"An injured army veteran. A near-fatal car accident. And a snow-capped Martha's Vineyard Christmas -- the kind that can mend any broken family. Andrew Montgomery is the black sheep of the Montgomery family. Seventeen years ago, Andy and his best friend, Kurt, took off for the army and planned to never look back. Once overseas, they realized the depths of their mistake. But once Kurt died in combat, Andy decided to turn his back on his past for good. Years later, Andrew is bound to the US again with an injury. A phone call a few weeks before Christmas changes everything and beckons him home. His father, Trevor Montgomery, has been involved in a horrible car accident. He might not make it. When Andrew returns to the island, he finds himself in the center of so many ghosts. His siblings are all in their late-thirties and forties. Their children have grown up, some of them with children of their own. Andrew has missed so much, and he also realizes just how alone he's been over the years. They still call him "Andy," but they no longer see their baby brother. They see an injured vet. And worse than that, Kurt's sister and Andrew's high school love, has lived so much of her life alone while raising a child with autism. Just one look in her eyes reminds Andrew of all the passion he once had for her. It isn't gone. As days pass, Andrew finds himself falling deeper into a world he once abandoned. He realizes just how much his siblings have needed him over the year -- especially when it comes to Kelli's verbally abusive husband and Charlotte's husband's death. As they count down the days before Christmas, Andrew falls for the life he once hated. He learns to fight for his family members. And he searches for the right words to say to a father that he very nearly lost. Can he find a way to mend his family, just as his cousins, the Sheridan sisters, have managed? Can he find love, even after so many years of darkness and pain?Join the Montgomery and Sheridan family over a snow-capped, heartfelt, and emotional December on Martha's Vineyard."--Provided by Publisher

A woman's first Christmas on Martha's Vineyard comes with a mysterious surprise gift in a heartfelt novel that “brims with holiday cheer” (Library Journal). In her cozy rented cottage on Chappaquiddick, novelist Annie Sutton is finally following her dream of living on Martha's Vineyard. As she settles in for her first Vineyard winter, a fierce nor'easter brings high winds and deep snow. But the blizzard also brings something unexpected to Annie's front porch: a baby girl in a basket. The note reads: “I named her Bella, after my grandmother. Please help her, because I can't.” Annie has always been grateful for her adoptive parents who raised her as their own. Yet she now hopes to spare little Bella the feelings of abandonment that still haunt her. Rather than take the baby to the police, Annie tries to find the birth mother, giving her a chance to change her mind. But it's not easy keeping a secret in a close-knit island community, especially amid the bustle of Christmas. Before the holiday ends, there will be revelations, rekindled hope, and proof that families—the ones we are born into and the ones we claim for ourselves—are the gifts that truly matter.

The first edition of Understanding Vineyard Soils has been praised for its comprehensive coverage of soil topics relevant to viticulture. However, the industry is dynamic--new developments are occurring, especially with respect to measuring soil variability, managing soil water, possible effects of climate change, rootstock breeding and selection, monitoring sustainability, and improving grape quality and the "typicity" of wines. All this is embodied in an increased focus on the terroir or "sense of place" of vineyard sites, with greater emphasis being placed on wine quality relative to quantity in an increasingly competitive world market. The promotion of organic and biodynamic practices has raised a general awareness of "soil health", which is often associated with a soil's biology, but which to be properly assessed must be focused on a soil's physical, chemical, and biological properties. This edition of White's influential book presents the latest updates on these and other developments in soil management in vineyards. With a minimum of scientific jargon, Understanding Vineyard Soils explains the interaction between soils on a variety of parent materials around the world and grapevine growth and wine typicity. The essential chemical and physical processes involving nutrients, water, oxygen and carbon dioxide, moderated by the activities of soil organisms, are discussed. Methods are proposed for alleviating adverse conditions such as soil acidity, sodicity, compaction, poor drainage, and salinity. The pros and cons of organic viticulture are debated, as are the possible effects of climate change. The author explains how sustainable wine production requires winegrowers to take care of the soil and minimize their impact on the environment. This book is a practical guide for winegrowers and the lay reader who is seeking general information about soils, but who may also wish to pursue in more depth the influence of different soil types on vine performance and wine character.

Christine Sheridan is the middle sister of the Sheridan clan: lost between her older sister, Susan, a successful criminal lawyer and her whip-smart little sister, Lola. Over twenty years apart, she and her sisters have just learned the secret that their dead mother has kept from them all these years, of their mother's true fate. Now, Christine returns to New York City, to her boyfriend Frank, to a life she once loved. But the prestige's restaurant they own is no more, and Christine is left once again without solid ground. At forty-one, unable to have children, and with nowhere to go--she knows only to return home to the Vineyard and her family. Martha's Vineyard is in full summer bloom. After over twenty years away, Christine falls in love again with the water, with boating, the people, and with carefree days that meander and pop with bright conversations with Lola and Susan and long afternoon swims through crystal waters. Unfortunately, her high school rival, the ever-handsome Zach Walters, seems to lurk everywhere she goes--even offering her a pastry chef position at the Sunrise Inn Bistro. Almost reluctantly, she takes it--and soon becomes the most championed pastry chef on the island. Zach doesn't seem so bad, either, although he does seem to harbor his own secrets. Still, the Sheridan clan is never far from heartbreak. As the Sheridan sisters grow closer, their father loses even more of his memory; their mother's real killer remains on the loose, as does Scott's brother, who stole an obscene amount of money from the Sunrise Cove Inn. Secrets swirl through the family--and drama escalates when Lola's daughter, Audrey, calls with shocking news that sends ripples through the entire Sheridan family. Every day, the Sheridan sisters find new ways to support, enrage, love, and surprise one another. At forty-one, Christine feels caught between her old life and her new one--poised on the brink of either collapse or the greatest love she's ever known. Will she find happiness on the island? Come and find out! Dive into book two of this new women's fiction series: a backdrop of white sand and crystal blue waters, following the Sheridan sisters' heartwarming journey of friendship, loss, and love. For fans of Pamela Kelley, Caroline Brown, Debbie Macomber, and Jan Moran.

Home. . . . That’s what Martha’s Vineyard is to Annie Sutton now. After a winter spent writing her latest novel, Annie looks forward to a summer with friends who have become like the family she never had. But then her landlord announces that his grandson will be moving into her cozy Chappaquiddick cottage—and she’ll be moving out. Year-round island housing is tough to find at any time; in summer, it’s nearly impossible. Shaken by the thought of being forced to leave the people and the community she’s grown to love, Annie seeks distraction in the July 4th celebrations—and stumbles upon a young woman who’s unconscious on her front lawn . . . and barely alive . . . Summer on the Vineyard brings not only tourists, but also wealthy families with summer homes—like Fiona Littleton’s—and tensions between them and the tight-knit island community often ignite. But when Annie’s quick thinking saves Fiona’s life, she’s surprised to learn that like her, Fiona has no one to lean on. And when Fiona fears that someone wants her dead, Annie cannot walk away. With depleting resources and no home on the horizon, Annie is certain of only one thing: each of them will have to rise to one of life’s greatest challenges: feeling at home within themselves . . .

A breathtaking novel of secrets, lies, and survival in post-World War II Germany, where alliances may not be what they seem. August 1945. As Stefano, an Italian POW, heads toward home across war-ravaged Germany, he encounters a young child beside his dead mother. Unable to leave him to an unknown fate, Stefano takes the boy with him, finding refuge in a seemingly abandoned house in a secluded woodland. But the house is far from vacant. Stefano wakes at the arrival of its owner, Erich, a former German soldier, who invites the travelers to stay until they can find safe passage home. Stefano cautiously agrees, intrigued by the disarming German, his reclusive neighbor Rosalind, and her traumatized husband, Georg. Stefano is also drawn to Monique, the girl in a photograph on Rosalind's wall, who went missing during the war. But when he discovers letters written by Monique, a darker truth emerges. This place of refuge could be one of reckoning, and the secrets of the past might prevent the travelers from ever getting home.

With an emphasis on simple preparation and fresh foods, the author offers seasonal recipes for Forth of July picnics, Valentine's Day treats, and warming winter meals.