October 16, 2025 – My Sanctuary

Settle For More By Campbell Linden

Tess Hughes thought she’d traded in small-town gossip for the bright lights of Los Angeles. But when her estranged uncle leaves her a gift shop in Danville Falls, she’s forced back to the town she couldn’t wait to escape, and into the heart of everything she left behind.

Moving home at forty-five isn’t exactly a dream come true. Sharing her old bedroom with memories of her teenage years is hard enough, and running into Will Sampson makes it harder still. The boy who once overlooked her is now a divorced contractor with a steady business, a quick smile, and an undeniable pull she never expected.

When Tess hires Will to renovate her shop, their working relationship sparks into something neither of them can ignore. Late-night talks turn into stolen kisses, and soon Tess begins to wonder if home might be more than a place she left behind. But Will has no plans to leave Danville Falls, and Tess still believes her life is waiting in California.

As family tensions rise, an old rivalry stirs up trouble, and her new business comes under threat, Tess must choose between the future she always imagined and the love that could change everything.

🌸 Is it ever too late to bloom? 🌸

Meet Celia. Life hasn’t worked out quite how she’d planned.

Since her son left for university, Celia has felt stuck at home – battling with her husband Geoff over control of the thermostat, and without the merest glint of a social life. Her only joy comes from the plants she nurtures in her makeshift plant hospital in their Glasgow flat.

Then three unexpected things happen:

She catches Geoff in bed with a secretary from his sausage factory (no pun intended).
Her high-flying best friend Amanda arrives on her doorstep without warning (but with a very large suitcase).
A tall handsome French teacher asks her to tend his daughter’s cactus back to health.

🪴

Suddenly, Celia finds her life in freefall, but she makes a decision: she won’t let this be the end of her. She’ll bring herself back to life, just like the plants she works her magic on. But just how do you change the habits of a lifetime?

About The Author

My Review

Celia’s life in Glasgow is quiet and predictable—until she discovers her husband Geoff in bed with his secretary. Suddenly single and unsure of her future, Celia is forced out of her routine and into a journey of rediscovery. With the unexpected arrival of her glamorous best friend Amanda, and a chance meeting with a charming French teacher (thanks to a cactus emergency), her world begins to open up again.

This heartwarming and humorous story follows Celia as she slowly rebuilds her confidence, embraces new experiences, and learns to find joy, friendship, and even love in unexpected places. It’s a relatable, midlife coming-of-age tale about letting go of the past, stepping out of autopilot, and learning that it’s never too late to start again.

My Rating