Beautiful Place by the Sea by Danielle Smyth

From the bestselling author of Ghost Writing—winner of the 2025 North American Book Awards Gold Medal in Romance and a 2025 Shelf Media Top Notable Indie Book—comes a coastal love story that feels like slipping in from the salty wind and finding a warm room waiting for you.

Picture a small Maine vacation town. A cozy bookshop. A love story that begins on entirely the wrong foot. And family secrets that simply refuse to stay buried.

At the heart of it all is Ivy Parker, a disillusioned school librarian nursing a devastating breakup. She leaves her life outside Boston behind and escapes to the seaside town that has always felt like home. When Ivy takes a part-time job at the local bookshop, she immediately butts heads with Oliver Clarke—the town’s guarded, infuriatingly attractive bookseller.

Their early clashes give way to simmering tension. And then, to feelings neither of them saw coming.

But when Ivy uncovers a decades-old family secret, it reveals unexpected truths about love and the choices we make for the people who matter most. As she grows closer to Oliver, both must learn how to make room for each other—without losing themselves along the way.

This is a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance about grief and healing, second chances, and the places that call us home even when we try to run. It’s about seaside magic and inherited stories. About finding the kind of love that feels like coming home.

Perfect for a rainy afternoon by the cove, a beach chair, or a quiet evening with a cup of tea. Come linger a while.

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