Sometimes healing begins with the last thing you expect: A knock at the door.

Jessie Oakey thought she was heading into a peaceful new season of life. With four grown children and freedom to pursue her writing career, she was ready to enjoy retirement alongside Randall, her husband of 35 years. But everything changes in an instant when Randall dies in a tragic accident, and Jessie is left to rebuild a life she no longer recognizes.

Amid her grief, Jessie finds unexpected comfort in Paul Jameson, a kind, familiar face on a similar journey in widowhood. As they navigate heartbreak side by side, their connection deepens into something neither of them anticipated. But is it too soon? Too complicated? Or could this unexpected chapter be exactly what they both need?

Set in the breezy, sun-soaked town of Surfside Beach, The Tentative Knock is the first in a heartfelt new series about life's curveballs, second chances, and finding love and laughter even in the wake of loss.

With relatable characters, Gen-X nostalgia, and Southern coastal charm, Kelly Capriotti Burton's debut will resonate with fans of Rachel Hanna, Kristy Woodson Harvey, and T.I. Lowe, and anyone who knows that life doesn't always follow the script, but it can still lead somewhere beautiful.