In the spring of 1957, Jacob Versteeg is graduating from high school at the top of his class. Quite an accomplishment for a guy who spent his young childhood in a German concentration camp. When the war ended, he was adopted by Huub Versteeg, a kind fellow POW at Bergen-Belsen who had taken him under his wing. For ten years Jacob grew up in Chicago surrounded by the love of his new family, including Danny and Anya McClain and their two young children. In fact, he has thrived.
But Jacob still struggles to understand the void left in his heart by his German parents who discarded him at the doorstep of war. After his first year at Wheaton College, Jacob joins a summer study course in West Germany. There, he realizes he must gather his courage to overcome his past if he's ever to complete his long journey from war.
Lucy Alexander has a hopeless case of writer's block. But all that changes when her handsome UPS guy delivers a box of vintage teacups from the estate of her namesake and beloved Aunt Lucille. Happy memories of tea parties they shared when Lucy was young flood her mind. And with them, the forgotten stories her aunt loved to tell over tea and Scottish shortbread. Colorful tales of fascinating characters woven together with the undeniable power of love. Some were true, most weren't, but it was her aunt's extraordinary gift of storytelling that first ignited Lucy's passion to write.
Though still grieving the recent loss of her aunt, Lucy unwraps the fragile cups and saucers, and with them, a flood of memories and story ideas.
The Teacup Novellas: The Collection includes all five stand-alone stories (Tea with Emma, Strike the Match, Home to Walnut Ridge, At Legend's End, and A Christmas Peril) plus the on-going saga of Lucy's own budding romance with that UPS guy who keeps knocking at the door of her heart.
From bestselling author Diane Moody.
One small town. Three big mysteries.
This trilogy include all three Braxton mysteries;
The Demise: Was he pushed, or did he jump off the Braxton water tower?
The Legacy: Who stole Braxton's most valuable artifact, and why?
The Sibling: Who murdered one of Braxton's favorite sons?
. . . and how are all three of these mysteries connected?
Lucy Alexander's Teacup Novellas were inspired by a collection of vintage teacups her Aunt Lucille bequeathed to her. She's excited about writing the next book in the series, a Christmas tale loosely based on her aunt and uncle's love story set in the 1940s. But when a hostage situation lands Lucy's boyfriend in the hospital, she sets her work aside to keep a bedside vigil with Mark. As the long hours of waiting stretch on, Lucy starts to read her beloved aunt's handwritten diary. Shocked to discover a frightening story so eerily similar to the one she's living, Lucy longs to find hope and encouragement in the pages of Lucille's diary.
December 1944: 'The most wonderful things seem to happen when you least expect them,' writes Lucille Alexander after a serendipitous meeting with Gary Reynolds, a handsome lieutenant home on leave from the war in Europe. The two are inseparable in the five precious days he has left before heading back overseas. On their last morning together, Lucille accompanies Gary to the train station, already dreading the long separation ahead. But that would be the least of her worries after her brave lieutenant rushes to help an elderly woman in distress.
Lucy finds a strange solace in her namesake's ink-stained journal. Though seventy years have passed between them, would their stories have the same ending?
A murder in Braxton, Tennessee? Poor little town. If it's not one thing, it's another. An untimely death under nefarious circumstances spawns an odd lineup of potential suspects. Who killed one of Braxton's favorite sons?
New resident and pastor Peyton Gellar has already conducted more than his share of funerals for such a small town, but this one hits close to home.
Aubrey Evans, in town for her father's funeral, is concerned by her mother's state of mind. With the help of the handsome new pastor, Aubrey extends her visit to help her mother, and finds herself drawn into the local intrigue.
A fateful baptism, an estranged brother, a mysterious button, and a Vegas showgirl. Once again the stage is set.
When her best friend prayed for God to 'blow your socks off,' Olivia Thomas had no idea that prayer would be answered only a few hours later. Stunned by such an unexpected gift from someone she'd helped years ago, Olivia suddenly finds herself with unlimited possibilities. She packs her bags and heads to Caden Cove, a tiny coastal town in Maine, where she hopes to figure out what to do with the rest of her life. Little does she know her reservation at the Captain MacVicar Inn has put her in the path of a historic legend.
Trevor Bass owns Caden Cove's only bookstore and dabbles in real estate. All the locals know the grouchy bookseller is an avowed bachelor, which explains their utter shock when he invites a 'tourist' to visit their book club. The mere hint of romance sends the town into a frenzy wondering if the object of Trevor's affections could be the next victim of the legend's curse. Will history repeat itself once more in Caden Cove?
From bestselling author Diane Moody, Book 2 in her Braxton series, The Legacy.
Back in tiny Braxton, Tennessee, photographer Gevin Parker finds himself surprisingly smitten by the wedding singer who stepped in at the last minute to sing at his sister's wedding. A recent Belmont graduate, Emily Randolph is an aspiring singer-songwriter with bittersweet ties to Braxton's namesake family. But when the town's most valuable artifact goes missing-a sword dating back to the American Revolution-she and Gevin embark on a journey to help solve the mysterious disappearance.
Meanwhile, Braxton is under siege by vandals who are out to paint the town-literally! As residents take sides and tensions rise, both law enforcement and politicians butt heads as they search for the pesky taggers.
A priceless missing sword, a rash of troubling graffiti, a budding romance, and a cast of characters, old and new. Once again, the stage is set.
It seems everyone needs a second chance. Tracey Collins just left Washington DC after her dream job became a personal nightmare. Back home in Jacobs Mill, Tennessee, she quickly realizes she's not the only one needing a fresh start. Her sister Alex is in the midst of a career change, finding new inspiration restoring furniture. Their father, a former pastor who's had his own share of disillusionment, now mentors a strange bunch of misfit bikers who do odd jobs around town as ministry. Among them, an intriguing former attorney named Noah, still running from a painful past, catches Tracey's eye.
Secrets are uncovered and hearts are restored in Jacobs Mill as they all work together to rennovate an old smokehouse into a new shop called Second Chances.
From Diane Moody author of the bestselling Of Windmills and War.
Fresh from a Jane Austen tour in England, Maddie Cooper returns home to Texas, determined to bring a touch of 'Austen to Austin.' She dreams of opening an authentic English tea room and, like Austen's Emma, put into practice her self-proclaimed gift as a matchmaker. But an airport mishap with a cranky Englishman gets her off on the wrong foot (quite literally), especially when he moves into the university guest house across the street.
Can Maddie find a love for her unapproachable new neighbor, or has she finally met her match?
Tiny Braxton, Tennessee, is a tight-knit community wrapped around an old town square just a stone's throw from Nashville. But when the town's most prominent citizen is found dead at the base of its water tower, news of Peter Lanham's apparent suicide roars through town like a massive tsunami.
Peter, the handsome, beloved CEO of Lanham's Fine Foods, had taken a small, family-owned grocery store founded in 1927, and grew it into a successful national chain. With most of Braxton's residents employed by Lanham's corporate headquarters, word of Peter's demise left them searching for answers.
Julie Parker is convinced he didn't. As receptionist at Lanham's executive office suite, she's determined to find out what really happened to her boss. An aspiring actor who also stars as 'The Lanham Girl' in the company's TV commercials, Julie prides herself on her perceptive observations and people-skills.
Matt Bryson, on assignment as a rookie Special Agent for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, isn't about to let the attractive receptionist intrude on his first case. She may be a hometown insider, but he's perfectly capable of solving the case without 'Miss Marple' screwing up his investigation.
The last place twenty-four year old Keri McMillan wants to be is back home in Waterford Bay, Oregon. But after two years at prestigious New York University pursuing a degree in journalism, her bank account is drained. Keri is determined to move home for one year-and one year only-to make some serious money working for her dad's log cabin company, but her goals all go up in smoke when the company's new showcase home burns to the ground.
Six months ago, Grant Dawson bought the Waterford Weekly, a small newspaper in his father's hometown. Burned out as a reporter for the LA Times and tired of all the inherent politics, he welcomed the slower pace of this Oregon coastal town and the more relaxed lifestyle producing a weekly paper. He enjoys being close to his dad again, a quiet man who captains a whale-sightseeing boat.
Grant is surprised at his unexpected interest in Keri, the niece of columnist Luby Sanders. He thinks Luby is a hoot and can't help but adore her. But she's also playing matchmaker, trying to interest him in her niece. When Keri shows up at a log cabin fire in the middle of the night, she's not the geeky college kid he expected. But he's not about to fall victim to Luby's orchestrations.
From Diane Moody, author of the bestselling Of Windmills and War
In the summer of 1977, Shelby Colter moved back to Memphis, Tennessee, hoping to make a fresh start after breaking off her engagement. Working as a patient representative hostess at Baptist Memorial Hospital-the world's largest private hospital-she's thrilled with her new job, assisting patients with their non-medical needs. She has to laugh at her colorful co-workers who constantly chat about Elvis-sightings. After all, Baptist was 'Elvis's hospital.'
Shelby hits the ground running, taking care of her patients, getting to know her new friends, and bumping into . . . Dr. Tucker Thompson? Who knew that annoying kid who used to hang out with her big brother was now a resident at BMH? Little Chubby Tucker-a compassionate, handsome doctor?
As the summer rolls along, three people she loves face life-threatening situations, drawing Shelby back to her faith. And then one night, in a hospital prayer room, she pours out her heart to a most unexpected visitor.
