The Bakery at Clamshell Bay: A Clamshell Bay Novel
Where the sea laps the coast at Clamshell Bay in the Pacific Northwest, four women become fast friends as they face love, loss and life’s challenges.
When they first meet in a baking class, the four are as different as salt, flour, yeast and water and yet when they combine the results are as strong and unbreakable as the best friendships. Cleo Duvall is a middle-aged baker who runs the Clamshell Bay Bakery and Café in the pretty tourist town where her cinnamon buns are Instagram famous. The coffee shop is the heart of the village on the Washington State coast where neighbors gossip over coffee and pastries. She also teaches as a way to share her love for the art and craft of baking. Cleo survived her no-good husband running out on her five years ago with a pretty young neighbor. She lived down the humiliation and is satisfied with a life so predictable she knows exactly how many loaves of French bread to bake on Thursdays. Then a man who looks familiar strolls into her café one day and upsets the balance of her carefully-ordered world.
Brooke Mattson’s modeling days are behind her, and now all she wants is to settle down and become a Mom, something that’s turning out more difficult than walking the Milan runways in stilettos and a corset. From the outside, she and her super-successful husband have everything. But looks can be deceiving. Libby Brown has the life she always dreamed of. A happy home, two adorable kids and a husband who was happy for her to give up her nursing career to stay home. Maybe it’s old-fashioned but she loves being a homemaker. However, there are faint rumblings that everything’s not quite as perfect as it seems.
Megan is the youngest. Aggressively single, she knows exactly what she wants and goes for it. So long as it’s temporary. Whether that’s a contract as a decorator and home renovator, or as a lover. She’ll put her all into the project, but when it’s over, she moves on. Is she a free spirit as she claims, or is there a reason she runs far and fast from commitment?
As four women bond over bread dough, their will change forever. On the surface, life in Clamshell Bay is as calm as a sunny day in August, but anyone who’s lived by the ocean knows that one good storm can change everything. There are buried secrets in Clamshell Bay and they are about to be dug up. Enjoy this heart-warming beach read about female friendship, divorce, second chance romance and new beginnings.
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See what Readers are saying:
Fantastic Women’s Fiction
The Bakery at Clamshell Bay is the first in a brand new women’s fiction series by Sara Jane Bailey. The book is set in the gorgeous Pacific Northwest in the wonderful town of Clamshell Bay. The story is about four women who meet in a baking class and while they are quite different, they form an unbreakable bond. The characters of Cleo, Brook , Libby and Megan are complex, complicated and well fleshed out. The characters are so relatable, and I do love the second chance romance trope. Cleo Duvall runs the Clamshell Bay Bakery and she is as they say instafamous for her yummy cinnamon buns. The bakery and café is where the town gossip runs deep. It is also where Cleo holds baking classes and meets Brook, Libby and Megan. The story is heartwarming and the development of the friendship between these women is written so well. There are definitely secrets hiding in Clamshell bay and the author has a talent for revealing them in a perfectly paced time frame. I am a huge fan of women’s fiction and this debut novel is already a favorite. I cannot wait to read more about Clamshell Bay.
Great summer read
Perfect summer read…as you could find yourself there experiencing all the events as unfold with the ladies. Can’t wait to see whose story will surface in the next book in the series.
There’s so much to love about this book!
I loved this new group of friends, how they bonded over a weekend baking class. It’s that perfect mesh of women you rarely find, and I loved watching their friendship grow. It’s makes me want to take a baking class! I loved the small town atmosphere, how everyone’s in someone else’s business, yet it’s the kind of town I’d want to live in. And Cleo’s hero is as yummy as her amazing cinnamon buns. I love later in life stories where people get a second chance, and this book fits everything I’m looking for. It’s romance, it’s women’s fiction, it’s wonderful characters, and a charming town. I can’t wait for the next story, who will it be about, Brooke, Libby, or Megan? All are delightful women I’m dying to read more about.
New author to enjoy!
Where has Sarah Jane been?! What a delightful new series. The. Characters are carefully drawn, and so real. I can hardly wait to read more about Cleo and her friends. They each have a story to tell, and to find their second chance. I like the author’s voice and the heart warming storytelling.
