A charmingly quirky seaside town offers a recently separated restauranteur a fresh start and possibly a new lease on love in A Season for Second Chances, by the author of The Twelve Dates of Christmas. Annie Sharpe’s spark for life has fizzled out. Her kids are grown up, her restaurant is doing just fine on its own, and her twenty-six-year marriage has come to an unceremonious end. Untethered for the first time in her adult life, she finds a winter guardian position in a historic seaside home and decides to leave her city life behind for a brand-new beginning. When she arrives in Willow Bay, Annie is enamored by the charming house, the invigorating sea breeze, and the town’s rich seasonal traditions. Not to mention, her neighbors receive her with open arms—that is, all except the surly nephew of the homeowner, whose grand plans for the property are at odds with her residency. As Christmas approaches, tensions and tides rise in Willow Bay, and Annie’s future seems less and less certain. But with a little can-do spirit and holiday magic, the most difficult time of her life will become…a season for second chances.

A world of possibilities opens up for Joy Harkness when she sets out on a journey that's going to show her the importance of friendship, love, and what makes a house a home Coming-of-age can happen at any age. Joy Harkness had built a university career and a safe life in New York, protected and insulated from the intrusions and involvements of other people. When offered a position at Amherst College, she impulsively leaves the city, and along with generations of material belongings, she packs her equally heavy emotional baggage. A tumbledown Victorian house proves an unlikely choice for a woman whose family heirlooms have been boxed away for years. Nevertheless, this white elephant becomes the home that changes Joy forever. As the restoration begins to take shape, so does her outlook on life, and the choices she makes over paint chips, wallpaper samples, and floorboards are reflected in her connection to the co-workers who become friends and friendships that deepen. A brilliant, quirky, town fixture of a handyman guides the renovation of the house and sparks Joy's interest to encourage his personal and professional growth. Amid the half-wanted attention of the campus's single, middle-aged men, known as "the Coyotes,"and the legitimate dramas of her close-knit community, Joy learns that the key to the affection of family and friends is being worthy of it, and most important, that second chances are waiting to be discovered within us all.

When leaving is just the beginning... The long-awaited novel of family, love and learning to be kind to yourself by award-winning, bestselling Irish author, Aimee Alexander. Grace Sullivan flees Dublin with her two teenage children, returning to the sleepy West Cork village where she grew up. No one in Killrowan knows what Grace is running from - or even that she's running. She'd like to keep it that way. Taking over from her father, Des, as the village doctor offers a very real chance for Grace to begin again. But will she and the children adapt to life in a small rural community? Can she live up to the doctor that her father was? And will she find the inner strength to face the past when it comes calling? Season of Second Chances is Grace's story. It's also the story of a community that chooses the title "Young Doctor Sullivan" for her before she even arrives. It's the story of Des who served the villagers all his life and now feels a failure for developing Parkinson's disease. And it's the story of struggling teens, an intimidating receptionist, a handsome American novelist escaping his past, and a dog called Benji who needs a fresh start of his own. Season of Second Chances is a heart-warming story of friendship, love and finding the inner strength to face a future that may bring back the past. Perfect for fans of Call The Midwife, Virgin River, Doc Martin, The Durrells and All Creatures Great and Small. The villagers of Killrowan will steal into your heart and make you want to stay with them forever.

A charming, uplifting novel about love, loss, and finding your way in the world, perfect for fans of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and The Keeper of Lost Things. Emily can't remember the last time she left the house. Or spoke to anyone besides her grandmother, beloved children's author Catriona Robinson. After Catriona's death, Emily is at a complete loss . . . until she gets an unexpected letter from the woman she loved most. Catriona has revealed there might be one last, lost unpublished manuscript in her wildly popular book series. And she's left a secret diary and trail of clues that only Emily can follow. From London to Paris to Verona, Emily traces her grandmother's past, finding out more about her family -- and herself -- than she ever imagined possible. Hopeful and adventurous, The Book of Second Chances celebrates books and bookstores, the power of imagination, and having the courage to shape our own destinies.

The Winter of Second Chances is the hilarious, heart-warming second book from the author of The Twelve Dates of Christmas, Jenny Bayliss. 'A gorgeous, cosy winter read that will transport you to the coast on a windswept day . . . This book will restore anyone's faith that it's never too late for a second chance at love, or indeed, life' - Sophie Cousens, bestselling author of This Time Next Year 'A tender and enchanting read, full of quirky characters and second chances' - Jean Meltzer, author of The Matzah Ball Annie Sharpe has it all – an acclaimed restaurant she owns with her handsome husband Max, and two gorgeous grown-up sons. But after one indiscretion too many, she leaves behind the only life she’s ever known. In search of a fresh start, Annie takes up a position as a caretaker of a beach house on Kent’s beautiful south coast. The tight-knit village community soon feels like home – she even reopens the long-dormant café. The only thorn in her side is John, the owner’s nephew, who has his own agenda for the house, and a persistent Max, intent on winning her back. Annie can't run from her problems forever. Will she give her first love a second chance? Or step into the promise of a new life? *** Praise for The Twelve Dates of Christmas: 'If you need help getting into the festive spirit, this is the book for you . . . This feelgood read has humour, romance and some gorgeous descriptions of the Christmas traditions of an English village' - Good Housekeeping 'Sparkly and romantic' - My Weekly

This book examines the iconic presence of second chances in everyday life. David Newman explores its various iterations in popular culture, commercial marketplaces, religion, intimate relationships, education, criminal justice, and human bodies. He analyzes how this concept—as a cultural aspiration, driver of policy, and lived personal experience—has become part and parcel of our individual sense of self and our collective national identity. While the rhetoric of redemption is familiar and ubiquitous, Newman uncovers the costs and constraints of second chances, paying particular attention to the factors that affect judgments of deservedness. Informed by an array of data sources including personal interviews, mission statements of nonprofit recovery agencies, images in popular culture, stories from the news, plot summaries of novels, and scriptural texts, Newman frames the second chance experience as the quintessential cultural paradox: a concept that simultaneously represents the pinnacle of our shared hopes for renewal and our deepest suspicions about the intransigence of human nature.

A woman desperate to turn a new page heads to the Scottish coast and finds herself locked in a battle of wills with an infuriatingly aloof bookseller in this utterly heartwarming debut, perfect for readers of Evvie Drake Starts Over. “Humor and charm abound. . . . [This] love story hits the spot.”—Publishers Weekly Thea Mottram is having a bad month. She’s been let go from her office job with no notice—and to make matters even worse, her husband of nearly twenty years has decided to leave her for one of her friends. Bewildered and completely lost, Thea doesn’t know what to do. But when she learns that a distant great uncle in Scotland has passed away, leaving her his home and a hefty antique book collection, she decides to leave Sussex for a few weeks. Escaping to a small coastal town where no one knows her seems to be exactly what she needs. Almost instantly, Thea becomes enamored with the quaint cottage, comforted by its cozy rooms and lovely but neglected garden. The locals in nearby Baldochrie are just as warm, quirky, and inviting. The only person she can’t seem to win over is bookshop owner Edward Maltravers, to whom she hopes to sell her uncle’s book collection. His gruff attitude—fueled by an infamous, long-standing feud with his brother, a local lord—tests Thea’s patience. But bickering with Edward proves oddly refreshing and exciting, leading Thea to develop feelings she hasn’t experienced in a long time. As she follows a thrilling yet terrifying impulse to stay in Scotland indefinitely, Thea realizes that her new life may quickly become just as complicated as the one she was running from.

'Tis the season for finding romance in this hilarious and uplifting holiday read When it comes to relationships, thirty-four-year-old Kate Turner is ready to say "Bah, humbug." The sleepy town of Blexford, England, isn't exactly brimming with prospects, and anyway, Kate's found fulfillment in her career as a designer, and in her delicious side job baking for her old friend Matt's neighborhood café. But then her best friend signs her up for a dating agency that promises to help singles find love before the holidays. Twenty-three days until Christmas. Twelve dates with twelve different men. The odds must finally be in her favor . . . right? Yet with each new date more disastrous than the one before--and the whole town keeping tabs on her misadventures--Kate must remind herself that sometimes love, like mistletoe, shows up where it's least expected. And maybe, just maybe, it's been right under her nose all along. . . .

Let Go of the Past--Embrace Your Second Chance You have a destiny. You may have lost sight of it, opened a wrong door, taken a misleading path, but it's there--you haven't missed your chance! Yet it can be hard to see, hard to find, when the only things in front of you are challenging circumstances, lost opportunities, or overwhelming obstacles. But there is hope! With warmth and insight, Pat Smith shares the truths she and other women have learned on their own journeys from heartache to hope. She encourages and empowers you to recommit to the destiny God has for you in life, love, work, and faith. She also shows how to let go of what's holding you back, reinvent yourself, and rediscover your purpose and joy. There is a second chance waiting for you--it's time to celebrate your new life!

A powerful message of hope for anyone burdened by shame and for everyone who longs for a fresh, passionate, and fierce life. Now in convenient trade paperback and featuring a bonus section for guided reflection. This retitled edition of People of the Second Chance centers on HOPE. Every fierce and free life starts with that at the core. And every reader longs for a passionate and unstoppable spirit. This book will equip the reader to fight for hope and victory for others and also themselves. Foster's examination of hope is one part challenge, two parts encouragement. He forces the reader to ask the following questions: How did I lose it? How do I get? How do I give it? Each question is broken down into core concepts that are essential to a life devoted to the power of fierce and free living: awareness, discovery, ownership, forgiveness, acceptance, and freedom.