Moving On

by Alexandra Raife

Published 1 March 2001

Helen Rathbone's decision to end her thirty-five-year marriage provokes a massive upheaval in her life. Her first plan is to move in with her son and his family, but when that proves unsuccessful, she returns to Scotland with a sense of exuberance and liberation.

Hilltop is shabby and rundown, but there is a wonderful view from the verandah and it does also have its own cottage in the grounds. Helen is delighted to rent this out to Catriona Finlay, a young woman who runs the local second-hand bookshop. Catriona's friends extend a warm welcome to Helen and she finds herself with a lively circle that includes Jake, the bookshop owner. Jake is some fifteen years Helen's junior, but that doesn't prevent her feeling drawn to him. He, however, is in love with the shy and gentle Catriona. Luckily the friendship between the two women is strong enough to survive this potential clash.


Among Friends

by Alexandra Raife

Published 6 September 2001
In the two years since the loss of her husband and twin daughters in a fatal car crash, Louise has avoided facing up to the full extent of her bereavement by caring for her husband's elderly great-aunt. But now Aunt Bea, too, is dead and Louise is robbed of both a dear friend and a home. Caring is what Louise does best, and - with the proviso that she will not work in households with children - she joins an agency that specialises in supplying temporary domestic help. The demands made upon her, and the homes in which she finds herself, are varied and occasionally bizarre, but in confronting them she makes friends and discovers self-confidence.

Return to Drumveyn

by Alexandra Raife

Published 7 March 2002
Cristi is left an unexpected legacy by her late grandfather. She has had no contact with her mother's family since leaving Brazil as a child; they are strangers who have remained silent, hostile and inaccessible. In the light of this, coming into a startling sum of money as well as a cattle ranch is not only confusing, but merits a visit to Brazil. This means leaving her beloved Drumveyn and Dougal. And when Dougal learns that Cristi is an heiress he feels that the gulf between them has become far too wide to cross. During her Brazilian interlude, Cristi is very attracted to her handsome cousin, Luis, until she discovers he's only after her money. So she returns to Drumveyn to persuade Dougal that they have a future together.