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Bliss #1
Bliss: An Anthology of Novellas
Home is where the heart is…. Five authors, five tales spanning centuries all set in the same mansion on the water...
To some of us, home is everything. Our connection to the past, a place in which to build a future, the only place to run when the world we know falls apart….
For Livie Harrington, Bliss is everything. It’s a house comprised of memories, the last remaining link to her past. In a life shattered by the war between the states, Bliss becomes Livie’s anchor, the driving force behind her desperate scramble to rebuild a lost family fortune. She’s lost her parents, her only love, and her brother is off fighting somewhere north of the Mason-Dixon. She can’t lose Bliss, too… but what’s a girl to do besides the most outlandish, most lucrative endeavor to arise from the Federal blockade?
Everything is going well for Livie when a desperate need to be home invades her busy life. A need she can’t ignore. But waiting for Livie is a houseful of trouble… her dying brother, and the man who risked everything to honor his last wish… the man who broke Livie’s heart long ago, and whom she thought never to see again….
A house built to outlast the generations….
After achieving great wealth, Colin Harrington, Livie’s grandson, travels to England to bring a bride back home to Bliss, stately seat of his empire. He meets and marries Lady Jane, whose father is titled but debt-ridden, and before long, Jane is expecting Colin’s heir. Yet, one ill-fated decision tears Jane’s world apart when the luxury liner HMS Titanic on which she and Colin are traveling hits an iceberg in the icy North Atlantic and sinks.
Facing a life without her husband is difficult for Jane, and if not for Bridgett, her lady’s maid, and the kind staff at Bliss, she might have lacked the courage to carry on. A new home, in a strange new land, and the first thing she must do is bury her husband in the family plot. Plagued by nightmares of the sinking ship, her health is in jeopardy, and it is decided that she needs a distraction to help her deal with her grief.
Bliss has everything… a sweeping expanse of lawn that borders the sound, tall trees, and lush bushes… everything but a garden like the one Jane left behind in England. A garden on the scale of the one she is planning will require a gardener, and Jane’s handyman has the perfect candidate… handsome, earthy Brennan Brown.
The Irishman, like Jane, is newly come to America, and somewhat put off to be working for a member of the English aristocracy. Yet, despite coming from very different backgrounds, the two strike up an unlikely friendship that soon lends to the melding of their hearts. Yet, as Jane and Brennan feel the stirrings of a new love, outside forces threaten. The mysterious Mr. Brown, like Jane, has come to the Carolinas looking for a new start... leaving behind a past that comes back to haunt him, threatening not only his relationship with Jane, but his freedom.
A place where lives are lived, and new legacies are forged….
It is the tumultuous 1960’s, a time of upheaval and social unrest. Scenes from the Viet Nam War are played out nightly in living rooms across the country, and the great house on the sound has passed into the care of another family.
April has fond memories of summers at Bliss, and after her fairytale wedding disintegrates, it becomes her refuge. The one place where she can attempt to pull the threads of a life unraveling back together. Yet, unbeknownst to April, the stately house has been neglected in recent years. The once sound roof is leaking in a few dozen places, and the wharf is falling apart. Nothing is the same as she remembers—except for Hale, a Viet Nam soldier who is haunted by a dreadful secret, and who is also her brother’s best friend. .. a brother killed in the conflict that is tearing the country apart.
In Hale’s presence, April finds familiarity, and solace. They share a grief for a lost loved one, and from the comfort of his arms, passion blooms. Yet, April’s future is unresolved. A wealthy, arrogant almost-bridegroom wants her back… and the ghosts of Viet Nam are whispering to her new love.
The final resting place for a shattered marriage… or a cherished place to rebuild….
Bobby Wayne Forsythe is Nascar’s darling. He’s a superstar of the circuit, and on the verge of becoming a has-been because of a tragic accident. Broken in body, and bruised in spirit, he returns to the place where he can lick his wounds and come to grips with his own dark future… a house he has shared with four now-ex-wives.
Bobby Wayne has played it fast and loose, enjoying his celebrity status, and women have come and gone with regularity… but there is one woman he couldn’t forget… the one who shows up at his door unexpectedly.
Lauren’s marriage to Bobby Wayne was bittersweet, and coming back to the home they shared is not an easy thing to do… but she desperately needs to put the past behind her, and get on with...
To some of us, home is everything. Our connection to the past, a place in which to build a future, the only place to run when the world we know falls apart….
For Livie Harrington, Bliss is everything. It’s a house comprised of memories, the last remaining link to her past. In a life shattered by the war between the states, Bliss becomes Livie’s anchor, the driving force behind her desperate scramble to rebuild a lost family fortune. She’s lost her parents, her only love, and her brother is off fighting somewhere north of the Mason-Dixon. She can’t lose Bliss, too… but what’s a girl to do besides the most outlandish, most lucrative endeavor to arise from the Federal blockade?
Everything is going well for Livie when a desperate need to be home invades her busy life. A need she can’t ignore. But waiting for Livie is a houseful of trouble… her dying brother, and the man who risked everything to honor his last wish… the man who broke Livie’s heart long ago, and whom she thought never to see again….
A house built to outlast the generations….
After achieving great wealth, Colin Harrington, Livie’s grandson, travels to England to bring a bride back home to Bliss, stately seat of his empire. He meets and marries Lady Jane, whose father is titled but debt-ridden, and before long, Jane is expecting Colin’s heir. Yet, one ill-fated decision tears Jane’s world apart when the luxury liner HMS Titanic on which she and Colin are traveling hits an iceberg in the icy North Atlantic and sinks.
Facing a life without her husband is difficult for Jane, and if not for Bridgett, her lady’s maid, and the kind staff at Bliss, she might have lacked the courage to carry on. A new home, in a strange new land, and the first thing she must do is bury her husband in the family plot. Plagued by nightmares of the sinking ship, her health is in jeopardy, and it is decided that she needs a distraction to help her deal with her grief.
Bliss has everything… a sweeping expanse of lawn that borders the sound, tall trees, and lush bushes… everything but a garden like the one Jane left behind in England. A garden on the scale of the one she is planning will require a gardener, and Jane’s handyman has the perfect candidate… handsome, earthy Brennan Brown.
The Irishman, like Jane, is newly come to America, and somewhat put off to be working for a member of the English aristocracy. Yet, despite coming from very different backgrounds, the two strike up an unlikely friendship that soon lends to the melding of their hearts. Yet, as Jane and Brennan feel the stirrings of a new love, outside forces threaten. The mysterious Mr. Brown, like Jane, has come to the Carolinas looking for a new start... leaving behind a past that comes back to haunt him, threatening not only his relationship with Jane, but his freedom.
A place where lives are lived, and new legacies are forged….
It is the tumultuous 1960’s, a time of upheaval and social unrest. Scenes from the Viet Nam War are played out nightly in living rooms across the country, and the great house on the sound has passed into the care of another family.
April has fond memories of summers at Bliss, and after her fairytale wedding disintegrates, it becomes her refuge. The one place where she can attempt to pull the threads of a life unraveling back together. Yet, unbeknownst to April, the stately house has been neglected in recent years. The once sound roof is leaking in a few dozen places, and the wharf is falling apart. Nothing is the same as she remembers—except for Hale, a Viet Nam soldier who is haunted by a dreadful secret, and who is also her brother’s best friend. .. a brother killed in the conflict that is tearing the country apart.
In Hale’s presence, April finds familiarity, and solace. They share a grief for a lost loved one, and from the comfort of his arms, passion blooms. Yet, April’s future is unresolved. A wealthy, arrogant almost-bridegroom wants her back… and the ghosts of Viet Nam are whispering to her new love.
The final resting place for a shattered marriage… or a cherished place to rebuild….
Bobby Wayne Forsythe is Nascar’s darling. He’s a superstar of the circuit, and on the verge of becoming a has-been because of a tragic accident. Broken in body, and bruised in spirit, he returns to the place where he can lick his wounds and come to grips with his own dark future… a house he has shared with four now-ex-wives.
Bobby Wayne has played it fast and loose, enjoying his celebrity status, and women have come and gone with regularity… but there is one woman he couldn’t forget… the one who shows up at his door unexpectedly.
Lauren’s marriage to Bobby Wayne was bittersweet, and coming back to the home they shared is not an easy thing to do… but she desperately needs to put the past behind her, and get on with...
- GenresHistorical
318 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 23, 2013
3 people are currently reading
65 people want to read
About the author
Jamie Denton
70 books32 followersEver since I heard my first fairy tale, I've always believed in happily-ever-after and the power of love. In my opinion, there's nothing quite as heart-warming as the happy ending for a hero and heroine who overcome the odds. Sometimes love isn't easy, but then anything in life that is, well, it just isn't much fun, now is it?
Looking for challenges in my life has been part of that fun, too. I embraced my first challenge at the age of sixteen when I married my high school sweetheart. A whole lot of years later, I still fondly recall the first time I saw my own personal hero and knew, even at that tender age, that he was the one for me. With a history like that, what else could I write except Romances?
When I'm not working on my latest novel, I enjoy relaxing with a cross-stitch project or debating the pros and cons of a redecorating project. I'm also a big movie fan, especially romantic comedies. Oh, and we can't forget about the joys of gardening. If I'm not playing in the dirt or haven't escaped with my own personal hero to the movie theater, I can usually be found in the house, somewhere warm, curled up with a romance novel in my hands.
A few years ago, my family and I exchanged the sun and sand of my native Southern California for the clear blue skies and wide open spaces of the North Dakota prairie. Oh, did I mention the snow we got in the bargain, too? A whole lot of it?
Looking for challenges in my life has been part of that fun, too. I embraced my first challenge at the age of sixteen when I married my high school sweetheart. A whole lot of years later, I still fondly recall the first time I saw my own personal hero and knew, even at that tender age, that he was the one for me. With a history like that, what else could I write except Romances?
When I'm not working on my latest novel, I enjoy relaxing with a cross-stitch project or debating the pros and cons of a redecorating project. I'm also a big movie fan, especially romantic comedies. Oh, and we can't forget about the joys of gardening. If I'm not playing in the dirt or haven't escaped with my own personal hero to the movie theater, I can usually be found in the house, somewhere warm, curled up with a romance novel in my hands.
A few years ago, my family and I exchanged the sun and sand of my native Southern California for the clear blue skies and wide open spaces of the North Dakota prairie. Oh, did I mention the snow we got in the bargain, too? A whole lot of it?
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 2, 2013
This wonderful collection of stories will keep you captivated from the start. Each centers around Bliss, a sprawling plantation home located in North Carolina. In S.K. McClafferty's "A Long Road Home," Livie Harrington must confront her husband, a northerner who'd left her to fight in the Civil War and now wants her back. Marcy Waldenville's "The Healing Garden" brings together newly pregnant Jane Harrington, widowed in the sinking of the Titanic, and Irishman Brennan Brown, on the run from aiding his brothers escape their crimes. Jamie Denton's "Spellbound" tells the steamy, romantic story of Colin Harrington, injured in World War II, and Mary Elizabeth Callahan, also Irish. She becomes housekeeper to the sprawling Bliss and the reclusive Colin. Kathleen Shoop's "Home Again" finds April Harrington on the run from a ditched wedding. At Bliss, her family home, she encounters childhood friend Hale Abercrombie, suffering PTSD from Vietnam and haunted by the death of April's brother. And J.D. Wylde's "Beyond the Checkered Flag" brings the action to modern day and Nascar driver Bobby Wayne. This story doesn't feature a Harrington, but Bobby Wayne buys the house for his beloved third wife, Lauren. Now he wants her back. Their reunion at Bliss sends sparks flying as they hash out their differences and grievances. The rating for this one is definitely hot.
Each story is vivid in historical and modern details and will certainly have you wanting to visit Bliss yourself. The characters come to life, making you fall in love with each and every couple, rooting for them to make it. I highly recommend this wonderful novel by five talented authors.
Each story is vivid in historical and modern details and will certainly have you wanting to visit Bliss yourself. The characters come to life, making you fall in love with each and every couple, rooting for them to make it. I highly recommend this wonderful novel by five talented authors.
July 9, 2013
I found this book very romantic, a quick read and the characters endearing. I loved that multiple authors were involved . It gave me a sample of some new authors to put on my "want to read more from "list. I was already a huge fan of Kathleen Shoop so I was really excited when I found this book and was not disappointed at all.
October 8, 2015
well written, but nothing special about any of it
July 3, 2016
4 STARS
(average rating between all of the novellas)
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews