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- Herausgeber: Velvet Ink Press
- Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
- Sprache: Englisch
Clara Morgan takes pride in order and clean lines. So when the meticulous graphic designer agrees to rebrand a struggling small-town bookshop, she expects a straightforward job refresh the logo, polish the shelves, move on. What she doesn’t expect is Eli Barnes, the shop’s quiet owner who’s inherited more debt than profit. He’s stubborn about protecting the place, and his devotion runs deeper than the faded covers and cracked spines.
Digging through the clutter, Clara stumbles across an old ledger filled with odd deposits from a faceless donor a benefactor who quietly kept the shop alive for years. The find pulls her and Eli into the town’s half-forgotten history, raising questions about loyalty, legacy, and what’s truly worth saving.
Late nights at the counter blur into whispered stories among the stacks. Clara can’t ignore how Eli’s steady resolve draws her in, even as the truth behind the ledger edges closer. To move forward, they’ll both have to risk more than they planned trusting someone else with their past, and maybe their future.
Can uncovering the mystery breathe life back into the bookshop, or will the weight of old secrets keep them apart?
***
As with all of Love Brewed Here, their love story shows that sometimes the smallest places hold the biggest magic.
In every small town, there’s a spot that feels alive the hum of conversation, the scent of fresh coffee, the quiet corners where stories wait to unfold. Love Brewed Here is a series of clean, contemporary rom-coms set in welcoming cafés, cozy bookshops, and lively community spaces where dreams take shape as carefully as a latte poured by hand.
Each book stands on its own, following everyday people bakers, book lovers, artists, dreamers as they stumble into love in unexpected ways. A playful rivalry between two café owners. A romance sparked during a town festival. Childhood friends reuniting among crowded bookshelves. Every story blends gentle humor with tender moments, capturing the kind of connection that feels steady and real.
For readers who want warmth, laughter, and a guaranteed happy ending, Love Brewed Here celebrates life’s small joys and the charm of unexpected romance. Will you find your favorite love story waiting here?
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Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025
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The Bookshop Between Us
A Designer, a Dusty Ledger, and a Love That Rewrites the Shelves
Love Brewed Here
Sophie Claire Whitmore
Copyright © 2025 by Sophie Claire Whitmore
All rights reserved. This book and all individual stories contained within are protected under international copyright law. No part of this collection may be copied, reproduced, distributed, or shared in any form without the express written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations used in critical articles or reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, settings, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or real events is entirely coincidental.
AI Tools Acknowledgement:
The cover image and/or design elements were created using generative AI technology under appropriate commercial-use licensing.
Thank you for reading this special collection. I hope you enjoy every story inside.
Table of Contents
The Bookshop Between Us
Description
Chapter 1: The Brief
Chapter 2: Stacks, Dust, and Boundaries
Chapter 3: The Ledger in the Back Room
Chapter 4: Footnotes from the Town
Chapter 5: Rewriting the Shelves
Chapter 6: A Soft Launch, A Softening Heart
Chapter 7: A Name in the Margins
Chapter 8: Silence Between Chapters
Chapter 9: The Letter of Intent
Chapter 10: The Community Co-Op Plan
Chapter 11: Grand Reopening, Quiet Confessions
Epilogue: One Year Later
The Bookshop Between Us
Description
When meticulous graphic designer Clara Morgan accepts a temporary job to rebrand a failing small-town bookshop, she expects an easy project—polish the store’s image, update a logo, and move on. Instead, she meets Eli Barnes, the guarded bookshop owner who has inherited more debt than dreams. His love for the place runs deeper than the faded shelves and weathered pages, and he’s determined not to let an outsider erase its soul.
But as Clara dives into the dusty corners of the shop, she uncovers an old ledger filled with mysterious deposits—a secret benefactor who quietly kept the store alive for years. The discovery binds Clara and Eli together in an unexpected search through the town’s history, stirring questions about loyalty, legacy, and love.
With every late-night brainstorming session and whispered story between the stacks, their connection deepens. Clara finds herself drawn not only to the charm of the shop but to Eli’s quiet strength and unwavering heart. Yet, as the truth about the ledger begins to surface, both must confront what they fear most: trusting someone with the past—and with their future.
Will the answers they uncover help them save the bookshop, or will the shadows of the past keep them from writing a love story of their own?
Chapter 1: The Brief
Clara
The first thing I notice is the smell—old paper and lemon cleaner, an odd mix that clings to the air like a memory. The Bookshop Between Us doesn’t look like the kind of place that’s ready to be reborn. It looks like it’s holding its breath, waiting for someone to decide if it’s worth saving.
I pause at the doorway with my laptop bag slung over one shoulder, my fingers tightening around the strap. My train arrived half an hour ago, and I walked here slowly, past the town square where a fountain trickled under the weight of early spring. It’s the kind of town where everyone seems to know everyone, and a stranger like me feels far too visible.
The wooden bell above the door squeaks when I push it open. Inside, light filters through lace curtains, turning the dust in the air into flecks of gold.
“Hello?”
My voice sounds too loud. I don’t belong here yet.
A man appears from behind a crooked shelf, holding a stack of books like they might collapse if he breathes wrong. He’s tall, dark hair falling over his forehead, and his eyes—guarded, shuttered like windows with drawn curtains—watch me carefully.
“You must be the designer,” he says, not quite smiling.
“That’s me. Clara.”
He sets the books on the counter and wipes his palms on his jeans. “Eli.”
Our handshake is quick and professional, but his hand is warm and calloused, like he’s built these shelves himself or carried the weight of this place alone for too long.
“I took the liberty of walking around the front,” I say, pulling out my tablet. “The window display is charming but a little… dated. I think we can give it a refresh without losing the warmth.”
His brow arches, tension radiating from him. “The display is fine. It’s been that way for years.”
There it is—the resistance I was warned about. My brief mentioned that the owner, Eli Barnes, is protective of the shop. Protective might have been an understatement.
“Fine isn’t enough anymore,” I say softly. “We’re here because you need people to fall in love with this place again—not just remember it.”
His gaze holds mine for a moment, and it’s like I can hear the unspoken words hovering between us. He looks away first, mutters something about coffee, and disappears into the back room.
I exhale. This is going to be harder than I thought.
Eli returns with two mugs, one chipped along the rim, and sets them on the counter without a word. I accept mine, wrapping my fingers around the heat, hoping it might thaw the quiet wall between us.
“So,” I start, “why the sudden rebrand? What made you decide now?”
His jaw tightens. “Decide isn’t the word. I didn’t want this. The bank did. Either I find a way to bring in more customers or…” His voice trails off, like he doesn’t want to give shape to the word closing.
I nod, letting the silence stretch. “It’s a beautiful shop. It just needs someone to tell its story again. That’s what I do. Design is about memory—about what people feel when they see your sign or step inside.”
Eli studies me, as if he’s trying to decide whether I care about books or just fonts and color palettes. I want to tell him I care. More than he might think.
“You’re not from here,” he says.
“No. I’m from the city. But my mom grew up in a town like this. She used to tell me about a little library where the librarian would slip handwritten notes inside the covers, like treasures waiting to be found. That’s why I love books. They’re… more than objects.”
Something shifts in his eyes—a flicker of understanding, maybe even recognition.
“Books saved me,” he says quietly. “When my dad died, I hid in them. When my mom’s grief drowned everything else, this shop became my refuge. Now it’s all I have left, and I’m not good at watching the things I love slip away.”
The confession is raw, and I’m not sure he meant to give it to me. I sip the coffee, letting the weight of his words settle.
“We’ll save it,” I whisper. “I promise.”
***
The rest of the morning is a careful dance. I take notes on the shop’s layout, the faded logo on the awning, the way the back corner sags under water stains. Eli hovers nearby, arms crossed, as if ready to step in if I touch anything sacred.
“You know, modern doesn’t have to mean cold,” I say, crouching to examine a stack of paperbacks. “We could introduce hand-painted signs. Keep it personal, but make it fresh.”
He tilts his head. “Personal, huh? You’re a designer. Isn’t everything about trends with you?”
“Not with me. I believe a good design tells the truth about a place. You can’t fake soul.”
His lips quirk, just barely. “We’ll see.”
***
By late afternoon, I’m sitting at one of the mismatched tables in the café nook, sketching ideas. Eli moves around the shop, reshelving books with deliberate care. He’s not loud, but the sound of him—shuffling pages, murmuring to himself—fills the quiet.
I find myself watching him more than I should. There’s a focus in the way he handles each book, like every one is alive. Maybe that’s what this place is missing in the eyes of strangers—his quiet devotion, the story behind these shelves.
