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Barista Bren Ryan is having a bummer of a thirtieth birthday. First, her rental house in Hope Harbor catches fire. Then, after she finds refuge in the guest house of a customer, Fred, she pepper-sprays an intruder. The intruder turns out to be Fred’s son, Noah, in town to check in on his father, who he worries is lonely since the death of Noah’s mother. The two couldn’t be more different. Noah is a workaholic CPA, Bren works part-time at a coffee shop. Noah wears creased slacks, Bren has purple hair. And yet, they can’t deny their attraction. But Noah is planning to go back to his job in St. Louis, while Bren can’t imagine leaving Hope Harbor. They are refreshingly adult about the situation, talking honestly about their feelings while being realistic about the obstacles. There’s also a subplot featuring 18-year-old Emma, who arrives in town looking for a fresh start. Hannon’s latest in the Hope Harbor series (after Sandcastle Inn, 2024) is a gentle romance about churchgoing folks finding home, an appealingly sweet story.

Publishers Weekly
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Hannon returns to small-town coastal Oregon with this sweet entry in her Hope Harbor series (after Sandcastle Inn). After a fire damages her house and leaves her temporarily homeless, barista Bren Ryan moves into neighbor Fred Ward’s cottage while she gets back on her feet. She isn’t expecting Fred’s straitlaced accountant son, Noah, to drop by unannounced—which is why she pepper sprays him, getting their relationship off to a rough start. As Bren tries to pick up the pieces of her life, leaning on her church community for support, ambitious Noah tries to convince his aging father to move in with him in St. Louis. After Fred breaks his arm and the town bands together to help him recover, Noah begins to appreciate the value of community, making his lonely city condo and high-pressure job less and less appealing—especially as sparks begin to fly with Bren. The tender romance between the small-town girl and big-city boy charms as the pair discover they’re more alike than they realize. Readers will be delighted. (Apr.)