Zen & Zest
Rachel Gaines
When Ava Carson uproots her life and moves to the coastal town of Seabrook, she isn’t searching for love—she’s searching for herself. After years of exhaustion, heartbreak, and giving more than she ever received, Ava hopes the ocean air will help her breathe again. What she doesn’t expect is Julian Hale—calm, steady, quietly magnetic. A stranger whose presence feels like both peace and spark.
But healing never happens in a straight line.
Just as Ava begins to trust the stillness she’s found, her past resurfaces. Derrick—familiar, complicated, and unresolved—returns with perfect timing and terrible intention. And Julian’s past carries a shadow of its own when Alina reappears, pulling him into memories he isn’t ready to revisit.
Old patterns collide with new possibilities.
Emotional storms roll in to test the fragile calm Ava has built.
And the choice becomes impossible to
Will she retreat into the life she left behind…
or step into a future she never imagined?
Zen & Zest is a beautifully layered novel filled with atmospheric coastal charm, slow-burning romance, emotional twists, and the tender, complicated process of becoming whole. Perfect for readers who crave heartfelt drama, messy love, and stories that linger long after the last page.
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