If you love later-in-life love stories, gentle mysteries, community meddling, and books that celebrate food, healing, and new beginnings, this one might be right up your street.
Tropes & Vibes
- Small-town romance
- Second chances
- Grumpy/sunshine dynamic
- Widow healing arc
- Cozy mystery elements
- Café setting
- Found family
- Community meddling
- Billionaire-next-door hero
A missing recipe. A meddling cat. And a second chance sweeter than she ever imagined…
When Maggie Hayes moves to the picturesque town of Maple Ridge to open The Strawberry & Thyme Café, she’s chasing a dream she and her late husband never got to share. Her heirloom strawberry-thyme jam is an instant hit, until the secret recipe disappears just before the town’s Golden Harvest Festival.
Enter Jameson Whitmore, the town’s notoriously gruff billionaire landlord who owns half of Maple Ridge, including Maggie’s beloved café. Jameson has spent decades quietly nursing old wounds in self-imposed solitude, only baking elaborate pastries anonymously at night. But when his mischievous Persian cat, Reginald, drags Maggie’s missing recipe into the open, Jameson finds himself drawn into the charming chaos and warmth that Maggie and her café bring to his life.
Together, this unlikely pair races against time, a fiercely competitive rival vendor, and a town-wide jam craze to unravel the mystery behind the family recipe. A journey that leads them to a surprising discovery of shared family histories, long-held secrets, and perhaps the courage to love again.
With heartfelt humour, delicious twists, and a community you’ll wish was your own, this cozy later-in-life romance is perfect for fans of The Thursday Murder Club, Jenny Colgan, and sweet second chances that taste like home.
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Sophie Toovey 