Heartwarming books with characters you'll love: Welcome to Pajaro Bay.Sheltered heiress Lori York runs away to the isolated island lighthouse at Pajaro Bay. But when a mysterious man washes ashore during a winter storm, she has to figure out just what he's hiding before they both end up as shark bait.Matt DiPietro is the hometown boy gone bad. He's brought shame to his family, and his childhood friends know he can't be trusted. Now he's returned to Pajaro Bay, and as always, disaster follows in his wake. But when the new girl in town finds out the truth about him, will she give up on him like everyone else, or can she possibly help him find his way back home at last?Get away to the little California beach town where the cottages are cute, the neighbors are nosy, and it's always possible to find your personal Happily Ever After.The Pajaro Bay novels can be read in any order. Collect them all:Little Fox CottageBoardwalk CottageHoneymoon CottageLighthouse CottageRum Cake CottageSongbird CottageSunshine CottageRiverstone CottageHarbor View Cottage

*** A 2023 NPR’s Books We Love ***Ariella Mason has the perfect life.Perfect job? Check.Perfect home? Check.Perfect fiancé? Check.None of this is by accident. Ariella is a card-carrying perfectionist.On the other side of the city lives Ariella’s polar opposite. Caleb Black is an unrepentant smart-ass, seat-of-his-pants, arrogant party-boy getting through life on charisma and raw sex appeal (his words).So why, one night, does Ariella turn up with her bags, asking to rent Caleb’s spare room?Ariella has done a complete 180 on her life. And nothing good could ever come of this… Could it?A hilarious, sexy and slow-burn romantic page-turner, perfect for fans of Emily Henry, Tia Williams and Lucy Score. Featuring:? Opposites attract ?? Forced proximity ?? Love triangle ?? He falls first ?Reviews for Roommates:‘Are you kidding me right now? Just yank the heart right out of my chest. You made me fall in love with this book, painfully rooting for these two… An absolute joy.’ Reader review, ?????‘LOVED… I was stressed as hell while reading it, but in a juicy kind of feels bad but feels reeaaalllyyy goooood kind of way, I want to call it a guilty pleasure, but I don’t even feel guilty about it.’ Reader review, ?????‘As soon as I finished this book, I needed moreeeee!….A+ with a love triangle that could easily rival Edward and Jacob or Conrad and Jeremiah.’ Reader review, ?????‘I was fully invested. I was just as surprised about Caleb capturing my heart as he was about Aari capturing his. But I loved him… This was seriously such a good story by Ola Tundun!… If you like slow-burns, forced proximity, and he falls first, but also, realistic, messy, and emotional, give this book a try!’ Reader review, ?????‘Absolutely fantastic plot! Could not put the book down once I began reading it… I will recommend it to everyone I know!’ Reader review, ?????‘Laughs and tears aplenty… People who I wished I could meet in real life. That doesn’t happen often, so is a real feat.’ Reader review, ?????

'Unputdownable - Swatman's story weaving is perfection. Loved every minute of this heartfelt read!' Rachel DoveLaura is watching the world go by without her.Unable to leave her house since suffering a trauma, Laura is stuck gazing out of her window at Willow Crescent, relying on husband Jim and best friend Debbie for help.Then one day, Jim doesn’t come home.A day becomes two, days become a week, and still no sign of Jim.  And with the police half-hearted in their efforts to look for him, Laura is forced into a decision.  She’s going to have to face the world outside and find her husband herself.But what Laura hasn’t realised is that Willow Crescent is a community, eager to help. From Arthur and Carol next door ready to rally the neighbours, to Marjorie and her daughter Faye at number nine looking for their own reasons to engage with the world. From Sonja at number seven who thinks she may have seen Jim in London, to widower Ben at number four who understands all about being lonely. Laura has a world ready to embrace her if she can just find the nerve.And when it slowly dawns on them all, that the Jim they thought they knew, may have been hiding some unfathomable secrets, Laura has a choice – retreat back behind her window, or start living the life that was waiting for her all along.This is Clare Swatman's tour de force. At the same time emotional, uplifting, page-turning and breath-taking, Laura is a character you will never forget.Praise for Clare Swatman:'A sensitive, touching story with emotional depth and page-turning quality' Helen Rolfe'I loved The Night We First Met  by Clare Swatman. Warm, romantic and wonderfully written, it's an emotional and thought-provoking read with such relatable characters.' Debbie Howells'The Night We First Met** is a beautiful love story that vividly evokes time and place, transporting the reader… and leaves you rooting for everyone who is brave enough to follow their heart and not their head.' Victoria Scott'Heart-breaking and life-affirming in equal measures, Before We Grow Old is the tender story of a chance meeting between former childhood sweethearts Fran and Will, and is packed with secrets and revelations. Through her beautiful writing, Clare Swatman delivers a powerful lesson in learning to love with your whole heart and accepting the same, no matter what life throws at you.' Sarah Bennett'Irresistible . . . A delightfully bittersweet story that will appeal to fans of One Day' - Sunday Mirror  'The Night We First Met is a breathless story of enduring love that will fill your heart and give you hope.' Laura Kemp'The Night We First Met is such a special book, filled with broken and relatable characters, who you can't help but love. Just Gorgeous!' Emma Cooper'The Night We First Met is a gorgeously romantic, sliding doors love story about how The One will find you in the end.' Katy Regan