One golden summer

Fortune returns to Barry's Bay (site of Every Summer After, 2022), and although some familiar faces appear (like Percy, Sam, and Charlie), the novel stands on its own with the story of photographer Alice. Alice takes on every assignment she can, hoping to fill up every second of her day in an attempt to forget that her long-term boyfriend has left and is now engaged to someone else. When her beloved grandmother, Nan, falls and needs someone to care for her, it forces Alice to take a break. She decides to take her Nan back to Barry's Bay for the summer. There, she hopes Nan will recuperate and that Alice herself will find her way back to why she loves photography. What Alice doesn't expect is to fall for Charlie Florek, a local man whom she photographed when they were both teenagers--a photo that changed her life forever. Readers will enjoy the steamy love story that develops but will also appreciate Alice's personal growth. Not only does she find love, she finds her purpose in her career. Fans of Annabel Monaghan will agree with Nan that "good things happen at the lake."

The beachy latest from bestseller Fortune (Meet Me at the Lake) follows Alice Everly, an overworked photographer who's lost her creative spark. When her grandmother, Nan, breaks her hip, Alice hopes to cheer her up by bringing her back to her lake cottage where Alice spent one wonderful summer when she was 17. She also hopes the trip will reignite her own artistic passion, as it's there that she received her first camera and took the photo that jump-started her career, a candid shot of three teens from the neighboring cottage. Now she reunites with one of those neighbors, the gorgeous and charming Charlie Florek, an outrageous flirt who agrees to help fix up Nan's cottage. Though Alice is initially distrustful of him, matchmaking Nan is delighted by his lighthearted aura and the three strike up a deep friendship. It's a sweet if somewhat slow-moving setup--but things pick up when Charlie offers to help Alice complete her summer bucket list, from cliff diving to making art, and their chemistry ignites. The pair agree to a friends with benefits arrangement, as neither believes they want or deserve a long-term relationship, but the lines begin to blur as summer comes to a close. The sparks between Alice and Charlie fly off the page and endearing Nan adds heart. This is a treat. (May)