2025 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards finalist



The day she loses her job and her apartment, a third surprise awaits Celeste Dorin: her great-aunt left her a hotel in a tiny town in the mountains. Is the universe nudging her—not very subtly—in a new direction? For the first time in years, Celeste ignores her anxiety and rushes to the French Alps. To Montlouis, where she has refused to go back since she was a child.



Rose Beauvoir has two passions: chocolate and the stars. Or three, if you count Montlouis. The arrival of the clumsy Parisian disrupts her well-oiled routines, and she'd lie if she said she doesn't enjoy the blast of fresh air.



As Celeste learns about life at high altitude and Rose shares her love for her hometown and its surroundings, the two women can't deny the attraction blooming between them. The shift from Celeste's boring yet comfortable life as a paralegal in the city to that of a hotelier in the mountains isn't for the faint of heart, however. Will the beautiful scenery, the welcoming townies, and the deceptively reserved chocolatier convince her to stay?