She’s a librarian on vacation. He’s a reclusive author who’s scared to trust. Can their friendship survive her departure?
When Sarah Linden-Price arrives at a rental cabin in Maine, she has only one goal—to complete the promised photography project for her best friend and head back to Manhattan. Making friends isn’t part of the plan. But when a walk on the beach results in a mishap with a man … in a mishap with a man and his dog, she’s surprised to discover they’re old acquaintances.
For Dean Jensen, the small town of St. Martin’s Cove is the perfect escape—and the perfect opportunity to keep his pen name a secret. He has no intention of moving back to New York City, and even less of falling in love. But then he reconnects with Sarah, and everything starts to change.
As Dean helps Sarah with her photography project, his feelings deepen beyond the youthful crush from their college days. But as her time in Maine winds down, they’re both left wondering what sacrifices their blossoming relationship is worth.
Between Now and Forever is a clean & wholesome standalone romance novella.
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Sarah and Dean have quite the reunion. Their story was so sweet and so short. I enjoyed the epilogue, but I wish the story had been longer because I enjoyed them so much and wanted more. This is a sweet second chance romance.
The Beach, The Boy, The Girl, The Dog
Charming and sweet second chance romance, narrated lovingly by Madelyn Cooper.
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
She’s a librarian on vacation. He’s a reclusive author who’s scared to trust. Can their friendship survive her departure?
When Sarah Linden-Price arrives at a rental cabin in Maine, she has only one goal—to complete the promised photography project for her best friend and head back to Manhattan. Making friends isn’t part of the plan. But when a walk on the beach results in a mishap with a man and his dog, she’s surprised to discover they’re old acquaintances.
For Dean Jensen, the small town of St. Martin’s Cove is the perfect escape—and the perfect opportunity to keep his pen name a secret. He has no intention of moving back to New York City, and even less of falling in love. But then he reconnects with Sarah, and everything starts to change.
As Dean helps Sarah with her photography project, his feelings deepen beyond the youthful crush from their college days. But as her time in Maine winds down, they’re both left wondering what sacrifices their blossoming relationship is worth.
MY TAKE
This novella is a delicious bit of sweetness, and I loved it! Dean had a crush on Sarah back in their freshman year in college, so it’s a great surprise for him when they (literally) run into each other. What follows is a fun couple of weeks of them getting reacquainted and Dean falling all over again. My favorite part of a romance is the whole falling in love. This one is fun as Susan who’d kind of had a thing for him too all those years ago falls too. There are some stumbling blocks to get over, but the end is charming.
I loved how attentive Dean was for Sarah’s comfort and safety. He was always watching out for her without being smothering. He reminded me of my husband. <3
I listened to the audiobook, and Madelyn Cooper did a great job!
Between Now and Forever by Lucinda Whitney (3.5 stars)
I wanted to step inside this book and live there! These two live in a rather idyllic world.
I do love it when the main male protagonist knows that this is the woman he’s always wanted, the one who has ruined him for any other woman, and woo’s her and cares for her.
Not much character development because this is a novella, but a solid love story without much angst.
*poor, **ok, ***good, ****very good, *****something special
This is a very sweet novella by author Lucinda Whitney. It was a quick evening read for me and I really enjoyed the setting and the characters. Sarah and Dean reconnect after years and it was fun watching them find their way into a gentle romance after finding the base of friendship again.
The ocean, the storms (perfect for snuggling), the sunrises and the food all made for some pretty pictures in my head. There were lots of warm fuzzies to be had in this story! I need to visit Maine! But not in October. Maybe in the summer?
This Kindle book is just $.99 right now. Happy reading!
Content: kissing
– I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
Maine is a mystical and intriguing place to me and one I need to visit. Every time I read a book set there, I have feelings of warmth and coziness, even in the midst of the cool and chill. Sarah and Dean and their perfect vacation reconnection oozed comfort and swoon, and this was the perfect book to settle in with for the day.
I loved these characters and this setting. The small town autumn mists and rains were the perfect backdrop for a delightful and charming second-chance-to-rekindle-a-crush-romance that made my heart flutter. Although this story is short and sweet, it felt well-rounded and complete. I really need to visit Maine…
Content: mild romance (kissing, swoon)
*I received a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given.*
Lucinda Whitney has once again written an amazing novel.
This is a short, clean, second chance romance.
The characters became my friends and I loved the way they handled their dilemmas.
The plot was so enjoyable to read, this is one of my favorite genres.
This is a 5-star read.
What a wonderful new story from one of my favorite contemporary authors. It’s a sweet second-chance-at-love story that sucked me into Sarah and Dean’s world. Neither of them are looking for love but thanks to Sarah’s walk on the beach at night she literally falls for Dean (and his dog Charlie). It’s not until the next day when they see each other that Sarah realizes it was Dean she’d tripped over on the beach. Dean from her freshman year ethics class. Dean the shy guy she’d had a crush on 11 years ago. Little did Sarah know that Dean had had a crush on her too.
Don’t you love these kind of second-chance-at-love stories? There’s no baggage from previously dating each other and then breaking up, because neither knew the other was interested. I loved seeing them learn new things about each other, and I worried when Sarah accidently found out Dean’s “secret” before he could tell her. Thankfully she was adult about it and he could explain why he didn’t tell her sooner.
I really liked the lack of angst, games or interference from friends and exes. It made this a quick and fun read about two adults reconnecting and getting to know each other. There are a couple of yummy recipes at the end.
Between Now and Forever is novella length. I hated to say goodbye to Sarah and Dean. Despite its shot length, the romance is slow building and the characters have surprising depth. I know Sarah’s job was in New York, but I would have tried to stay in St. Martin’s Cove. St. Martin’s Cove is a perfect getaway. I love Lucinda Whitney’s books. This one was a great afternoon escape.
This is one of the sweetest books I have ever read. A librarian and an author – such a great combo. Sarah and Dean knew each other in college and secretly had a crush on each other. Loved their reunion – pretty funny scene. Dean Jensen – I immediately thought of Jensen Ackles (Dean). So as I’m reading guess who is in my mind as Dean? Great descriptions that made me feel like I was their with them. This might be a short read but so very well developed. I did not think anything was missing. Really sweet ending.
This was a sweet second chance vacation romance novella. Dean and Sarah had a crush on each other in college, but neither of them had the courage to say anything. They meet again when she’s vacationing at the beach house next to his in Maine. It was so sweet that took her to a lighthouse for sunrise pictures and clamming and made her a yummy sounding dinner. His rescue dog Charlie was adorable. I loved that Sarah is a librarian and Dean is a writer because I love to read.
What a fun, romantic story with wonderful characters, set in beautiful Maine , that will make you hungry for fresh seafood and blueberries. This story may also have you remembering friends from college. It was interesting to find out Sarah and Dean had shared a class together freshman year and that he had had a crush on her but was too shy to ask her out. How interesting to have them meet up again by chance eleven years later and he still has feelings for Sarah. I enjoyed their love for books that they shared. I loved the characters and the romantic story that Lucinda Whitney wove. It makes me want to stay in a cottage on the beach in Maine. This is definitely a book that I will read again! I received an advance copy of this book and I willingly chose to write an honest review.
“Between Now and Forever” by Lucinda Whitney
I Loved this Sweet Clean romance story. It portrays coastal Maine weather and the remoteness of this town so very well. And, then, there are Sarah and Dean’s back stories and their today stories… Oh, I would love to share more of what I love about this story… but I do not want to take the chance of spoiling your chance to discover what I loved about this story for yourself. Happy Reading ! !
Note: I received an ARC of this story.
College friends reconnecting and finding a second chance at love is the theme of this sweet novella. Although the story is short it nevertheless holds the reader’s interest, which made it difficult for me to put down. I loved the main characters, Sarah and Dean but Charlie definitely played his part as well. Meeting Sarah once again reminds Dean of all his old insecurities and even though they spend almost every day together in the tiny cove, Dean is slow to make a move which results in him making the same mistakes all over again. It takes a step of faith for him to express himself honestly to a heartbroken Sarah, and when he does it is to find that she too has made her move. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, a copy of which I received as a gift and this is my honest and voluntary review.
Very sweet and romantic – the two “burned before” friends find something extra special in each other for a beautiful happy ending.
I enjoy quick reads when they are well developed! Lucinda Whitney didn’t disappoint! Conflicts weren’t drawn out and I was able to connect to the characters. The narrator Madelyn cooper, also did a great job. She is enjoyable to listen to and helped make the story come alive. She also did well differentiating the different speaking characters. I received this audiobook free and provided an honest review.
“Between Now and Forever” is a wonderful tender romance.
Short and sweet!
A short read, and very clean as well. Old friends reunite unexpectedly in a small coastal Maine town. They were old college friends, but now Dean is a famous published author who tries to hide his pen name, and Sarah is a librarian with the prestigious Masterson Library in Manhattan. Sarah is visiting St. Martin’s Cove for two weeks to photograph the place where her best friend’s husband grew up. Rachael had intended to go on the trip with Sarah, but her pregnancy complications restricted her to bed rest. Sarah finds herself spending every day with Dean and her affection for him grows. She only has two weeks to spend at the coastal home, while Dean owns his home and has no plans to leave it. Dean shows Sarah the best local spots and enjoys having her over for breakfast and dinner most days. On Sarah’s last day, they had plans to do so many things together, but Dean’s publisher insists he join him in Boston for talks about his books. Sarah returns home feeling abandoned, and Dean is heartbroken that he abandoned Sarah on her final day in Maine.
Will they be able to continue their relationship? How will it work with them living in different states?
I enjoyed taking a journey to the beautiful St. Martin’s Cove in Lucinda Whitney’s Between Now and Forever. I fell in love with Sarah and Dean and so happy to meet them in this quick story. I was engaged throughout and could not put it down until the end.
I am giving Between Now and Forever five plus stars. I highly recommend it to readers who love a good clean romance. I adored it and believe many readers will agree.
I received this book from the author, but was not required to write a review. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.
A sweet short story that had a swoony guy. I appreciated that they worked out their problems towards a happily ever after. I’ve been to Maine and we fell in love with it’s beauty so the setting was lovely.