'Tis the season for finding romance in this hilarious and uplifting holiday read When it comes to relationships, thirty-four-year-old Kate Turner is ready to say "Bah, humbug." The sleepy town of Blexford, England, isn't exactly brimming with prospects, and anyway, Kate's found fulfillment in her career as a designer, and in her delicious side job baking for her old friend Matt's neighborhood café. But then her best friend signs her up for a dating agency that promises to help singles find love before the holidays. Twenty-three days until Christmas. Twelve dates with twelve different men. The odds must finally be in her favor . . . right? Yet with each new date more disastrous than the one before--and the whole town keeping tabs on her misadventures--Kate must remind herself that sometimes love, like mistletoe, shows up where it's least expected. And maybe, just maybe, it's been right under her nose all along. . . .

The Twelve Dates of Christmas

Literature & Fiction

Bayliss, Jenny

Genre Fiction

G.P.Putnam's Sons

Product Description 
A charmingly quirky seaside town offers a recently separated restauranteur a fresh start and possibly a new lease on love in A Season for Second Chances, by the author of The Twelve Dates of Christmas. \nAnnie Sharpe’s spark for life has fizzled out. Her kids are grown up, her restaurant is doing just fine on its own, and her twenty-six-year marriage has come to an unceremonious end. Untethered for the first time in her adult life, she finds a winter guardian position in a historic seaside home and decides to leave her city life behind for a brand-new beginning.\nWhen she arrives in Willow Bay, Annie is enamored by the charming house, the invigorating sea breeze, and the town’s rich seasonal traditions. Not to mention, her neighbors receive her with open arms—that is, all except the surly nephew of the homeowner, whose grand plans for the property are at odds with her residency. As Christmas approaches, tensions and tides rise in Willow Bay, and Annie’s future seems less and less certain. But with a little can-do spirit and holiday magic, the most difficult time of her life will become…a season for second chances. 
 Review 
One of Buzzfeed’s Best Books of October\nOne of BookBub’s Best Holiday Romance Books \n“[An] inspiring tale of strength, integrity, and self-respect. . . Readers will be enchanted.” 
--Publishers Weekly\n“Bayliss’s fans and readers who enjoy laugh-out-loud rom-coms will want to spend a cozy winter evening by the fire with Annie and the residents of Willow Bay.” 
– Library Journal 
“There's so much to love about this enchanting story. Readers will want their own seat at the cafe Annie opens and to attend every quirky holiday party the townspeople dream up. This lovely, cozy read is perfect for winter.” 
–BookPage (starred review)\n"A gorgeous, cosy winter read that will transport you to the coast on a windswept day. Full of quirky characters and a refreshingly mature leading lady, this book will restore anyone's faith that it's never too late for a second chance at love, or indeed, life." 
--Sophie Cousens, author of This Time Next Year and Just Haven't Met You Yet 
 About the Author 
Jenny Bayliss lives in a small seaside town in the UK with her husband, their children having left home for big adventures. After having been a professional cake-baker for many years, she went back to college at age thirty-nine to study part-time for a degree in Creative and Professional Writing. Bayliss likes long walks, baking days, stationery, and shamelessly wearing party dresses to the supermarket. She is also the author of 
The Twelve Dates of Christmas.\nExcerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. 
Chapter 1\nAnnie was almost home when she realized she'd left her phone at the restaurant. The September evening air was nipping at her jacket collar, letting her know that summer was on the wane. The gentle rhythm of her rubber-soled boots on the pavement was as soothing as the tick of the old carriage clock that used to sit on her parents' mantelpiece.\nThe high street was quiet. The pubs had long since expelled their patrons, and the lights in the flats above the shops were all but extinguished. Even a town as busy as Leaming on the Lye had to sleep sometime. Annie wandered slowly back the way she had come. She was completely alone aside from the flash of a bushy red tail as a fox disappeared down an alleyway, no doubt hoping to find a loose bin bag or discarded kebab.\nAnnie liked this time of day. After the heat and rush of the kitchen during service and then the laborious cleardown, when the last customers departed, full bellied and ruddy cheeked from the house wine, came the quiet. The front-of-house staff left first, carpets hoovered and tables laid ready for lunch service the next day, leaving just the kitchen staff, tired yet strangely elated at having got through another crazy night. When the last pan was dried and the floor mopped, Annie would let

A Season for Second Chances

A city bookshop owner heads to the English countryside for a holiday reunion—only to face her childhood enemy.\nElinor Noel—Nory for short—is quite content running her secondhand bookshop in London. Forever torn between her working-class upbringing and her classmates’ extravagant lifestyles at the posh private school she attended on scholarship, Nory has finally figured out how to keep both at equal distance. So when two of her oldest friends invite their whole gang to spend the time leading up to their wedding together at the castle near their old school, Nory must prepare herself for an emotionally complicated few days.\nThe reunion brings back fond memories, but also requires Nory to dodge an ill-advised former fling. When she falls quite literally into the arms of Isaac, the castle’s head gardener, who has nothing but contempt for the "snobby prep school kids," the attraction between them is undeniable. And as Nory spends more time with Isaac during the wedding festivities, she finds herself falling hard for the boy she used to consider an enemy. Nory and Isaac explore their common ground, but pressures mount on all sides, and Nory must decide what kind of life she wants to live and what sort of love is worth the risk . . .

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe

Three bickering half sisters.\nOne unique antiques shop.\nThe coziest holiday season of their lives.\nWildly different half sisters Maggie, Simone, and Star have hardly seen one another since their sprightly summers at Rowan Thorp, their eccentric father Augustus’s home. Known for his bustling approach to the knick-knack shop he ran, Augustus was loved by all and known by none, not even his daughters.\nNow, years later, the three estranged women are called upon for the reading of Augustus’s will and quickly realize he's orchestrated a series of hoops through which they must jump to unlock their inheritance—the last thing any of them want to do. But Maggie and Star desperately need the money. And who would Simone be to resist?\nThrough hilarious goose chases, small-town mishaps, and one heart-warming winter solstice celebration, love, hope, and reconcilation is in the air, if only the three sisters can let themselves grasp it.

A December to Remember

Kiss Me at Christmas

Don't miss the Christmas wedding of the year, in Meet Me Under the Mistletoe, by the bestselling author of The Twelve Dates of Christmas, Jenny Bayliss.'Jenny Bayliss is the queen of uplifting, funny, smart romantic comedies. The perfect Christmas read!' - Freya Sampson, author of The Last Library A winter wedding of school friends should be the highlight of Nory Noel's festive calendar. But that group has long since drifted apart, and Nory is dreading the lavish, week-long affair. Still, she supposes, being the only single person means she gets a king-size bed in the idyllic castle venue all to herself. As the champagne flows, the years roll back and soon the air is alive with old sparks and old tensions. Desperate for a moment of peace, Nory escapes and crashes into Isaac, the castle's gardener - and her former school rival. Nory and Isaac have more in common these days than they could ever have imagined. But as she steals more time away to spend with him, Isaac reveals an astonishing secret about his past. Nory is in a unique position to help right this wrong - but uncovering the truth might mean pushing Isaac away once more . . . Praise for Jenny Bayliss:'A gorgeous, cosy winter read' - Sophie Cousens'If you need help getting into the festive spirit, this is the book for you . . . This feelgood read has humour, romance and some gorgeous descriptions of the Christmas traditions of an English village' - Good Housekeeping'Sparkly and romantic' - My Weekly

Pan/Macmillan

Les 12 Noëls de Kate

Literary

HAUTEVILLE

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Bayliss, Jenny. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Bayliss, Jenny

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Bayliss, Jenny. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Twelve Dates of Christmas

A Season for Second Chances

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe

A December to Remember

Kiss Me at Christmas

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe

Les 12 Noëls de Kate