The Treasure House by Amy Matthews Blurb from Goodreads : Zoe Copeland and her daughter Florence need a new start. The only problem is, she can’t really afford one . . . Opportunity calls in the form of a listing for a charming cottage that may just be in their price range. The catch? It’s a treasure house – filled to the brim with junk. The place is a certified disaster zone in the middle of a tiny seaside town Zoe’s never heard of, but beggars can’t be choosers. Eleven-year-old Florence loves the old house full of knick-knacks and other people’s memories, but Zoe is daunted. It doesn’t help that her grouchy new neighbour, Jake, thinks she’s crazy for taking this on – though that doesn’t stop him from lending a hand, and it’s not long before Zoe can’t get the handsome man off her mind. As they clear out the house, Zoe becomes increasingly intrigued by the woman who lived there before them. Who was Marly, and how did ...
The Rayburn Affair by Laurie Petrou Blurb from Goodreads : Art, ambition and desire collide when a struggling academic becomes entangled in the life and marriage of her literary idol. By day, Dr Ruth Morgan lectures on ‘ the new frontier of storytelling’ at East Toronto University. By night, she toils away at a collection of short stories, fantasising about a literary career to rival that of the iconic Shelby Rayburn, internationally renowned and widely hailed as the voice of Ruth’s generation of women. When Shelby and her husband, Oscar, make an appearance at an annual faculty party, Ruth can’t believe her luck. The trio immediately hit it off, and an intoxicating intimacy develops between them, underwritten by a simmering sexual tension. Everything changes when Shelby makes Ruth an offer she can’t refuse—one that she can’t tell anyone about, incl...