The Cottage by the Cliffs (Love in Ballycove #1)

an alternate cover edition can be found here

One fake ring, one broken heart—and a second chance at love.

Big-city marketing star Tara Quinn returns to windswept Ballycove only to inherit a dilapidated cliff-top cottage—and the memories of the teenage sweetheart she left behind. Local carpenter Cillian Byrne offers a daring solution: announce a pretend engagement so nosy villagers, greedy developers, and Tara’s guilt all stay off her back while they restore the house.

It’s strictly business, zero feelings, no risk… until shared sunsets, salt-brushed laughter, and one stolen almost-kiss start turning the fakest romance in Ireland achingly real. As Cillian and Tara hammer at sagging roofs and dodge relentless gossip, Ballycove’s richest developer circles, eager to swap Granny’s roses for luxury lodges. Selling would solve Tara’s money worries—and wipe out Cillian’s livelihood. Staying means facing the grief she fled and the man whose heart she once shattered.

When their sham engagement is exposed during the midsummer regatta, Tara must retreat to Dublin’s neon comfort or stand beside the carpenter who’s rebuilt far more than a cottage—he’s rebuilt her courage to love. Can a make-believe promise survive crashing waves and cruel truths—or will real love claim the cliffs?