A fateful meeting where sand and ocean come together
This romance had an intriguing start: Grace and Fagan struggle both with their past - for good reason! Grace hopes to come to terms with it during a hermit-like artist residency in the dunes of Provincetown. Fagan stumbles across her shack during a relentless storm: The two women are thrown together in this tiny space for three days.
The author does a great job unfolding the meeting of these two „lost“ souls. What will happen when two people meet anonymously - no past, no future, no expectations just the present? Can this chance encounter become a catalyst for their lives? This part was so well done. I loved the vivid descriptions of the ocean, the dunes, Grace‘s painting.
I liked that this moment in time did not end immediately in a HEA - a slow dance begins where we learn more about those too.
There was one thing which irked me though: we don‘t get to anchor the two characters timewise - how long have they struggled, how inveterated may be their mental struggles? Fagan‘s age is eventually revealed, Grace remains a mystery.

I received an ARC. The review is left voluntarily.

This was a readable sapphic romance that was quite steamy 8n parts. However there was more to it than just that. The book tells the story of two women shattered by early experiences, one who was consumed with guilt the other suffering memory loss after nearly drowning. A chance encounter during a storm throws them together and in an on/off relationship being healing to each other. Definitely a good read.

Two women meet at a rustic cottage on Cape Cod. Grace Langley is staying there two weeks as an artist painting the dunes, ocean and sky. She likes having no commitments and it stems from guilt over a tragic accident where a childhood friend died. Fagan Shaw shows up wet at her door as a storm approaches. She has come to the coast to face her past. She almost drowned at the age of 18. She survived but has no memories of her life before the incident. She is hoping being at a place she used to spend her summers there may be some familiarity or memories to be found. The storm keeps them hunkered down together for a few intense days.

I liked the thoughtful way they talked about their feelings over their background experiences. I also love artists when they talk about how they see and create their art. But somehow my interest waned for the second half of the book after the residency on the dunes ends. Usually I like when there is realism of time and getting on with lives. Finding work, housing and taking more time for connections to grow. But I found myself just wanting to skip to the HEA. And it is a minor issue but the POV changes mid chapter, It often would take me out of the story having to think who is saying or thinking this. I think I’d rather have more obvious transitions even if it meant more chapters. I did like having both MC’s POVs. (3.5 Stars)

I really enjoyed this book, my only downfall was I don’t think enough was spoke about with Fagan’s memory, I’d of liked more on her rediscovering herself and finding out more of the truth, in my head, when Grace met the older couple, it felt like a missed opportunity — she should’ve introduced them to Fagan, hoping they might know something about her, Since they’d been going there for generations.

Some parts were heartbreaking, when she said “We were both looking for salvation from storms.” That got me, and with both of their past and the issues mentally that come with them situations and how hard it was for both of them to open up. Grace irritated me with the anger towards Fagan at some parts but I loved how Fagan helped grace get her spark back.


“The only fear I still carried was not having anyone to care for.” And “I think I've loved you from the moment you let me in.” Got me aswell, so beautifully written

Overall a great book.

I just finished Stranger in the Sand by Renee Roman and I was blown away. This is the first book I’ve read by Renee Roman and I really enjoyed it. This book moved me to tears at various points throughout the book. However, in the end, they were ultimately happy tears. It was a beautifully written wlw love story with plenty of spice and a HEA!

Fagan and Grace were both wonderfully complex and beautiful deep women whose love story made my heart smile. Both women are struggling with personal traumas and coping with life the best way they know how. Fagan suffered a drowning accident as a teenager which resulted in her near death and permanent retrograde amnesia. Her lack of memories leaves her feeling like half a person and unable to form true bonds, especially romantic ones. Grace watched her best friend be killed in front of her and is riddled with guilt and grief. She refuses to let anyone close for fear of losing anyone important ever…and boy can I relate to her. I very much understand the lasting impact and destruction of tragic loss and grief. Grace chose to isolate herself for her entire life to protect herself or maybe even to punish herself. Fagans lost childhood disabled her ability to truly love anyone outside her immediate family.

One fateful evening Fagan is forced to find shelter and ends up at Grace's doorstep. What begins as a relationship of circumstance and necessity, quickly becomes a connection so deep and pure that it has the power to heal them both. The two are forced into hunkering down together to weather a torrential storm. While Grace nurtures Fagan from the brink of hypothermia she can’t deny the intense physical attraction she feels for her & thankfully the feeling is mutual. What ensues is a will they or won’t they story and I was hanging on every word. These women helped each other to heal, grow & overcome. Their chemistry and connection jumps off the page. Their love grew in such a beautiful and organic way. I enjoyed the pacing and was glad they acted on their attraction early on. The spicy scenes were detailed and certainly made me blush. They added tremendous depth to the story and I truly enjoyed them!

In the end, despite a few obstacles, Fagan & Grace realize the depth of their love and stop running from commitment. This story gives a satisfying HEA making me sad to see the story end but happy to believe my girls found their way together! I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to Renee Roman, NETGALLEY & Bold Strokes Books for the privilege of an ARC in exchange for a truthful review!

Fagan has return to Cape Cod hoping she can regain her memories, memories she lost when she was eighteen. Grace is suffering from the lost of her childhood best friend as a child and because of it she has a hard time letting anyone close. Fagan and Grace meets when Fagan get caught up in a storm and knocks on Grace door as they wether the storm there’s is a instant attraction while getting to know each other although them getting together quickly I did like how they both helped each other with their trauma and grief and found new strength in friendship and love.


I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

I enjoyed the story and thought the author did a good job. Im still on the fence about how quickly thheir relationship developed. This does not take away from the fact that the author penned a good story. I will be revisiting this book at some point.

Thanmy you Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley.

This was an okay read, but I found the quick hop in the sack too soon after just meeting. I felt for both character’s trauma, and glad it was eventually resolved. The steamy scenes were well written, and I was glad for a HEA.

Each of the main characters has a past that still completely occupies the present.
Fagan has suffered from memory loss since the age of 18, Grace from the trauma of losing her best friend as a child. It was clear from the start that this wouldn't be an easy romance.
I found Fagan and Grace's story captivating, a little sad due to the past events and the trauma they experienced, but also hot.
It may have happened quickly for some, but I found the instant attraction captivating and erotic.
It was also comforting for both of them and fit wonderfully into the story.
I was actually surprised by how much I was interested in the question of whether they would make it out of the cabin. From the very first minute they are in the cabin during a storm, the two find each other incredibly attractive and give themselves to each other.
This leads to them helping each other overcome a lot in an intimate way.
The question is: Will they find each other again outside the cabin?
Unfortunately, they can't stay there forever...
Thanks so much for the ARC to the Author and Bold Strokes Books!

Grace ends up moving to Cape Cod because she has a lot of guilt with her best friend's death. She is hoping the move will do some good

Fagan comes back to Cape Cod hoping to regain the memories she lost as she doesn't have long term memory. She gets caught in a storm and seeks shelter at the closet place she could find.

I just want to say I hate when POV's switch randomly in the middle of a scene. It takes me out of the moment and I do not enjoy it. It's also hard to get with the initial attraction and longing when they barely knew each other. I know being stuck speeds things up sometimes, but this was unbelievable. I liked it better when they were out of the shack and in the real world.

Unfortunately this is another one that didn't do it for me. I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Searching for a new lease on life, artist and writer Grace takes up residency on Cape Cod. Grace, who prefers to keep to herself, carries guilt surrounding the death of her childhood best friend, and it holds her back. She hopes that with this recent change in her life that she can find peace and start living.

Fagan had a near-death experience in her teens which resulted in losing her long-term memory. It’s been years since then and Fagan decides to go back to the place where it all happened in hopes of regaining the memories she lost. While there, she gets caught in the middle of a storm and knocks on a shack door to seek shelter. From there, the two women spend days together in the shack waiting out the storm.

This was the first book I'd read by Roman, and I didn’t know what to expect going into this, so here I go. I loved that Grace and Fagan supported each other through their struggles with grief and trauma. I appreciated the dual POV because I enjoy a book more when I know both of their states of mind. I just wished that when the POV changed that it was chapter by chapter. Instead of what was done here where the POV changes section by section in the same chapter. I just felt like the flow would’ve been better instead of bouncing back and forth in the same chapter.

I understood that they were stuck in the shack together and had to wait out the storm, but things moved quickly between them. Instant attraction is something I could get behind, but the longing they felt after only knowing each other for a few days wasn't something I bought.  Thankfully, they weren't in the shack for the entire book, so I got to see their lives in the real world. 

Overall, I thought it was an okay read, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea. I hope fans of Roman will enjoy the read though.

The emotion in this book hit hard. It’s never easy to lose someone or something important to you and seeing the main characters lean on each other and growth was an entertaining read and make me feel.

I’m not sure if it is a book I would revisit but I am glad I read it.

Thanks to NetGallery and the publisher for this Arc in exchange for my honest review.

if a storm rages around you and within you how are you to ever find your way out or know where the weather stops or becomes you. maybe connection. maybe being stuck. maybe being find and finding another can be a key if not a cure to starting new. or fixing what is. its a stat anyway. just a light, just a chink. just a wish or a perhaps.
and this is what this book gave to me. two people. two sets of troubles. but good people. lost people. and perhaps two who could help and support the other but also find within themselves a newness, strengths and even love again. to then think life is possible and possible a bit better than that.