Cocoa with the Contractor
(2026)(The second book in the Hope Hollow Winter Nights series)
A novel by Stephanie Faris
She came to renovate. He made her stay. Small-town romance changes everything.
Cate McKellar had built her life on practical choices.
A successful architecture career. A tidy Knoxville apartment. A future that made sense on paper—even if it left her feeling quietly hollow.
When a renovation project brings her to the mountain town of Hope Hollow, Cate plans to do her job and leave. That’s what she always does.
She doesn’t expect Gage Owenby.
At a packed town council meeting, the historical restoration contractor publicly challenges her plans, accusing her of erasing his family’s legacy. His grandfather built the library’s community room. His late father helped. And Gage refuses to let an outsider tear it apart.
The council’s solution? Force Cate and Gage to work together.
What begins as heated arguments over crown molding and craftsmanship slowly turns into something deeper. Sharp words soften into honest conversations. Professional distance blurs into lingering looks and accidental touches. And Cate starts dreaming of things she never let herself want—a cocoa bar of her own, roots in a town that feels like home, and a man who looks at her like she’s worth staying for.
Gage has been burned before. He once loved a woman who chose a bigger life over him, and he vowed never to fall for someone who was just passing through.
Cate is temporary. Everyone says so.
But some risks are worth taking. And some people are worth staying for.
Tropes:
Small-Town Mountain Romance
Grumpy Blue-Collar Hero
Forced Proximity / Working Together
Career-Driven Heroine
Slow-Burn Romantic Tension
Stolen Glances & Accidental Touche
Emotional Healing & Second Chances
Roots vs. Running Away
Cozy Small-Town Atmosphere
Happily Ever After
Cocoa with the Contractor is a sweet, small-town romance with a found family theme. It has no profanity or violence, and romance doesn't go beyond kissing. If you like your romances on the sweet, heartwarming side, you'll love the entire Hope Hollow Winter Nights series.
Genre: Romance
Cate McKellar had built her life on practical choices.
A successful architecture career. A tidy Knoxville apartment. A future that made sense on paper—even if it left her feeling quietly hollow.
When a renovation project brings her to the mountain town of Hope Hollow, Cate plans to do her job and leave. That’s what she always does.
She doesn’t expect Gage Owenby.
At a packed town council meeting, the historical restoration contractor publicly challenges her plans, accusing her of erasing his family’s legacy. His grandfather built the library’s community room. His late father helped. And Gage refuses to let an outsider tear it apart.
The council’s solution? Force Cate and Gage to work together.
What begins as heated arguments over crown molding and craftsmanship slowly turns into something deeper. Sharp words soften into honest conversations. Professional distance blurs into lingering looks and accidental touches. And Cate starts dreaming of things she never let herself want—a cocoa bar of her own, roots in a town that feels like home, and a man who looks at her like she’s worth staying for.
Gage has been burned before. He once loved a woman who chose a bigger life over him, and he vowed never to fall for someone who was just passing through.
Cate is temporary. Everyone says so.
But some risks are worth taking. And some people are worth staying for.
Tropes:
Small-Town Mountain Romance
Grumpy Blue-Collar Hero
Forced Proximity / Working Together
Career-Driven Heroine
Slow-Burn Romantic Tension
Stolen Glances & Accidental Touche
Emotional Healing & Second Chances
Roots vs. Running Away
Cozy Small-Town Atmosphere
Happily Ever After
Cocoa with the Contractor is a sweet, small-town romance with a found family theme. It has no profanity or violence, and romance doesn't go beyond kissing. If you like your romances on the sweet, heartwarming side, you'll love the entire Hope Hollow Winter Nights series.
Genre: Romance
Used availability for Stephanie Faris's Cocoa with the Contractor