Book excerpt: For fans of Debbie Macomber and Elin Hilderbrand, Jean Stone’s “lovingly rendered” (Booklist) novels are heartwarming beach reads set on beautiful Martha's Vineyard, featuring bestselling mystery author and Vineyard Inn proprietor Annie Sutton as she makes a fresh start on the island she’s come to call home. There’s no place like home. Especially when home is an island paradise in full bloom . . . With her wedding only weeks away, Annie should be grateful to be back on Martha’s Vineyard, running her cozy Inn and crafting her artisan soaps. But her recent trip to L.A. to see her bestselling novels turned into films has her fantasizing about a life in California. Annie knows her fiancé, John, would never relocate—the small-town police officer’s whole life is here. And Annie is looking forward to the imminent birth of a baby in her own extended family. Yet somehow she can’t stop imagining . . . Then John’s older daughter is diagnosed with a serious illness, rocking their world and sending John off-island to tend to her, alongside his ex-wife. When Annie’s newfound celebrity attracts a stranger into her midst with a secret that could wreak havoc on her half-brother Kevin’s life, Annie is faced with a choice that will test their relationship. With the distance between her and John growing deeper every day, suddenly Annie is questioning everything—including her ties to the only place she has ever dared to call home . . .