Welcome to Thorndale
Four uplifting romances set in the fictional Yorkshire Dales village of Thorndale.
THe Cottage of New Beginnings
One crumbling cottage. One broken heart. A chance to start over?
When Annie returns to Thorndale, the village where she spent much of her childhood, she’s looking for a new start. All she wants to do is fix up the cottage her godmother left her, and mend her bruised heart.
But when she clashes with local hero, Jon, Annie wonders if she’s made a mistake returning to Thorndale. The last thing she needs is more drama, yet the village seems to be conspiring to throw her and the distractingly handsome Jon together…
Annie is looking for a new beginning with zero romance – but what if the only way to learn to trust again is to take a risk on love?
The perfect feel-good romance to curl up with.
Inspiration & behind the scenes
My inspiration often begins with the setting and I created Thorndale after visiting Arncliffe and Kettlewell in the glorious Yorkshire Dales. I discovered a house at the end of a quiet lane, its path to the front door running straight through the garden, and this gave me the idea for Annie’s cottage as the village in my mind began to take shape.
THe Garden of Little Rose
For love to grow, Flora first needs to dig up the past.
At a hen party on the remote Scottish island of Alana, Flora is dared to ask a handsome stranger – Mac – to be her plus-one for the wedding. She never expected him to turn up at the church…
Now Mac wants to hire her skills as a horticulturist to restore the gardens at Róisín House, his home back on Alana. Flora knows she should refuse – Mac has ‘heartbreaker’ written all over him – but she can’t resist uncovering the tragic truth behind the garden at Róisín.
A gorgeous and heartwarming romance.
Inspiration & behind the scenes
This book is set partly on a Hebridean island, inspired by the Isle of Gigha, which I named Alana. The hotel where I imagined Flora staying can be found on Eriska, and it’s on my bucket list! The meaning behind the fictional name of the abandoned house and ruined garden becomes clear as the story progresses, as does the connection to Thorndale. The house and its garden were inspired by Hill of Tarvit in Fife and you might just find a copy of the book in their gift shop.
Get exclusive reader offers and download LIFE As I See It With Cal from Wedding Days at Halesmere House when you subscribe to my newsletter:
A Summer of Second Chances
When Ben comes to stay in Daisy’s holiday cottage, sparks fly. But so do tempers…
Daisy likes routine. She goes to work, makes dinner for her son, then loses herself for an hour or two in her sewing. She’s not looking for change, until Ben crashes – literally – into her life.
Ben is training for a triathlon, working himself to the limit in an attempt to forget a recent trauma. Daisy wants to help, but even as they draw closer with every week that passes, he pushes her away whenever things threaten to get serious.
Can Ben open himself up to love again? With Daisy’s life in the Yorkshire Dales and Ben’s in New York, can they have a future together even if he does?
An uplifting and feel-good romance to fall in love with.
Inspiration & behind the scenes
Daisy and Ben venture from Thorndale into the Cumbrian fells, another landscape which is very close to my heart. I visited the places they did and saw their story unfolding before me, even though I didn’t join in with all of their experiences! If you read the book then you’ll discover their connection to a movie, and it’s a period one that I love. Check out the trailer for a glimpse: The Man from Snowy River.
A Country Village Christmas
Can the magic of Christmas and Thorndale bring two lost souls together in love?
Olivia doesn’t have time for Christmas or romance – she’s got a demanding career and has been burned before when it comes to love. This year, she’s spending the festive season in her dad’s old house, packing it up now that he’s moved out. Her dad failed to mention she wouldn’t be spending her time there alone …
The last thing Olivia expects is for her surprise guest to be the very man who literally ran from her after an evening of mutual flirtation. But Tom has nowhere else to go and Olivia is determined to forget the disappointment she felt when he took off. Instead she’ll help him find his way again.
As heavy snow keeps them inside the cottage, will their enforced confinement spark romance once again – or will it push them further apart?
A festive and feel-good romance to keep you warm in winter.
Inspiration & behind the scenes
Olivia and Tom’s story takes place around an old bookshop and there’s a festive books theme, new old traditions and two people finding a way to live their lives a little differently. Christmas is a favourite time of the year in our house and one of our family traditions is watching White Christmas whilst we’re decorating our tree.
