The Recipe for Staying

A heartfelt, slow-burn love story about rebuilding home, rediscovering self-worth, and finding comfort in every imperfect bite

De: Wren Sue Maxwell

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

Mara Cardenas didn’t come home to fall in love again—she came to flip pancakes, fix the diner her aunt left behind, and prove she could still stand in a kitchen without shaking. Harbor Point was supposed to be temporary: a stopover between heartbreak and the next big thing. But when the smell of fryer oil and salt air starts to feel like belonging again, Mara realizes she’s not just repairing a restaurant—she’s rebuilding herself.

Dylan Rhodes never planned to stay either. The town handyman with sawdust in his hair and guilt tucked beneath his easy grin, he knows how to fix broken doors and leaking pipes, but not the silence between him and the woman he once let go. When Mara’s diner needs more than a coat of paint, Dylan steps in to help—and finds that every hammer swing brings them closer to something neither of them expected.

As pancakes flip and gossip sizzles, Mara and Dylan’s slow-burn attraction stirs back to life. Between sunrise breakfasts and late-night repairs, their shared rhythm feels inevitable—but fear still lingers under the surface. She’s learned that love can leave burn marks. He’s learned that promises can splinter. Together, they’ll have to decide if the risk of staying is worth the recipe they’re writing one morning at a time.

Set against the warmth of a seaside town and the comforting chaos of a kitchen, The Recipe for Staying is a tender, body-positive romance celebrating second chances, real hunger, and the courage it takes to stay. With humor, heat, and heartfelt vulnerability, this story reminds readers that love doesn’t ask for perfection—only presence.