First published 2014
Isabel Johansen returns to Archangel, a quiet Sonoma town, with plans to convert her family's property into a culinary academy. Bella Vista spans acres of apple trees, vegetable plots, and active beehives around a sprawling hacienda. Isabel wants to teach aspiring cooks while leaving her complicated past behind. Her structured vision faces disruption when Cormac O'Neill shows up. The battle-scarred reporter specializes in uncovering other people's stories while hiding his own wounds. He arrives to investigate buried family history that Isabel prefers to keep secret. Small-town rhythms and Isabel's kitchen slowly draw out Cormac's guarded emotions. Summer brings a major family wedding and the annual Beekeeper's Ball. These celebrations force long-hidden truths into the open. Isabel and Cormac must confront how their histories shape their present choices and future possibilities together.
Genres: fiction, romance, contemporary-romance, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Archangel, Sonoma, Sonoma Town
Period: Summer
368 pages · Hardcover · MIRA