Falling for Noah

by Lisa Lanay

In the heart of South Florida, five lifelong friends are turning dreams into a reality with The Sand Drift Beach Bar, where the cocktails are ice-cold, the vibes are warm, and love is always served with a twist.

Noah is a successful pediatric dentist with a laid-back charm and ocean-blue eyes—but when it comes to relationships, he’s always been a beat too late, a step out of sync… until Taylor.

Taylor, the stunning, sharp-witted guardian of one of his favorite young patients, has lived rent-free in his mind since the day they met. Their conversations have been brief, polite, and frustratingly professional—until fate throws them together.

When Taylor signs on as the architect for The Sand Drift, Noah finally gets his chance. Sparks fly, banter heats up, and beneath it all, something deeper starts to grow. For the first time in a long time, Noah believes this could actually be something real.

But Taylor has a secret—one that could send everything crumbling like a sandcastle at high tide.

Falling for Noah is a sun-soaked, heart-stealing romantic comedy that kicks off The Sand Drift Beach Bar Series—a story of friendship, laughter, and the kind of love that rolls in like the tide and stays for the sunset.

142 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 19, 2025

About the author

Lisa Lanay fell in love with romance novels in high school and after years of writing stories in her head, she decided to turn on the computer and bring them to life! Lisa loves to travel, has a passion for rescue dogs and preserving our beaches, and enjoys a great glass of white wine. Today, Lisa enjoys writing the Almost Perfect Series with lots of humor and of course handsome Heroes & strong, attractive Heroines, oh yeah, and a rescue dog or two! She is currently working on Book #6 Enticing Luke. To learn more about Lisa and her books, visit lisalanay.com

Reviews

[HaveToReadNow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Falling for Noah is about pediatric dentist Noah falling for the guardian aunt of one of preschooler patients. This is the first book in Lisa Lanay's new Sand Drift beach Bar series. Noah and three of his oldest friends have been dreaming of opening a beach bar in southern Florida since they were all in school together. Now they're getting their chance to buy a rundown bar and make that dream a reality. Taylor, the guardian aunt of one of his patients, happens to be an architect. When Taylor agrees to be the new architect for their project, Noah is now free to ask Taylor out. Their relationship is then further helped when Noah, and one of his friends, agree to coach the preschool soccer team that Taylor's nephew is on. Add in a little conflict (not between Noah and Taylor), and a genius level preschooler, and you have a good story line. I had trouble with Gavin, Taylors nephew's, character. I understand his genius level IQ makes him much smarter, but I think the character should have been somewhere in the 6-8 year old range based on the story. Other than that issue, this is a nice short romance novel where the characters are in their early 30's and successful professionals.

[Penny Leidecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This new series is about a group of friends, Austin, Dylan, Wes, Jameson (Jamie), and Noah. They decide to go in together and open up The Sand Drift Beach Bar. All of the guys are single at this time. Noah is featured in the first book and he’s been crushing on one of his patient’s aunt. Taylor has custody of her nephew, Gavin. Unknown to Noah, Taylor also has a crush on him, but she’s a hot mess. As we read their story, we learn exactly why she thinks that. I’m not going to leave any spoilers, but I will say I loved this group of guys and Taylor’s best friends, Darnell and Mandy. The author does a fantastic job of pulling us in and making us root for Noah and Taylor. Grab your copy and get ready to fall for these characters like I did.

I received an advanced reading copy of this book and this is my voluntary and honest review.

[Abdelmadjid · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Perfect Blend of Witty & Warm


Seriously, this is the perfect summer escape. Falling for Noah is a beautifully written, funny, and utterly heartwarming start to The Sand Drift Beach Bar Series.

Lisa Lanay gives us a gorgeous beach setting, witty banter, and chemistry that is off the charts between the leads. This is a wonderfully fun, feel good romance that hooks you from the first page and delivers a satisfying HEA. The rescue dog element just melted my heart

If you want a book that is easy to fall into and hard to put down, grab this one immediately, Loved it.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This start to a new series had characters I have liked getting to know, banter, flirting, good friends and an opportunity for two people to finally take that chance and go after who they want. I enjoyed seeing Noah and Taylor get to together and seeing the support they got from their friends, I thought Noah handled things better than I probably would have in that situation. I hope to see more of them and their relationship growing during this series and I am looking forward to reading book two next. I am voluntarily leaving this review after receiving an ARC from Hidden Gems.

[Floraljoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read:
This was a fun, flirty and easy to read series starter. I enjoyed getting to know this group of friends and enjoyed their camaraderie and quick banter. Although there were secrets and some drama, it was nevertheless an upbeat and relaxed read.
It was a little on the immature side for me and I didn't think that the preschooler was portrayed very realistically. However I liked Noah and Taylor together and was happy with the outcome.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

[Reads lotsa stuff · Rating 4 out of 5]

The start of a new series that holds the promise of more to come. A collection of well to do 30 year old bachelors in sunny Florida. This stories main characters are a pediatric dentist and the guardian of one of his patients. A romance begins albeit very slowly. There are secrets kept. There is competition. There are private meetings. A great book for a rainy day with the promise of sunshine to come.

[Lavender Jade · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining story with fun dialogues and engaging characters. My favourite character is Darnell, he is strikingly funny. The ending is very intriguing.

A review copy of this book was sent to me by the author. All of the above opinions are my own.

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

They are all friends who have sent a bar together. The others seem to be finding their love except him but then she comes along. She is hiding a secret which may just ruin everything before it starts. See how it will all go
I received an advance copy from hidden gems and is a great love tale

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the book was just ok to me. This is a single "aunt" romance. The book goes between both Noah and Taylor's perspective. It just read a bit bland for me. 3.5 stars

[Anne OK · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quick read that seemed like a hit or miss -- had its moments with likable characters but lacked in depth and fulfillment for this reader. Probably won't continue with this new series.