The Fifth House

7 Day Book Series.
Today, it's me!
(And there's a giveaway.)

What does a house or a home mean to characters in a book?
Today, I’m celebrating release of The House at the End of the Street – my fifth contemporary romance in the Swallow's Fall series. 
 You know who I am or you can easily find out because this is my blog! So let's get to the book...

A House is a Home When... with Jennie Jones

The Book: The House at the End of the Street, book #5 in my small town rural romance Swallow’s Fall series. Releasing TODAY.

Character: Gemma Munroe, heroine.

Giveaway: I'm giving away a copy of The House at the End of the Street – eBook (int’l) and paperback (Australia). So 2 chances to win and open to all.

Who is Gemma and where does she live?

Character bio
Talented artist Gemma has appeared in all the Swallow’s Fall stories throughout her youth, except the last book The Turnaround Treasure Shop. She was off waitressing in the cafes of Paris and learning her art in that one. Three years ago she returned home to Swallow’s Fall wanting to plant her boots back on home turf. Gem is now a fully grown-up 27 year-old independent woman, still an artist, still playing hard, working hard and loving hard. And her hometown is the only place she wants to be.

The House
Gem lives in the flat above the toy shop she leased when she returned to town, and now runs. It’s a small two-roomed flat with an annoyingly narrow staircase down to the shop. But she doesn’t mind this because the shop is her home too. Her mother opened it when Gem was a toddler—she used to do her homework in the back room. She also experienced a kiss in that back room—one she can’t forget or get over. So the shop holds all her special memories. But the love of her life, with whom she shared that kiss is, on his way home after a 10 year absence, and he’s got the power to take the toy shop off her, so Gem’s got a few dilemmas. How can she keep the shop? And will she still be in love with him?

All five books in the Swallow's Fall series

What does a house or a home mean to Gemma?

Gem would probably live anywhere so long as it was in her hometown. She’s worked hard and saved almost enough to buy the toy shop so she’s used to scraping along without luxuries, and piling her mementos and memories into boxes in the toy shop flat. But suddenly, with the love of her life’s return, the old farmhouse at the end of Main Street is opened up again. Gem calls it “the lonely homestead” and she’s been going over every week or so since she returned to Swallow’s Fall to flick a duster and pull the weeds. It’s just out of town and is protected from street view by a long winding driveway, crab-apples and purple-pink wisteria climbing the hedgerows.

If she won the lottery, she’d buy the lonely homestead at the end of the street and live in it and love it forevermore. But she doubts she’ll ever get the chance.

An excerpt from The House at the End of the Street

‘What do you know about Grandy’s place?’ Josh asked.

Gem’s eyebrows shot up. ‘The lonely homestead?’

‘Why d’you call it that?’

She shrugged. ‘It’s been empty since he died. Most people just call it the house at the end of the street. What’s it to you anyway?’

‘This and that.’

Gem’s exasperation bubbled, overwhelming the original idea of coming out here to calmly persuade him to leave town. ‘This and that,’ she parroted. ‘Is that all you’ve got? Why don’t you want anyone to know what you’ve been doing?’

The way he bowed his head and studied the ground, his broad shoulders slumped in some kind of despair, caused Gem some remorse.

‘Are you in trouble, Josh?’ she asked in a whisper. Maybe that’s why he was so evasive. Maybe he’d made a big mistake. Maybe he’d been in prison. No, wait—he had a tan.

He smiled at her, the skin creasing around his eyes. A little more depth to the crinkles now, suggesting that he’d done a lot of smiling over the years. That he’d enjoyed himself.

‘No. I’m not in trouble.’ He seemed to come out of his reverie. He lifted a hand and swept it through her hair, brushing it back from her forehead. ‘Not the way you’re thinking.’

Gem stilled. The gesture was one she remembered from their best-friend days of long ago, but there had been nothing more than friendship in it then—this touch spoke of everything undealt with and unsaid between them since their moment this afternoon.

‘Would it be so bad, Gem? You and me. While I’m here.’

Her breath hitched. ‘Yes.’ It would kill her to have him then lose him. ‘You’re leaving at the end of next week.’ So she already had more days than she wanted before she could get over him.

He studied her for a moment then dropped his hand. ‘So I am.’

Back cover blurb for The House at the End of the Street

Bestselling Jennie Jones takes us back to Swallow’s Fall for one last story: Gemma has a burning need to stay and make a home. All Josh has ever wanted is to get out. Now he has the chance, and all he needs to do is tie up a few loose ends…

Gemma Munroe loves hard, laughs hard and plays hard. Or at least she did before today. Her dream is finally within her grasp – owning the toy shop in Swallow’s Fall and establishing herself permanently. Only one person has the power to get in her way: Josh Rutherford – the love of her life who kissed her and left her ten years ago is coming home.

Josh will be in town for five days. Only five days. He’ll finally sever the ties to a youth filled with poverty by selling the properties that are now his. He’s returning healthy, wealthy and emotionally stable, and then he’ll leave forever. It’s all in the plan. Everything…except for Gem. He never forgot her, but he definitely forgot the effect she has on him. Now she’s got problems, and he can’t seem to leave without trying to help her solve them.

The town itself also has its own plans: Gemma and Josh are thrown together in Speed-Date fiascos, kissing experiments, bar fights, and an issue with the North Star – Josh’s compass and the road to his next adventure. Seven weeks later Josh is still in town. Gem has to get through her best friends’ wedding and Josh has to get over Gem. Because he’s not staying. Is he?

Leave a comment to go into the draw to WIN a copy of The House at the End of the Street 
(Kindle eBook int’l and paperback Australia)
Good Luck.

And pop back tomorrow to meet the next of my special guest authors and discover what a house or a home means to a character who is settled and living the dream...then she falls in love for the first time ever. 

Jennie  

Leave a comment here, then visit previous days in this blog series:
Anna Campbell and maybe win a copy of Three Proposals and a Scandal.
Helene Young and maybe win a copy of Northern Heat.
Pamela Cook and maybe win a copy of Close to Home.

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