Ever read a book that is so enjoyable that you don’t want it to end? That’s how I felt reading Beach House for Rent. Some of the characters were familiar from previous novels but this is absolutely a stand-alone. Heather, an artist who has suffered from extreme anxiety since her mother’s death in a horrific car accident, lives with her father in Charlotte, NC. He’s recently remarried—and his new wife is not much older than Heather. Since his daughter has received a commission to paint shore birds, he rents her a cottage on the Isle of Palms, in low country SC. Heather is fearful of being on her own for the first time, but she relaxes as she meets friendly islanders, especially a handsome gentleman who has been hired to complete a deck on the house she is renting. When a shocking tragedy changes everything for Heather and her new friends, she starts to realize how strong she has become. Mary Alice Monroe has created a story, a setting, and a group of multifaceted characters which draw the reader in, making this novel an inviting choice to curl up with for a weekend reading marathon.