Second Chance at Stardust Cove (Stardust Cove #1)

After a devastating breakup, all Crew Halen wants is to hide from the world. But his brothers have other plans—getting him to come home to Stardust Cove to… fulfill a Christmas scavenger hunt? What he also doesn’t expect is to find that his next-door neighbor is Maggie Smith, his high school best friend who vanished without a word years ago.

Now a widow with a young daughter, Maggie has built a new life in Stardust Cove. But the sparks between her and Crew are impossible to ignore. With holiday magic in the air and a little help from her daughter, they find themselves drawn together once more.

As old feelings resurface, so do the questions about why Maggie left and Crew’s recent heartbreak. Can the magic of Stardust Cove give them the second chance they need? Or will the past keep them from the love they’ve always wanted?

a Stardust Cove novel

  The local grocery store in Stardust Cove was pure festive chaos. The narrow aisles, usually just wide enough for two carts to pass, were made even tighter by towering displays of gingerbread house kits and tins of butter cookies. 

The air, thick with cinnamon-scented pinecones near the entrance, and the aroma of squash soup in the back, was filled with the cheerful din of neighbors catching up over produce.

For Maggie, it was just another Monday errand on a long to-do list while Pia was in school. It wasn’t usually this crowded, but she moved with an efficiency born of habit, the squeaky-wheeled cart a familiar companion. She paused in the baking aisle, her fingers absently tracing the curve of her wedding ring as she scanned the shelves for flour. It was a grounding gesture; one she relied on when the quiet moments felt a little too quiet. 

All around her, couples debated dinner plans and families navigated the aisles as a unit, gentle reminders of a life that felt like it belonged to someone else. She pushed the thought away, focusing instead on the list in her hand. Flour, sugar, vanilla…

She was so focused on her task, on the quiet internal rhythm of her day, that she didn’t notice the man at the far end of the aisle. It was only when she pushed her cart forward with practiced ease that her world tilted on its axis.

Another shopper, moving with the distracted air of someone unfamiliar with the store’s layout, stepped back from the shelf and directly into her path. His cart collided with hers, making a metallic clang.

“Oh, sorry about that,” a deep voice said. “My fault, I was…”

The words died in his throat as he looked straight into her eyes.

Time seemed to warp, stretching and slowing. The cheerful noise of the store faded to a dull hum. The man was tall, his broad shoulders filling out a dark wool coat. His green eyes, startlingly familiar, were wide with disbelief.

Crew Halen.

He looked older, of course. The boyish softness of his face had given way to the firm lines of a man. A faint scar she didn’t recognize cut through his upper lip. But the essence of him—the thoughtful set of his mouth, the intensity in his gaze—was so unchanged it felt like a punch to the gut. The carefully constructed peace she’d cultivated over the past few months shattered into a thousand pieces.

“Maggie?” he breathed, his voice a low note of astonishment. “Maggie Rae?”

No one had called her that in fifteen years.

Her heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic, trapped bird. She felt a flush of heat creep up her neck, a mortifying blush she was powerless to stop. She was no longer a nurse, a widow, or even a mother. In his gaze, she was sixteen again, all raw nerves and secrets, standing in the paralyzing silence after her first kiss.

“Crew,” she managed, her voice barely a whisper. “I… I didn’t know you were in town.”

“Just got in,” he said, his own composure seeming to hang by a thread. He took a half-step back, creating a sliver of distance, as if giving them both room to breathe. The air in the aisle felt thick, charged with unspoken questions. “I could say the same for you. I heard you were… well, I didn’t know where you were.”

“It’s a long story,” she said, the words feeling terribly inadequate. She tightened her grip on the cart handle, a solid anchor in a suddenly turbulent sea. “I moved back a few months ago.” She knew she needed to end this, to retreat before the fragile composure she’d fought so hard for crumbled completely. “I should probably finish my shopping. It was… good to see you.”

She began to push her cart past his, the small space forcing them into close proximity for a brief, charged moment. He smelled different, like wood smoke and pine. 

“Maggie, wait,” he said, his voice stopping her.

She paused but didn't turn fully around. "Yes?"

“I always wondered… what happened? Back then.” The question was quiet, tentative, but it landed with the force of a blow. It was the very question she had dreaded for fifteen years.

She took a slow breath, her back still mostly to him. “Like I said, Crew. It’s a long story.” She finally turned to face him, her expression carefully neutral. “And this probably isn’t the place for it.”

He looked around the grocery aisle, at the bickering kids and the carts passing around them with curious glances thrown their way. A look of understanding dawned on his face. “Right, of course. You’re right.” He nodded, accepting her retreat. “Well… I guess I’ll see you around, then.”

“See you around, Crew,” she lied. 

She didn’t wait for another word, pushing her cart determinedly toward the front of the store, her shopping list completely forgotten. Her heart was still pounding. She had come back to Stardust Cove for a fresh start, not to dig up the past. But as she fled the baking aisle, she had the unnerving feeling that the past had just found her.

Q: What tropes and characters will readers find here?

A: This novel features Small-Town Romance, Single Mom, Holiday / Christmas tropes, and Second Chance Romance. The main characters are a nurse and a project manager. 

Q: What is the heat / spice level?

A: Sweet, closed-door. (Nothing more than kissing.)

Q: Standalone or part of a series?

A: This is the first full-length book in the Stardust Cove series. While it can be read as a stand-alone, it does feature characters from the prequel novella. 

Q: Does it end on a cliffhanger, and is there a Happily Ever After (HEA)?

A: Yes, it features a guaranteed Happily Ever After (HEA) and no cliffhangers.

Q: Are there content warnings or sensitive themes?

A: This has higher stakes than the novella. It includes themes of: widowhood, broken engagement due to infidelity, history of abusive foster parents.