The Secret Orchard : Warm, uplifting and romantic - the new novel from the author of The Forgotten Garden

Set in a small community on the Scottish coast, the new feel-good story about family, belonging and finding peace with the past from the author of The Lighthouse Bookshop and The Forgotten Garden. ‘Warm, tender and wise, Sharon Gosling’s well-crafted, engrossing story was a pleasure to read’ Rachel Hore, author of The Hidden Years 'Beautifully observed family dynamics in the present day all wrapped up in a romantic mystery from the 1800s. Absorbing and memorable' Juliet Ashton Bette and Nina Crowdie have never been close – the ten-year age difference doesn’t help, and Bette’s rarely been home since she left for university at eighteen. When their father passes away and unexpectedly splits the family farm between them, Nina is furious and afraid. She’s been working at the farm for the past five years. It’s the only home her young son, Barnaby, has ever had, and she’s convinced that Bette will sell at the first chance she gets. When they discover the huge debt their father has been hiding, Bette reluctantly agrees to help her sister. But that means they have to find a way to work together, and Bette must face up to the real reason she left all those years ago. Could a long-forgotten diary and the discovery of a secret orchard on their land help save the farm – and the sisters’ relationship? Praise for Sharon Gosling: 'A compelling read with a dramatic sense of place and a caring community at its heart' Heidi Swain ‘A warm, romantic mystery, beautifully structured and feelingly written’ ― Daily Mail Can a return to the past be the start of something new? Warm, romantic and enchanting - the new novel from the author of The Lighthouse Booksho p and The Forgotten Garden . Two sisters. One unexpected inheritance. The Crowdies have worked the same landscape on the Scottish coast for generations. When Bern Crowdie passes away, everyone expects the farm to pass to his youngest daughter Nina who, with her young son Barnaby, has been living and working with her father for the past five years. Her older sister Bette left when she was eighteen, vowing never to return. Now a successful lawyer in London, it's doubtful she'll even make the funeral – or the reading of their father's will. When Bette's life takes an unexpected turn, she finds herself back home, and both sisters are utterly shocked to discover that her father decided to split the farm between the two of them after all. With the farm sinking under the weight of hidden debt, secrets begin to emerge – some that bring the sisters closer, some that could save the farm, and some that mean the family could lose it forever. But it is the discovery of an old apple orchard that could change everything. Praise for Sharon Gosling: 'A compelling read with a dramatic sense of place and a caring community at its heart' Heidi Swain 'A warm, romantic mystery, beautifully structured and feelingly written' ― Daily Mail