Showing results by author "Tess Thompson" in All Categories

1921. Cast out and alone, I lost everything weeks before my wedding—my betrothed, my family, my future. With nowhere to turn, I accept the help of a compassionate stranger, not knowing it may lead me towards a path I swore never to tread.

Colorado, 1924. Louisa Lind is a dutiful daughter to her adoptive parents. After the boy she loves marries someone else, she vows to assist her father and mother with church work and forget all about marriage. But when tragedy strikes, the suddenly penniless young woman reluctantly accepts a marriage proposal… from her dream man’s twin brother.

Breck Stokes is back where he belongs. After years at university, he’s returned to Emerson Pass and taken over his mother’s veterinarian practice. He loves the small ski community, spending time with his buddies and healing big and small animals. The moment he meets lovely but reserved Tiffany Birt, he’s drawn to her in ways he can’t explain. Can he break through her walls to win her heart?

Fiona Barnes has a secret—one so big she's afraid it will destroy everything she holds dear. Not even her beloved music can save her. Li Wu has fought prejudice his entire life. But he's always felt safe and protected within the fierce love of the Barnes family. If only the object of his desire were free to be his, all would be well. Will he risk everything to be with the one he loves, or will societal pressures keep them apart?

The year 1904. Twelve-year-old Luci Quick never forgot the boy who saved her life that fateful Christmas Eve. But when he disappeared without a word after bringing her food, she was forced to focus on raising her baby sister when her mother suddenly died. Now six years later and struggling to make ends meet with an alcoholic and gambling-addicted father, the poverty-stricken woman can’t believe her hero has returned...and he’s all grown up.

Josephine Barnes wrote every day to her beloved fiancé battling in the trenches of the Great War. Devastated when he’s killed in action, she vows never to marry and buries her grief in the construction of the town’s first library. But she’s left breathless when she receives a request from a gracious gentleman to visit and return the letters containing her declarations of desire. Philip Baker survived the war, but returned home burdened with a secret. Though he knows it’s wrong, he can’t stop reading the beautiful sentiments left among his slain comrade’s possessions.

Sparks fly when opposites attract, and so it goes with Ciaran Lanigan and Bliss Heywood. He's the handsome playboy. She's the studious executive. And their chemistry? It's off the charts. But beneath his charming facade, Ciaran is a haunted man. And the more he opens up to Bliss, the less she's sure she can trust him. Is he really in danger, or is he just a danger to Bliss? Can two people who love with all their hearts face the ever-lurking threats of secrets, lies, and family together?

Colorado, 1924. Louisa Lind is a dutiful daughter to her adoptive parents. After the boy she loves marries someone else, she vows to assist her father and mother with church work and forget all about marriage. But when tragedy strikes, the suddenly penniless young woman reluctantly accepts a marriage proposal…from her dream man’s twin brother. Having completed his medical school studies, Theo Barnes has returned to Emerson Pass to apprentice under the town’s doctor. Smitten since childhood with the pastor’s adopted daughter, he gallantly offers to wed Louisa.

I’ve spent my life caring for others—easing pain, offering comfort, healing wounds no one else wants to touch. But mine? They’ve stayed buried deep, hidden beneath humor and smiles. When George died, something inside me broke. And falling for a man who’d lost his memory only reminded me how dangerous it was to love someone you couldn’t fully know. Now, I pour everything into my work as a nurse. . . until Dr. Gabriel Stone shows up, cloaked in secrets, and starts chipping away at the walls I swore I’d never lower again.

My heart shattered when my sister's fiancé took what he wanted against my will, leaving me pregnant and disavowed by my family. Driven to desperate measures, I agree to take a housekeeping job on a remote island off the cost of Washington state. The man I’m working for? He’s kind, handsome and has a unique understanding of my position.

I didn’t mean to kill my husband. All I wanted was to escape his abuse and start a new life with my daughter as far away from him as possible. But in one life-altering second, I had to decide—run or stay and face his family and a possible murder conviction. I ran. What else could I do? I’m all my daughter has in this world. I’ll do anything to make sure she’s safe.

Cymbeline Barnes declared Viktor Olofsson her arch-enemy when they were children. When he saved her beloved sister, she started to see him as a hero instead. Still, she can't let go of the idea that her destiny is waiting somewhere else in the world. Viktor Olofsson has cared for Cymbeline his whole life. However, when she continues to rebuff him, he allows himself to entertain the idea of newcomer Emma. Will Cymbeline come to terms with her life and wake up to the idea of love before it's too late?

When war threatened Europe, my parents sent me from our vineyard in France to safety in America, where I found a new life, with friends who become family. But even in a land untouched by the bombs, the shadows of war loomed over my heart. As secrets from my past emerge and the world around me is torn apart, I must confront the grief of loss, the weight of duty, and the delicate balance between love and loyalty.

After the trauma of my family’s abandonment and the forced adoption of my baby, I find solace in New York City, living in a fine apartment, thanks to my benefactor, Percival Bancroft. He asks for nothing in return except for one thing—dinner once a week. All would be well if it weren’t for my growing feelings for the kind man who rescued me from a life on the streets. He is not mine to love, as he belongs to another.

In the fall of 1910, a violent patriarch with many enemies is murdered, freeing his long-suffering wife and four misfit children. Can a secret matchmaking plan find love for the eccentric members of the Tutheridge family?

Flynn Barnes and his wife, Shannon, have had an idyllic marriage. Until she discovers the dangerous secret he kept from her. One that threatens to ruin their marriage and the stability of a happy home for their two little girls. When his siblings suggest a way to gain back Shannon's love and trust, they embark on a seven-day journey to do so. Can Flynn win back her love before it's too late?

After four years at a university, Delphia Barnes returns home to Emerson Pass as America prepares to join the war. Determined to resist a conventional life of marriage and children, she fights her attraction to her old pal Jack Depaul. However, her heart won’t listen to reason and falls in love anyway.

In the spring of 1910, an advertisement I spotted in the Boston newspaper called out to me: “Wealthy family in need of secretary on Whale Island. Must have an affinity for books.” When I’m offered the position, I do not hesitate to pack my meagre belongings and travel to Washington state. After all, I have nothing to lose. I’ve been dismissed from my current position. I have no family. It’s all a dream come true. The only problem? My employer, Benedict Tutheridge, makes my heart flutter and my knees wobble.

Devastated after both my fiancée and best friend betrayed me, I traveled to a distant isle in the Pacific Northwest, clinging to a job as an artist's assistant to escape my broken heart. Little did I know that I would find something else entirely when I met Briggs Tutheridge. His kindness and sensitivity were not at all what I expected. Still, his reputation was well-known and notorious, with bevies of admirers who wanted nothing more than a brief affair. That wasn't me. I was a wallflower destined to live in the shadows, and no amount of wishing could change that.

After four years at a university, Delphia Barnes returns home to Emerson Pass as America prepares to join the war. Determined to resist a conventional life of marriage and children, she fights her attraction to her old pal Jack Depaul. However, her heart won’t listen to reason, falling in love anyway.