The Beekeeper’s Cottage: An absolutely unputdownable feel-good summer read
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So, when push comes to shove it seems I can do the right thing after all, and I’d like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to do just that. I think I rather like it.
It looks as if you’ll be keeping the house after all, Grace…
Be happy.
Dominic x
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A bubble of laughter broke free from Grace’s lips as she felt Amos’s hand slip into hers. ‘Well,’ she said, puffing out her cheeks. ‘What do you make of that?’
Amos grinned. ‘Seems as if he’s a nice chap, after all,’ he said.
Grace held his look, a rush of happiness building within her. She looked at the house and then back at Amos, at the camper van behind them. Then she pulled Amos towards her and this time she did kiss him, thoroughly and unreservedly. It was just the way she wanted her life to be lived from now on. Moments later she drew the van to a halt at the end of the driveway, staring at the road in front of them, as she looked first to her right and then to her left.
‘Which way?’ she asked.
There was a pause for a moment as Amos considered the question before he turned to her, grinning, a delicious twinkle in his eye.
‘That way,’ he said, pointing to the left. ‘Just follow the sun.’
If you adored Grace’s story of second chances in a stunning countryside setting, buy The Little Cottage on the Hill now for more unputdownable, feel-good romance that will make your heart sing!
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THE LITTLE COTTAGE ON THE HILL
THE LITTLE COTTAGE SERIES BOOK 1
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There’s blossom in the trees and daffodils as far as the eye can see. Maddie is looking forward to a fresh start in the countryside, but there’s just one little problem…
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Following a scandal at her high-flying PR agency, twenty-six-year-old Maddie flees London to help promote what she thinks is going to be a luxurious holiday retreat in the countryside. Everything is riding on her making a success of this new job…
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Yet when she arrives, Maddie is horrified to find a rundown old farm in a terrible state. The brooding and secretive owner, Seth, spent all his money on leasing the land when he fell in love with the beautiful, dishevelled farm cottages and the very romantic story behind them.
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When Maddie discovers an old oil painting by the original owner’s wife, she unlocks the secret of the farm’s history and quickly realises she must start getting her hands dirty if this very special place is going to have any chance of survival. As she and Seth begin working together, the stunning view from the top of the hill is not the only thing that’s leaving her breathless…
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After weeks of hard work the dream looks like it might become a reality, until a secret from Maddie’s past threatens to snatch it all away again. Can Maddie find a way to save the business and herself? Will she finally find a place to keep her heart within the crumbling walls of the little cottage on the hill?
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Perfect for fans of Jenny Colgan, Lucy Diamond and Debbie Johnson who are looking to escape to the countryside and fall in love watching the seasons change.
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BOOKS BY EMMA DAVIES
Lucy’s Little Village Book Club
The House at Hope Corner
The Beekeeper’s Cottage
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THE LITTLE COTTAGE SERIES
The Little Cottage on the Hill
Summer at the Little Cottage on the Hill
Return to the Little Cottage on the Hill
Christmas at the Little Cottage on the Hill
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Letting in Light
Turn Towards the Sun
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Merry Mistletoe
Spring Fever
Gooseberry Fool
Blackberry Way
AVAILABLE IN AUDIO
Lucy’s Little Village Book Club (UK Listeners | US Listeners)
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THE LITTLE COTTAGE SERIES
The Little Cottage on the Hill (UK Listeners | US Listeners)
Summer at the Little Cottage on the Hill (UK listeners | US listeners)
A LETTER FROM EMMA
Hello, and thank you so much for choosing to read The Beekeeper’s Cottage, I do hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. In fact, I’m so sad it’s come to an end! I really hope you’d like to stay updated on what’s coming next, so please do sign up to my newsletter here and you’ll be the first to know!
Sign up here!
This book is particularly special to me because I’ve been able to bring back possibly my favourite character of all time – Amos. We first met him in a novella I wrote several years ago, called Merry Mistletoe, and I fell in love with him then. I’m even more in love with him now! Amos arrived in my head one day, almost fully formed as I drew up behind a motorbike at a set of traffic lights. The bike had a personalised plate and yes, you’ve guessed it, it was Amos Fry. It struck me that it was such a wonderful name for a character and, seconds later, my Amos appeared in my head, begging for his story to be told. The only problem was that Amos was also a little bit of a mystery and so he never got to tell his story in Merry Mistletoe. However, I always knew that one day I would find a way to give him the story he deserved and, in Grace, to find his perfect partner. I’m so glad he stuck around long enough for me to make it happen!
Having readers take the time to get in touch really does make my day, and if you’d like to contact me then I’d love to hear from you. The easiest way to do this is by finding me on Twitter and Facebook, or you could also pop by my website where you can read about my love of Pringles among other things…
I hope to see you again very soon and, in the meantime, if you’ve enjoyed your visit to The Beekeeper’s Cottage, I would really appreciate a few minutes of your time to leave a review or post on social media. Every single review makes a massive difference and is very much appreciated!
Until next time,
Love, Emma x
www.emmadaviesauthor.com
LUCY’S LITTLE VILLAGE BOOK CLUB
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Sometimes you’ve got to run away to find yourself…
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Twenty-four-year-old Lucy needs a fresh start. Forever single and frustrated with her studies she gives up everything to run a little library in the leafy village of Tilley Moreton.
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Lucy loves reading almost as much as she loves fixing other people’s problems, so starting a book club seems like the perfect opportunity to do both. As she meets her new members, it’s clear she’s going to have her work cut out for her. Handsome but silent Callum is the biggest puzzle of them all...
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But Lucy’s meddling begins to cause more problems than it solves, and no one is more surprised than Lucy when Callum steps in to help. Could there be more to him than people think?
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As Callum and Lucy start working together to fix the broken hearts of the library’s most loyal customers, the first sparks of romance begin to fly.
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Can they right all the trouble Lucy has created, and might there be a chance for a happy ending of their own?
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An utterly uplifting, emotional page-turner that will bring tears to your eyes and a smile to your face. Perfect for fans of Jenny Colgan and Milly Johnson.
THE HOUSE AT HOPE CORNER
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The view across the valley takes her breath away; everywhere she looks tiny patches of colour – ochre, chestnut, lime and purple. The farmhouse behind her glows pink
in the morning sun. It’s like stepping into a postcard, except that this magical place is real. It’s her new home.
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With her beloved shop in danger of shutting down, meeting Ned, a gorgeous farmer with an irresistible twinkle in his eye, couldn’t have come at a better moment for free-spirited florist, Flora Dunbar. But no one is more surprised than her when their whirlwind romance leads to the offer of a new life on Ned’s farm.
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Arriving at Hope Corner, Flora sets about becoming the perfect farmer’s wife, but her creative, alternative thinking falls flat in a household built on tradition and strict routine. Even Ned is becoming more distant by the day…
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Pulling up her signature striped socks and throwing herself into her chores, little by little Flora learns to love the order and patterns of life on the land. But the more she learns about her new home, the more she suspects it’s under threat, and worse, that Ned is hiding a heartbreaking secret from her.
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But this time, Flora’s not going to run from her problems. Do Ned and his family trust her enough to let her stay and fight for love and the first house she’s ever truly called home? Does she trust herself?
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An absolutely gorgeous and utterly uplifting romance to sweep you off your feet! Perfect reading for fans of Jenny Colgan, Lucy Diamond and Debbie Johnson.
SUMMER AT THE LITTLE COTTAGE ON THE HILL
THE LITTLE COTTAGE SERIES BOOK 2
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Take an endless stroll through wild meadows and breathe in the sweet aroma of flowers in full bloom. The first ever guest at the little cottage on the hill is looking for an escape, but her past is not far behind her…
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Thirty-two-year-old ‘ice queen’ Isobel slams the cottage door and pulls the curtains shut. She has just six weeks to practise for a secret project that could save her career and no one must know she is here.
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When Tom, the local thatcher with eyes as blue and deep as the ocean, hears the sound of her violin on the breeze he feels a tug at his heart-strings that reminds him of happier times. Who is this mysterious new lodger, and why does she look so familiar?
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Desperate to find out more, Tom is devastated when Isobel refuses to enjoy everything the farm has to offer. He won’t give in, but just when it looks like Isobel is coming out of her shell, someone recognises her and the troubles from her past threaten to take away everything she has been working towards.
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Will the lessons Isobel learned at the little cottage help her to stand up and face the music? Will Tom ever find a way to unlock the emotion she needs to move on?
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If you loved the heart-warming romance in novels by Jenny Colgan, Lucy Diamond and Debbie Johnson, you’ll adore this gorgeous, feel-good story about letting love in.
RETURN TO THE LITTLE COTTAGE ON THE HILL
THE LITTLE COTTAGE SERIES BOOK 3
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The climb up the hill takes her past sweet-smelling pink roses in full bloom and leads her to an utterly breathtaking view. Megan is happy to be home at last, but will her relationship have survived the journey?
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It has been a difficult few years for thirty-year-old Megan Forrester, completing her apprenticeship and trying to maintain a long-distance relationship with her gorgeous boyfriend, Liam.
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She’s returned home to compete in a local craft competition. The prize is the chance to design beautiful new gates for the estate at the bottom of the hill, a job which could secure her future in the village forever.
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As the contest gets underway, Megan is devastated when a rival design turns out to be almost identical to hers. Someone in the close-knit community must have leaked her sketches, but who? Is it the same person spreading heartbreaking rumours about Liam?
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Down to the last few left in the competition, Megan throws her heart and soul into a show-stopping final piece… but will winning even matter when the truth about Liam is finally revealed?
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Do you adore feel-good stories that leave you with a smile on your face? This heart-warming romance is a perfect escape for readers who flew through novels by Jenny Colgan, Lucy Diamond and Debbie Johnson.
CHRISTMAS AT THE LITTLE COTTAGE ON THE HILL
THE LITTLE COTTAGE SERIES BOOK 4
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One twinkling winter’s night, Ruby wakes her sleeping children and escapes for a new life in the countryside. It’s a choice that will change her life beyond all recognition…
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Arriving at the cosy little rental cottage as the first snow begins to fall, Ruby doesn’t regret leaving her bully of a husband for a moment, but she does feel guilty about uprooting her kids so close to Christmas. She can only wish that one day soon her son Jem will forgive her.
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It’s not long before the family are settled in and drinking hot chocolate by the fire, the flames kept roaring by a neighbouring woodsman called Angus. As big as a tree, but as gentle as a dormouse, all Ruby’s instincts tell her to be wary of letting this gorgeous stranger get too close. Is that the first tingle of festive magic Ruby can feel? Or might it even be hope?
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As Christmas day approaches and a blizzard sparks a power cut across the entire village, Ruby must force herself to believe in Christmas miracles again. Was she right to put her trust in Angus? With only flickering candles to guide her through the darkness, will she ever find her way back to the light?
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Wrap yourself up in this utterly gorgeous festive romance, perfect for anyone who loves Heidi Swan, Jenny Colgan, Lucy Diamond – and Christmas!
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I had such a wonderful time writing this book as it indulged all my loves in one go! Not only did I get to learn more about bees and flowers, but in Flora I was able to dream about printmaking too, something else I’m keen to try my hand at. To this end I am indebted to Clare Ashcroft of The Flower Farm in Lancashire (www.theflowerfarm.co.uk) for her advice on planting schedules and all things flowery. I would also like to thank Helen Jukes for her wonderful book, A Honeybee Heart Has Five Openings, and Alys Fowler and Steve Benbow for the delightful Letters to a Beekeeper, just two of the many books I read to accompany the writing of The Beekeeper’s Cottage.
I have also spent a good deal of time walking over the last few months, not only to try and ensure that I do move around at least for some part of the day, but also just to immerse myself in our wonderful countryside – there is truly nothing better for the soul. I am fortunate to live close to Attingham Park, an estate now owned and managed by the National Trust, without which this book would not have poured from me with the ease that it did. I am so very grateful that we still have organisations that preserve and protect our woodland and meadows and Attingham has both in abundance. I have walked there in all weathers, and now in all seasons, and every day has been a joy.
Finally, huge thanks, as always, go to the wonderful team that are Bookouture, for getting as excited about this book as I am (that’s you, Jessie!) and for making it happen. Writing for them is just like belonging to a huge and happy family and, as we writers spend a good deal of time alone, that’s incredibly important.
Published by Bookouture in 2019
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An imprint of StoryFire Ltd.
Carmelite House
50 Victoria Embankment
London EC4Y 0DZ
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www.bookouture.com
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Copyright © Emma Davies, 2019
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Emma Davies has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work.