At a glance
These Empty Places
Christian Christmas historical romance novella
These Empty Places
Fourteen years after the dam at Lake Toxaway failed, widow Claire Roth still longs to see the North Carolina resort community restored. As the Great Depression begins, newly impoverished socialite Lena Hawkins arrives with her husband and accepts work helping Claire build a library meant to create jobs and opportunity. Their friendship grows while investors discuss rebuilding the lake and each woman faces a tempting chance to choose a different future. This Southern historical novel centers female friendship, books, economic upheaval, second-chance romance, and the question of what should be rebuilt after a cherished world disappears.
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Jump to the pours ↓Portuguese Rose Lemonade + Sloe Gin Fizz
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No surprises at chapter twelve
Content notes
Catastrophic dam failure/flood in backstory; widowhood and grief; Great Depression poverty/unemployment; family rejection and financial ruin after the stock-market crash; strained marriage; Christian faith and second-chance romance.
Alcohol-Free Pour
Portuguese Rose Lemonade
A bright, refreshing sip suits romantic anticipation and a little escapism.
What you'll need
- 1 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice ↗
- 1/2 oz rose syrup ↗
- 5 oz cold water
- 4 raspberries ↗
- Ice
How to mix it
- Muddle raspberries lightly with rose syrup. Add lemon juice, cold water, and ice; stir well.
- Garnish: Raspberries and lemon wheel.
- Glassware: Highball glass.
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Highball glass ↗Muddler ↗Cocktail Pour · 21+
Sloe Gin Fizz
For adults of legal drinking age. Please drink responsibly.
A crisp botanical pour suits romantic anticipation and a little escapism.
What you'll need
- 2 oz sloe gin
- 0.75 oz fresh lemon juice ↗
- 0.25 oz simple syrup, adjusted to taste ↗
- 2–3 oz club soda ↗
- Ice
Shop the spirits 21+Search Total Wine for Gin · 21+ ↗
How to mix it
- Shake sloe gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup with ice. Strain into a highball glass over fresh ice, top with club soda, and stir gently.
- Garnish: Lemon wheel.
- Glassware: Highball glass.
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Highball glass ↗Set up the bar cart
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