Six years a widow. Six months a research grant. And a tide that refuses to stay still.Captain Beatrice Aylmer is sixty-two and perfectly content with the quiet life she has built in Moonshell Cove. As a ferry captain since 1994, she knows every current of the water and every rhythm of her small town. She has made her peace with being alone, keeping her memories of her late wife tucked away like the anchor earrings she wears every day.
Then Dr. Anya RamÃrez steps onto her ferry.
A fifty-four-year-old Cuban-American marine biologist from Miami, Anya is in town for six months to study the cove's delicate eelgrass. She carries a grief Beatrice recognizes on sight-and a field notebook filled with observations she isn't yet ready to translate into English.
Across the 6:00 a.m. crossing, Captain and Doctor begin a slow, wordless dance of coffee thermoses and stolen glances. For Anya, the discovery is twofold: she is falling in love with the rugged beauty of the coast, and she is questioning an attraction to women she never allowed herself to examine in all her fifty-four years.
As a coastal storm forces them to seek shelter together, the formal titles begin to slip. But in a town that has always preferred quiet over disapproval, can these two seasoned women find the courage to start a new chapter?.
Why you'll love this story: Mature Sapphic Romance: A deeply felt age 50+ love story featuring protagonists aged 62 and 54.
Late-Bloomer Representation: An authentic look at discovering your identity later in life.
Slow-Burn Yearning: A closed-door romance built on charged silences, meaningful gazes, and a gentle grumpy/sunshine dynamic.
Rich Setting & Diversity: An interracial romance featuring disability representation (hearing aids) and a cozy, coastal small-town atmosphere.
Second Chance at Love: Two widows finding that the heart can indeed bloom a second time.
Return to Moonshell Cove for a story of salt air, second chances, and the steady helm of a new love.
Sign-In
Cart