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Edgewater Romance #1
Harper's Landing
She’s here to flip the family inn, not imagine the grumpy neighbor flipping her.
He knows better than to touch what he can’t keep.
Lexi Harper’s plan is simple: stay for a year, sell the inn, and get the hell out of Edgewater—for good this time.
No anchors. No strings. No distractions. Especially not six-foot-five, whiskey-eyed, way-too-good-with-his-hands distractions.
Cole Dawson knows every creaky floorboard in the place next door. He held it together like he holds everything else—quietly, and on his own. Now it belongs to the woman who never wanted to leave, but doesn’t know how to stay.
Lexi’s anchor isn’t supposed to be him, because it isn’t supposed to be here.
But Cole’s got his own ghosts in the water.
He understands better than anyone—you can leave the past, but it never leaves you.
Harper’s Landing is steamy hate-to-love, coastal small town romance with sizzling spice and achy angst, with a sweet HEA to heal you after.
This book contains explicit content and potentially triggering material, including child loss, past alcohol abuse, and lots of grief talk. Trigger warnings are detailed within, and are also available on the author's website.
He knows better than to touch what he can’t keep.
Lexi Harper’s plan is simple: stay for a year, sell the inn, and get the hell out of Edgewater—for good this time.
No anchors. No strings. No distractions. Especially not six-foot-five, whiskey-eyed, way-too-good-with-his-hands distractions.
Cole Dawson knows every creaky floorboard in the place next door. He held it together like he holds everything else—quietly, and on his own. Now it belongs to the woman who never wanted to leave, but doesn’t know how to stay.
Lexi’s anchor isn’t supposed to be him, because it isn’t supposed to be here.
But Cole’s got his own ghosts in the water.
He understands better than anyone—you can leave the past, but it never leaves you.
Harper’s Landing is steamy hate-to-love, coastal small town romance with sizzling spice and achy angst, with a sweet HEA to heal you after.
This book contains explicit content and potentially triggering material, including child loss, past alcohol abuse, and lots of grief talk. Trigger warnings are detailed within, and are also available on the author's website.
- GenresRomance
392 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 29, 2025
31 people are currently reading
262 people want to read
About the author
Evita Wren
9 books29 followersEvita Wren is an indie romance author.
She writes heartfelt, spicy, and occasionally funny contemporary (for now!) romance designed to hurt your feelings a little before you get to that sweet HEA.
She enjoys crafting relatable and realistic emotional conflict, character-driven intimacy, and the odd suspense-adjacent twist here and there.
Evita’s favorite things to write are witty banter, well-earned spice after a good slow burn, emotionally resonant character arcs, and realistic bodies (you won’t find washboard abs here unless it fits a character’s lifestyle, which is almost never, sorry!).
She mostly writes MF contemporary, but also MM, FF, and MMF triad/poly relationships (throuples, if you don’t dislike the term like she does).
Her current project is the Edgewater Romance series, beginning with Harper's Landing!
She writes heartfelt, spicy, and occasionally funny contemporary (for now!) romance designed to hurt your feelings a little before you get to that sweet HEA.
She enjoys crafting relatable and realistic emotional conflict, character-driven intimacy, and the odd suspense-adjacent twist here and there.
Evita’s favorite things to write are witty banter, well-earned spice after a good slow burn, emotionally resonant character arcs, and realistic bodies (you won’t find washboard abs here unless it fits a character’s lifestyle, which is almost never, sorry!).
She mostly writes MF contemporary, but also MM, FF, and MMF triad/poly relationships (throuples, if you don’t dislike the term like she does).
Her current project is the Edgewater Romance series, beginning with Harper's Landing!
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 27, 2025
This completely wrecked me in the best possible way. I absolutely adore her writing, so I went into this one with high expectations and she still managed to blow me away.
First off, the small town vibes were perfection. I love the setting and the cozy, coastal feel of Edgewater. It’s the kind of place you can actually see in your mind while reading. And that grumpy/sunshine, enemies to lovers thing between Cole and Lexi was really well done and they were ACTUALLY at each other’s throats for awhile. Their chemistry was palpable right from the start, but what really hit me was how emotional and raw this book was. There’s plenty of angst and some really heavy themes, but Evita handles them with so much care and depth that it only makes the story more powerful.
Now, let’s talk about Cole. Because honestly, he stole my heart. I loved that he wasn’t your typical ripped, six foot romance hero. He’s got a dad bod, and a few people in the story even poke fun at his weight, which hurt to read, but in a real way. I loved that Evita gave us a male main character who struggles with body image. We so rarely see men portrayed like that in romance, and it was incredibly refreshing and human. It made Cole feel so real and relatable, and it added another layer of vulnerability to him that just… ugh, perfection.
And I just want to applaud the mental health rep. Anxiety, depression, PTSD, therapy... Evita didn’t shy away from any of it. Both Lexi and Cole have been through so much, and watching them find their way through all the pain, grief, and regrets toward something healing and hopeful was honestly beautiful. Her characters are always flawed and messy and real, and that’s what I love most about her writing; it never feels like fiction, it feels like life.
By the end, I was crying, smiling, and completely in love with these two broken, beautiful people finding peace together. And now I’m counting down the days until JD and Nina’s book, because if it’s even half as good as this one, I’m going to be obsessed!
First off, the small town vibes were perfection. I love the setting and the cozy, coastal feel of Edgewater. It’s the kind of place you can actually see in your mind while reading. And that grumpy/sunshine, enemies to lovers thing between Cole and Lexi was really well done and they were ACTUALLY at each other’s throats for awhile. Their chemistry was palpable right from the start, but what really hit me was how emotional and raw this book was. There’s plenty of angst and some really heavy themes, but Evita handles them with so much care and depth that it only makes the story more powerful.
Now, let’s talk about Cole. Because honestly, he stole my heart. I loved that he wasn’t your typical ripped, six foot romance hero. He’s got a dad bod, and a few people in the story even poke fun at his weight, which hurt to read, but in a real way. I loved that Evita gave us a male main character who struggles with body image. We so rarely see men portrayed like that in romance, and it was incredibly refreshing and human. It made Cole feel so real and relatable, and it added another layer of vulnerability to him that just… ugh, perfection.
And I just want to applaud the mental health rep. Anxiety, depression, PTSD, therapy... Evita didn’t shy away from any of it. Both Lexi and Cole have been through so much, and watching them find their way through all the pain, grief, and regrets toward something healing and hopeful was honestly beautiful. Her characters are always flawed and messy and real, and that’s what I love most about her writing; it never feels like fiction, it feels like life.
By the end, I was crying, smiling, and completely in love with these two broken, beautiful people finding peace together. And now I’m counting down the days until JD and Nina’s book, because if it’s even half as good as this one, I’m going to be obsessed!
May 14, 2025
I really, really liked this book. Typically I don’t read books with so much angst. I have enough of that in my real life. But when I read the opening chapter of this book I was hooked and decided to give it a go. I’m glad I did. Lexi and Cole have both had a difficult time of it in their lives, and when they meet again after over a decade they have to overcome a lot of misconceptions. But slowly and surely they do, and going along on the journey with them from animosity to attraction to affection was a wonderful, painful, and ultimately rewarding trip. I loved the author’s style of writing. She has a lovely voice. And the characters and setting came alive. Lexi and Cole were a wonderful couple and I especially loved how empathetic and caring they were with one another. The side characters were equally engaging, and I’m already looking forward to reading the next book in the series. I also have to say that I was impressed with the author for writing a main character who isn’t an alpha male billionaire with abs of steel. Cole is a regular guy, a gentle giant who is always helping others. He is actually very sensitive about his physical appearance, and watching how Lexi cares for him and reassures him is so sweet. Finally, I have to say how impressed I was with the mental health rep in this story. As someone who lives with depression and anxiety disorder I was so impressed to see mental illness depicted in such a genuine and honest way. Huge kudos to the author. I definitely recommend this book and applaud the author for creating such a wonderful world, one I really hated to leave.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
May 10, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
Such a cute freaking book!! ☺️🥰🥰 I loved it!!! I loved the beachy small town feel, the characters, THE SIDE CHARACTERS, everything about this book was so cute!!
I loved the storyline of the book and I loved how each one had Bagage and trauma and I loved how they overcame those obstacles so that they can be each others “just right.”
And Cole!? THE MAN THAT HE IS!!!! Everyone needs a Cole Dawson!!!! The things that this man was doing and saying!!! Ughhh had me giggling and kicking my feet!!! 🤭🫠 This man was the most sweetest and kindest grumpy next door neighbor ever!! I looooove him!!!!
And Lexi!!!! I loved how determined she was!! Once she set her mind to something there was no backing down even if it meant risking her life to do it! I will say she definitely needs to work on communicating her feelings same for Cole but other than that they were ADORABLE!!!! OMG and the BANTER!!! Love, love, LOVE!!!
The side characters were SUCH a vibe!! Nina, JD, and Emma AND MATTIE were my favorite!!! I LOOOOVED them!!! Their personalities were amazing and I can’t wait to read more about them!!!
This book was so freaking cute and I can’t wait to read the next one!
Thank you book sirens and Evita Wren for this eARC!! ☺️💕
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily!
🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
Such a cute freaking book!! ☺️🥰🥰 I loved it!!! I loved the beachy small town feel, the characters, THE SIDE CHARACTERS, everything about this book was so cute!!
I loved the storyline of the book and I loved how each one had Bagage and trauma and I loved how they overcame those obstacles so that they can be each others “just right.”
And Cole!? THE MAN THAT HE IS!!!! Everyone needs a Cole Dawson!!!! The things that this man was doing and saying!!! Ughhh had me giggling and kicking my feet!!! 🤭🫠 This man was the most sweetest and kindest grumpy next door neighbor ever!! I looooove him!!!!
And Lexi!!!! I loved how determined she was!! Once she set her mind to something there was no backing down even if it meant risking her life to do it! I will say she definitely needs to work on communicating her feelings same for Cole but other than that they were ADORABLE!!!! OMG and the BANTER!!! Love, love, LOVE!!!
The side characters were SUCH a vibe!! Nina, JD, and Emma AND MATTIE were my favorite!!! I LOOOOVED them!!! Their personalities were amazing and I can’t wait to read more about them!!!
This book was so freaking cute and I can’t wait to read the next one!
Thank you book sirens and Evita Wren for this eARC!! ☺️💕
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily!
August 17, 2025
Stunning and heartfelt new small-town romance.
“Harper Landing” by Evita Wren is a quintessential spicy small-town romance. Wren lovingly creates the cozy coastal town of Edgewater and populates it with realistic characters that you immediately connect with. This first book in the series is a fiery enemies-to-lovers / hate-to-love romance, with two people brought together by grief and kept in contact through forced proximity and a shared love of a historic inn. Wren does a fantastic job of building tension around Lexi’s family and ex-boyfriend, keeping me very invested.
I love Lexi and Cole so much; they are both such complicated, sad muffins. They are so bad at communicating initially, but so in need of love. I appreciated that both Lexi and Cole were making reasonable assumptions based on fierce love for Penny and the grief they were dealing with. Evita Wren writes so beautifully about living with grief and struggling in the wake of a loved one’s passing—I cried while reading. This is balanced by the equally fierce love that slowly develops between the two main characters and the spice payoff of the slow burn.
“Harper Landing” by Evita Wren is a quintessential spicy small-town romance. Wren lovingly creates the cozy coastal town of Edgewater and populates it with realistic characters that you immediately connect with. This first book in the series is a fiery enemies-to-lovers / hate-to-love romance, with two people brought together by grief and kept in contact through forced proximity and a shared love of a historic inn. Wren does a fantastic job of building tension around Lexi’s family and ex-boyfriend, keeping me very invested.
I love Lexi and Cole so much; they are both such complicated, sad muffins. They are so bad at communicating initially, but so in need of love. I appreciated that both Lexi and Cole were making reasonable assumptions based on fierce love for Penny and the grief they were dealing with. Evita Wren writes so beautifully about living with grief and struggling in the wake of a loved one’s passing—I cried while reading. This is balanced by the equally fierce love that slowly develops between the two main characters and the spice payoff of the slow burn.
February 7, 2026
What an emotional story!
I think I cried throughout at least 50% of it, and I do love a good cathartic cry. Part of why this really got me in my feels was Evita Wren’s writing style! Readers are shown more than told the characters mindset and motivations behind their behaviour and it just feels so realistic. Not all decisions made are great, but they are trying to do their best and it’s not their fault they have trauma.
I loved Lexi and Cole, and was so invested in their relationship. Cole is a big grizzly bear with a soft heart. He’s been through it, a bit (ok more than a bit) wounded but has been working on healing himself. She’s lost everything and reluctantly returning to her home town for the first time since tragedy broke her family. Their path isn’t easy, but it’s worth it!
One thing I also love about this book is that the town of Edgewater has so many interesting characters and im already so invested in the next books. I can’t wait to read the other characters stories.
Whilst Harper’s Landing is considered a contemporary romance, I would reccomend checking the trigger warnings as it does delve into some deep and traumatic themes.
5 ⭐️
3 🌶️
I think I cried throughout at least 50% of it, and I do love a good cathartic cry. Part of why this really got me in my feels was Evita Wren’s writing style! Readers are shown more than told the characters mindset and motivations behind their behaviour and it just feels so realistic. Not all decisions made are great, but they are trying to do their best and it’s not their fault they have trauma.
I loved Lexi and Cole, and was so invested in their relationship. Cole is a big grizzly bear with a soft heart. He’s been through it, a bit (ok more than a bit) wounded but has been working on healing himself. She’s lost everything and reluctantly returning to her home town for the first time since tragedy broke her family. Their path isn’t easy, but it’s worth it!
One thing I also love about this book is that the town of Edgewater has so many interesting characters and im already so invested in the next books. I can’t wait to read the other characters stories.
Whilst Harper’s Landing is considered a contemporary romance, I would reccomend checking the trigger warnings as it does delve into some deep and traumatic themes.
5 ⭐️
3 🌶️
May 9, 2025
Lexi life suddenly turns upside down and yes everything cones in threes and now she's left with nothing. Until suddenly she inherits her grandma's guest house, but it means going back to somewhere she said she'd never go. Home. But her grandma was always her anchor always there yet she never told her that she was ill. Why Not. Cole couldn't believe that she was gone, he'd been her neighbour and she'd helped him overcome so much. But now he found out that her granddaughter had inherited the guesthouse. Was she coming back after sixteen years. The history between them will make a return difficult let alone what has happened since. Will Lexi keep the guesthouse or sell it. What will she do when she realises who her neighbour is. This book is really good and you find yourself trying to put yourself into the story. Both characters have hidden secrets but what will happen when they are both confronted with facing their past and will it end their future. I lookfoward to reading the next in the series
August 15, 2025
Harpers Landing - Evita Wren
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Small town romance
Plus size MMC
Spicy angst
Grumpy MMC
Tragic pasts (please check trigger warnings!)
OMG! I loved this! I think this is my first small town romance and I loved it soo soo much!
This world is so immersive and I know there's more books being written about this town and I cannot wait to get stuck into it!
I loved the angst between Lexi and Cole! There were some definite giggling and feet kicking moments, they are always the best! The backstory was done really well and had you wondering what happened for Lexi to leave in the first place. The way she had to overcome it was done really well. It’s like her Gran knew that she needed to return home and that it was the right time for her.
As a mother, I could really feel for Cole and his past, I just wanted to give him a big hug! I won’t say more than that but please look at the trigger warnings! I really enjoyed that he had a dad bod! Evita definitely made dad bods sexy and to show that there is no reason to be ashamed of it.
I can’t wait to get stuck into The Blooming Tide and learn more about some of the characters we have already met!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Small town romance
Plus size MMC
Spicy angst
Grumpy MMC
Tragic pasts (please check trigger warnings!)
OMG! I loved this! I think this is my first small town romance and I loved it soo soo much!
This world is so immersive and I know there's more books being written about this town and I cannot wait to get stuck into it!
I loved the angst between Lexi and Cole! There were some definite giggling and feet kicking moments, they are always the best! The backstory was done really well and had you wondering what happened for Lexi to leave in the first place. The way she had to overcome it was done really well. It’s like her Gran knew that she needed to return home and that it was the right time for her.
As a mother, I could really feel for Cole and his past, I just wanted to give him a big hug! I won’t say more than that but please look at the trigger warnings! I really enjoyed that he had a dad bod! Evita definitely made dad bods sexy and to show that there is no reason to be ashamed of it.
I can’t wait to get stuck into The Blooming Tide and learn more about some of the characters we have already met!
October 17, 2025
Lexi and Cole are seriously so f*cking adorable. She’s been away for 16 years after a tragic accident, and Cole has been through hell and back. We get to watch these two go from hating each other to falling for each other. Neither of them is quick to let their guards down, though.
Seeing them and their core group of friends navigate life in their small town.
When tragedy strikes again for Lexi and Cole, their relationship is put through the ringer, and no lie, I cried...
These two both love easily, yet are so damn stubborn. I loved watching their love blossom and flourish after going through so much in their past.
Can we also talk about our boy Cole? He’s work strong, but also has a little bit of a dad bod...We love to see representation of all shapes, sizes, and colors for both women and men. It just makes the story that much more realistic when characters are similar to what you would see in your everyday life. I literally can not wait to dive into Nina and JD’s story next!
Seeing them and their core group of friends navigate life in their small town.
When tragedy strikes again for Lexi and Cole, their relationship is put through the ringer, and no lie, I cried...
These two both love easily, yet are so damn stubborn. I loved watching their love blossom and flourish after going through so much in their past.
Can we also talk about our boy Cole? He’s work strong, but also has a little bit of a dad bod...We love to see representation of all shapes, sizes, and colors for both women and men. It just makes the story that much more realistic when characters are similar to what you would see in your everyday life. I literally can not wait to dive into Nina and JD’s story next!
August 13, 2025
Phenomenal. That’s the first word that comes to mind when I think about Harper’s Landing. Evita Wren’s writing had me fully immersed from start to finish—I caught myself cursing, laughing, crying, having my heart broken, and then piecing it back together again.
The main male character (MMC) and female main character (FMC) were so real and relatable that I could easily imagine stepping into their lives. Their emotions, struggles, and triumphs felt like my own, which made every chapter hit that much harder.
Evita didn’t just tell a story—she built a world. The town of Edgewater is painted so vividly and with such warmth that I found myself longing to pack my bags and move there. It’s the kind of place that stays with you long after you close the book.
A heartfelt, engaging, and beautifully written story—I can’t wait to read more from this author.
The main male character (MMC) and female main character (FMC) were so real and relatable that I could easily imagine stepping into their lives. Their emotions, struggles, and triumphs felt like my own, which made every chapter hit that much harder.
Evita didn’t just tell a story—she built a world. The town of Edgewater is painted so vividly and with such warmth that I found myself longing to pack my bags and move there. It’s the kind of place that stays with you long after you close the book.
A heartfelt, engaging, and beautifully written story—I can’t wait to read more from this author.
July 16, 2025
This is a sweet rom com with just enough spice and a captivating heartbreaking backstory for both MC’s. The author does a great job making you feel all of the awkwardness and tension and self doubt of a small town, hate to love romance with excellent banter to make you laugh out loud along the way. I don’t always love the fighting and drama of a hate to love book but was invested in these characters and am looking forward to reading the next book in the series!
I received this book as an Advanced Copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received this book as an Advanced Copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.
January 15, 2026
This book started out a little slow for me but at the same time somehow kept sucking me back in. I really identified with Lexies character. Her grief, the independence, and her need to prove to the world she wasn’t a failure really hit home. I lost my husband 8 years ago and the way grief was described really made a lot of sense. My emotions were all over the place. Cole is a dream man come true. My heart broke for him in so many ways. I was rooting for him from the beginning!! I can’t wait to continue on reading. I fell in love with Edgewater and the entire town of people.
May 18, 2025
Lexi has had a day after everything that could possible go wrong has gone wrong she receives a call that will change her life and make her confront things from her past that she never wanted to face again. Cole was content with his life in Harper’s landing, a bit lonely but he liked the structure and routine of it. When Lexi comes back to town his life is thrown for a loop, back in Harper’s Landing, Lexi is not only having to face her past but now has Cole as her neighbour. While trying to fix her the Inn she inherited Lexi learns that is okay to ask for for help and that life doesn’t need to lived alone.
This book had me hooked from the start, with all the twists and turns throughout it was an amazing read. The characters are so well developed, the banter was whitty, smart and funny. This book dealt with some tough topics but they were so beautiful written that it made it less dark.
4.75
This book had me hooked from the start, with all the twists and turns throughout it was an amazing read. The characters are so well developed, the banter was whitty, smart and funny. This book dealt with some tough topics but they were so beautiful written that it made it less dark.
4.75
April 30, 2025
what you need
Lexi and Cole´s story is an amusing reminder that what you think you want might not be what you need. I loved their banter and the small town vibes.
Lexi and Cole´s story is an amusing reminder that what you think you want might not be what you need. I loved their banter and the small town vibes.
November 27, 2025
3rd act breakup… terribleeee. And it’s unreasonable ones too
January 21, 2026
cute and wholesome
January 31, 2026
I loved this and the whole set of characters cant wait for the rest of the books
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews