Last week, I revealed the cover of the fourth and final novel in my Laurel Cove Romance (LCR) Series. I’ll tell you more about that in a bit, but I’m as my series draws to a close, I’m dealing with a mixed bag of emotions.
Since 2014, when I began to write Someplace Familiar, my debut novel and the first book in the LCR series, I have spent countless hours visiting the fictional mountain town of Laurel Cove, North Carolina. Inspired by my best friend’s hometown of Burnsville, NC—one of my favorite places on earth—Laurel Cove allowed me to go whenever I wanted and introduce readers to the charm, Southern hospitality, and beauty I’d always found there in real life.
More than seven years later, I’m getting ready to close the chapter on Laurel Cove when Say It’s For Good releases in February. These four books, four different couples, and four happily ever afters represent a once small idea, the decision to go for it, and countless hours of hard work and determination. Standing closely behind the happiness and pride in myself for sticking with it is a little bit of sadness. It’s saying goodbye to old friends and a place that felt safe and comfortable.
In many ways, though, this ending is only the beginning for me as a writer. I’m now “free” in the most exciting way to dream about what’s next. I’m sure I’ve got another series in me, but maybe I’ll write a stand-alone novel (or two or three), too! The choice is thrilling!
As a reader, I love book series too. I often feel sad when a good book ends, so a series allows me to continue visiting an endeared place or spend more time with beloved characters, even if they only make an appearance in subsequent books. If I happen upon a series by the time all the titles have already been released, I can also devour them one after the other.
Books in the Laurel Cove Series
Someplace Familiar | Suddenly Forever | Someone Found | Say It’s For Good
Say It’s For Good is set to release February 22, 2022! You can pre-order now HERE, and if you email me proof of your pre-order and your mailing address I’ll send you some fun book-lover swag (while supplies last)! Below is a little bit about Leah and Jasper’s story.
Is a decade enough time to heal old wounds?
Professional chef Leah Spencer is level-headed, responsible, and practical—making it an easy decision to move home to Laurel Cove, North Carolina to care for her ailing father. All he wants is for his only child to find love and partnership like he had with his late wife—before he leaves her all alone. Desperate to ease his worries, as well as her own, she breaks character and creates a fake relationship with the one man in town who likely wants nothing to do with her. And the one man she’s ever truly loved.
Ladies’ man Jasper Bowdon has successfully avoided commitment ever since his heart was broken a decade ago. Casual dating, however, had grown tiresome and he’d recently decided to take a break from women to finally figure out what he really wants. Why, then, does he agree to a pretend relationship with the very woman who’d ruined him in the first place? And why is he left wondering if it could all be part of God’s plan to heal them both?
Now It’s Your Turn!
Are you are drawn to books in a series or prefer solo novels? Why or why not? If you do like series, do you prefer each book to stand alone (like in the LCR Series, maybe just sharing a setting or characters who are part of a family) or do you enjoy it more when each book is a continuation of the story from the last? What are some of your favorite book series?
Teresa Tysinger is an author of Southern contemporary romance inspired by grace. She writes on the fringes of being a wife, mom, and full-time communications professional. Teresa is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, the Association for Women in Communications, and the Religion Communicators Council. She’s an introverted Enneagram 4 (if you know, you know) and loves coffee, traveling, and almost every genre of music. Born in Hawaii, raised in Florida, and educated in North Carolina, she now resides in Texas with her husband, daughter, and dog.
Hi, Teresa! I enjoy stand-alones. I enjoy series. I do prefer the series books to be self-contained, though. The continuing sagas I find to be taxing on my attention span. :-) It’s fun when the characters share a bond of some kind like siblings or main characters having been secondary characters in a previous book.
I’ve enjoyed all the LCR stories so however you think of what you did there, I thought it worked well also.
It’s a little hard to pick favorite series because I binge read so many that things blur a bit.
“Wasn’t that the one where the guy owned a hardware store and helped the girl turn a house into a restaurant?”
“No, this one had the guy remodeling an old house as a residence.”
“But did he own a hardware store?”
“Yes, they both did. And so did the one where the girl was trying to repair her fixer upper by herself. But all three were different authors.”
“Wait. Wasn’t there a cowboy in there somewhere? I am so confused…”
Hi Teresa! Soggy cold day in Michigan. This avid reader enjoys short series (8 books or less) , where each story is a stand-alone with a common motif or some common thread between characters (family, friends, classmates). Like Valerie Comer’s Farm Fresh or Urban Farm Fresh. No Cliffhangers please. Characters from previous stories can reappear. Best wishes. Happy Writing.
You made me smile, Lincoln! Thank you!
I totally agree about avoiding cliffhangers!! And Valerie has so many good series!
I enjoy series but I like each book to be able to stand on its own. That’s because I have a habit of just diving into a series with whichever book grabs my fancy first. Sometimes I don’t have a choice if I get the books from the library, because there’s no guarantee that they’ll be available in order.
Series are great because I love the sense of community and of a wider world of interconnected characters.
I love series!! I do like for each book to have an HEA, but a mystery/suspense kind of thing can carry over from book to book, too. I love meeting the characters from each book again, as long as their stories aren’t rehashed from book to book. I really liked The Tales of the Grace Chapel Inn, which kept many of the side characters each book, but picked up new ones from the people who stayed at the Inn, yet each book was a standalone. I also like Mandi’s series of Blackwater Ranch, where each has an HEA but we get to keep the same characters with new ones added in. Also, Liwen’s Spark Brothers series. I have Valerie’s books in my TBR stack, and Elizabeth’s Billionaire series is another one I really like, and have some of them in my TBR stack. I like the way Elizabeth’s is going to over lap, too.
I enjoy both a good series. I kind of prefer it if the series can also be read stand alone, but if its not too long I do enjoy a series that has to be read in order too. As long as a book is good I’ll read anything, series or stand-alone. It is super fun to have recurring characters and to revisit the same town in books though.
Good morning, I love to read stand-alone and I also love to read book series that continue with the book characters, especially if the standalone ends in a cliff hanger. I enjoyed reading this post. Have a great week and stay safe.l
Stand-alone books within a series seems to be the consensus so far!
You mentioned some wonderful series! And, always a HEA, yes!
Good writing certainly trumps all!
Thanks, Alicia! We’ve got someone else who hates cliffhangers! Ha. I love that everyone has different preferences.
I like both standalone and book series.I only read clean romance but I like to read love inspired and harlequin heartwarming books
I love reading series! My favorite kind is a continuing story but I enjoy stand alone ones also. The Mitford series is at the top of my list, followed by Karen Kingsbury’s Baxter family books, and Robin Jones Gunn’s Christy Miller series.
I like both series and books that stand alone. With series I like books that are continuations and books that follow characters, but different stories.
I enjoy both. I don’t like cliffhangers and then having to wait a year.
I enjoy both 😊
Four books-perfect size for series!
I enjoy both.
I enjoy both. With a series, I enjoy with most of the books having a plot that finishes in that book, but a continuing theme between the books. There maybe a plot issue that follows all the way through, but that way each book could be read alone. Thank you so much for sharing. Congratulations on the end of your series. God bless you.
I’m finding I like series more and more as long as they are mostly stand-alone. I love seeing glimpses of characters from book one appear in the next book and so on. I don’t mind continuations as long as there are no cliffhangers at the end where we readers have to wait months (or a year) to resolve. I read way too many books in between to remember details that way. I’m glad for reviewers who state in their review about a cliffhanger, then I can just wait until all books are out to read one after another until the last book.
A great example of one of my favorite series is the Hope Harbor one by Irene Hannon. It’s one I hope never ends because I’m just SO invested in the town and its beloved characters! I can honestly say this is one I would never tire of :-) Other great series I’ve enjoyed are the Bradford Sisters by Becky Wade, Three Sisters Islands by Suzanne Woods Fisher (her first contemporaries), Bluebell Inn Romance series by Denise Hunter, Rock Harbor Mystery by Colleen Coble, and Dee Henderson O’Malley series. There’s many more that I know I’m failing to mention, but I read a lot so it’s hard to remember them all!
I don’t mind single stories either. I’ve found some favorites over the years :-)
Thanks for weighing in, Kendra!
Oh yes, the Mitford Series!!! So good!!
Thanks, Mary!
I do t care for that either!!!
Nice to hear hehe
Thanks!
I like both types of series solo & a series type. I enjoy teen mom books. I like The Anderson Brothers boxset (3 in 1 book). I like Teen Moms 2 show books & Diary of a Teen Mom 1-11 books.
I enjoy both types of books. Not any very special types though
I love the LCR series! It’s one of my favorites… and I absolutely love knowing what this place looks like in real life, since it’s not too far from me. I enjoy book series more than a standalone. I feel like with a standalone I always want something more from the characters or the story–another nugget to glimpse into where they are now–so book series usually give me that.
I have so many favorites it’s hard to list them all! Mandi Blake, Hannah Jo Abbott, Tara Grace Ericson, Elizabeth Maddrey, Jess Mastorakos, and Karen Kingsbury, all have series I love.
I love series and will read one after the order if they’re all published. I prefer stand alone so the book ends but anticipate the next book.
Thanks so much, Debra!
You mentioned some awesome series!!!
Thanks for those recommendations!
Thanks, Sylvain!
I’m with you on series versus stand alones! Thanks!
That’s exactly how I am!