Beach House for Rent (The Beach House)

Product Description New York Times Bestseller! Bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe returns to her beloved Isle of Palms to tell the poignant, charming story of two women, one summer, and one very special beach house. When Cara Rutledge rents out her quaint beach house on Isle of Palms to Heather Wyatt for the entire summer, it’s a win-win by any standard: Cara’s generating income necessary to keep husband Brett’s ecotourism boat business afloat, and anxiety-prone Heather, an young artist who’s been given a commission to paint birds on postage stamps, has a quiet space in which to work and tend to her pet canaries uninterrupted. It isn’t long, however, before both women’s idyllic summers are altered irrevocably: the alluring shorebirds—and the man who rescues them—begin to draw Heather out of the shell she’s cultivated toward a world of adventure, and maybe even love; at the same time, Cara’s life reels with sudden tragedy, and she wishes only to return to the beach house that had once been her port amidst life’s storms. When Heather refuses to budge from her newfound sanctuary, so begins the unlikeliest of rooming situations. While they start out as strangers, as everything around the women falls apart they learn that the only thing they can really rely on is each other. And, like the migrating shorebirds that come to the island for the summer, these two women of different generations must rediscover their unique strengths so by summer’s end they, too, can take flight in ways they never imagined possible. Review "Reading this novel feels like a long, luxurious trip to the beach. Mary Alice Monroe writes gorgeously, with authority and tenderness, about the natural world and its power to inspire, transport, and to heal. Readers will love this story of two unforgettable women–one reeling from an unexpected tragedy, the other drawn into a daring and passionate new love." -- --#1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs "Mary Alice Monroe understands that a house is never just a house. As we revisit The Beach House we are immersed in the heartbeat and pulse of her South Carolina Lowcountry as never before. Monroe’s singular ability to blend the natural world with the emotional world allows for a gorgeous novel, wondrously both bittersweet and also life-affirming. The story reveals its secrets with shorebirds and human hearts at the center of its graceful axis. No one else tells an insightful and powerful story quite like Mary Alice Monroe—and in BEACH HOUSE FOR RENT, you won’t be able to stop reading--for even that glass of sweet tea.” -- --New York Times bestselling author Patti Callahan Henry “Monroe continues her series featuring women who return to Primrose for comfort, healing, and strength. However, the books can stand alone…[Readers] will delight in this latest novel featuring women who need the healing power of nature.” ― Library Journal, starred review “Monroe’s newest installation in her Beach House series also serves as stand-alone novel, but faithful readers will recognize her ability to blend uniquely human stories with pressing environmental issues. Fans of Mary Kay Andrews and Mary Simses will adore this novel of simple pleasures, shifting priorities, and the power of self-discovery. Tender and inspiring with a touch of romance, it's just the thing to fill an empty beach bag.” ― Booklist "Her hallmark knack for plumbing the inner depths of her characters and connecting them with one another in ways that feel perfectly organic – all the while weaving in those environmental issues near and dear to her heart – is a winning formula that’s made Monroe one of the most beloved authors in the nation and a well-known champion of conservation causes." ― SCNow “…a charming and poignant story ideal for Summer reading.”  ― Pop Sugar “…a skilled storyteller who never lets her readers down…she makes Isle of Palms come enticingly alive, calling all readers to this garden of paradise which is just ripe for a v