Until Forever

Mystic Cove #1

by Hillary Raymer

Failing at everything-jobs, relationships, life-Juliette Laurent is forced to return home to the small beach town of Mystic Cove, the one place she was desperate to leave behind. Stuck living in the loft above her overbearing mother's flower shop, Juliette tries to avoid confrontation by taking a job as an interior designer. Unfortunately for her, the man who hired her is the same one who broke her heart years ago.

Brockton Gallagher made a name for himself in construction, but now he might lose his family's beach house to a conglomerate of condos. When Juliette has the brilliant idea to renovate it into a wedding venue, Brock finally thinks he'll be able to convince his grandmother not to sell. However, working alongside his former flame comes with its own set of problems, like the fact that he's still in love with her.

As Brock and Juliette's spark reignites, family secrets are unearthed and a wave of drama unfolds, threatening all they've worked so hard to build. With restorations of the beach house almost complete, Juliette must make a decision-leave Mystic Cove in search of something better, or stay and enjoy what she's already found-love.

304 pages, Paperback

Expected publication December 30, 2025

About the author

To inquire about rights, please reach out to Dani Sanchez at SBR Media.
dani@sbrmedia.com

Reviews

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the perfect small-town romance to cozy up with! Brock and Juliette lost touch after high school, but circumstances bring them back together just over a decade later, and second chance sparks start to fly! Brock has an amazing heart and that charm that you can’t help but swoon over! My poor Juliette got dealt some rough cards, but I loved watching her find her passion again, not only in life but in her returning feelings for Brock. I was constantly screaming just kiss already!!! And when I came to those “just pretend” and “tell me to stop” lines, I was a goner!! I also adored the bond Juliette has with her four sisters and the imagery throughout made me want to take a vacation to Mystic Cove!

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

From fantasy to romance, Hillary knows how to WRITE.

This is such a cute read about a girl returning to her hometown after a horrible break up. This story is filled with twists and turns and emotions - so much so that I felt like I was watching a movie. It’s a great holiday read, pick it up if you’re even a little interested!

[Anais (atrailofpages) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Juliette left Mystic Cove seven years ago with her boyfriend on not very good terms with her family, and has now returned after finding her boyfriend cheating on her. She has no plans to stay, but when she gets roped into helping her high school sweetheart with an interior design, she begins to wonder if maybe she could have a home in Mystic Cove again.

Brock comes to Mystic Cove to visit his grandmother to discuss her beach house, but when he arrives, his father is there whom he hasn’t seen for over three years also to talk about the beach house, but instead of renovating, he wants to sell it. Brock is determined to not sell and instead renovate it. And despite their unsure past, Brock asks Juliette to help since she’s back in town and wonders if they could have a second chance.

This is very much a second chance romance. There’s a lot of heart, emotion and concerns addressed between Juliette and Brock, but also between each of their families. They each seem to have their ow dramas, and it made for an eventful story with the drama, the hopeful maybe romance, and, of course, forgiveness.

I enjoyed Juliette’s relationship with her family. It felt raw and real. Not everyone has that picture perfect family, and I appreciated the nitty gritty we see with her family, the flaws and how they attempt to fix what seems broken. They each also had their own unique personalities which was done really well seeing as there’s a lot of them 😆

Same with Brock. He has a great and lovely relationship with Yaya, but his relationship with his father is tumultuous and to see how they slowly mend it felt so real and good for Brock.

I will admit I’m not a fan of second chance romances. I have a hard time accepting them, which makes me sound awful, but I just mean they need to play out well for me to accept that second chance myself. I think this romance went well. It was very fast, they after all had a past and were clearly IN LOVE before and still were and so it was easy for them to basically pick up where they left off. There were some communication issues that made me a bit angry because I don’t know why either would question the other when they know each other so well, but other than that, it’s a very sweet romance that really focuses on forgiveness.

I look forward to seeing what else happens in this world seeing as Juliette has like a million sisters 😆

Thank you to the author for the e-ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Until Forever is a small town, second chance romance with cozy vibes and lots of emotions. Not only do we get the emotional trauma from Brock and Juliette’s relationship but we get the added bonus of family drama, small town gossips, delulu baristas, and Ex’s.

Hillary does an amazing job of world building and making you feel like you are there in Mystic Cove. The characters are lovable, unique, and have great chemistry. They each grow and strengthen their family relationships throughout the story. Juliette has 4 sisters and they could keep me entertained for hours with their antics and banter.

I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series to find out more about the Laurent sisters and their relationships.

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Tropes:
Small Beach Town
Forced Proximity
Second Chance
Workplace Romance
High School Sweethearts
It’s Always Been You
“Tell me to stop”
Contemporary Romance

Thank you Hillary Raymer for my early copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a second chance, small town and contemporary romance with some spice. Juliette is back in her hometown after having a super rough breakup. Naturally, she runs into her other ex, former high school sweetheart Brockton, who ghosted her when he left for boot camp. I enjoyed reading as they figured out how to navigate their new adult relationship as well as learn who the other is now that so much time has passed. We get a bit of forced proximity as well as she gets roped into working with him. I also enjoyed Juliette get back together with her family and work through things with them after drama with them. It was emotional in a good way. The small town itself was giving Gilmore Girls mixed with Hallmark. The actual story was very well written and I enjoyed it. Excited to read more in this series!

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely LOVED it! It has been a while since I’ve sat with a book and finished it in less than 24 hours. I highly recommend this book! Hillary’s way with words is absolutely amazing. The way she describes people, places, their feelings…the words come off the page and create a place you can imagine yourself being. There were parts I smiled so big my cheeks hurt, parts I stared at shockingly not expecting & then parts my eyes filled with tears. The best books are the ones that captivate you & provide you an escape from the world around you. That’s this book! A readers dream, a safe respite from the busy world around. I loved everything about it and cannot wait to see where life takes all of the Laurent sisters. Do yourself a favor and READ THIS BOOK!!! So so good!

[Kellie Nylund · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review.

I loved reading this book. This is different genre from the previous books that I have read from Hillary before, but I’m living for it. I enjoyed Mystic Cove and will be happy to come back to with future stories. The character growth that Juliette and Brockton both go through from the beginning to the end is beautiful with emotional damage, which Hillary is very good at. I think throughout this whole book I cried at least five times. I’m intrigued by a lot of the side characters like Juliette’s sisters and Brock’s friend Anders.

I highly recommend this book. Let’s be honest I recommend anything by Hillary because i love her writing and the emotional damage.

[Allie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great read and welcoming to Mystic Cove. Gives a type of Gilmore Girls meets Sweet Magnolias vibes without a pregnancy/ child trope 🤗 just the fun small town feel and old loves, scandal, close proximity, self growth and gossip. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting the Laurent sisters and Miss Bobbie (when you know, you’ll know 😜) I nearly cried at one point and was so happy at the end.

I’m looking forward to to Raymer’s next book in Mystic Cove, I read it will be following some other characters from this book. Sounds great and now that I’m acquainted with them all it’ll be fun further exploring other relationships and dynamics.

[Holly Cameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Until Forever is a wonderful story about a second chance. Jules and Brock were high school sweethearts and swore to be together "until forever", but that stopped when he left for boot camp. Now, years later, they are both back in their hometown.

Hillary's writing is so beautiful and elegant as she takes us on Jules and Brock's journey. I loved the character development and the story of how they have grown and changed over the years, as well as how they grow and change in the story.

This story is a must read if you love second chance love stories. I am excited for the next book!

[Kathy Foreman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much to Hillary for gifting me an ARC copy of her re-release of Until Forever.

This was such a great second chance romance and the female main character finding herself once again. This story is full of so much emotion and there were definitely parts that brought tears. Hillary's stories NEVER disappoint!

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was everything I want out of a small town romance. Cute and cozy, yet emotional and heartwarming. Hillary always has a way of making her characters so real that you experience all of the emotions with them. I absolutely loved it. Definitely recommend picking this one up!

[Myrina Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Contemporary romance is not my usual pick, but having loved everything Hillary has written, I just knew I would love this, and I did! A sweet, second chance romance with a beach town setting was a fun read.

Rated 4.5 on storygraph

[Joella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kept me interested the entire book! I was emotionally invested with the main characters and can’t wait for #2!

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book! I’ve been crazy busy but if I had more time to sit down this easily would have been finished within a weekend. I’m on my way to order the next book now!

[Lauren Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gave too much Hallmark for my taste.

[Collette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will keep this spoiler free for now, hopefully. I absolutely loved this! This was such a cute, cozy read. I couldn't put it down. I loved the characters and that is was relatable in many ways. Hillary has such a way with words in everything she writes. So many times reading this, I laughed or cried. If you love small towns, second chance romance, high-school sweethearts, then you're going to love this book!

Thank you to Hillary for the gifted arc! ❤️