Beach Reads
By Cindy Bilbao
Storm Season, A Hatteras Island Novel
By Jan Dawson
Susan Kent, owner of the Hatteras Hideaway Motel on Cape Hatteras Island in North Carolina, is blessed to have her granddaughter Jo helping her out during summer breaks from school. This season she’s especially grateful for Jo’s help as the first hurricane of the year bears down on the shore town. For Susan, this hurricane brings back devastating memories from long ago about storm damage and also the disappearance of Chris, the love of her life. Susan has tried for all these years to forget about Chris’s mysterious disappearance from her life but is ready to share her painful story with Jo as they wait out the storm.
In the aftermath of the storm, Susan has to deal with the emotional fallout of her past, while Jo is navigating her own relationship issues with her mother. As summer turns to fall and Jo gets ready to head back to college, the three women work to repair their relationships alongside the storm-damaged island.
Emotions are blowing as strong as the hurricane winds in this story of unresolved issues and how they can wreak havoc within relationships.
Tangled Lines, A Hatteras Island Novel
By Jan Dawson
Jo has been offered a summer internship with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts to study jellyfish, which is her area of special interest. Jo believes that accepting this amazing opportunity for the future of her career is worth leaving Cape Hatteras, her family, and her best friend Dare to spend the entire summer in Massachusetts.
Jo navigates her new life in New England, working in the lab and meeting new friends, including her major benefactor, Adam Longford. Back home, Dare is getting used to the absence of his best friend, when he meets Chelsea, a recent college graduate who is in Cape Hatteras for the summer.
As the summer draws to a close, a dangerous incident helps both Jo and Dare learn about what is most important in their lives.
This story follows Jo and Dare from the previous book Storm Season, however you don’t need to have read that book to enjoy this romance about following your heart and trusting your instincts. Hooked on You is the third in this series of novels, which includes some of the characters from the other two books.
Fun fact: The artwork of the shells and jellyfish on the cover of Tangled Lines is by Beachcombing contributor Tiffany Meekins, who also lives in the Outer Banks.
For more books for reference, inspiration, and reading, visit Cindy’s list of the Best Beachcombing Books, Best New Beachcombing Books, and her list of favorite Children’s Beach Books.
Read more beach book recommendations from Cindy Bilbao.
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This article appeared in Beachcombing Magazine Volume 50 September/October 2025.
