What would you do if your spirit, your ambition, and your heart broke all at once?

When it happens to Isabelle Connelley, she runs away from her troubles as fast as she can... right into the arms of her first love. Alex Hastings was cute and fun when they were kids, but as an adult, he is charming, impossibly handsome, and a little bit mysterious. Even though they broke up for the last and final time many years ago she never really got over him. When she decided to spend the summer in her hometown, she envisioned reconnecting with her mom and relaxing with her childhood best friends. Getting to see Alex all day every day was just pure luck.

So, when Isabelle's summer of fun ends she has an all-new set of troubles waiting for her back home. Will she be able to rebuild her life and repair her marriage? Or, will she take a chance and give an old love a new start?

Winner of 2023 Beach Book Festival Honorable Mention in the Romance Category

Fragile Hearts, New Starts

A "The-One-That-Got-Away" love story with a twist!

Picture a moment when everything you hold dear shatters into a million pieces-your spirit crushed, your ambitions shattered, and your heart left in ruins. Isabelle Connelley knows this pain all too well. Not content to sit still and wait for things to get better, she runs away from her troubles, sprinting towards a chance encounter that could change everything- straight into the arms of her first love.

Alex Hastings, Isabelle's "The One That Got Away," has transformed into a man with magnetic charm, drop-dead gorgeous looks, and an air of mystery that leaves Isabelle intrigued. Despite their painful breakup years ago, Isabelle wonders if she ever truly moved on from him. So, when fate aligns their paths once again during her hometown summer getaway, it's like striking gold.

Isabelle knows her newfound escape is only temporary, and when the sun sets on her whirlwind romance, a whole new set of challenges awaits her in the humdrum of reality. Will she summon the strength to rebuild her life and mend her fractured marriage? Or will she dare to take a leap into the unknown, igniting an old flame with a fierce new spark?