by Julie Olivia
First published 2025
After her divorce, she takes over her mother's bed and breakfast in Copper Run, Vermont. She plans to heal for three months, then hand the inn to her sister and return to Seattle for a promotion. Her neighbor Cliff runs the town bakery with easy charm and perfect pastries. He's a single father who seems to know exactly what everyone needs. She burns scones and fumbles small talk. Cliff points this out with brutal honesty. His flannel shirts and baker's forearms don't help her concentration. Neither do his two daughters, who make avoiding friendship impossible. Three months should be simple. Fix up the inn, stay focused, leave for Seattle. But Cliff keeps showing up with advice, baked goods, and that smile. The autumn leaves fall around their small Vermont town. She finds herself wanting to kiss her infuriating neighbor. The Seattle promotion waits. Her carefully planned exit strategy crumbles like her terrible scones.
Genres: fiction, romance, contemporary, adult, adult-fiction, contemporary-romance
Vibes: cozy, heartfelt, introspective, romantic, warm
Tropes: forced-proximity, found-family, friends-to-lovers, slow-burn
Setting: Copper Run, Vermont, Seattle
Period: autumn
500 pages · Paperback · Berkley