This weekend I sat down and read a new book called The Front Porch Club by Michelle Major. I had read another of her novels earlier and really enjoyed her style of writing and couldn’t wait to read The Front Porch Club which I did all in one day. Now, I have a question I wonder if there will be more novels in this collection as this book left me hanging.
She always followed the path of least resistance…until it leads her to a small town where she can follow her dreams.
When Emma Cantrell’s marriage imploded, she learned a fast and painful lesson about trusting her heart. Then, on a visit to Magnolia, North Carolina, to see her brother, an elegant, if dilapidated, mansion for sale presents the opportunity to start over. Risking everything on her dream of opening the Wildflower Inn, Emma buys the house…just as the storm of the century hits, severely damaging the structure. But a chance meeting with Holly, a bride-to-be in desperate need of a new venue, gives her hope…and the name of a contractor who’ll work fast and cheap, allowing Emma to repair the inn in time to host the wedding and save her investment.
A furniture builder who hasn’t picked up a tool in the five years since his wife died, Cameron Mitchell has no intention of agreeing to help this beautiful—and, he’d guess, entitled—woman insisting that he fix her inn. Until he learns that Emma was sent by Holly, the little sister of his late wife. Grudgingly, Cameron agrees to do the work, with one condition: that he be left completely alone. But the more time they spend together, the more Emma touches a part of his heart he was sure died long ago, forcing him to try making peace with his past.
A Carolina Christmas Book 1.5 (Novella)
Schoolteacher Bella Hart and her neighbor Sam Anderson are both newcomers to Magnolia, North Carolina, yet they’ve grown to be good friends. But lately she’s noticed a distinct charge in the air when they’re together. Still, from what Bella can see, the attractive and popular firefighter may be more of a good-time playboy than stable-relationship material. Hopefully her plans to spend Christmas back home in Colorado will give the attraction between them time to cool down.
Then Bella’s puppy, Tater, is injured days before Christmas, and she decides to stay in town to take care of him. Sam insists that Bella come with him to his Blue Ridge Mountain hometown for Christmas, hoping that Bella might see him in a new light there. But his hopes are dashed as soon as she meets his older brother. On paper, responsible and even-keeled Kyle is perfect for Bella—the exact opposite of a man like Sam.
Good thing Bella doesn’t give a Christmas fig about what looks good on paper. All she wants for Christmas is Sam. And in this season of joy and giving, could her wish possibly be about to come true?
Spend the holidays in Magnolia, North Carolina, where two lonely hearts find exactly what they need for Christmas.
Angi Guilardi needs a man for Christmas—at least, according to her mother. What she really needs is to grow her fledgling catering business. Partnering with Magnolia’s Wildflower Inn holds promise, but when her mother falls ill, Angi’s drawn back to the responsibility of the family restaurant. Balancing work and her eight-year-old son, she has no time for romance…until Angi runs into Gabriel Carlyle.
Temporarily helping at his grandmother’s flower shop, Gabriel doesn’t plan to stick around, especially after he bumps into Angi, one of his childhood bullies. Sure, she’s all grown up and gorgeous now, and when they find themselves under the mistletoe, their chemistry is undeniable. But it’ll take more than a Christmas miracle for Angi to break through the defenses of Gabriel’s well-guarded heart and find a love built to last.
Springtime in Carolina Book 2.5 (Novella)
Love gets one last chance to bloom in Magnolia. Josie Trumbull has rebuilt her life after her ballet dreams were crushed by a career-ending injury. Now she teaches dance in Magnolia and has mostly made peace with her life and future. Until her best friend, and proprietor of the bookstore next door, Stuart Madison, takes her completely by surprise.
Stuart Madison has had a crush on Josie for years. He knows now it won’t go anywhere and it’s probably time for him to move on, even if a few Magnolia residents think he still has a shot. Will Josie realize that she can reach for what she wants before Stuart decides to stop waiting?
Mariella Jacob was one of the world’s premier bridal designers, but one viral PR disaster later, she’s trying to get her torpedoed career back on track in small-town Magnolia, North Carolina. With a secondhand store and a new business venture helping her friends turn the Wildflower Inn into a wedding venue, Mariella is finally putting at least one mistake behind her. Until that mistake—in the glowering, handsome form of Alex Ralsten—moves to Magnolia too.
Mariella ruined Alex’s wedding by announcing that his starlet bride-to-be was sleeping with Mariella’s fiancé. While he’s furious when they’re forced to work together, there’s no denying Mariella is hardworking, talented…and gorgeous. In fact, though Alex keeps reminding himself that they’re enemies, something deeper is growing…daring them to admit that a rocky past might lead to something unexpectedly wonderful.
A Lot Like Christmas Book 3.5 (Novella)
At Christmastime in Magnolia, a pet sitter might find more than she bargained for with her new client!
Animal-lover Carli Connelly is determined to make a fresh start in Magnolia this Christmas, and her side hustle as a pet sitter is just the thing to make ends meet. So when her most lucrative client, Mark Simpson, asks for help becoming a more affable boss, she agrees. But spending more personal time with Mark—who may be a grump on the outside but slowly shows Carli the heart of gold buried beneath—has risks, changing the dynamic of her business and her heart.
The Wish List Book 4 now available
This Christmas the Carlyle sisters will rediscover the gift of family.
For some families, a Christmas reunion is like a feel-good movie. For Beth Carlyle, it might be more of a disaster epic. Her ex-husband’s new girlfriend is already pregnant. Her self-absorbed, bestselling author mother recently suffered a stroke and has summoned Beth’s sisters, Freya and Trinity—neither of whom even seem to like Beth very much—back to Magnolia. Beth’s so lonely and stressed that she spills her guts to a stranger, wondering why the handsome newcomer affects her so deeply. Reality TV star Freya deliberately forged a career that would upset her mother, who’s always been as brilliant as the sun… and just as distant. Now a handsome literary agent is making Freya dream of a different life. As for Trinity, she just wants to start over after leaving an abusive relationship and make a future for her and her baby.
It’ll be a Christmas like no other in Magnolia. But the Carlyle sisters might find they have more in common than their shared past—and that the holidays are made for second chances.
A Carolina Dance Book 4.5 coming April 1st (Novella)
The last Carlyle sister, new mother Trinity, finds love where she least expects it: with Magnolia’s upstanding chief of police, Asher Davis. After escaping an abusive relationship, Trinity is convinced her days of romance are done. But when Asher asks Trinity to be his plus-one to a wedding, they find themselves acting on their long-burning attraction. Will the complications in Trinity’s life hold off long enough for one more dance with Ash?
The Front Porch Club Book 5 coming May 23rd
The drawback to having a picture-perfect life is that there’s nowhere to go but down—and Annalise Haverford is falling fast. Once, she was the self-proclaimed queen bee of Magnolia, North Carolina. Now her husband has been arrested for fraud, and she’s become an outcast in the shallow circles she used to rule. There’s only one affordable rental in town, and it’s owned by the woman Annalise got fired from a lucrative job.
Much as single mother Shauna Myer would like to refuse Annalise, who treated her like dirt on the bottom of her red-soled shoe, she needs that rent money. But when Shauna’s first love arrives in town, unraveling secrets she’d hoped to keep, Annalise becomes her unlikely defender. Meghan Banks, an elementary school art teacher whose quiet existence suddenly descends into chaos, is thrown an unexpected lifeline by Annalise, too.
As spring ripens into a sultry summer, the three spur each other on to share their fears and dreams, face new challenges, and seize second chances. Because no matter how turbulent life may be, it’s much easier to navigate those choppy waters when you’re buoyed by true friendship…
About the Author
USA Today bestselling author Michelle Major loves stories of new beginnings, second chances and always a happily ever after. An avid hiker and avoider of housework, she lives in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains with her husband, two teenagers, and a menagerie of spoiled furbabies. Connect with her at www.michellemajor.com.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
