Jenny Kane’s novels include Another Cup of Coffee, Another Glass of Champagne and Abi’s House. Her latest novel, Midsummer Dreams at Mill Grange, was published in ebook by Aria on 25 June 2020.

Today I have an extract from the book.

It wasn’t him.

It couldn’t be. He’d moved away.

At least, he’d told her he had.

If Thea had any doubts about her vision, the sinking feeling in her stomach confirmed her fears. Her body had sensed her ex-boyfriend’s presence before her brain had finished joining the dots.

A coach-worth of Japanese tourists was following a stressed tour guide around the outside of Bath’s Pump Room. Assessing the amount of lemon cake and espresso she had left, Thea wondered if she should abandon her café lunch and trust to the crush of tourists to shield her from the man she’d hoped never to see again.

Telling herself that the chances of John Sommers spotting her were slim, Thea blew ripples into the top of her coffee. So what if he does see me? We’ve been apart for three months now. He won’t want to talk to me.

Returning to the novel she’d been reading as she sat outside the Abbey Café, Thea was unable to prevent her eyes lifting from the page every few seconds to see if he was still there. On the third surreptitious raise of her eyelids, she finally convinced herself that John had disappeared from view – or that maybe she’d imagined his presence in the first place.

She hadn’t finished exhaling with relief, when a voice from behind made her jump.

‘If it isn’t the gorgeous Miss Thomas! What a coincidence.’

‘What do you want, John?’ Placing her cup onto its saucer, Thea gave an internal groan of resignation.

‘I thought it was you. A pointlessly tiny cup of coffee, a slice of lemon cake and a novel. Such a giveaway! Although I had to do a double-take because your hair is wrong.’

Thea’s hand automatically went to her chocolate brown ponytail. ‘What do you mean it’s wrong?’

‘You’ve grown it.’ It was clear from his tone that the change of style did not meet his approval.

Self-consciously, Thea muttered, ‘Well, I like it,’ into her coffee.

Oblivious to his lack of tact, John smiled in a way that made his emerald eyes shine with the promise of mischief. ‘I wasn’t one hundred per cent sure it was you, but I had to check. It felt like the right thing to do.’

‘The right thing to do?’ Wary, and unsure she wanted the answer to her next question, Thea asked, ‘How did you know I was here?’

About the book

Thea Thomas needs to get away from her old life… and the interfering ex who won’t leave her alone. When she lands a job heading up the restoration of Mill Grange, a stunning Victorian manor, it feels like the perfect opportunity to start afresh.

What Thea didn’t anticipate was how hostile the volunteer team, led by the formidable Mable Hastings, would be about accepting new leadership. And with the deadline looming before the grand opening, Thea is in desperate need of more volunteers.

A broadcast appeal on the local news attracts the interest of arrogant but undeniably attractive celebrity historian Shaun Cowlson, who wants to make a TV programme about the restoration. It’s hard enough adding one more big personality to the mix – but then her ex turns up as one of the volunteers! What seemed like a dream come true is fast becoming a total disaster! Can Thea find a way to save the manor?

About the author

Jenny Kane is the bestselling author of several romantic fiction series. Her first novel, Another Cup of Coffee (Accent Press), was a Kindle bestseller. The final novel in this series, Another Glass of Champagne, was released in June 2016. Jenny Kane’s Cornish romance, A Cornish Escape, hit No.1 in the Amazon Romance, Contemporary Fiction, and Women’s Fiction charts, and was followed by a sequel, Abi’s Neighbour, Jenny’s seventh novel.