Love Beneath Stolen Glances
(2026)(The second book in the Happily Ever AfterDraft series)
A novel by Carina Walsh
‘I’ve written over a hundred thousand words of fiction about a man who looks and sounds and acts like him, because there's no chance in hell I get to do the things I want to do with him.’
Tayah Herald owns Wildflower & Co., the hair salon she built with stubborn grit and long hours. She also happens to be the anonymous author behind Burning Wildflowers, a viral AfterDraft story about a firefighter who has been in love with the heroine for years.
And sure, the firefighter in the story is fictional.
He just happens to be exactly like Tucker Murphey.
Tucker is her older brother’s best friend, a firefighter lieutenant, and the man Tayah has been in love with since she was a teenager. He is tall, infuriatingly handsome, and knows her better than anyone except her brother.
When a fire at the café next door puts Tayah in danger, Tucker does not hesitate to save her. But when he walks away from it injured, her brother puts Tayah in charge of his recovery.
Distance is no longer an option. Now they are sharing space, late nights, and a tension that feels a little too much like the story she has been writing.
But crossing that line could cost them everything. Her relationship with her brother and his best friend.
So when one viral post drops her story into the one place guaranteed to recognize it, the firehouse, the fallout burns hotter than the one that brought them together.
Love Beneath Stolen Glances is a spicy, emotionally addictive romcom featuring a brother’s best friend, years of mutual pining, forced proximity, secret identity, and high heat.
Book 2 in the Happily Ever AfterDraft Series.
Tropes You’ll Love
• Brother’s best friend
• Mutual pining (seven years)
• She fell first, but he fell harder
• Secret author × real-life muse
• Forced proximity (caretaking)
• Forbidden romance (off-limits sister)
• Slow burn → high spice
• Protective firefighter hero
• Found family
• Dual POV
Perfect for readers who love Abby Jimenez’s emotional depth, Lucy Score’s small-town heat, and Emily Henry’s blend of humor and heartbreak.
Genre: Romance
Tayah Herald owns Wildflower & Co., the hair salon she built with stubborn grit and long hours. She also happens to be the anonymous author behind Burning Wildflowers, a viral AfterDraft story about a firefighter who has been in love with the heroine for years.
And sure, the firefighter in the story is fictional.
He just happens to be exactly like Tucker Murphey.
Tucker is her older brother’s best friend, a firefighter lieutenant, and the man Tayah has been in love with since she was a teenager. He is tall, infuriatingly handsome, and knows her better than anyone except her brother.
When a fire at the café next door puts Tayah in danger, Tucker does not hesitate to save her. But when he walks away from it injured, her brother puts Tayah in charge of his recovery.
Distance is no longer an option. Now they are sharing space, late nights, and a tension that feels a little too much like the story she has been writing.
But crossing that line could cost them everything. Her relationship with her brother and his best friend.
So when one viral post drops her story into the one place guaranteed to recognize it, the firehouse, the fallout burns hotter than the one that brought them together.
Love Beneath Stolen Glances is a spicy, emotionally addictive romcom featuring a brother’s best friend, years of mutual pining, forced proximity, secret identity, and high heat.
Book 2 in the Happily Ever AfterDraft Series.
Tropes You’ll Love
• Brother’s best friend
• Mutual pining (seven years)
• She fell first, but he fell harder
• Secret author × real-life muse
• Forced proximity (caretaking)
• Forbidden romance (off-limits sister)
• Slow burn → high spice
• Protective firefighter hero
• Found family
• Dual POV
Perfect for readers who love Abby Jimenez’s emotional depth, Lucy Score’s small-town heat, and Emily Henry’s blend of humor and heartbreak.
Genre: Romance
Used availability for Carina Walsh's Love Beneath Stolen Glances