Publication Date: August 19, 2025
A charming literary-themed novel about a young woman determined to save her great-aunt’s beloved bookshop from extinction by the shiny new competition—which also happens to be run by the handsome son of her family’s rivals.
The cute, seaside town of Portneath has been the home of Capelthorne’s Books for nearly a hundred years…
The shop, in the heart of a high street that stretches crookedly down the hill from the castle to the sea, may be a tad run-down these days, but to Jules Capelthorne, the wonky, dusty world of literary treasures is full of precious childhood memories. When her great-aunt Florence gets too frail to run it alone, Jules ditches her junior publishing job in London and comes home to make the bookshop’s hundredth birthday a celebration to remember.
Jules quickly discovers things are worse than she ever imagined: The bookshop is close to bankruptcy, unlikely to make it to its own centenary celebration, and the lease on the building is up for renewal. With a six-figure sum needed, the future looks bleak.
To make matters worse, the owner of the property is the insufferable Roman Montbeau, from the posh, local family who owns half of Portneath. The Montbeaus and Capelthornes have feuded for years, and Roman has clearly not improved since he tormented Jules as a child. Fresh from a high-flying career in New York, he is on a mission to shake things up, and—unforgivably—proves his point about Capelthorne’s being a relic of the past by opening a new bookshop directly opposite—a shiny, plate-glass-windowed emporium of books.
Jules may not be able to splash the cash on promotions and marketing like the Montbeaus, but she’s got some ideas of her own, plus she has a tenacity that may just win the hardest of hearts and the most hopeless of conflicts.
Let the battle of the bookshops commence…
There’s nothing like a family feud between the Capelthornes and Montbeaus to keep things lively in the village of Portneath.
Author Poppy Alexander delivers a nod to The Bard as Jules Capelthorne and Roman Montbeau go head to head in The Battle of the Bookshops.
The two characters have an undeniable attraction, but Jules is focused on helping Great Aunt Flo after a bad fall. That means making sure that their small family bookstore stays open to celebrate its 100th birthday.
Meanwhile, Roman’s opening a large bookstore down the street just might interfere with those plans. As the battle lines are drawn, the two can’t help but feel a pull of attraction.
To add depth to the storyline, an old book is found and traced to a Capelthorne ancestor. That, coupled with the 100-year lease, boosts the dramatic element. The historical aspect meshes well with solid character development.
The Battle of the Bookshops could be the latest in the Capelthorne-Montbeau feud, or it could be an incentive for a fresh start.
Poppy Alexander is the author of The Littlest Library, Storybook Ending, and 25 Days ’Til Christmas. She wrote her first book when she was five. There was a long gap in her writing career while she was at school, and after studying classical music at university, she decided the world of music was better off without her and took up public relations, campaigning, political lobbying, and a bit of journalism instead. She takes an anthropological interest in family, friends, and life in her West Sussex village (think The Archers crossed with Twin Peaks), where she lives with her husband, children, and various other pets.
