Summer at the Country Practice

The Bramblewick series follows the lives and loves of the residents of a small village on the North York Moors. These contemporary romances are guaranteed to warm your heart.

The sun is shining on Bramblewick, the little village on the North York Moors. At Bramblewick Primary School the teachers are preparing for their much-needed break, and Izzy and Ash are busy making wedding plans. But for their friend and colleague, Jackson Wade, the long summer holiday isn't so welcome. He's dreading being alone and is already wondering what he's going to do with himself until school starts again.

For Dr Abbie Sawdon, the end of term brings a different problem. She's a single mum with a busy job and three young children to care for. Not only that but she's just moved into The Gables, a large, rather neglected house on the edge of the village. Her teenage daughter hates it, Abbie's got no time to work on it, and she's beginning to wonder if moving to Bramblewick was such a good idea after all.

After mutual friends set Abbie and Jackson up on a blind date, both are adamant that the experience will never be repeated. It's painfully obvious that they have nothing in common, and Abbie is insulted by Jackson's less-than-tactful comments regarding her children and home. But Jackson might just be the answer to Abbie's problems, and when things reach crisis point at The Gables, she has no choice but to accept his offer of help.

A long and difficult summer lies ahead of them as they negotiate house renovations, boisterous children, lively dogs and a moody teenager. But it's not all bad, as a christening, an engagement party and a trip to the seaside bring some welcome relief from work. And as the weeks go by, Jackson and Abbie begin to realise it's not just the house that's in need of tender loving care.

But do some wounds cut too deep to ever heal?