Showing results by author "Joanne DeMaio" in All Categories

It was going to be exquisite: a rambling, shingled New England cottage converted into a grand beach inn. Nestled among hydrangeas and swaying dune grasses, this seaside haven would welcome guests on the Connecticut shore. Except the little beach town of Stony Point is no longer feeling like a haven to its residents. Residents including a brooding Jason Barlow, the esteemed architect in charge of the inn's renovation--until a stubborn, grief-induced For Sale sign puts an end to that.

After a heartbreaking summer on the Connecticut shore, a group of beach friends is as adrift as an unmoored rowboat. When a dismayed Jason Barlow drives as far away from the sea as he can, leaving behind his wife, Maris, as well as their stately cottage on the bluff, that news hits like a sudden wave. Gathering over an intimate meal in a coastal diner, the friends make a solemn pact to lean on each other and not make any more rash decisions.

Dune grasses sway atop the Barlows' craggy bluff. Hidden past a narrow path, there is a rickety stairway going down, down, down to the sea. Even in its neglect, the stairway is beautiful, with its sweeping views of Long Island Sound. Depending on the tides, those stairs lead to a tiny secluded beach. But for years, the stairs have been nearly forgotten. Until now.

In a shocking twist, a day goes so wrong and alters the lives of several beach friends in its wake. All that's left is to pick up the pieces. And each individual does in ways unexpected. One sheds tears. Some offer a shoulder, an embrace. One tries to help, only to hit a brick wall. One finds difficult acceptance. Still one harbors deep, stinging regret. Where do they go from here?

How do you know when it's good-bye? When something's over. When it's the last perfect day of the summer. When it's the last time you'll see a face, hear a voice. The last time you'll close a shingled cottage's door. How do you know when you'll never be somewhere again, that you've had your last glimpse of a certain sea? For the tangled cast of beach friends in Stony Point, it's a question some of them face. Because as the golden late-summer sun shines, good-byes are due. But to whom?

In the New England beach town of Stony Point, everyone is waiting for something. Or someone. They're waiting for an answer. Waiting for something to believe in. Waiting for the right time. Waiting for a friend. Some are waiting to come home. Others are waiting to make a move. Then, there's that shabby coastal table at twilight, awaiting a secret dinner guest. And The Seaside Saga continues.

Salt air drifts in through the windows. Swaying marsh grasses whisper. Seagulls cry overhead. Off the docks, rowboats are anchored in a calm inlet. Beyond, shingled cottages look silver beneath rays of sunlight. Seafood shacks are strung with fishing net and lobster buoys. You're driving on Shore Road.

New England in December is a special world. Wreath-topped lampposts shine, balsam garland drapes across picket fences, and fresh snow dusts the land. Then there are the decorated houses: saltboxes, Victorians, farmhouses, Tudors. Tiny lights shimmer on front porches; candles glow in paned windows. But one imposing stone colonial towers dark in the night. Since moving to town, Millie Ives has heard hushed whisperings of that house - and of the mysterious man who lives and works there. A chance happening leads Millie to this Mr. Winter's spellbinding shop just past the bell tower.

Winding to the sea is a nearly hidden dirt road. Acres of wooded forest engulf it. Reaching skyward alongside that road are towering trees, their branches gloved in icy white. In the middle of winter, few turn onto this tucked-away Connecticut road. Truthfully, most wouldn't know it leads to a secluded beach community. Mack Martinelli sure does, though. He fell even more in love with his wife, Avery, there. As Mack steers his pickup down the frost-heaved road, night settles in. Salt air presses close. It's been a long time, but he's finally ready to come back to the beach cottage.

You know them on a first-name basis. Jason. Maris. Elsa. Shane. Celia. Kyle. Lauren and the rest of the Stony Point beach crew. So catch up on the enchanted evening sand and join your favorite friends on the Connecticut shore. In this deftly woven novel, love, secrets, and surprises are in store.

From New York Times best-selling author Joanne DeMaio comes a love story set at a tucked-away cottage by the sea. For Mack and Avery Martinelli, the summer is their oyster. They can spend all day on the beach, or not. Cruise the dusty beach roads, or never leave their deck overlooking Long Island Sound. Fill their itinerary with excursions on the Connecticut shore, or while away the hours in a shingled cottage. Every decision this week is theirs to make.

Jason and Maris, Shane and Celia, Elsa and the rest of the tangled cast of beach friends are back in their coastal New England town. A novel of summers sad and sweet, this episode further layers the ongoing storyline, as blue skies, lapping waves and swaying dune grasses belie all the drama to unfold.

Every summer has a story. That couldn't be more true for Jason and Maris Barlow, the Bradford brothers, soon-to-be innkeepers Elsa and Celia, and the rest of The Seaside Saga cast. But this particular summer is leaving its mark on the New England beach town of Stony Point. As lone lobsterman Shane settles in for another week at his rented bungalow by the sea, emotional tides turn. Relationships come unmoored. Secret love affairs surface. Family bonds are tested.

Harry Dane lives an ordinary life. From his days working alongside his father at a New England general store to Harry's endearing and heartbreaking relationships to sudden snowstorms to quirky fiascoes of found kittens and spilled jam jars, always...always, there is a curious constant. Through it all, each and every winter, a Christmas card arrives at Harry's Craftsman bungalow from a mysterious woman named Sadie Welles.

The cottage is nestled along winding Sea View Road, set back from the sandy street. Surrounded by swaying dune grass, it's a shabby little beach bungalow with an open back porch overlooking a sparkling Long Island Sound. A sign propped in the front window says: For Rent. Well, the cottage was for rent...until one particular lobster man booked a summer stay there.

Little Beach Bungalow follows Shane's simmering summer days back on the Connecticut shore, and much is in store.

Everything was in place for the perfect beachside gathering. Lace-wrapped jars hung from white chairs on the sand. Paper lanterns and tiki torches glimmered in the twilight evening. A rowboat draped with roses and vines waited in the wings. Love floated on the salt air. Until the arrival of a mysterious guest named Shane Bradford, a lobsterman with a tangled past in this little New England beach town. Like a sudden sea breeze, the special evening quickly turns. And the residents of Stony Point must tread the darker water Shane brings to their Night Beach.

Lindsey Haynes' father once gave her a snow globe with the note: "Unsure where to go? Give a little shake...and your heart will always know." On a whim, those words lead her to the quaint New England town of Addison. It's a place straight out of a storybook with its twinkling town green, decorated Main Street, and secluded lakeside cabin community. But an encounter with a dejected doctor named Greg Davis turns Lindsey's days upside down, much like a snow globe in motion. With a little nudge from endearing townsfolk, and a few chance meetings of their own, a magical flurry of emotions suddenly swirls around them.

Sara Beth and Rachel have been wishing on stars for as long as they've been friends. Sharing wishes and cups of coffee, they've stitched pieces of their lives together like a soft patchwork quilt of friendship they thought they'd hold close forever. But while celebrating their birthdays one weekend in Manhattan, Sara Beth makes a life-altering decision. Excusing herself to use the ladies' room during lunch, she disappears, slipping the waiter a note to pass along, asking Rachel to cover for her.

An old farmhouse, winding country lanes, red barns and wishing fountains...all are the backdrop to Amy Trewist's simple days in Addison, Connecticut. Until she's in the wrong place at the wrong time. Just like George Carbone. When he crosses paths with Amy that fateful morning, their two summers blend. As George and Amy come to lean on each other, their broken hearts begin to heal. But an unexpected twist in this secret-filled small town could change everything.

Every cottage tells a story. It's a saying Jason Barlow returns to as an architect designing New England beach homes. The latest cottage story he hopes to tell rises from the Stony Point sand: the last cottage standing on the beach. It's the sole survivor - something Jason can relate to - as surrounding cottages washed out to sea in long-ago hurricanes. The owners aren't budging, though, keeping Jason's proposed renovation at bay. The cottage holds secrets darker than its gray, seaworn shingles. And secrets don't stay buried in this little Connecticut beach town.