MICHELE DESIMONE

Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town where she grew up—she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. And when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life seems too good to be true.

In idyllic Alara Cove, a California beach town known for its sunny charm and chill surfer vibe, it’s graduation day at the elite Thornton Academy. At Thornton, the students are the worldly and overindulged children who live in gated enclaves with spectacular views. But the class valedictorian is Nikki Graziola, a surfer’s daughter who is there on scholarship. To the shock of everyone in the audience, Nikki veers off script while giving her commencement address and reveals a secret that breaks open the whole community. As her truth explodes into the light, Alara Cove will face a reckoning.

Barrett “Bear” Fulton hasn’t been with a woman since his wife divorced him years ago, shattering his heart beyond repair. He hasn’t had any interest in women or dating, avoiding both altogether.

I took my loved ones and ran. What other choice did I have? But somewhere out there, some monster has the baby I’ve come to love as my own. Timofey comes after me. He finds us—because duh, of course he does.