Beatrice Callahan loves lists. Sometimes she even makes a to-do list of things she's already done, just to go check, check, check and feel accomplished. So it's easy to understand why, when her divorce is finally final and her ex is all moved out, Bea takes a cool, close look at her life...and makes a list. It's not exactly a bucket list. It's a love list. Bea loves the outdoors, so she puts visit 10 National Parks on the list. She loves animals, and on goes get a puppy. She loves the beach, and she adds take a dream vacation to the list, and decides to do that one first. After all she's been through and all she's lost, she needs time to relax, rest, and reset. On the first day she arrives in Hilton Head Island, she meets Grant Turner, the man whose house she's renting for her fabulous beach vacation. He's just there to make sure she settles in properly and has enough towels. But when Bea asks for recommendations around the island, Grant quickly becomes her tour guide and then a friend and then...more than friends. Bea turns to her lists when things get confusing and her love list morphs once again... Can she add fall in love at age 45 to the list and check it off?

Cassandra Haslam loves plans. Lunch plans, wedding plans, and floor plans—they all bring her joy. In fact, she's had her entire life planned out—career, marriage, and family—since age ten. She's smart, hard-working, and a real go-getter, and everything has fallen into place so far. Until her husband dies suddenly, right when she's about to enjoy the fruits of all of her hard work and planning, leaving Cass reeling and...well, without a plan. When her youngest graduates three months later, making her an empty-nester as well as a widow, Cass decides it's time to make a new plan for herself. It's not a back-up plan. It's a paradise plan. With one of her best friends now living in Hilton Head, Cass makes a move and purchases a piece of waterfront property on the island. It's the perfect place to build her paradisiacal life and her new self as she designs and constructs a beautiful beach house. But when she injures herself—not in the plan, by the way—she meets general-contractor-turned-doctor Harrison Tate. He helps her out of a jammed thumb, a sprained ankle, and a bruised ego. When he keeps showing up unannounced at her construction site, sometimes with her favorite pastries, Cass starts to wonder if she should add him to her daily routine... If she does, will her perfectly laid out plans fall short of paradise? Or could she find her new life and a new love, all without any plans at all?

Lauren Keller understands strategies. She adores them and never enters a marketing meeting without Strategy A, B, and C tucked away in the back of her mind. She's one of the top executives at her firm...until it all comes crashing down with the news that her boss has been stealing money from their clients for almost a decade.After narrowly escaping indictments herself, Lauren finds herself, at age 43, standing in the parking lot of her office building, a box with a stapler, a sad plant, and a couple of photos as her only companions.She needs a new strategy, and she decides she can map everything out from the beaches of Hilton Head.It's not an exit strategy.It's a seaside strategy.Relax more. Worry less. Find out what she really wants in her life.While trying to do that, all with the ocean breeze and her friends for support, Lauren meets Blake Williams. The man is movie-star gorgeous, witty, and looking for someone to help him run his successful financial planning business on the island.But Lauren doesn't want to work for him, especially not in strategic investments. She's had enough of the high-profile, corporate life. Can she strategically insert herself into Blake's life without compromising her seaside strategy and finally get what she really wants...love and a lasting relationship?

Joy Bartlett needs a blueprint before she takes a single step in any direction. She loves seeing what she's getting into before committing, and moving 1200 miles from Texas to South Carolina just because half of her Supper Club has doesn't mean she's going to start packing boxes. She is terribly lonely in Sweet Water Falls without Bea, Cass, and Lauren, and as another member of their monthly dinner party gets ready to leave Texas in the rear-view mirror, Joy starts creating her own blueprint. After all, she doesn't want a Blueprint for Survival. She wants a beach blueprint. One that lays out how her life will look and feel, right down to the tiny nooks and crannies if she decides to uproot herself and leave her family and her heritage and join her friends on Hilton Head Island. There is a strong influence in her life, pulling her toward the beach and island a sexy, strong landscaper named Scott Anderson. He's asked her out several times, but Joy has turned him down every time. When she hears that he's going to take someone else to dinner, the thought flies against everything in Joy's baby beach blueprint - because Scott's a big player in that. So she texts him and makes it clear that she doesn't want him to go out with anyone...except her. Thus, a long-distance relationship between Joy and Scott begins, and Joy's blueprint starts to get messy. Very messy. Can she figure out how to arrange all of the pieces in her life in a way that makes sense? Or will she find herself cut off from everyone who's ever been important to her?

Bessie Clifton adores baking. With her daughter Wynona by her side, she's turned her passion for the perfect loaf of bread into a dream for a bakery. They move to Hilton Head Island and work to get their shop open with the help of Bessie's five best friends. It's not just a relocation. It's a reinvention. Bessie's life has been all about kneading dough, raising her daughter, and supporting her Supper Club ladies, but she's never felt truly loved or appreciated for her gifts. As she settles into island life, she's determined to make the most of this opportunity and discover what she's been missing. Enter Oliver Blackhurst, the grumpy owner of The Mad Mango smoothie shop. Bessie's sunshine and warmth seem to clash with his prickly exterior. But when they get paired up to participate in the Island Heritage Festival, Bessie and Oliver find that their contrasting flavors create an irresistible chemistry. As Bessie's bakery becomes the talk of the town, Oliver's walls begin to crumble, revealing a man who's experienced his share of heartache. Bessie wonders if her reinvention could provide the tropical ticket to true love with the island's most enigmatic bachelor. Will Bessie's journey to self-discovery lead her to the love she's always craved? Can Oliver let go of his past and embrace the warmth that Bessie brings to his life? Savor the sweetness of new beginnings and the spice of unexpected romance in The Tropical Ticket by USA Today bestselling author Elana Johnson!