Time for a Changeâor Three!
Stefanie Stahl has a husband with renovation ADD. He canât seem to finish anything he starts and her house is littered with his âprojects.â If he doesnât smarten up, she swears sheâs going to murder him and bury him under the pile of scrounged lumber in the backyard.
Her friend Griffin James is suddenly single and thinking maybe she needs to sell her fixer-upper and follow her career bliss up the ladder of success, even if that scary ladder is clear across the country. Getting her place ready to sell proves harder than she originally thought. She needs help.
Sheâs not the only one. Cass Wilkes, their neighbor, has an empty nestâwith a leaking roof. When her ceiling crashes in, she knows itâs time to do something. When Grant Masters offers his handyman services at a fund-raiser auction, the three women go in together to outbid the competition and win their man. (Cassâs friends think she should win Grant in a different way, too!) Now itâs time to make some improvements...in their houses and their lives.
Praise for the novels of Sheila Roberts
âThe latest in Robertsâ completely charming Icicle Falls series is both a delightful celebration of the joys of small-town life and a richly rewarding romance sweetened with just the right dash of bright humor.â
âBooklist on Home on Apple Blossom Road
âEngaging, sweet, and dusted with humor, this emotional romance tugs at the heartstrings.â
âLibrary Journal on Home on Apple Blossom Road
âRoberts engages readers from the first page with her colorfully distinctive characters and her amusing storytelling. She expresses the pitfalls that occur through the holiday season with flair and fun. A delightful read.â
âRT Book Reviews on Christmas on Candy Cane Lane
â[Robertsâ] polished storytelling, a tender plot filled with charming, colorful characters, along with the lively dialogue between them, will hook readers. This sweet story will warm any readerâs heart. A truly delightful read.â
âRT Book Reviews on A Wedding on Primrose Street
âThe Lodge on Holly Road is the ultimate in feel-good family drama and heart-melting romance.â
âUSA TODAY
âThe common thread and theme of making changes in your life for the better serve as an inspiration and make this novel a real page-turner.â
âRT Book Reviews on The Cottage on Juniper Ridge
For Roberta,
whoâs done such a good job of starting over.
Acknowledgments
Iâd like to start by thanking my editor and friend Paula Eykelhof, not just for the work youâve put in on this book but for the countless hours youâve given me these past years. You have been wonderful to work with! And speaking of wonderful, thanks as always to my agent and friend Paige Wheeler. Youâve always been there for me and I appreciate it. Youâre the best! A big thanks to my husband the tool man for helping me with all things construction in this book. A house build and a remodel and weâre still together. Yay, us! Finally, a huge thanks to the whole Harlequin team for working so hard on my behalf. An author may write the story but it takes a team to make a book.
Dear Reader,
Thanks so much for taking time from your own busy schedule to spend some of it with me. I hope youâll enjoy this story of restarts and do-overs. I donât know about you, but Iâve had times in my life where Iâve taken a wrong turn and had to reboot. Iâve definitely lived with remodel nightmares just like Stefanie Stahl, hauling slabs of plywood in from the rain, begging workers not to leave, sprouting gray hairs right and left. And I definitely know the pain of losing someone. I also know that somehow, with persistence, we manage to make it over lifeâs hurdles. If youâre facing one right now, let me encourage you by saying that youâll make it over that hurdle. Meanwhile, I hope youâll enjoy the latest adventures of some of the residents of Icicle Falls as they work on starting over.
Sheila
SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE ICICLES
Icicle Falls is populated with so many interesting people. Here are the ones youâll meet most often
Samantha Sterling-Preston: Samantha runs her familyâs business, The Sweet Dreams Chocolate Company (also known as Sweet Dreams Chocolates or just plain Sweet Dreams).
Cecily Goodman: Cecily is Samanthaâs sister, and she, too, works at Sweet Dreams. With her gift for knowing who should be with whom, she gives Cupid a run for his money.
Bailey Black: Bailey is Samantha and Cecilyâs little sister. She owns Tea Time Teashop. Stop in for a cup of tea and some of her lavender cookies!
Charley Masters: Charley owns Zeldaâs, one of the townâs favorite restaurants. Sheâs married to Dan Masters, owner of Masters Construction.
Cass Wilkes: Cass is good friends with the Sterling sisters and Charley. She owns Gingerbread Haus and keeps everyone in town happily supplied with gingerbread houses and gingerbread boys and girls. (If youâre wanting something fancy to serve for dinner, try her cream puff swans.)