Marybeth Whalen

After an accident at the community pool and the return of a long-absent community member, the secret-filled lives of the residents of Sycamore Glen, North Carolina can no longer remain hidden from view.

The things we wish were true

While vacationing in Sunset Beach with her children, Lindsey struggles to cope with the pain of a sudden divorce and an unexpected reunion with her first love Campbell, now a divorced father with problems of his own.

A Novel

The Mailbox

a novel

The guest book

"Ariel Baxter has just moved into the neighborhood of her dreams. However, the chaos of domestic life and the loneliness of motherhood moved with her. Then she meets her new neighbor Justine Miller. Justine ushers Ariel into a world of clutter-free houses, fresh-baked bread, homemade crafts, neighborhood playdates, and organization techniques designed to make marriage better and parenting manageable. Soon Ariel realizes there is hope for peace, friendship, and clean kitchen counters. But when rumors start to circulate about Justine's real home life, Ariel must choose whether to believe the best about the friend she admires or consider the possibility that 'perfection' isn't always what it seems to be."--P. [4] of cover.

She makes it look easy

Debra Clopton

Beth Wiseman

The honor of your presence is requested at three summer weddings, in A June Bride by Marybeth Whalen,A July Bride by Beth Wiseman and An August Bride by Debra Clopton. Simultaneous eBook.

A Year of Weddings Novella Collection

Summer Brides

The Guest Book Twenty-five years after she began exchanging drawings with a mysterious boy in the guest book of a Carolina beach house, Macy Dillon is back at Sunset Beach—this time toting a hurting heart and a broken family. Questions of childhood, loss, and longing for love are explored in author Marybeth Whalen’s touching and thought-provoking, The Guest Book. The Wishing Tree Savvy, determined Ivy Marshall discovers that her husband has cheated on her on the very same day her sister’s perfect boyfriend proposes on national television. When Ivy’s mother asks her to return to her family’s beach home to plan her sister’s upcoming wedding, she decides to use the excuse to escape from the pain of her broken heart. The Bridge Tender A surprise gift from her late husband will give a young widow the chance to do the hardest thing in the world . . . move on.

The Guest Book, The Wishing Tree, The Bridge Tender

The Sunset Beach Collection

Savvy, determined Ivy Marshall discovers that her husband has cheated on her on the very same day her sister’s perfect boyfriend proposes on national television. When Ivy’s mother asks her to return to her family’s beach home to plan her sister’s upcoming wedding, she decides to use the excuse to escape from the pain of her broken heart. When her return to Sunset Beach, North Carolina, brings Ivy face to face with her former fiancé, old feelings are rekindled and she wonders if there is a future for them. However, when Ivy refuses to talk to her husband, he resorts to tweeting to her, expressing his remorse and making it clear he doesn’t want to give up on their marriage. As she helps prepare the wishing tree for her sister’s wedding, she must examine her dreams for her own future and what true love should be. “A lovely journey of discovery and forgiveness.” —Sheila Roberts, best-selling author of What She Wants “Marybeth Whalen writes with a light hand, skillfully blending issues of faith and the realities of modern life into a compelling and believable read.” —Marie Bostwick, New York Times best-selling author of Between Heaven and Texas

The Wishing Tree

Centered on a real landmark on the coast of North Carolina, The Mailbox blends intriguing folklore and true faith with raw contemporary issues that affect every woman. When Lindsey Adams first visits the Kindred Spirit mailbox at Sunset Beach, she has no idea that twenty years later she will still be visiting the mailbox—still pouring out her heart in letters that summarize the best and worst parts of her life. Returning to Sunset for her first vacation since her husband left her, Lindsey struggles to put her sorrow into words. Memories surface of her first love, Campbell—and the rejection that followed. When Campbell reappears in her life, Lindsey must decide whether to trust in love again or guard herself from greater pain. The Mailbox is a rich novel about loss, hope, and the beauty of second chances.

Denise Hunter

Katie Ganshert

Rachel Hauck

Deborah Raney

Betsy St. Amant

Lenora Worth

Beth K. Vogt

Meg Moseley

Kathryn Springer

Happily ever after begins today. The honor of your presence is requested at a year of weddings . . . A January Bride Madeleine Houser’s pen-pal friendship with a lonely widower has taken an unexpected turn. A February Bride Allie left the love of her life at the altar—to save him from her family curse. A March Bride Susanna found her prince, and happily ever after is just around the corner. But first, they must pass one final test. An April Bride Weeks away from the wedding, Stella and Marshall must choose between faith in their past love or a very different future than either imagined. A May Bride Ellie has prepared for her wedding all her life . . . but she's forgotten the most important part. A June Bride The reality show ended with an engagement, so why doesn’t this feel like the fairy tale Wynne thought it would be? A July Bride In a moment of total panic, Brendan left Alyssa at the altar. What will it take for him to win her back? An August Bride As far as Kelsey Wilcox is concerned, her last cowboy was the last cowboy. A September Bride Annie is ready to call this new town home, but one handsome policeman is ready to stand in her way . . . even if it means walking her down the aisle. An October Bride What if the only way to make your father’s last wish come true . . . was to marry the man of your dreams? A November Bride Can a decades-long friendship marred by romantic missteps ever lead to happily ever after for Sadie and Erik? A December Bride What started as a whim turned into an accidental—and very public—engagement in Chapel Springs this holiday season.

Twelve Love Stories

A Year of Weddings

In the tradition of Nicholas Sparks, Marybeth Whalen's novel The Wishing Tree treats us to a story about the wishes we make for love, and the surprising turns those wishes can take. As Ivy Marshall helps prepare the wishing tree for her sister's wedding, she must examine her own hopes for the future and decide what love should be.

A surprise gift from her late husband will give a young widow the chance to do the hardest thing in the world . . . move on. On their honeymoon, the new Mr. & Mrs. Ryan Shaw made a pact: No matter the sacrifices along the way, one day they would return to Sunset Beach, North Carolina—this time to buy their own home. But that dream was not to be. Seven years into a beautiful marriage, Emily is left a widow, heartbroken, and way past caring about anything. Until a man approaches her, claiming to have something left to her from Ryan. Something secret. Unsure if she can ever embrace a new life without her husband, but even less sure about continuing to stay where she is, Emily heads to the coast to keep her end of the promise she once made. Without delay, she becomes immersed in the lives of the locals, including the reclusive bridge tender with an unexpected past. As the community debates over building a new bridge, Emily must decide whether she will build a bridge of her own, one that will take her out of a painful past and into the new life—and new love—that her lost love made possible.

The Bridge Tender

When Macy Dillon was five years old her father encouraged her to draw a picture in the guestbook of a Carolina beach house. The next year, Macy returned to discover a drawing by an unidentified little boy on the facing page. Over the next eleven years the children continue to exchange drawings … until tragedy ends visits to the beach house altogether. During her final trip to Sunset, Macy asks her anonymous friend to draw her one last picture and tells him where to hide the guest book in hopes that one day she will return to find it—and him. Twenty-five years after that first picture, Macy is back at Sunset Beach—this time toting a broken family and a hurting heart. One night, alone by the ocean, Macy asks God to help her find the boy she never forgot, the one whose beautiful pictures touched something deep inside of her. Will she ever find him? And if she does, will the guestbook unite them or merely be the relic of a lost childhood?

Marybeth Whalen

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