New England Fiction

Kate's perfect life is a lie. Her finances are a mess, her marriage is struggling, and her teenage daughter, Claire, makes life even more difficult with her moodiness. Day after day, she hides the truth. But when her estranged father schedules a visit, she seizes her last chance to try to make him proud of what she's made of her life since dropping out of law school. If Kate can't get life together before her father comes to town, she'll only prove she really is a failure. Just like he's always believed.

It is the late spring of 1978 in a world in which the American Revolution failed in 1776 after George Washington was killed and the Continental Army was destroyed at the Battle of Long Island. The rumbling aftershocks of the Empire Day atrocities which reverberated through Two Hundred Lost Years are threatening to come to the boil. While in Philadelphia the politics become ever more fractious in Spain the Royal Alcazar is a citadel besieged in a country which might as well still be stuck in the 19th century.

Jess is trying put a painful past behind her and finally secure her college degree. But when a greedy man buys her entire block and threatens to evict all the tenants, including her and her uncle, she knows she has to do something drastic to save her home...and the church property that holds her parents' graves. Being filthy rich has its perks. But Axel still hates running his father's large development firm. Drowning his sorrows in alcohol, parties, and pretty faces, Axel is too self-absorbed to admit his life is spiraling out of control.

A murder with no apparent motive, fear and distrust of police, a mix of some questionable characters who want to put a lid on the killing and their connection to the victim - This is the second volume of the New England based mystery series featuring Vermont private investigator Michael Hanlon.

Elise Gilpatrick never thought she would be a parent, especially not like this. After agreeing to take 15-year-old DJ as a temporary foster placement straight from the police station, she feels like she's in over her head. But, as she learns on the job with a little help from her coworker, Elise realizes that she and DJ need to lean on each other and on the God who pieced them together. Their rocky journey will only prove that it's never too late to find the love of a family.

Sofia Buck fled Hampton Beach a decade ago, never looking back until her father’s untimely death forces her to return for the summer to deal with the family business. Her one goal: sell Buck’s Landing so she can move on with her life. Silas Wilde believes in serendipity, especially when it brings an irresistible woman into his life. He’s certain they belong together, and sets out to convince Sofia to give him—and Hampton—a chance at forever. Rediscovering the magic of her hometown with Silas tempts Sofia with a future she never imagined—if only she can let go of the past.

Parnassus on Wheels is the story of a marvelous man, small in stature, wiry as a cat, yet Olympic in personality. Roger Mifflin is part pixie, part sage, part noble savage, and all God's creature. With his traveling book wagon, named Parnassus, he moves through the New England countryside of 1915 on an itinerant mission of enlightenment. Mifflin's delight in books and authors is infectious. With his singular philosophy and bright eyes, he comes to represent the heart and soul of the book world.

Who's to blame when tragedy strikes? Jamie blames herself. And her secret is killing her. When someone starts digging into the past, her already-tattered life begins to fall apart at the seams. With her marriage, her job, and her sanity in jeopardy, Jamie is desperate to escape everything that reminds her of that fateful night.

Amanda became a nurse to save as many lives as possible. After her mother died while being swindled by a church leader, Amanda swore off religion and turned to medical science to solve all of life's problems. But when she loses her home and job, and struggles to make a new life in a new town, Amanda's feeble beliefs can't withstand the pressure.

Devorah Campbell’s life falls apart under the pressure of one truth: her husband is having an affair with her best friend. So Devorah packs up her daughter and their shared heartbreak for small-town Oyster Bay, where she grew up. Her relationship with her father is still on the rocks, but Devorah has her brother there—and, unexpectedly, her brother’s best friend.

Lauren is up for the opportunity of a life-time, to be the lead producer for a new reality show set in Nantucket. Nantucket Influence will follow a group of young influencers as they spend the summer at a gorgeous waterfront home. It is a concept that Lauren has worked on successfully before and the job is hers—as long as she doesn’t mind that one of the influencers is Billy—the ex that she caught cheating on her. Does she really want to spend the summer working with him every day? This is her first chance to run a show, though, and she can’t pass it up.

Ria lived on Tara Road in Dublin with her dashing husband, Danny, and their two children. She fully believed she was happily married, right up until the day Danny told her he was leaving her to be with his young, pregnant girlfriend. By a chance phone call, Ria meets Marilyn, a woman from New England unable to come to terms with her only son's death and now separated from her husband. The two women exchange houses for the summer with extraordinary consequences, each learning that the other has a deep secret that can never be revealed.

Hayley Powell, food and cocktails columnist for Bar Harbor's Island Times, is...well, kind of broke. So when she's selected for that extreme coupon-clipping reality game show coming to town...she's thrilled, especially when her competition is nasty nurse Candace Culpepper. But when Haley stumbles across a face-down-in-the-snow Candace - scissors gleaming between her shoulders - she knows the next thing she'll be selected for will probably be a police line-up.

Ever since her first ghostly sighting, Abby Kimball has been trying to unravel the mystery of her newly discovered ability. So when she sees the apparition of a Revolutionary War soldier in the middle of the town green - just days before the annual Patriot's Day celebration, no less - she's determined to figure out her connection to the man. The ethereal soldier is not the only mystery in Abby's life.

Off the New England coast, courageous Mehitabel Ampleford wields a rifle to protect her home from a brutish band of men who are after her land. She will not be intimidated, but their attacks are growing fiercer, and just as their latest confrontation threatens violence, a bold stranger appears out of the ocean mists to send the raiders packing. Geordie MacEnroy has seen the ravages of war in his mountain town - and in the injuries suffered by his youngest brother; now, his restless soul is calling him to find sanctuary by the sea.

Embark on a journey through 19th-century New England with 'A New England Nun' by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman. This annotated edition unveils the nuanced layers of societal expectations and women's autonomy. Explore the symbolism of wild grapes, the metaphorical imagery of an uncloistered nun, and Joe Daggett's poignant honesty.

Closing the Circle & Murder in New England is about a very dysfunctional family. Closing the Circle & Murder in New England is about a deadly secret and a high school reunion.

In this collection of four short stories, 19th-century writer Sarah Orne Jewett explores the theme of female friendship. Tana Hicken brings authenticity to the New England towns in which each story is set. The skillful reading and vivid descriptions conjure images of strong country women living simple, inspirational lives. In "Martha's Lady", the listener's own chest nearly fills with pride as Martha is inspired by a visitor's kind words.

A New England Nun is the tale of Louisa Ellis' struggle with the commitment of marriage after having waited 14 years for her fiancé to return from his stay in Australia. Complication arises when her fiancé falls in love with another woman, and Louisa does not want her independent life disrupted.

We've all heard that if we don't like the weather just give it five minutes and it will change. This short story by humorist Mark Twain may have been the origin of the idea. Twain seems convinced that no weather is more varied than in New England. No forecast is so difficult to claim as true as New England. Then again, each region could make the claim and be proud of their prognostication.