The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Cafe by Mary Simses

You used to be a good swimmer when you were at Exeter, I tried to remind myself. I was going into deeper water, the current still moving fast. I tried to swim against the current, giving the Australian crawl my best effort, kicking as hard as I could and pushing the water away until my limbs ached. How could the ocean be so cold at the end of June? My arms and legs began to go numb and I couldn’t stop shaking.

And I was still moving, heading away from the dock and the beach, waves hitting me, filling my mouth and nose with salt water. I came to the surface coughing, the sea around me choppy, foamy, full of sand. A strong, swift current was spinning me around and pulling me away from the dock. But I had the viewfinder of my Nikon camera pressed against my eye and I was zooming in on something across the water-a statue of a woman in a ruffled dress holding what appeared to be a bucket of grapes.Īs I fought my way to the surface, my arms and legs scrambling, my heart banging in my chest, and my teeth chattering from the cold water, I knew I was moving and moving fast. If I had just turned twenty degrees to my right I would have noticed him racing across the beach toward the pier, waving his arms. Maybe there was a second when I could have seen the man running onto the dock, calling out for me to stop. Boards splintered, rotted lumber snapped, and I plunged ten feet into the frigid Maine ocean. The wooden planks of the dock sagged beneath me and then gave way. I heard someone yell, but it was too late. Mary Simses can write evocative detail that puts you right in the scene, with dialogue that always rings true.” - James Patterson Read Excerpt

“You will devour The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Café. The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Café is a warm and delicious debut about the power of a simpler life. As she learns about her grandmother and herself, it becomes clear that a 24-hour visit to Beacon may never be enough.

The rescue turns Ellen into something of a local celebrity, which may or may not help her unravel the past her grandmother labored to keep hidden. What should be a one-day trip is quickly complicated when she almost drowns in the chilly bay and is saved by a local carpenter. Ellen leaves Manhattan and her Kennedy-esque fiance for Beacon, Maine. A high-powered Manhattan attorney finds love, purpose, and the promise of a simpler life in her grandmother’s hometown.Įllen Branford is going to fulfill her grandmother’s dying wish - to find the hometown boy she once loved, and give him her last letter.

The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Cafe by Mary Simses