Synopses & Reviews
For generations, the natives of Harrisport have watched wealthy summer families descend on their Cape Cod town, inhabiting the massive cottages along the towns best stretches of beachfront. But when rich Southerner Tucker Moss breaks the heart of local girl Edie Wright in the summer of 1966, an enduring war starts between the two families that lasts for generations....
Edies youngest child, Lexi, should know better than to fall in love with a Moss, but at eighteen, she falls hard for Tuckers son, Hudsononly to find herself jilted when Hudson breaks off their engagement to marry the daughter of his father's business partner.
Thirteen years later, Lexi returns home after two years away studying architectural photography, just in time for yet another summer on the Cape. When Hudsons younger brother, Cooper, arrives unexpectedly to sell the seaside estate after the death of his father and hires Lexi to photograph it, an unlikely attraction forms, and Lexi finds herself torn once again between passion and family loyalty.
Then renovations at the Moss guest house reveal a forty-five-year-old declaration of love carved into a piece of framingand a startling truth that will force two women and the men who love them to confront the treacherous waters of their pasts.
Review
Praise for Sarah Jio and her novels:
“Jio has become one of the most-read women in America.” —Womans World (on Morning Glory)
“Delightful and uplifting.” -Historical Novel Society (on Goodnight June)
“Linger[s] long after the last page.” -Romantic Times (on The Last Camellia)
“Eminently readable . . . a tribute to family and forgiveness.” --Booklist (on Goodnight June)
“Terrific … compelling … an intoxicating blend of mystery, history and romance.” -Real Simple (on Blackberry Winter)
"Mix a love story, history, and a mystery and what takes root? The Violets of March, a novel that reminds us how the past comes back to haunt us, and packs a few great surprises for the reader along the way."
-Jodi Picoult, author of Sing You Home and House Rules
"Sarah Jio's The Violets of March is a book for anyone who has ever lost love or lost herself."
-Allison Winn Scotch, author of Time of My Life and The One That I Want
"An enchanting story of love, betrayal, and the discovery of an old diary that mysteriously links the past to the present."
-Beth Hoffman, author of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt
"Sarah Jio delivers a gem of a book, perfect for reading on the beach or under a cozy quilt."
-Sarah Pekkanen, author of The Opposite of Me and Skipping a Beat
"The Violets of March is a captivating, bittersweet tale of what happens when the long-buried truth finally makes its way to the surface. I didn't want this book to end!"
-Kelly O'Connor McNees, author of The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott
"Sarah Jio is one talented writer!"
-Claire Cook, bestselling author of Must Love Dogs and Seven Year Switch
Review
Praise for The Violets of March:
Library Journal Best of 2011: Core Fiction
“Feed the kids before you settle in with journalist Sarah Jio’s engrossing first novel, The Violets of March. This mystery-slash-love story will have you racing to the end—cries of ‘Mom, I’m hungry!’ be damned.” - Redbook
“A gem . . . True escape fiction that can take you away.” - WGBH-TV
Review
Praise for The Bungalow
Pulpwood Queens Book Club, Official Selection 2012
“A heartfelt, engaging love story set against the fascinating backdrop of the War in the Pacific.” - Kristin Hannah, author of Home Front
“Unabashedly romantic . . . thanks to Jio’s deft handling of her plot and characters. Fans of Nicholas Sparks will enjoy this gentle historical love story.” - Library Journal
Review
Praise for the Novels of Erika Marks
“Spicy, delicious, and filled with surprises.”—New York Times Bestselling Author Adriana Trigiani
“Elegant and enchanting.”—New York Times Bestselling Author Eleanor Brown
“Magical!”—Sarah Jio, author of The Bungalow
“A savory blend of romance and suspense.”—Sally Koslow, author of With Friends Like These
“Erika Marks is a shining new talent, and she has written a novel full of heart and grace.”—Rae Meadows, author of Mothers and Daughters
“This is women's fiction to be savored.”—Library Journal (starred review)
Review
Praise for Blackberry Winter
“Sarah Jio's writing is exquisite and engrossing.” —Elin Hilderbrand, bestselling author of Silver Girl
“A Most Anticipated Book of Fall 2012 ... This novel will enchant Jio's fans and make them clamor for her next offering.” —Kirkus
"Terrific ... compelling ... An intoxicating blend of mystery, history and romance, this book is hard to put down." —REAL SIMPLE
"Engaging ... enticing ... [A] fascinating exploration of love, loss, scandal, and redemption." —Publisher's Weekly
Praise for The Violets of March:
Library Journal Best of 2011: Core Fiction
“Feed the kids before you settle in with journalist Sarah Jio’s engrossing first novel, The Violets of March. This mystery-slash-love story will have you racing to the end—cries of ‘Mom, I’m hungry!’ be damned.” —Redbook
“A gem . . . True escape fiction that can take you away.” —WGBH-TV
Praise for The Bungalow
Pulpwood Queens Book Club, Official Selection 2012
“A heartfelt, engaging love story set against the fascinating backdrop of the War in the Pacific.” —Kristin Hannah, author of Home Front
“Unabashedly romantic . . . thanks to Jio’s deft handling of her plot and characters. Fans of Nicholas Sparks will enjoy this gentle historical love story.” —Library Journal
Synopsis
From theNew York Timesbestselling author ofAlwaysandBlackberry Winter, aheartbroken woman stumbles upon a diary and steps into the life of its anonymous author.
In her twenties, Emily Wilson was on top of the world: she had a bestselling novel, a husband plucked from the pages of GQ, and a one-way ticket to happily ever after.
Ten years later, the tide has turned on Emily's good fortune. So when her great-aunt Bee invites her to spend the month of March on Bainbridge Island in Washington State, Emily accepts, longing to be healed by the sea. Researching her next book, Emily discovers a red velvet diary, dated 1943, whose contents reveal startling connections to her own life.
A mesmerizing debut with an idyllic setting and intriguing dual story line, The Violets of March announces Sarah Jio as a writer to watch."
Synopsis
A heartbroken woman stumbled upon a diary and steps into the life of its anonymous author. In her twenties, Emily Wilson was on top of the world: she had a bestselling novel, a husband plucked from the pages of GQ, and a one-way ticket to happily ever after.
Ten years later, the tide has turned on Emily's good fortune. So when her great-aunt Bee invites her to spend the month of March on Bainbridge Island in Washington State, Emily accepts, longing to be healed by the sea. Researching her next book, Emily discovers a red velvet diary, dated 1943, whose contents reveal startling connections to her own life.
A mesmerizing debut with an idyllic setting and intriguing dual story line, The Violets of March announces Sarah Jio as a writer to watch.
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Synopsis
From acclaimed novelist Sarah Jio (
The Bungalow,
The Violets of March) a new “mystery-slash-love story [that] will have you racing to the end”
Seattle, 1933. Vera Ray kisses her three-year-old son, Daniel, goodnight and reluctantly leaves for work. She hates the nightshift, but it’s the only way she can earn enough to keep destitution at bay. In the morning—even though it’s the second of May—a heavy snow is falling. Vera rushes to wake Daniel, but his bed is empty. His teddy bear lies outside in the snow.
Seattle, present day. On the second of May, Seattle Times reporter, Claire Hanson, awakens to another late-season snowstorm. Assigned to cover this “blackberry winter” and its predecessor decades earlier, Claire learns of Daniel’s unsolved abduction and vows to unearth the truth—only to discover that she and Vera are linked in unexpected ways.
Synopsis
In 2011, Sarah Jio burst onto the fiction scene with two sensational novels--
The Violets of March and
The Bungalow. With
Blackberry Winter--taking its title from a late-season, cold-weather phenomenon--Jio continues her rich exploration of the ways personal connections can transcend the boundaries of time.
Seattle, 1933. Single mother Vera Ray kisses her three-year-old son, Daniel, goodnight and departs to work the night-shift at a local hotel. She emerges to discover that a May-Day snow has blanketed the city, and that her son has vanished. Outside, she finds his beloved teddy bear lying face-down on an icy street, the snow covering up any trace of his tracks, or the perpetrator's.
Seattle, 2010. Seattle Herald reporter Claire Aldridge, assigned to cover the May 1 "blackberry winter" storm and its twin, learns of the unsolved abduction and vows to unearth the truth. In the process, she finds that she and Vera may be linked in unexpected ways...
Synopsis
"Terrific … compelling … an intoxicating blend of mystery, history and romance, this book is hard to put down." --
Real Simple On the eve of the Second World War, the last surviving specimen of a camellia plant known as the Middlebury Pink lies secreted away on an English country estate. Flora, an amateur American botanist, is contracted by an international ring of flower thieves to infiltrate the household and acquire the coveted bloom. Her search is at once brightened by new love and threatened by her discovery of a series of ghastly crimes.
More than half a century later, garden designer Addison takes up residence at the manor, now owned by the family of her husband, Rex. The couple’s shared passion for mysteries is fueled by the enchanting camellia orchard and an old gardener’s notebook. Yet its pages hint at dark acts ingeniously concealed. If the danger that Flora once faced remains very much alive, will Addison share her fate?
Synopsis
For generations, the natives of Harrisport have watched wealthy summer families descend on their Cape Cod town, inhabiting the massive cottages along the towns best stretches of beachfront. But when rich Southerner Tucker Moss breaks the heart of local girl Edie Wright in the summer of 1966, an enduring war starts between the two families that lasts for generations....
Edies youngest child, Lexi, should know better than to fall in love with a Moss, but at eighteen, she falls hard for Tuckers son, Hudsononly to find herself jilted when Hudson breaks off their engagement.
Eleven years later, Lexi returns home after two years away studying architectural photography, just in time for yet another summer on the Cape. When Hudsons younger brother, Cooper, arrives unexpectedly to sell the seaside estate after the death of his father and hires Lexi to photograph it, an unlikely attraction forms, and Lexi finds herself torn once again between passion and family loyalty.
Then renovations at the Moss guest house reveal a forty-six-year-old declaration of love carved into a piece of framingand a startling truth that will force two women and the men who love them to confront the treacherous waters of their pasts.
Synopsis
New York Times bestselling author Sarah Jio imagines life on Boat Street, a floating community on Seattles Lake Unionhome to people of artistic spirit who for decades protect the dark secret of one startling night in 1959
Fleeing an East Coast life marred by tragedy, Ada Santorini takes up residence on houseboat number seven on Boat Street. She discovers a trunk left behind by Penny Wentworth, a young newlywed who lived on the boat half a century earlier. Ada longs to know her predecessors fate, but little suspects that Pennys mysterious past and her own clouded future are destined to converge.
About the Author
Sarah Jio is the author of The Bungalow and Blackberry Winter. She is the health and fitness blogger for Glamour.com, and her articles have appeared in O, The Oprah Magazine and Real Simple, among other publications. She lives in Seattle with her three young boys and golden retriever.