First published 2025
Devon Darcy commands attention at a New York gallery opening. The celebrated portrait artist has built her reputation on seeing into people's souls and translating that vision to canvas. But her public success masks private tragedy. She lost her parents as a child and her husband far too early. Across the crowded room, entrepreneur Charles Mackenzie Taylor watches her work. Charlie carries his own scars from losing his mother at thirteen and enduring his banker father's coldness. He has settled into a loveless marriage rather than risk real connection. When Charlie approaches Devon to commission his portrait, the attraction between them is immediate. Their professional relationship shifts during a summer encounter in the Hamptons, where years of suppressed feelings surface. Devon fears abandonment while Charlie struggles with intimacy. An accident threatens Devon's ability to paint, forcing both to confront whether their connection can overcome the protective walls they have constructed around their hearts.
Genres: romance, literary-fiction, contemporary-romance, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: second-chance-romance
Setting: New York, Hamptons
Period: contemporary
256 pages · Hardcover · Delacorte Press