Colleen French

In Colleen French’s heartfelt summer read, a Delaware oceanside cottage is the perfect setting for a season of surprising lessons about how much there is to gain—when you finally let go . . . In the last two years, English professor Ellen Tolliver has weathered heartache with grace—including an unwelcome divorce and losing her parents. In her more honest moments, Ellen might admit that she’s sick of loss. She longs to stretch and grow, to truly fill her days. Maybe this year, she’ll have something to recount in her Christmas letter other than her son’s travel adventures. Maybe she’ll be too busy to even write a Christmas letter. On impulse, Ellen invites her ailing best friend, Lara, to spend the summer with her at the Delaware beach house she inherited from her parents. Lara can relax on the big front porch after chemo while Ellen readies the house for sale. But Lara has plans too—she’d like to help Ellen discover who she is, or better yet, who she can still become. At Lara’s urging, Ellen joins a local writer’s group, tries online dating, and mingles with the new friends Lara brings home from her support group. She forgoes white wine (won’t stain if you spill it!) for red and eats French fries for breakfast. She even flirts with the local bookstore owner, a handsome, sun-kissed, younger man. And as she embraces the freedom that comes with breaking her own rules, she wonders if it’s not just her past that lies in this beloved quirky town, but her future too . . .

The Summer I Found Myself

In Colleen French's heartfelt summer read, a Delaware oceanside cottage is the perfect setting for a season of surprising lessons about how much there is to gain--when you finally let go... In the last two years, English professor Ellen Tolliver has weathered heartache with grace--including an unwelcome divorce and losing her parents. In her more honest moments, Ellen might admit that she's sick of loss. She longs to stretch and grow, to truly fill her days. Maybe this year, she'll have something to recount in her Christmas letter other than her son's travel adventures. Maybe she'll be too busy to even write a Christmas letter. On impulse, Ellen invites her ailing best friend, Lara, to spend the summer with her at the Delaware beach house she inherited from her parents. Lara can relax on the big front porch after chemo while Ellen readies the house for sale. But Lara has plans too--she'd like to help Ellen discover who she is, or better yet, who she can still become. At Lara's urging, Ellen joins a local writer's group, tries online dating, and mingles with the new friends Lara brings home from her support group. She forgoes white wine (won't stain if you spill it ) for red and eats French fries for breakfast. She even flirts with the local bookstore owner, a handsome, sun-kissed, younger man. And as she embraces the freedom that comes with breaking her own rules, she wonders if it's not just her past that lies in this beloved quirky town, but her future too...

In a summer read rich in depth and heart, acclaimed author Colleen French tells a story of love, motherhood, friendship, and family in a picturesque Delaware beach town . . . Each year, the start of summer brings bustle and much-needed tourist dollars to the little town of Albany Beach, Delaware. For Natalie Sullivan, this season is proving more stressful than others. It’s make-or-break time for the Irish pub her husband, Conor, recently bought with his brothers. Their two children are thriving, but she’s experiencing pangs of loss at the end of her childbearing years. When sixteen-year-old McKenzie starts gushing about Bella, the new coworker at her summer job, Natalie suddenly finds her past and present in conflict. Bella, two years older than McKenzie, looks so similar that a customer remarks that they could be sisters. And when Natalie learns that Bella was adopted, she is propelled back into a heartbreaking decision. As a college student, Natalie became pregnant and put her baby up for adoption. Now, the more McKenzie talks about Bella, the more Natalie wonders: could Bella be her daughter? Conor insists it’s a mistake to pursue the matter. Natalie’s child belongs to another family now; that was the agreement in the closed adoption. Still, Natalie can’t resist spending time with Bella. As their bond deepens, McKenzie accuses her mother of caring more for a stranger than for her, and Natalie begins imagining what it would be like to have Bella as a second daughter. What will the impact be if Bella really is her biological child? And if she isn’t, can Natalie embrace the joy and potential in her own family, without always wondering about what could have been?

The Summer Daughter

To unite their clans, Kara Gordon is bound by a marriage contract to the McKie family. But when her intended dies in a bloody mountain skirmish, she is forced to marry his heir and younger brother, Henry, a mere twelve-year-old boy. Fearing their union--and its consummation--Kara is relieved that the new earl is more in need of a mother's care than a lover's touch. Yet one man longs for Kara's caress--Henry's advisor, protector, and half-brother--Ian. As Ian's attraction to Kara dares to flame into scandalous desire, enemies inside and outside the castle fight to remove Henry from the throne--by any means necessary. But Kara, who has never once known the love of another, cannot deny her fiery passions. Only Ian's undying devotion can embolden her to face the future--one that may destroy everyone she holds dear.

Colleen French

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