The Cinnamon Bun Book Store

Hazel Kelly runs the coziest bookstore in Dream Harbor, famous as much for her cinnamon buns as for its shelves. But as her thirtieth birthday looms, she realizes her twenties slipped by without much of the adventure she always imagined — until she starts finding quotes highlighted in misplaced books, each one nudging her toward something bolder.

Noah Barnett, an easygoing local fisherman with a flirtatious streak, offers to help her chase down the clues. What begins as a lighthearted game — sailing, milkshakes, small dares — grows into something warmer and more complicated, even as both of them try to keep it casual. Noah has quietly carried a crush on the quiet bookseller for years, and old insecurities make him doubt he could ever be what she deserves.

The second book in Laurie Gilmore's Dream Harbor series, The Cinnamon Bun Book Store is a sweet, cozy small-town romance about stepping out of your comfort zone, the community that catches you, and the risk of letting someone in.