The Baker's Daughter — Christine Shaw

On the day Dan Valentino walks into her office, widowed Kate Goodlove is smitten and the decision to hire him as a foreman in her bakery is an easy one. The decision to become his lover and business partner is not quite so straightforward: after all, he's a few years younger than her and she's still feeling vulnerable after the death of her husband, two years earlier. But then, Dan is handsome, has the most gorgeous ‘velvet' eyes and he's happy to include Kate's daughter, Molly, in everything they do… What more could a woman want? Dan has travelled around Europe learning his trade and he's good at what he does, but now he seems to want a family and he seems to want Kate, too. Molly loved her father dearly and misses him terribly, but in Dan she doesn't see a potential replacement father: her feelings for him are very different indeed… What none of them appreciate, is how quickly love can be destroyed by jealousy, misunderstandings and - above all - secrets. In this brilliant and delightful debut novel, Christine Shaw has created a cast of believable characters, as well as a setting that allows the reader to feel at home. This is a story of hopes and dreams, family ties, friendship and love.