The Story Between Us

By Sarah May Warren and Susan May Warren

Best friend's older brother. The almost-kiss summer. And one bestselling manuscript that's years overdue.

Livvie Fox has spent six years being too nice for New York publishing-bringing cupcakes to the man who stole her promotion, watching senior agents take credit for the books she fought for, smiling while the bestseller list ticks past her name and lands on someone else's.

Then her agency drops the bomb: bestselling reclusive author Ian Rivers is two years past deadline. The contract is about to die. The agency is about to take a hit it can't afford. And if Livvie can't fix it, she's the one out the door.

Someone like the woman who knew him before he was Ian Rivers.

Before the bestsellers. Before the funeral. Before the night on a Maple Lake dock when she told him exactly how she felt and he just stood there, frozen, while every star in northern Minnesota watched her heart break.

Nate Rivers shouldn't open his door.

Not for the publisher. Not for the lawyer. Not for the woman who walked off his sister's dock seven years ago and took half the world with her.

But Livvie Fox is back in Maple Lake. With stolen soup. With his sister's name in her mouth. With a publisher's deadline that could cost him the only house left where Emma still feels real.

The town is gearing up for the Flannel Festival. The maples are turning. The dogs already love her. And the chapter Nate has been refusing to write for three years is suddenly demanding a co-author.

Some what-ifs deserve a second chapter.

Tropes you'll love

Best friend's older brotherThe almost-kiss summer (second-chance romance)Grumpy reclusive author sunshine literary agentForced collaboration (agent her bestselling author)Found family + faith arc

Falling for Flannel-some stories are worth coming home for.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0HHTPRZV2
• ISBN13: 9798950225055
• Release Date: September 2026
• Publisher: Sunrise Publishing
• Length: 348 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Sweet Romance

I really enjoyed this sweet romance about Nate and Livvie. They have been friends for years but when Nate's sister Emma dies they break contact. Nate and Emma were a writing team known as Ian Rivers, Livvie works at the publishing house that published their books. Livvie returns to Maple Lake where her aunt is a next door neighbor to Nate, she is determined to get him over his writing block. I really liked how they encouraged each other in healing and dealing with their grief of losing Emma.

You need to visit Maple Lake

"You trust that God's writing a better story than you could have plotted yourself." Wow, I was not expecting Nate and Livvie's story to make me cry. But it did. It will make you cry tears of sorrow, redemption, and joy throughout the book. Nate's grief was palpable - a living thing that he could only hide from. His creative spirit, joy in writing, love for life and faith were all hidden beneath his grief without a way out until Livvie literally barged into his life to shake him up. Livvie had to shed her people pleasing tendencies and need to be useful and to stand up for herself. I loved how Livvie's faith in Nate gave him the inspiration to write and how Nate's faith in Livvie helped her realize she's seen and loved. The grump vs. sunshine trope mixed in with old adolescent crush becoming more worked perfectly with Nate and Livvie. The fantasy book Nate was writing really hooked me; I think Sarah and Susan May Warren should venture into YA fantasy! I really enjoyed visiting Maple Lake, MN and can't wait for the next book in the series. I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Sunrise Publishing and was under no obligation to post a positive comment. All opinions are my own.