Set on breathtaking Coates Island, off the coast of North Carolina, bestselling author Rochelle Alers’ new series debut brings together three book-loving women whose summer will offer a chance to rewrite their own stories . . . For three decades, the Seaside Café has served delicious meals to locals and island tourists alike. Kayana Johnson has moved home to help her brother run the café—and to nurse her wounds following a deep betrayal. Between cooking favorite recipes—creole chicken with buttermilk waffles, her grandmother’s famous mac and cheese—and spending time reading, Kayana is trying to embrace a life free of entanglements, while staying open to new connections . . . After striking up conversation with two customers, Kayana suggests a summer book club. Each week, they’ll meet on the patio to talk about their favorite novels. But there are plot twists awaiting them in real life too. For schoolteacher Leah, this two-month sojourn is the first taste of freedom she’s had in her unhappy marriage. Cherie, filled with regret about her long-term affair with a married politician, discovers a powerful new passion. And Kayana finds a kindred spirit in a reclusive visitor who’s ready to make his true identity known, and fill this summer with new possibilities . . . "Stunning coastal settings, heartfelt moments...this novel whisks readers away to the beaches of North Carolina...a tale of love, friendship, and new starts." - Woman's World on The Seaside Cafe

The beloved author of The Bookshop on the Corner returns with a sparkling, sunny, soulful new novel perfect for fans of Elin Hilderbrand. Years ago, Flora fled the quiet Scottish island where she grew up -- and she hasn't looked back. What would she have done on Mure? It's a place where everyone has known her all her life, where no one will let her forget the past. In bright, bustling London, she can be anonymous, ambitious... and hopelessly in love with her boss. But when fate brings Flora back to the island, she's suddenly swept once more into life with her brothers -- all strapping, loud, and seemingly incapable of basic housework -- and her father. Yet even amid the chaos of their reunion, Flora discovers a passion for cooking -- and find herself restoring dusty little pink-fronted shop on the harbour: a café by the sea. But with the seasons changing, Flora must come to terms with past mistakes -- and work out exactly where her future lies... Funny and heartfelt, The Café by the Sea is a delightful summertime novel that puts a modern twist on the classic Seven Brides for Seven Brothers story.

In the seventh and final book of Bree Baker's critically acclaimed Seaside Café Mystery series, Pleading the Fish, Everly Swan's wedding plans are upended by a dead body. She'll have to run her teashop, find a dress, and catch a murderer all before she can walk down the aisle! Hitting all the sweet-tea spots, this series is: A delightful Tea Shop and Café Culinary Mystery The ideal cozy beach read Perfect for fans of Laura Childs and Kate Carlisle Café owner and amateur sleuth Everly Swan, like every Swan woman before her, is cursed in love. The only problem? Her fiancé Detective Grady Hayes has something to say about it—he doesn't believe in magic and is determined to prove the curse wrong so they can spend their lives together. Everly wishes it could be so simple! It feels like a sign when a historian looking into Swan history is found dead in an antique wishing well, and Everly fears the curse is spreading. Grady takes the case, looking to find justice and prove the curse wrong, while Everly does a bit of investigating on her own. Big change is coming for Everly and her friends, but with mysterious strangers lurking about and someone leaving increasingly threatening messages for the happy couple, Everly's not sure she'll get her happily-ever-after! "A smart and likable protagonist, a vividly rendered setting, a suitably twisty plot, and some colorful supporting characters are the ingredients for a concoction as appealing as any of Everly Swan's specialty sweet teas."—Livia J. Washburn, national bestselling author, for Live and Let Chai INCLUDES DELICIOUS FOOD AND DRINK RECIPES

In the fifth book of the popular Seaside Café Mysteries, Closely Harbored Secrets, Everly Swan just wants to make Halloween-themed treats and specialty teas for her customers. But when it seems that she's being haunted by the phantom of a sailor straight out of a ghost story, her plans are capsized. Could this be the bitter end for Everly? Hitting all the sweet-tea spots, this series is: A delightful Tea Shop and Café Culinary Mystery The ideal cozy beach read Perfect for fans of Laura Childs and Kate Carlisle It's almost Halloween, and the small island of Charm, North Carolina is decked out for the festivities. When Everly Swan agrees to close her iced tea shop early to help her aunts host their annual haunted historic walking tour, she expects some good-natured spooks. But the night turns grave when one of the ghostly actors is found dead. To complicate matters, the victim scratched Everly's name into the ground before she died, making her a key suspect. The murder mystery heats up when Everly's potential boo, Detective Grady, takes the case—and he definitely doesn't want her getting involved. Will their seaside romance be threatened by all the ghostly drama? But when a phantom sailor straight out of local legend starts leaving Everly threatening messages, she has to get involved... With a local election under way, ghosts on the loose, and a search for long-lost buried treasure, Everly can't help but stir the pot! The fifth tea cozy in Bree Baker's acclaimed Seaside Café Mystery series, Closely Harbored Secrets is culinary fiction with a frighteningly fun twist! INCLUDES DELICIOUS FOOD AND DRINK RECIPES

FIRST BOOK IN A NEW BEACHSIDE COZY MYSTERY SERIES! When a body turns up on the boardwalk outside Everly Swan's iced tea shop and café, she becomes the number one suspect in a murder case. Can she bag the culprit, prove her innocence, and dish up the real killer before it's too late? Hitting All the sweet-tea spots, this series is: A delightful Tea Shop and Café Culinary Mystery The ideal cozy beach read Perfect for fans of Laura Childs and Kate Carlisle Life hasn't been so sweet for Everly Swan over the past couple of years, but now she's back in her seaside hometown of Charm, North Carolina. The proud new owner of Sun, Sand, and Tea—a café right on the beach—Everly thinks that things are finally starting to look up. Until a grouchy customer turns up dead on the boardwalk with a jar of one of her specialty teas lying right next to him! When an autopsy reports poison in his system, things don't look good for Everly or her tea shop. As the townspeople of Charm, formerly so welcoming and homey, turn their back on Everly, she fights to dig up clues about who could have had it in for the former town councilman. With the maddeningly handsome Detective Grady Hays discouraging her from uncovering leads and a series of anonymous attacks on Everly and her tea shop, it will take everything she's got to keep this murder mystery from boiling over. INCLUDES DELICIOUS FOOD AND DRINK RECIPES

In Rochelle Alers’ thoughtful, heartwarming series set on a picturesque North Carolina island, one woman’s seemingly perfect life unravels—and a new chapter begins . . . It’s been almost a year since Leah Berkley Kent left her lavish Richmond home to spend two months on Coates Island, North Carolina. There she found friendship with two extraordinary women, Kayana and Cherie. Together they formed a summer book club, meeting weekly at the Seaside Café. Leah also found the courage to finally stand up to Alan, her domineering husband of twenty-eight years. With her twin sons now grown, Leah decides to return to Coates Island again this summer. Alan’s explosive reaction only convinces her that her marriage, and her old life, may be ending. But what comes next? Helping out at the Seaside Café, Leah grows closer to Kayana’s widowed brother, Derrick. He knows what it’s like to start over—he traded a Wall Street career for a beachfront house and a slower pace. Derrick is drawn to Leah, but wonders if she’s truly ready to move on. It’ll take a summer filled with lazy beach walks, bold new horizons, and book club meetings rich with shared laughter and support, for Leah to find the answers she’s been looking for . . . Praise for The Inheritance “The ambiance and flavor of New Orleans are on full display.” —RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars “A novel that resembles female bonding romance series like The Bride Quartet by Nora Roberts. . . . Capitalizing on its assets: the sensuous Big Easy setting and the rarely encountered middle age romance.” —Kirkus Reviews

In the fourth book of the popular Seaside Café Mysteries, A Call for Kelp, Everly Swan's mission to help her aunts with their beekeeping project takes a nasty turn. It's sink or swim for Everly with her most bizarre case yet! Hitting all the sweet-tea spots, this series is: A delightful Tea Shop and Café Culinary Mystery The ideal cozy beach read Perfect for fans of Laura Childs and Kate Carlisle Everly Swan is busy as a bee running her beachside iced tea shop, and the small island of Charm, North Carolina is abuzz—Mitzi Calgon, an iconic Hollywood actress, is in town! Everly's great-aunts are making a documentary about beekeeping and Mitzi has agreed to help. Aunt Clara and Aunt Fran are determined to save endangered honeybees but soon find themselves in a bind when Mitzi turns up dead. Soon, reporters and fans swarm the island, muddying the water and disrupting the peaceful lives of the townspeople. Everly's never been good at minding her own beeswax, so she starts following her own leads and combing through the evidence. Then there's the mystery of Detective Hays—ever since their kiss under the mistletoe, he's been acting distant. And he's annoyingly determined to keep Everly away from the case. With her beekeeping aunts' reputations on the line, the sleuth will stop at nothing to crack the case. But when she receives a cryptic warning to "Bee Careful", Everly realizes that she's gotten herself into a really sticky situation... From beekeeping and baking to sniffing out clues, the newest seaside café book from Bree Baker is dangerously sweet—just make sure you don't get stung by this tea cozy's surprise ending! INCLUDES DELICIOUS FOOD AND DRINK RECIPES

In the second book of the popular Seaside Café Mysteries, No Good Tea Goes Unpunished, Everly Swan caters a high-profile beach wedding where the groom doesn't make it to the altar before the wedding bells ring. Hitting All the sweet-tea spots, this series is: A delightful Tea Shop and Café Culinary Mystery The ideal cozy beach read Perfect for fans of Laura Childs and Kate Carlisle Catering her childhood friend's beachfront wedding was a dream come true for Sun, Sand and Tea Shop and Café owner Everly Swan—and the hundreds of guests in attendance would be great exposure for her new business. But when the well-to-do groom is found floating facedown in the surf, the coastal vibes of a beach wedding disappear and the locals of Charm, North Carolina turn their suspicions to his new bride. Could she have been so desperate to lay her hands on his fortune that she arranged for his murder before they even set off on their honeymoon? Everly knows her love-struck friend couldn't be behind the murder, but with clues pointing in several directions, she can't decide which wedding guest is the most likely culprit. Meanwhile, the frustratingly handsome Detective Hays has made it clear that Everly should stay out of the investigation altogether. But with a killer on the loose and a feeling that someone is watching her café very closely, Everly knows that if she can't solve this murder soon, her cake might be iced for good. This new addition to Bree Baker's cozy mysteries will keep you coming back for more! INCLUDES DELICIOUS FOOD AND DRINK RECIPES

In the sixth book of the popular Seaside Café Mystery series, Partners in Lime, Everly Swan just wants to enjoy Charm's annual outdoor play. But a when a surfer rolls into town then turns up dead and Everly's EMT friend Matt is the prime suspect things gets dicey. Will Everly be able to crack the case and save her friend by opening night? Hitting all the sweet tea spots, this series is: A delightful Tea Shop and Café Culinary Mystery The ideal cozy beach read Perfect for fans of Laura Childs and Kate Carlisle It all seems to be smooth sailing for Everly Swan. The island of Charm, North Carolina is hosting tons of fun summer events, her iced tea shop is a hit, and best of all, she's finally dating the handsome Detective Grady Hays. But their romantic bubble bursts when tragedy strikes: a surf-pro is found murdered on the beach, killed with a theater prop. Grady follows the evidence, all of which points to Matt, Everly's friend and one-time fling. As Grady does his job, so does Everly—her unofficial chef-turned-sleuth-job, that is. She's determined to clear her friend's name but the arrival of a fancy new teashop and The Town Charmer, a gossip blog determined to rock the boat, complicates things. As Everly tries to keep rumors at bay and investigate the murder (and her new tea rival), the killer leaves a message in the sand... INCLUDES DELICIOUS RECIPIES "A smart and likable protagonist, a vividly rendered setting, a suitably twisty plot, and some colorful supporting characters are the ingredients for a concoction as appealing as any of Everly Swan's specialty sweet teas."—Livia J. Washburn, national bestselling author, for Live and Let Chai

In the first story, Fuad learns from Driss what real friendship is; in the second, Mseud hears a voice that guides him through life.