Summer at the Shore

Sykes (a pseudonym for spouses Vanessa Kelly and Randall Sykes) follows Meet Me at the Beach with this well-wrought smalltown romance. Ryan Butler has decided to come back to Seashell Bay, Maine, after taking a break from working for a private military contracting company. While looking for a house to rent, he trades handyman work for room and board in order to stay at the Golden Sunset, a bed-and-breakfast owned by Morgan Merrifield. Ryan and Morgan can’t deny the sexual attraction between them, but she knows he’ll leave at the end of the summer, and she doesn’t plan on getting involved with a man only to have her heart broken. The friendship and tight-knit bonds among the islanders provide a sense of community as they band together to help Morgan save the Golden Sunset from financial ruin—and to bring Ryan and Morgan together for good. Well-developed characters and a realistic plot give depth to this sweet contemporary. Agent: Evan Marshall, Evan Marshall Agency. (July)