The Stranger Next Door

You never know where you'll find love...

Anna Thompson, a 30-something widow and a mother of two, lives in the quiet village of Branton in Northumberland and leads a safe, simple life with her children.

She is relieved when Moorside, the empty house next door is finally bought and looks forward to meeting her new neighbours, but rumours soon spread about the mysterious and solitary new resident.

Anna receives her first dose of his strangeness when she hears him out in his garden with a chainsaw in the middle of the night.

Who is this man?

What is he doing in his garden?

And who is the mysterious woman that rolls up in her car and let’s herself into his house the very next day?

After a series of sleepless nights, thanks to her new neighbour’s midnight garden activities, Anna decides something must be done.

With a letter of complaint, Anna hopes all will go back to normal…

That is until she finds her new neighbour injured at the back of the garden, trapped under a massive branch.

The mysterious woman eventually approaches Anna and introduces herself as Elizabeth Ferguson, sister of her neighbour.

But is all as it seems?

Elizabeth discloses that Daniel is far from well. He is an ex-soldier, suffering from serious facial disfigurement and psychological injuries.

To top it off, he is also an insomniac and a recluse.

The more Anna gets to know Daniel, the more she realises that this man wants is a fresh start in life.

When a sudden fire erupts in Anna’s kitchen, Daniel rushes in and as he becomes the village hero, Anna and Daniel start to get closer.

Feelings start to develop…

But then another mysterious woman appears on Daniel’s doorstep! This time with a suitcase.

Who is she? And what does she mean for their blossoming relationship?

The Stranger Next Door is an endearing, heart-warming romance by Miranda Barnes.

Praise for Miranda Barnes

“A sparkling romance set in rural England” – Holly Kinsella, bestselling author of Uptown Girl

Miranda Barnes has lived in Northumberland nearly all her life, and most of her romantic fiction is set in the area she has come to love. Contemporary and authentic, her novels focus on the loves and lives of local people - shop assistants, craft workers, and farming and fishing folk.