Six for Sunday: Books Set Outside of the USA

Hey there! This week I’m participating in Six for Sunday, a meme hosted by Steph at A Little But a Lot. The prompt this week is:

Books Set Outside of the Country You Live

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, including Amazon, and I may earn a small commission, at no cost to you, if you purchase through my links.

For this post, I’m going to focus on contemporary romances and rom-coms that take place outside of the United States. These are all wonderful reads – charming and fun with dynamic characters and lovely romances! Let’s check them out!

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1. The Secrets of Meadow Farmhouse by Katie Ginger

Publication Date: March 17, 2021

Synopsis: Escape to the countryside with a heart-warming new novel from Katie Ginger, author of Snowflakes at Mistletoe Cottage.

Amelia loves her life in Paris. But with the surprise inheritance of her childhood home, Meadow Farmhouse, she has no choice but to return to the small village of Meadowbank to restore her great-aunt’s old farmhouse. However returning to Meadowbank means she has to confront her past, including old flame Adam.

When Amelia discovers a locket hidden in the farmhouse, containing the picture of a mysterious World War Two soldier, she starts to uncover the secrets of her great-aunt’s past and is drawn further into village life. Shocked by the warm welcome from the villagers and her own surprising feelings for first love Adam, Amelia is suddenly confused as to where she truly belongs.

Can Amelia finally confront her own past and find where her heart truly calls home?

LINKS:     Goodreads    |      Amazon    |     Book Depository

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2. The Dog Sitter by Zara Stoneley

One dog. Two strangers. An unfurgettable romance.

Wanted: someone nice, normal and trustworthy to housesit a beautiful cottage in the Lake District while the owner is away on a business trip. Must like dogs.

Wanting to escape from crap bosses and useless boyfriends, Becky jumps at the chance of being a dog sitter and the perfect escape – rest, relaxation and a very cute pooch called Bella.

But looking after Bella comes with a catch, namely gorgeous, brooding, Chris Hemsworth-worthy Ash James, who claims Bella is his dog and will stop at nothing to get her back!

Becky’s not about to hand over lovely Bella to any Tom, Dick or Ash.  She’s determined to watch every move Ash James makes…even if it gets her very hot under the collar.

LINKS:     Goodreads    |      Amazon    |     Book Depository

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3. High Heels in the Highlands by Liz Hurley

Page Length:

Publication Date: March 24, 2021

Publisher:

Synopsis: Clementine’s swapped a London flat for a Scottish castle – but will she get her fairytale ending?

After discovering they had inherited an enormous fortune, as well as the titles of ‘Lady’, the lives of the five Hiverton sisters have never been the same.

While oldest sister Ariana settles in Norfolk, fashion designer Clementine heads to the Scottish Highlands to investigate their newly inherited castle. Not bad for a girl brought up in poverty in a tiny house in East London…

However, Lady Clem quickly finds out that Ruacoddy Castle is falling to pieces, the neighbours – especially grumpy young farmer, Rory – are suspicious of her and the eccentric housekeeper, Ottoline, is still in residence.

But just as Clem starts to embrace her new life in the Highlands, growing closer to Rory and forming a friendship with Ottoline, she stumbles upon a secret in the attic that could destroy the Hiverton family. Can she save the castle as well as her family’s reputation?

And will she ever find a pair of high-heeled wellies…?

LINKS:     Goodreads    |      Amazon   

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4. Christmas Island by Natalie Normann

Publication Date: Nov. 30, 2020

Publisher: One More Chapter

Synopsis: Cosy up in front of a fire and discover Christmas the Norwegian way…full of romance, cosy traditions and hygge!

In the bleak midwinter…
A really frosty wind is making Holly’s life absolutely miserable

After all the years of hard work it took Londoner Holly Greene to become a doctor, now it could all be taken away and she only has herself to blame. She’s retreating to her brother’s rustic home on an island off the coast of Norway to lick her wounds. Only, it’s the middle of winter and icy slush plus endless darkness isn’t exactly the cheery, festive getaway she had imagined.

Nearly stumbling off the edge of a cliff in the dark, Holly is saved by Frøy, a yellow-eyed cat of fearsome but fluffy proportions, and his owner – grouchy, bearded recluse, Tor. Tor has his own problems to face but the inexplicable desire to leave a bag of freshly baked gingerbread men on Holly’s doorstep is seriously getting in the way of his hermit routine.

Call it kindness, call it Christmas, but Holly’s arrival means midwinter has never looked less bleak. 

LINKS:     Goodreads     |      Amazon     |     Book Depository

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5. Art & Soul by Claire Huston

Publication Date: April 23, 2020

Synopsis: A heart-warming, uplifting romance served with a generous slice of cake

There’s no problem Becky Watson can’t fix. Except her own love life…

Struggling single mother Becky Watson longs to revive her career as a life-fixer, working miracles to solve her clients’ problems, no matter how big or small. Since the birth of her two-year-old son she has been stuck preventing wedding fiascos for the richest and rudest residents of the Comptons, a charming, leafy area of southern England known for its artistic heritage.

So when semi-reclusive local artist Charlie Handren reluctantly hires Becky to fix his six-year creative slump, she’s delighted to set him up with a come-back exhibition and Rachel Stone, the woman of his dreams.

Though they get off to a rocky start, Becky and Charlie soon become close. But as the beautiful Rachel becomes Charlie’s muse, Becky is forced to wonder: will giving Charlie everything he wants mean giving up her own happily ever after?

LINKS:     Goodreads      |     Amazon    |      Book Depository

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6.This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens

Publication Date: Dec. 1, 2020

Publisher:  Putnam Books

Synopsis: In this warm-hearted love story for fans of One Day in December, a man and woman who were born at the same hospital on New Year’s Day meet on their thirtieth birthday and discover the many times their paths almost crossed before.

Down-to-earth baker Minnie Cooper knows two things with great certainty: that her New Year’s birthday has always been unlucky, and that it’s all because of Quinn Hamilton, a man she’s never met. Minnie and Quinn were born at the same hospital just after midnight on New Year’s Day thirty years before, and not only did he edge her out by mere minutes to win the cash prize for being the first baby born in London in 1990, but he stole the name she was meant to have, as well. With luck like that, it’s no wonder each of her birthdays has been more of a disaster than the one before.

When Minnie unexpectedly runs into Quinn at a New Year’s party on their mutual thirtieth birthday, she sees only more evidence that fortune has continued to favor him. The handsome, charming business owner truly seems to have it all–including the perfect girlfriend. But if Quinn and Minnie are from different worlds, why do they keep bumping into each other? And why is it that each frustrating interaction somehow seems to leave them both hoping for more?

LINKS:     Goodreads      |     Amazon      | Book Depository

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These are all such fantastic reads and romances!! Have you read any of them? Do you know any other contemporary romances or rom-coms that take place outside of the US? Comment below!!