A Year at Appleyard Farm

Down a winding lane lined with honeysuckle and wild flowers, there’s a beautiful orchard beside the rushing River Wye. There, in a little farmhouse in the furthest corner, a young woman has a difficult and life-changing decision to make...

Life on Appleyard Farm is all Freya Sherbourne has ever known. Having spent her childhood playing between the blossom-heavy apple trees, Freya can’t imagine calling anywhere else home. But times have been hard since her father’s sudden death, and now that she’s being forced to put the farm up for sale, her world is about to come crashing down.

Holding back the tears, she starts packing boxes while waiting for a buyer. Now the river no longer sparkles and the apples taste a little less sweet. She hasn’t felt this lost since she ran from the altar fifteen years ago to escape a loveless marriage.

But when her childhood friend Sam re-appears in town, more handsome and attentive than she ever remembered, Freya’s eyes begin to twinkle once again. She loves the sound of his laugh and the way he makes her feel, but she is still hesitant. Can she trust Sam when he is so similar to the man she nearly married? How does she know she won’t make the same mistakes again?

Falling in love is scary, especially when you don’t know what the future holds. And when Freya discovers that Sam has been keeping a secret, one that threatens the future of farm and their rekindled relationship, she finds herself at an impossible crossroads.

Will Freya turn her back on love for the second time and choose to save the farm? Or will she be brave enough to finally follow her heart?

A gorgeous story about love, friendship and new beginnings. Fans of Jenny Colgan, Lucy Diamond and Debbie Johnson should grab a cup of hot chocolate, curl up on the sofa and prepare to be carried away!

A Year at Appleyard Farm was previously published separately as: Merry Mistletoe, Spring Fever, Gooseberry Fool, and Blackberry Way.

What readers are saying about A Year at Appleyard Farm:

‘It’s books like this one which makes me feel so honoured to have the gift of reading. It’s books like this which just highlights why Emma Davies is one of my all-time favourite authors... the perfect escapism. The ideal pick me up... beautifully written and an absolute joy to read – if you read just one book this year, please make it A Year at Appleyard Farm. You won’t regret it.’ The Writing Garnet

‘Touching... got just what I bargained for: an excellent read. One that was utterly compelling... made my heart sing... captivated my attention from beginning to end.’ Robin Loves Reading

‘The perfect book to read when you want to feel good and smile... uplifting, heart-warming and cosy... highly enjoyable and engrossing... I was hooked and read it in one sitting... I strongly recommend.’ Scrapping and Playing



For fans of Jenny Colgan, Lucy Diamond and Debbie Johnson

Emma once worked for a design studio where she was asked to provide a fun, humorous, and not necessarily true anecdote about herself for their website. She wrote the following: ‘I am a bestselling novelist currently masquerading as a thirty-something mother of three.’ Well the job didn’t work out but she’s now a forty-something mother of three and happy to report the rest of her dream came true. She now lives in rural Shropshire with her husband, three children, and two guinea pigs where she writes full time from a shed in the garden.