Carla Laureano

Includes discussion questions and an excerpt from Brunch at Bittersweet Cafae.

The Saturday Night Supper Club

Recently widowed Serena MacDonald Stewart focuses on her children to the exclusion of her career, her art, and her sanity. When her brothers ask her to oversee the family guest house on the Isle of Skye, it's a chance to dust off her long-ignored business skills and make a new start. But her hopes for a smooth transition are dashed when the hotel manager, Malcolm Blake, turns out to be irritating, condescending . . . and incredibly attractive. Malcolm Blake gave up everything--his home, his girlfriend, and his career--to return to Skye and raise his late sister's teenage daughter. With few job opportunities available on the island, he signs on as the manager of the MacDonald family hotel, which he's soon running successfully without interference from the owners. That is, until Serena shows up, challenging his authority and his conviction that there's nothing missing from his new life on Skye. Before long, Serena and Malcolm have to admit the spark between them is more than mere irritation. But as single parents, there's more on the line than their own hearts. Will their commitment to family be the thing that draws them together or the only thing that could keep them apart?

Under Scottish Stars

Previously published by David C Cook in 2013.

Five Days in Skye

From the RITA Award-winning author of Five Days in Skye comes a sweet, romantic treat that will leave you hungry for more. Baker and pastry chef Melody Johansson has always believed in finding the positive in every situation, but seven years after she moved to Denver, she can't deny that she's stuck in a rut. One relationship after another has ended in disaster, and her classical French training is being wasted on her night job in a mediocre chain bakery. Then the charming and handsome private pilot Justin Keller lands on the doorstep of her workplace in a snowstorm, and Melody feels like it's a sign that her luck is finally turning around. Justin is intrigued by the lively bohemian baker, but the last thing he's looking for is a relationship. His own romantic failures have proven that the demands of his job are incompatible with meaningful connections, and he's already pledged his life savings to a new business venture across the country--an island air charter in Florida with his sister and brother-in-law. Against their better judgment, Melody and Justin find themselves drawn together by their unconventional career choices and shared love of adventure. But when an unexpected windfall provides Melody with the chance to open her dream bakery-café in Denver with her best friend, chef Rachel Bishop, she's faced with an impossible choice: stay and put down roots with the people and place she's come to call home . . . or give it all up for the man she loves.

Brunch at Bittersweet Café

Oath of the Brotherhood

Analyn Sanchez can handle the long hours and arrogant clients that come with her job as a crisis management associate at Denver's largest publicity firm. The high-powered job, expensive condo, and designer wardrobe are all part of her plan to prove to her family that her life choices haven't been in vain. But when she's asked to cover up a client's misdeeds with serious moral and legal ramifications, she can no longer sacrifice her conscience for her career . . . and the cost is no less than her job. Ever since a devastating climbing accident in South America eight months ago, and a bad decision that dried up his sponsorships, professional rock climber Bryan Shaw has found himself at similar loose ends. When the opportunity to buy a coffee farm in Colombia arises, he jumps on it--only to discover his wandering ways have left him utterly unprepared to run a business. When Bryan returns home and offers Ana a role in his company as a solution to both their problems, she's desperate enough to consider working with the far-too-flippant and far-too-handsome climber, even though he's the polar opposite of her type A nature. As they delve deeper into the business, however, she begins to suspect there's much more to Bryan than she's given him credit for . . . and that sometimes the best plans are the ones you never see coming.

The Solid Grounds Coffee Company

From two-time RITA Award-winning author Carla Laureano comes a story of romance, transformation, and the beauty of belonging. Los Angeles interior designer and former foster kid Kendall Green is in high demand, both for her impeccable eye and for her uncanny ability to uncover the provenance of any piece. But for all her success, skyrocketing costs have put her California home and her business in jeopardy. Then an unexpected inheritance provides a timely solution: a grandmother she never knew has left her a group of historic properties in a tiny Colorado town on the edge of ruin. To young, untried mayor Gabriel Brandt, Jasper Lake is more than another small town--it's the place that saved his life. Now, seeing the town slowly wither and die, he's desperate to restore it to its former glory. Unfortunately, his vision is at odds with a local developer who wants to see the town razed and rebuilt as a summer resort. He's sure that he can enlist the granddaughter of one of its most prominent former citizens to his cause--until he meets Kendall and realizes that not only does she know nothing of her own history, she has no interest in reviving a place that once abandoned her. In order to save his beloved town, Gabe must first help Kendall unravel the truth of her own provenance--and Kendall must learn that in order to embrace the future, sometimes you have to start with the past.

Provenance

Als die Innenarchitektin Melissa Green erfährt, dass sie in einem kleinen Ort mitten in Colorado fünf historische Häuser geerbt hat, kann sie es kaum glauben. Denn aufgewachsen als Pflegekind hatte sie bis dahin keine Ahnung, wer ihre Familie ist. Und so reist sie kurzerhand nach Colorado, um sich ein Bild von den Immobilien zu machen. Während Melissa sich mit dem Nachlass ihrer Großmutter befasst, stößt sie auf Dinge aus ihrer Vergangenheit, die sie nie für möglich gehalten hätte ... Ein berührender Roman, der zeigt, dass Liebe und Vergebung auch über den Tod hinaus heilende Wirkung entfalten können.

Roman

Ein unerwartetes Vermächtnis

Nach der Geburt ihrer Kinder hat Serena MacDonald ihren Beruf und ihre Liebe für die Kunst vollkommen brach liegen lassen. Als ihr Mann unerwartet stirbt, steht sie vor der Frage, wie ihr Leben nun weitergehen soll. Da kommt der Vorschlag ihres Bruders Jamie gerade recht: Sie soll mit ihren Kindern auf die schottische Insel Skye kommen und sich um die Führung des gemeinsamen Hotels kümmern. Doch leider gerät ihr Neuanfang nicht ganz so reibungslos, wie sie es gehofft hatte, denn Jamie hatte nicht an Malcolm Blake gedacht, der vor Ort die Leitung des Hotels innehat. Als Serena sich als seine neue Chefin vorstellt, ist Malcolm alles andere als erfreut. Doch es dauert nicht lange, bis sich die beiden eingestehen müssen, dass zwischen ihnen mehr existiert als eine rein geschäftliche Beziehung ...

Roman.

Sternennächte an der Küste

Irish photojournalist Grace Brennan travels the world’s war zones documenting the helpless and forgotten. After the death of her friend and colleague, Grace is shaken. She returns to London hoping to rekindle the spark with the only man she ever loved—Scottish businessman Ian MacDonald. But he gave up his championship rowing career and dreams of Olympic gold years ago for Grace . . . only for her to choose photography over him. Will life’s tides bring them back together . . . or tear them apart for good this time?

Carla Laureano

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