Stapled Magnolias

Fall back into the atmospheric world of Coastal Mississippi, where the charm of small-town life meets a slow-burn love story of self-worth, found family, and mutual pining.When Cody Desmond returns to the small coastal town of Bay Springs, Mississippi after a disastrous months-long stint working aboard a cruise ship, he finds himself uncertain of his future and place in the world. With his first real relationship sunk beneath the waves and his sense of self adrift, Cody grapples with feelings of inadequacy and a gnawing fear that he may never be enough.And with just one glimpse of Liem Lott's mischievous smile, the stakes become even higher.A ray of sunshine with an artist's soul and a knack for crafting beauty from chaos, Liem and his endless reserve of kindness have been a source of peace for Cody since they first met.With a vow to not ruin this fresh start, Cody faces an uphill struggle to prove to himself that he's worthy of the life and love Liem offers. While Liem's presence serves as both a guiding light and a source of temptation, Cody's fears and old wounds cast a shadow on the possibility of a future he's long thought out of reach.As family emergencies and personal demons test the strength of their connection, Cody and Liem are caught in a whirlwind of right person, wrong time.In this heartfelt sequel to Lady Luck, Lane O'Neil delivers an M/M slow-burn romance rich with small-town charm, steam, and the magic of finding love amidst life's storms. Will Cody and Liem's connection hold true, or will they miss their chance at the life together they've both been waiting for?Missed Sunrise is a swoonworthy story of patience, healing, and the profound impact of finding the person who makes you believe in the possibilities of each sunrise.

Note: Distant Shores by Lane O'Neil is book 3 in the Stapled Magnolias series, but it can be read as a standalone.On the sun-warmed shores of coastal Alabama, two strangers on parallel paths find themselves in the unlikeliest of summer sanctuaries: an empty house, a shared responsibility, and a chance to reach for something more.Ireland Sewell doesn't have time for a sunshine man with a chin dimple and kind eyes-not when she's barely holding her life together.After uprooting everything to move her dad into a memory care facility on the Gulf Coast, she's sleeping on borrowed couches and taking any job she can get while trying to outpace the grief she can't quite name. Her world has lost color and shrunk to fit inside Zinnia House, which she thinks she's fine with, until a cinnamon-roll paramedic with a superhero jawline and a purple crutch steps into her life and threatens the status quo.On medical leave after a rescue gone wrong, Adair Jacks has an ankle that won't heal and a heart that never quite learned how to rest. When his pops moves into Zinnia House, he follows, intent on being the glue his family needs. The last thing he expects is to end up rooming with an intense dance teacher with indigo blue eyes who makes him feel something he hasn't felt in a long time: wanted.Thrown together in a last-ditch roommate arrangement, Ireland and Adair navigate new dynamics, caregiving, and slow, stolen moments that build a tender connection neither of them knew how badly they needed.But with fragile family ties and a ticking clock on their summer living situation, their growing bond is tested when the real world comes calling.Distant Shores is a slow-burn contemporary romance featuring a black-cat-energy dance teacher, a green-flag paramedic with a crochet habit, and all the charm of found family, forced proximity, and beachside healing. Can two people who are used to living for everyone else finally choose themselves… and each other?