Showing results by author "Marcia Willett" in All Categories

Evie loved the house. The bright, sunny rooms looking across the river. The terraced gardens with fruit trees growing against the high stone walls. The scent of lavender at the end of a hot day. It was a family house. As summer beckons, Evie's family gathers once more at the beautiful old riverside house they all adore. But when Evie discovers a secret that threatens their future, a shadow falls over them all: this summer by the river could be their last together.

At the end of the row of fishermen’s cottages by the harbour’s edge stands an old granite house. First it belonged to Ned’s parents; then Ned dropped anchor here after a life at sea and called it home. His nephew Hugo moved in too, swapping London for the small Cornish fishing village where he’d spent so many happy holidays. It’s a refuge - and now other friends and relations are being drawn to the the house by the sea.

After her husband dies, Cara no longer wishes to live in their London home. On impulse, she sells it and goes to stay with her brother in Salcombe, Devon, while she plans her next move. There, she begins to look back at her life and reflect on the choices that have led her to this moment. Cosmo has also escaped - temporarily - from his life in the city, finding the south-west a relaxing and appealing fit, especially when he meets local girl, Amy. But is he being entirely truthful about what he’s left behind?

When Amy consults her doctor about her increasing mood swings, she is advised to keep a diary as an outlet for her bursts of irritation. And her life obligingly becomes eventful enough to provide interesting reading. But it is the tantalising allusions to Amy's past - so at odds with her appearance as the stereotypical retired schoolmistress - that intrigues, delights, and eventually reveals a woman of surprising qualities.

As Christmas approaches, Clem and his five-year-old son, Jakey, move to be closer to Clem's mother, Dossie, in Cornwall. Clem realizes that he has to be strong to keep his family together. Forming a slightly unconventional family setup with Dossie, Jakey, and Clem are the jovial nuns of the local convent. But when an unexpected event threatens to destroy the nuns' way of life, will everyone still be together next Christmas?

Jess Penhaligon is on her way to Devon to receive an award for her botanical painting. Hosting her will be Kate, who gladly welcomes her into her home. Jess's own family fell apart several years ago, so she is grateful for Kate's friendliness - and her close unit of extended family and friends, who embrace Jess just as warmly. As this group begins reminiscing on their pasts and sharing their stories with Jess, it becomes apparent that her family history may be linked with theirs.

Stepsisters Olivia and Emily are at daggers drawn until the arrival of their half-sister, Rosie, when they unite in their hatred of the newcomer. Rosie can look after herself, though, and cunningly throws secret spanners in the works for her sisters.

The Keep - that beautiful, ancient family home where the Chadwick family has lived for generations - is still a haven from the heartbreaks and storms of life. Jolyon Chadwick, a famous television presenter, takes his new girlfriend, Henrietta, home to meet his extended family - and also to meet Marie, the mother who deserted him and his father many years ago, and who has now reappeared and seems to want forgiveness.

Paradise has been home to generations of Trevannions: paradise, the house at the head of a sheltered Cornish valley where Mrs Trevannion lives, surrounded by her family. Frail and elderly, Honor Trevannion, bedridden following a nasty fall, is inexplicably anxious and distressed by the arrival of a young American bearing an old black and white photograph of a double wedding and looking for a long-lost relation.

A broken marriage inspires Roly Carradine to leave his busy London life and find refuge in Cornwall, in the mellow stone house of his childhood. Here in Cornwall he welcomes Kate, also seeking refuge from the grief of losing her husband, and young Daisy Quin, a dancer recovering from a back injury. Roly's son Nat lives not far away and is plagued by the unsympathetic visits of his mother Monica, Roly's ex-wife. Roly, Kate, Daisy and Nat all try to find resolution in the beauty and peace of the Cornish countryside.

Clio is staying with her aunt, Hester, at Bridge House on the edge of Exmoor. A beautiful house, it is the scene of many happy childhood memories. But Clio has no idea that it was the setting for a terrible incident after the Second World War.

Nearly 25 years after a tragic accident forced Mim to give up her successful career as one of the world's leading ballerinas, history is repeating itself. Daisy, Mim's most talented former pupil, is suffering from injuries and she too will have to rethink her career. Mim arranges for Daisy to take a holiday in Cornwall, in the strange and beautiful house on the edge of Bodmin Moor where Mim's brother, Roly Carradine, is living.

Busy mum of twins Liv is looking forward to a week at the Beach Hut in Devon, even if she feels that something's not right between her and Matt. She’s sure he’s just too busy at work to join them on their summer holiday, not that he wants time alone. Baz loves having his family to stay by the sea, but when an unexpected guest arrives, he finds himself torn between the past and the future. Still reeling from a breakup, all Sofia wants is a quiet summer – until she meets Baz and her plans are turned upside down.

In the big old house overlooking the sea, five small children listened as their mother read them a story. Theirs was an idyllic childhood, as they played on the beach, in the gardens and the woods, before the war and other tragedies disrupted their lives. Now, many years later, Nest and Mina still live at their beautiful childhood home, surrounded by the glorious Devon country side. But, when their sister Georgie comes to stay at Ottercombe, memories of their past start to revisit them.

Clarissa really falls in love with the house – a beautiful Tudor manor in the Welsh Marches – and marrying Thomas is simply the best way to get it. But life there isn’t quite the idyll she expects. Thomas is so busy with the farm that he doesn’t see the need for a social life, and his two elderly, eccentric aunts – though charming – aren’t the most stimulating companions. When Evan appears on the scene, Clarissa is ripe for a little diversion. But the complications that ensue demand Welsh magic to unravel them.

Childhood friends and cousins Leo and Alice had imagined their whole lives playing out on their beloved Devon beach. But one night when they are teens, sitting on the sand beneath the stars, Alice tells Leo a secret that must never be shared with anybody else...then packs her bag and flees. Leo is left to build his own life - without Alice. He surrounds himself with other family and friends and on the whole is content and fulfilled. But he is left with a sense of what - or who - is missing.

Fresh out of university and right on the precipice of adulthood, El is trying her best to figure out what it is she really wants from life. This is complicated by the fact that she is also dealing with the loss of her father, Martin. After his sudden death, El inherits and moves into his home just outside Tavistock, in the Devon countryside. Her stepbrother and sort-of friend, Will, comes to help her through her grief and to go through her father’s belongings.

The Keep that beautiful, ancient family home where the Chadwick family had lived for generations is still a haven from the heartbreaks and storms of life. Jolyon Chadwick, a famous television presenter, takes his new girlfriend Henrietta home to meet his extended family and also to meet Marie, the mother who deserted him and his father many years ago, now reappeared and seeming to want forgiveness. Jolyon, however, is not in the mood for forgiveness.

Barndomsvennerne Leo og Alice havde altid forestillet sig et liv sammen ved deres elskede strand i Devon. Men en nat, da de to unge mennesker sidder og kigger op mod stjernerne, fortæller Alice Leo en hemmelighed, som aldrig må komme for dagens lys. Kort efter pakker hun sine ting og stikker af. Leos liv går videre - uden Alice. Han nyder tilværelsen med familie og venner og er i det store hele glad og tilfreds. Alligevel får han fra tid til anden en fornemmelse af afsavn efter noget... eller nogen.

Tag med Marcia Willett til det skønne sydvestlige England, hvor fortidens hemmeligheder trækker dybe spor til nutiden. Da advokaten Martin Haynes dør uventet, flytter hans datter, El, ind i hans hus. Hun skal nu stå på helt egne ben, og sammen med sin barndomsven Will forsøger hun at bearbejde tabet af sin far. Det går dog snart op for hende, at hendes far ikke var den, hun troede... Julia, Martins hemmelige kæreste igennem fem år, prøver også at klare sig igennem sorgen uden at afsløre deres forhold.