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Almost Home
She swore she wasn’t going back.
Not to him.
Not to who she was.
Not to the life she left behind.
But when a message she never expected appears on her screen, Shannon finds herself driving back to the shores of Lake Michigan. The place where her heart broke the first time. The only place it ever really felt like home.
Arden has built a quiet life in their small lakeside town. Coaching hockey. Raising his son. Trying to keep the past buried beneath routine and responsibility. When Shannon shows up on his porch after years apart, everything he has tried to hold back returns at full force. Want. Regret. The kind of love that never truly left.
What begins as just a weekend becomes a slow, aching unraveling of all the things they never said. Old hurts. Unfinished conversations. A longing that has never stopped pulling them back to each other.
But love is not the only thing waiting for them. There are children to protect. Histories to untangle. A future that only works if they are both willing to step into it fully, honestly, together.
Almost Home is a deeply emotional and steamy second-chance romance about the gravity of first love, the courage to try again, and the people who become our safe place.
This is Book One in The Lake Effect Series, a continuing love story that follows Shannon and Arden as they learn what it truly means to come home.
Perfect for readers who
• Slow-burn second chances
• Small-town Midwest romance
• Hockey-guy x strong-hearted heroine
• Found and blended family dynamics
• Love that hurts before it heals
Not to him.
Not to who she was.
Not to the life she left behind.
But when a message she never expected appears on her screen, Shannon finds herself driving back to the shores of Lake Michigan. The place where her heart broke the first time. The only place it ever really felt like home.
Arden has built a quiet life in their small lakeside town. Coaching hockey. Raising his son. Trying to keep the past buried beneath routine and responsibility. When Shannon shows up on his porch after years apart, everything he has tried to hold back returns at full force. Want. Regret. The kind of love that never truly left.
What begins as just a weekend becomes a slow, aching unraveling of all the things they never said. Old hurts. Unfinished conversations. A longing that has never stopped pulling them back to each other.
But love is not the only thing waiting for them. There are children to protect. Histories to untangle. A future that only works if they are both willing to step into it fully, honestly, together.
Almost Home is a deeply emotional and steamy second-chance romance about the gravity of first love, the courage to try again, and the people who become our safe place.
This is Book One in The Lake Effect Series, a continuing love story that follows Shannon and Arden as they learn what it truly means to come home.
Perfect for readers who
• Slow-burn second chances
• Small-town Midwest romance
• Hockey-guy x strong-hearted heroine
• Found and blended family dynamics
• Love that hurts before it heals
224 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 6, 2026
2 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 13, 2025
This debut novel was amazing! I really enjoyed seeing the main character Shannon figure out her worth and gain some self love. Arden was a great MMC, he learned and grew with time throughout the novel.
My favorite quotes:
“I loved you so loudly, and you let it echo.”
“But love isn’t a reward for endurance.”
“Next time, you won’t build a home in someone else’s hesitation.”
Can’t wait to read more from this series!
My favorite quotes:
“I loved you so loudly, and you let it echo.”
“But love isn’t a reward for endurance.”
“Next time, you won’t build a home in someone else’s hesitation.”
Can’t wait to read more from this series!
January 24, 2026
Almost Home is a beautifully emotional second-chance romance that lingers long after the final page. Shannon and Arden’s reunion is tender, steamy, and full of the kind of longing that never truly fades. The small-town lakeside setting, slow-burn chemistry, and heartfelt family dynamics add so much depth and warmth. This story hurts in the best way before it heals and it’s an unforgettable start to The Lake Effect Series.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews