Grace longs only to hide away. Fleeing both a traumatic marriage and a scandal-laden divorce, she needs to disappear somewhere safe with her six-year-old son Jacob.

Finding the job running a small nature reserve on the remote, beautiful island of Lighthouse Cove off the rugged Maine coast feels like a miracle. It’s a tiny slice of land with a population of exactly twelve—about as much peace and solitude as a person could possibly dream of. But Grace isn’t the only one looking to hide away.

No sooner has she arrived than she has a run-in with Noah Lawrence, the reclusive, fiercely unfriendly but dangerously attractive billionaire owner of the island, when she attempts to rescue a seal on the desolate shoreline of his magnificent gated property.

Noah ends up having to rescue her and Jacob, but his arrogant remoteness infuriates Grace because it reminds her so much of her ex-husband— privileged, wealthy, and without morals. Even if Noah is totally gorgeous, there’s no way she wants to get involved with a man like that.

But Noah has just as many secrets as she does, and he has reasons to want to hide away, too. Grace is about to find out that even when you try to hide from the world, you can’t hide from your feelings…

Trigger Warning: Sensitive Subject, Grief

Titles in the Lighthouse Cove series include:  Escape to Lighthouse Cove ~ A Second Chance at Lighthouse Cove (2/27)

This is a no-spice romance, perhaps with closed-door or fade-to-black scenes. Tension and kisses might be involved.

Title:  Escape to Lighthouse Cove
Series:  Lighthouse Cove #1
Author:  Kate Hewitt
Published:  August 12, 2026
Publisher:  Boldwood Books
My Rating:  4.5 stars

Escape to Lighthouse Cove begins the Lighthouse Cove series with an intriguing, deeply emotional novel of healing on several levels for different people.  For Grace, it’s an escape into a new life, a rediscovery of who she intends to be now, after the chaos and danger of the life she’s left behind.  For her young son, Jacob, it’s a place to be free and not constantly afraid… yet he doesn’t feel safe enough to relinquish his self-imposed mutism.  For Noah, it’s a place to hide, to wallow in his guilt for things he’s really not guilty of, unless it’s of being human.  It needs to become a place to grieve, to heal… but he isn’t ready for that step just yet.  Lighthouse Cove can work its healing magic on them all, eventually.  But each has to travel some hard roads before they can make that possibility their reality.

In so many ways, for me, Escape to Lighthouse Cove read like a gothic romance.  There’s the tiny island off the coast of Maine, the sound of the ocean’s roaring surf, the solitude, the manor house perched on the cliffs, the mysterious, emotionally wounded man hiding within those walls, and the recovering woman with her small child, eager for healing and to move forward in life.  So, yes, I found a definite gothic feel to this story, in the best way possible.  It was so easy to get wrapped up in the challenges facing each character as they forge ahead on their journey of healing, acceptance of the past, and determination for a different future.  We were introduced to some secondary characters who help the story come to life and will carry the series forward over time. Grace, Jacob, and Noah’s story is well-written, emotional, and intriguing, while handling sensitive subjects with grace and care.

Anything you really need to know beforehand can be found in the Cover Description; saying much more would be giving away spoilers.  However, I completely enjoyed myself in this world; the story is full of fascinating characters, has a strong feel of healing, and the possibility of future happiness for the main couple.  I’d not hesitate to recommend it, as I’m definitely looking forward to the next story in the series.

I read this title through my Kindle Unlimited subscription.  I am so grateful to authors who put their work in KU; my book budget only extends so far, and reading through KU helps me discover even more great stories.

This title is available on Amazon