Love, Louisa

By Barbara Metzger

Book Overview

Love, Louisa is a heartfelt, uplifting story of heartbreak, resilience, and the courage to rebuild your life on your own terms--perfect for readers craving emotional depth, humor, and small-town coastal charm.

A perfect summer romance

Jilted at the altar, Louisa trades her designer heels for flip-flops and a fresh start in a forgotten beach town--but can she rebuild her life when her past won't let go?

When Louisa's fianc leaves her standing alone at the altar, her carefully constructed Manhattan life shatters in an instant. With nowhere else to turn, she retreats to her family's rundown summer cottage in Paumonok Harbor, determined to piece herself back together--one leaky roof and overgrown garden at a time. Armed with a rescue dog named Galahad and a fierce resolve to never depend on anyone again, Louisa begins to carve out a new existence far from the judgmental whispers of the city. But starting over isn't as simple as she hoped, especially when her ex keeps showing up, the locals are skeptical, and the gruff handyman next door makes her heart race in ways she swore she'd never allow again.

Can Louisa let go of the past and trust her heart again--or will fear keep her from the life she truly deserves?

Perfect for fans of Elin Hilderbrand, Dorothea Benton Frank, and Nancy Thayer. Readers who enjoyed small town coastal romance and summer beach reads will fall in love with this uplifting story of starting over after betrayal and embracing new beginnings.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1592116477
• ISBN13: 9781592116478
• Release Date: July 2026
• Publisher: Histria Romance
• Length: 312 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

You'll fall in love with Louisa too

Left at the altar (by her fiance Howard and his share of the guests), and out of a job and home, and returning from the solo honeymoon from hell, Louisa escapes to the family vacation home on Long Island during off season to hang out and contemplate her future (and spar with the local surly handyman). Dante is sexy, but he is more than just a handyman, he is actually quite wealthy, and he has his share of woman troubles - namely a dependent aging aunt, needy sister, and ex-wife who deserted him for another woman. All the early interactions with Dante and Louisa are hysterical, as she continually assumes he is the hired help and treats him as such, despite her growing attraction. After a stormy night, they fall into each other's arms. This is a cute story with two great protagonists who are too wounded to think that they are ready to take a chance on love. Makes for great escapism!

warm contemporary romance

In Manhattan, as an omen to her upcoming nuptials twenty-seven years old Louisa Walden wrecks the Porsche owned by her fiancé Howard on their engagement night party. Not long afterward, Howard fails to show up at their wedding. Alone she goes on her honeymoon. Since she had no job or place to live, having given up both to marry Howard and needing to escape New York, Louisa moves in the family summer home in Paumonck Harbor.Louisa meets hunk Dante Rivera who is working on the property next door and lets her believe he is a handyman. To his chagrin, Dante is attracted to Louisa, but does not want anther helpless woman in his life as he has his aunt, cousin and ex wife to wreck his well being. As he realizes that Louisa is strong and independent especially during a nasty storm, he falls in love with her, but still feels she holds the torch for Howard. Louisa has to find a way to let Dante know he is not a rebound, but the slam dunk real love of her life.Though you don't want to lend even a clinker of a car to Louisa (she wrecks a second one), fans will enjoy this warm contemporary romance starring two wonderful protagonists dealing with emotional setbacks. While Louisa wonders why Howard chickened out, Dante's first wife left him for a woman and now wants him to provide the seed for artificial insemination so that the lesbian couple can raise a baby. Fans will enjoy this fine modern day tale of a second chance to find real love.Harriet Klausner

Love, Louisa

Courtesy of WWW.Loveromances.comLOVE, LOUISA by Barbara MetzgerRITA Award winning author Barbara Metzger takes the reader to the fictional beachside town of Paumonok Harbor, located at the eastern end of the South Fork Hamptons of Long Island, where a young woman named Louisa tries to forget the embarrassment and shame of being left at the altar. It sounds tragic, but LOVE, LOUISA is anything but tragic. Instead, it's an often funny, often lighthearted story of one woman who does her best to get back on her feet, get over the loser of a fiancé that decided not to show up at their wedding, and recover the dignity she knew she once had.The story starts in New York --- to be precise, Manhattan. It is the eve of their engagement party, and Louisa has just crashed Howard's "beloved" Porsche. As they argue over the accident and the money that is involved, the conversation moves to finances and even worse, pre-nuptial agreements. Louisa is appalled that the man she loves is worried about what could happen in the event of a divorce! This was surely a bad omen, but Louisa fails to see it as such. When Howard and his entire set of friends and family members fail to show up at the wedding, it's pretty obvious that he's changed his mind and Louisa carries on at the wedding reception as if nothing is wrong, and goes on the honeymoon by herself. She paid for it, so she might as well enjoy it!Things couldn't get worse, but they do. She returns from the Bahamas with the worst sunburn ever, ending up in the emergency room. That's not the end of it. It's one thing after another, from the wedding to the end of her honeymoon, written in the style that is quite popular with today's chick lit and comedic-romances. This reviewer had a difficult time keeping from laughing out loud. Although we do want to sympathize with Louisa, it is still pretty funny. She is definitely not having any luck!Louisa then has to figure out where she is going to live. She has to retrieve her belongings from Howard's apartment (which used to be theirs, but he has thoughtfully changed the lock) and figure out where she is going to work (she and Howard were employed for the same company, so she gladly stepped down for her future husband). Her life is a mess.Remembering the family cottage near the South Hamptons, Louisa decides to go there and set up camp for a while, at least until she can figure out what to do next. As she buries herself in housework and tries to fix up the place, she finds herself getting acquainted with the handyman, Dante. It takes Louisa a long time to figure out, but Dante actually owns many of the dwellings in the area, and so Louisa in the mean time treats him like the hired help. He's actually one of the wealthiest men around. It is one funny scene after another, as always caused by misunderstandings. And through all of this, Louisa finds herself wildly attracted to him, which causes her to panic. The feelings are mutual, of course.LOVE, LOUISA is on