Book
The Island Bakeshop
Contemporary Romance with a Historical Thread
COMING IN MAY!
Are you ready to go back to the Outer Banks?
If you joined me in Avon, North Carolina, part of the gorgeous island chain called the Outer Banks, in The Island Bookshop, then you not only met my main characters, Kennedy and Wes, but also their best friends. And if you saw my post about that first book last May, then you may also remember that more books were in the works.
Well, today I’d like to introduce you to the next one, The Island Bakeshop! This book will release in May from Guideposts, and I just got it up for pre-order on my site two weeks ago, so I figured it was a grand time to do an intro post. =)
ABOUT
The Island Bakeshop
Harper Dailey thought her future was set like a perfectly done cake…until she’s called home to the Outer Banks of North Carolina to help run her family’s business, Sunshine Bakery. When the ex-fiancé she’d put behind her years ago shows up on the island, he threatens not only the bakery’s future, but her own fragile return to a safe and contented life.
After his stint in the Navy, Beckett Mills settled in Avon, where he could lose himself running fishing charters during the summer—and hunkering down to ignore the world in the winter. But old instincts have him playing hero when a routine stop at his favorite bakery puts him squarely between its beautiful owner and the guy who’s trying to intimidate her.
Neither Harper nor Beckett have any intention of getting distracted by romance, real or otherwise. But as their friendship turns to something deeper and unexpected, they learn their lives are more intertwined than they could have imagined. Together, with a love built to weather any storm, they may just find the peace their hearts have been seeking all along.
Come back to the sun-drenched shores of the Outer Banks and immerse yourself in another exciting and inspiring tale from Roseanna M. White. This dual-timeline, clean romance will have you reading late into the night to find out what happens next.
Let’s meet…
Harper Dailey
After years living in Savannah and acquiring a bit of local fame for her pastries, Harper moves back to Avon to help her parents run the family business, Sunshine Bakery, after her dad’s heart attack forces him to slow down. What she hasn’t told anyone is that the move also helped her escape an ex-boyfriend who was not the picture-perfect guy he appeared to be. So when Jay shows up in Avon, claiming to own the building the bakery’s in? That’s the kind of bad news that sends Harper spiraling right into a panic attack.
Our Resident Grump…
Beckett Mills
Beck moved to Avon several years ago to run a fishing charter business after his stint in the Navy, and he doesn’t mind talking about those years in uniform. But the rest of his life? He’s about as forthcoming as a crab. The old instincts to protect, though, come rearing up when he sees a jerk threatening his favorite baker, and he steps in without thinking. And kinda claims to be her boyfriend. Which might not have many consequences if the Jerk were just a vacationer. But apparently he means to stick around all summer. Which means Beck really made a mess of things this time.
In 1846…
Sophie Dailey
In 1846, Sophie should be in the bliss of her recent marriage. But instead, her husband, Alex, has gone distant–and not just because he’s often away at sea. Even when he’s home, he’s avoiding her. And somehow, she knows her old friend Erasmus Salter is to blame. She’d thought to sweeten Alex’s temper with the baking she’s becoming known for–after all, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, right? But when he won’t even take a bite, what’s a girl to do but get tricky?
FAKE DATING TROPE!
So, yes, we’ve got a classic fake dating trope going on here. But what brought me especial delight was the fact that with two sisters in the story who run a bookstore, this would not just pass them by without demanding comment. So the moment they hear what happened, they are very quick to call out the trope with much giggling. Which leads to more delightful moments like Beck declaring, “We’re not lying, not faking, not…troping.” Which, naturally, sets off more peals of laughter.
And some Grumpy/Sunshine too…
Beck already established himself as the Grump in the previous book, so what choice did I have but to make Harper’s personality match the name of her family’s bakery? And I gotta say, the Sunshine was soooo much fun to write. As was the dynamic between the two, who have a fabulous rapport and lots of teasing, including ever-revolving fake endearments.
And of course, some secondary characters you’ve already met…some of whom will be ready for taking the lead in book three, The Island Bikeshop. 😉
Kennedy is one of Harper’s good friends. She just moved home a year ago to help out at the Island Bookshop, and thanks to wedding planning and such, she and Wes have established weekly dinners for the six key friends.
Wes is still helping run his family’s real estate company, and thoroughly enjoying this new chapter of his life with Kennedy by his side. He’s also having a bit too much fun needling Beck, who has always sworn off romance.
Asher Quidley owns a beach equipment rental shop specializing in bicycles and anything else with wheels. He’s all about the therapy we can get from spending time out in nature…and is not above hitting Beck with the well-deserved, “Bro. You should hear yourself right now.”
Kennedy’s sister, Lara, is still recovering from the traumatic brain injury that came along with last year’s concussion. It means migraines nearly every day, but she’s still determined to enjoy life–especially when it means rooting for her friends’ trope-filled romance.
Ahhh…the setting
Avon, Hatteras Island
We’re back in Avon, one of my favorite places in the world! Yay!! So naturally, we’ve got the beach and this wonderful little vacation community. But this time, we’ve also got a hero who pretty much lives and breathes the water, so lots of boats—both Sportfisher style and a small sailboat. But we also get to delve into the world of bakeries.
Now, I have long been an avid home baker. I go through phases where I’m baking something almost every day. For a while there, I almost toyed with the idea of a recipe blog (and compromised by adding some recipes to my site that tie in with my books). I love baking…but y’all, I am not a commercial baker. For starters—their hours! Yikes! I’m a morning person, but that morning needs to follow a solid night’s sleep, and these lovely crazy people tend to start their days during the night instead.
I actually wrote most of this book in Avon last fall during my second week of (working) vacation, and I knew I needed some help from an actual local baker. I emailed a couple, then when I was in Buxton Village Books talking to Gee Gee (who helped me with The Island Bookshop…and who recently passed away, leaving such a legacy of books and community behind her), I asked her for her favorite local bakery. She didn’t hesitate. “Scratchmade Snackery down in Hatteras,” she said. “Talk to Kitty.”
So I looked it up and emailed Kitty, the owner of this bakery. Kitty surprised and delighted me by sending me a very long, detailed email walking me through her day hour by hour, naming all her equipment, and telling me about the joys and pitfalls of a business like this in a vacation spot. A few days later we popped into Scratchmade and chatted in person…and I sampled her goods. Oh…my…gracious. Best French pastries I’ve had outside of France!! (So if ever you’re in Hatteras, stop by. It’s way down at the bottom, one of the last stops before the ferry.)
Now, Harper’s setup isn’t identical to Kitty’s, of course. Because #plot. And their whole family runs the bakery and has been doing so for generations, along with employees, which is different from Kitty and her husband running it all by themselves. Because I needed Harper to have time for her fake-dating. ?
The Island Bookshop
Contemporary Romance with a Historical Thread
COMING SOON
Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary.