"Mark Firth is a home builder in Howland, Massachusetts in the early 2000s who, after being swindled by a financial advisor, feels opportunity passing him by. In the paranoid days after 9/11, a New York money manager, Philip Hadi, moves his family to Howland and hires Mark to turn his house into a "secure location." When Howland's first selectman passes away suddenly, Hadi runs for office, and begins subtly transforming the town in his image. The...

"Contractor Shannon Hammer hopes for a peaceful Christmas with her fiancé, Mac, until murder throws a wrench in her holiday plans in a brand-new installment of the USA Today bestselling Fixer-Upper Mystery Series. Christmas has come to Lighthouse Cove, but business hasn't slowed down for Shannon Hammer. She's been contracted to renovate a local hotel owned by the Garrisons, a family that's so devoted to the holidays they serve a seven-course dinner...

To Janie Margolis, "assistant contractor" sounds like the ideal job for a mom whose role raising kids has become routine--but her perfect plan starts to unravel when she and her husband, Wim, find themselves arguing about everything from money to masonry to man caves. Then the economy collapses, and it's hard to surmount the reality ahead: they are about to sink their entire savings into rebuilding a new house they can't afford while trying unsuccessfully...

There are no good men left in New York City. At least that's Claire Hayes's conviction after finding out her late husband was not the man she thought he was. Determined to rid her home of anything that reminds her of her cheating husband, Claire sets out to redesign her boring, beige Upper East Side brownstone and make it something all her own. But what starts out as a simple renovation becomes a lot more complicated when she meets her bad-tempered...

In the small resort town of Lighthouse Cove, everyone knows that the best man for the job is a woman. And that woman is Shannon Hughes, owner of a construction company and an expert in Victorian home restoration and renovation. Through her renovations she will find clues to uncover the house's secret past and in turn become an unlikely sleuth to help crack these unsolved mysteries.

Many professionals work together to create a house, long before it becomes a home. Explore the careers of an architect, general contractor and interior designer and other related professionals. Learn how their combined knowledge turns the idea of a house into a reality. See what each job entails-from planning to meeting with clients, to solving problems and completing a project. Discover the role business skills play and the type of education required....

"Shannon Hammer can't wait to start on her next renovation project in Lighthouse Cove: a quaint Victorian church that has seen better days. But on the first day of demolition, work comes to a screeching halt when she stumbles on the body of a beautiful young woman in one of the chapels. Suspects crawl out of the woodwork as fast as Shannon can restore it. The church is hiding a century of secrets from the days that smugglers wreaked havoc on the California...

Fate ended their romance the first time around. Has the time come to make amends? Tragedy--and an abusive, manipulative mother--destroyed Alice Whitlock's high school romance with Finn Huxley. Reuniting with the handsome contractor years later to restore and sell her late mother's home resurrects their strong bond. But when Finn discovers he has a young daughter from a previous marriage who is now orphaned without him, Alice is forced to relive...

"Shannon Hammer is about to embark on one of the biggest projects of her career. Her best friend Jane Hennessey has purchased one wing of the Gables, formerly the old state insane asylum, located on a bucolic hillside two miles northeast of Lighthouse Cove. Jane plans to turn her section into a small luxury hotel complete with twenty ocean-view rooms, a spa, and a restaurant. Shannon is raring to get started on the enormous project and is shocked...

"Shannon could not be happier that her hunky thriller-writing boyfriend, Mac, has moved in, and it is a good thing they are living together because they are both busier than ever. Mac is hosting writing retreats at his now vacant lighthouse mansion, while Shannon and her crew build Homefront, a quaint Victorian village of tiny homes for veterans in need. Mac's latest guests are proving to be a handful though, and Shannon has heard some grumbling from...