At forty-four, Charlie Taylor returns to her hometown of Lainey Springs in upstate New York looking for a reset, not a romance. Fresh off a divorce and determined to rebuild her interior design career on her own terms, she plans a quiet summer. That plan unravels the moment she quite literally collides with Jameson Clover.

Once the frontman of a chart-topping country band, Jameson has spent years choosing responsibility over reinvention. Now he runs his family’s bar, protecting what’s left of his legacy and keeping his unfinished dreams locked away.

When Charlie agrees to stage Jameson’s mother’s house for sale, sharp banter gives way to undeniable chemistry. But as their connection deepens, so do the risks. Charlie is offered a career-defining opportunity that would pull her away from Lainey Springs, while Jameson is forced to confront the guilt and fear that have kept him rooted in place.

With time running out and the past pressing in, they must decide whether this summer is a detour — or the beginning of something neither of them planned for.

The Summer Place to Be is a dual-POV, emotionally grounded romance about second chances, fractured families, and the courage it takes to choose what you truly want. Perfect for readers of Abby Jimenez and Carley Fortune, it blends small-town nostalgia, sharp humor, and mature, open-door romance.