie Becca is too close to girlfriend material. But she asks me to help her find her naughty side, and I’m the perfect guy for the job. She wants to take some risks and face her fears, and I have all kinds of ideas. I just need to keep my d*ck—and my heart—out of it. After all, we’re just two friends having fun. What could possibly go wrong?

Though they come from the same small Irish village, lonely widow Ruby and struggling single mother Frankie couldn’t be more different. Then they discover the Moonlight Gardening Club, founded to remind its members that even on the darkest of nights, beauty and light can still be found. As they plant flowers chosen specially to be enjoyed under a carpet of stars in the gentle glow of moonlight, an unexpected friendship starts to bloom – and it might be just what each of them needs. But when shocking secrets from the past are revealed, both their worlds are turned upside down.

On the brink of a breakdown, two years after the death of his fiancée, Jim Hawkes quits his high-powered job in the city to rent a cottage in the Devonshire countryside seeking some well-needed rest. But Slyford St. James is far from the peaceful haven Jim was hoping for. Almost immediately, he is plagued by strange occurrences: a combination lock that won’t open, loud noises in the attic, the figure of a little girl always just out of sight. His new village friends, Jed and Emma, are convinced Jim has found his way to the village for a reason.