Fresh Start with the Landlord
(2026)(The first book in the Hope Hollow Spring Beginnings series)
A novel by Stephanie Faris
A grumpy single dad and a hopeful bookstore owner discover that healing after loss sometimes begins with an unexpected love.
Caitlyn Northcutt risked everything for her dream.
She left her comfortable life behind, drained her savings, and moved to a quiet Tennessee mountain town to resurrect a failing bookstore. Happily Ever After Books wasn’t just a business—it was meant to be a refuge, a gathering place, a home for people who still believed in love and second chances.
She just didn’t expect her biggest obstacle to be her landlord.
Grayson Neal stopped believing in happy endings three years ago, the day he held his wife'''s hand and said goodbye forever. Since then, his life has revolved around responsibility—raising his eight-year-old daughter, maintaining his properties, and guarding his heart with walls no one is meant to climb.
The last thing he wants is an overly cheerful bookstore owner with big dreams, romantic ideas, and a sign application that threatens the historic character of his building.
But his daughter adores her.
The town welcomes her with open arms.
And despite his determination to keep things strictly professional, Grayson finds himself lingering in the shop, drawn to Caitlyn’s laughter, her warmth, and the hope she seems to carry so effortlessly.
Caitlyn sees past Grayson’s gruff exterior to the grief he hides beneath.
Grayson sees in Caitlyn a second chance he’s not sure he deserves.
When disaster strikes—threatening everything Caitlyn has worked so hard to build—Grayson must choose: stay safely behind his walls, or finally risk his heart for a woman who believes love stories don’t have to end in loss.
Some love stories begin with once upon a time.
Theirs begins with a lease dispute.
Tropes:
Small-Town Bookstore Romance
Single Dad Romance
Grumpy–Sunshine Love Story
Healing After Loss
Found Family Romance
Mountain Town Setting
Clean & Wholesome Romance
Opposites-Attract Pairing
Second-Chance at Love
Fresh Start with the Landlord is the first book in the Hope Hollow Spring Beginnings series, a clean and wholesome small-town romance about second chances, found family, and the courage it takes to believe in love again.
Genre: Romance
Caitlyn Northcutt risked everything for her dream.
She left her comfortable life behind, drained her savings, and moved to a quiet Tennessee mountain town to resurrect a failing bookstore. Happily Ever After Books wasn’t just a business—it was meant to be a refuge, a gathering place, a home for people who still believed in love and second chances.
She just didn’t expect her biggest obstacle to be her landlord.
Grayson Neal stopped believing in happy endings three years ago, the day he held his wife'''s hand and said goodbye forever. Since then, his life has revolved around responsibility—raising his eight-year-old daughter, maintaining his properties, and guarding his heart with walls no one is meant to climb.
The last thing he wants is an overly cheerful bookstore owner with big dreams, romantic ideas, and a sign application that threatens the historic character of his building.
But his daughter adores her.
The town welcomes her with open arms.
And despite his determination to keep things strictly professional, Grayson finds himself lingering in the shop, drawn to Caitlyn’s laughter, her warmth, and the hope she seems to carry so effortlessly.
Caitlyn sees past Grayson’s gruff exterior to the grief he hides beneath.
Grayson sees in Caitlyn a second chance he’s not sure he deserves.
When disaster strikes—threatening everything Caitlyn has worked so hard to build—Grayson must choose: stay safely behind his walls, or finally risk his heart for a woman who believes love stories don’t have to end in loss.
Some love stories begin with once upon a time.
Theirs begins with a lease dispute.
Tropes:
Small-Town Bookstore Romance
Single Dad Romance
Grumpy–Sunshine Love Story
Healing After Loss
Found Family Romance
Mountain Town Setting
Clean & Wholesome Romance
Opposites-Attract Pairing
Second-Chance at Love
Fresh Start with the Landlord is the first book in the Hope Hollow Spring Beginnings series, a clean and wholesome small-town romance about second chances, found family, and the courage it takes to believe in love again.
Genre: Romance