A beach house they have adored since childhood comes up for sale, so longtime friends Callie Weaver and Olivia Dixon buy it, intending to turn it into one of the finest bed-and-breakfasts on North Carolina's Outer Banks. With all of her attention focused on the cottage, romance is not on Callie's mind and certainly not with a rich playboy. But when Luke Sullivan hustles her off the street and claims her as his lunch date in order to avoid a reporter, she learns he's not what he otherwise appeared to be. Yet the house holds many secrets, and an old journal and a lockbox found during the renovations expose mysteries that could shock the island and even tear Luke and Callie's budding connection apart—or they could possibly bring closure to old wounds. VERDICT Touching, fun-filled, and redolent with salt air and the fragrance of summer, this seaside tale is a perfect volume for most romance collections. Best-selling author Hale (It Started with Christmas) lives in Nashville; her Coming Home for Christmas was adapted for the Hallmark Channel.

Hale's rich and slow-building romance is enhanced by the allure of the North Carolina coast. Friends since childhood, Callie Weaver and Olivia Dixon pooled their money to buy a beachfront cottage in the small oceanfront village of Waves, N.C., and plan to renovate it into a bed and breakfast. Wounded by her father's abandonment of her family when she was a child, Callie is reluctant to let people get too close to her. A chance encounter with local playboy Luke Sullivan surprises Callie, as he seems much more genuine than he is portrayed by the media. As the physical and emotional attraction grows between Callie and Luke and they spend more time together, Callie realizes that Luke is unlike any man she has ever met. Their relationship is threatened when Callie reads an old diary she found during the renovation of the cottage and realizes it contains Luke's family's secrets. North Carolina's beautiful Outer Banks are the perfect setting for this sweet, poignant romance, and authentic characters and a riveting story make it a keeper worth savoring. Agent: Claire Bord, Bookouture. (May)