What do you think?
Rate this book
Life By The Cove #1
Secrets At The Bakery
A quiet widower seeking peace. A lonely comedian who craves connection. And a charming island town with big secrets…
Tucked away on a beautiful island off the idyllic coast of Maine, widower Valerie Carnalli looks forward to a busy tourist season to keep her hands busy and her bakery afloat. But this spring will be anything but normal.
Because when the down-on-his-luck comedian and ventriloquist Stew Miltort arrives in town to visit, Valerie is plunged into a pair of perplexing mysteries that stretch deep into the waters of Lobster Cove.
Stew is desperate to reconnect with his teenage daughter. After Stew lets her start working part-time at Valerie’s bakery, he and Valerie quickly find their paths interlocked.
Lobster Cove has always been an island of secrets. And when Valerie receives an unexpected visit from a mysterious man, it challenges everything she thought she knew about Stew. And brings even more questions about her husband’s death.
Valerie loves the small town of Lobster Cove and her bakery. But will she find a second chance at love? Or will her hopes be swept out to sea and swallowed by the deep?
A feel-good clean romance and puzzling mysteries, Secrets At The Bakery is a delightful contemporary women’s fiction series that combines a beautiful small-town seaside backdrop and warm, lovable characters.
Tucked away on a beautiful island off the idyllic coast of Maine, widower Valerie Carnalli looks forward to a busy tourist season to keep her hands busy and her bakery afloat. But this spring will be anything but normal.
Because when the down-on-his-luck comedian and ventriloquist Stew Miltort arrives in town to visit, Valerie is plunged into a pair of perplexing mysteries that stretch deep into the waters of Lobster Cove.
Stew is desperate to reconnect with his teenage daughter. After Stew lets her start working part-time at Valerie’s bakery, he and Valerie quickly find their paths interlocked.
Lobster Cove has always been an island of secrets. And when Valerie receives an unexpected visit from a mysterious man, it challenges everything she thought she knew about Stew. And brings even more questions about her husband’s death.
Valerie loves the small town of Lobster Cove and her bakery. But will she find a second chance at love? Or will her hopes be swept out to sea and swallowed by the deep?
A feel-good clean romance and puzzling mysteries, Secrets At The Bakery is a delightful contemporary women’s fiction series that combines a beautiful small-town seaside backdrop and warm, lovable characters.
61 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 24, 2026
38 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 25, 2026
This is a great start to a new series. It is a short read and ends with a cliffhanger. It reminds me of some of the author's previous stories where I fell drawn into the story from the start and felt a fondness for the characters. This appears to have a variety of possible story lines that are interesting and that I would like to learn more about. The characters are interesting and some very endearing. The story takes place in a small quaint seaside lobster town. This one may be one of my favorites if I continue on this great path.
I received an ARC, and I am leaving my own thoughts without the influence of the publisher or author.
I received an ARC, and I am leaving my own thoughts without the influence of the publisher or author.
January 24, 2026
Stan is a comedian with a 14 year old daughter, Emily (whose mother left when she was born) and is very unhappy that her Dad moved them back to Georgia from California & Las Vegas. But, Stew realized, he was always working and that was not the place for Emily.
They head for Lobster Cove, Maine to visit his STRANGE sister, Stacey.
Let's see what develops on the island.
This is an advanced reader copy and I am leaving this review voluntarily
They head for Lobster Cove, Maine to visit his STRANGE sister, Stacey.
Let's see what develops on the island.
This is an advanced reader copy and I am leaving this review voluntarily
January 24, 2026
Great start to a new series. Strong characters and clean mystery. Should be a few laughs as one character is a comedian. Hmmm!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews