First published 2012
Olivia "Lovie" Rutledge spends her summers at Primrose Cottage on Isle of Palms, caring for loggerhead turtles that nest in the warm sand. The cottage offers her escape from Charleston society and her controlling husband Stratton, who manages her inherited fortune and carries on affairs. In the summer of 1974, marine biologist Russell Bennett arrives to study the loggerheads. Lovie and Russell bond over their shared passion for the ancient creatures, and their connection deepens into love. Lovie faces an impossible choice. Stratton's power extends throughout Charleston, and leaving him could cost her everything she holds dear, including custody of her children. She must decide whether to honor the duties that bind her or follow her heart toward an uncertain future. The story moves between that pivotal summer and an autumn years later, when Lovie reflects on the choices that shaped her life.
Genres: romance, historical-fiction, contemporary-romance, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, forbidden-love
Setting: Charleston, Isle of Palms, Primrose Cottage
Period: 1974, Autumn
385 pages · Hardcover · Gallery Books