From Danielle Smyth, the best selling author of Ghost Writing (a Shelf Media 2025 Top Notable Indie Book and 2025 North American Book Award Gold Medalist) comes Beautiful Place by the Sea. It's a heartfelt coastal romance set in a small Maine vacation town—complete with a cozy bookshop, a spicy love story that starts off on entirely the wrong foot, and family secrets that refuse to stay buried. It’s about grief and healing, inherited stories, and the places that call us home even when we try to run from them.
At the center of it all is Ivy Parker, a disillusioned school librarian fresh off a devastating breakup. Seeking respite from her life outside Boston, she escapes to the seaside town that has always felt like home. Ivy takes a part-time job at the local bookshop and immediately butts heads with Oliver Clarke, the town’s guarded, infuriatingly attractive bookseller. Their early clashes give way to simmering tension—and before long, feelings neither of them expected.
When Ivy uncovers a decades-old family secret, it reveals unexpected lessons about true love and the choices people make for those they care about. These revelations force her to consider what she truly wants—and as she grows closer to Oliver, they must figure out how to make space for each other without losing themselves in the process.
Beautiful Place by the Sea is a slow-burn romance about second chances, seaside magic, and finding the kind of love that feels like coming home. https://astralumenpress.com/products/beautiful-place-by-the-sea
I was sucked into Beautiful Place by the Sea on the first page with just two simple words, Beach Haven. For Ivy, Beach Haven is the name of her family’s rental property in Maine where she and her family spent their summer vacations. For me Beach Haven is the shore town where I’ve been spending some of my summer since I was a baby. Like Ivy these annual trips and the locations are special and sacred, full of memories of our pasts, a sanctuary and a place to renew our hope and spirit. Like Ivy, I am a lifelong reader and while I didn’t become a librarian like she did, I did work at Waldenbooks/Borders for 10 years and it was one of the best jobs I’ve ever had. However just like Ivy loved going to Shoreline books every summer as a kid, I loved visiting the small used bookstore on the Island. It was chock full of Harlequin romances and Sweet Valley High books. They of course had a little of everything but those were my most frequent pickups. You could get 10 Harlequins for around $2.00?!!! Can you believe those 80s prices. Ahhhh but I digress, back to the subject at hand, Beautiful Place by the Sea was one of the sweetest romances I’ve read in a long time and not just the romance between Ivy and Oliver but the it was also a beautiful love story about family and how meaningful certain people and places can be in our lives. Smyth did a fantastic job with creating these engaging characters and crisp realistic dialogue. If you’re looking for the perfect romance just in time for Valentine’s Day look no further than Beautiful Place by the Sea.
I was honored to receive a digital copy of Beautiful Place by the Sea from the author, Danielle Smyth, as part of her “street team” in exchange for an honest review. Beautiful Place by the Sea officially releases 2/13/26 but you can pre-order you copy now by visiting the publisher’s website (linked above.) Also check out the author on Instagram for more information @danielle.smyth.books
