A Swoony but Suspense-Filled Romance
Safe Haven
Cedar Shores (Book 1)
Romantic Suspense, Small Town Romance, Military Romance
Choc Lit Contemporary Romance: A Joffe Books Company
April 23, 2026
ebook, paperback
348
She’s the queen of heartbreak.
He’s the one who got away.
Bailey Jones is known for writing happy-ever-afters. But she’s never had her own. Not since him.
Rhett Monroe was her first love. The boy who tossed her into the lake every summer. The man who walked away without a second glance.
Now he’s back — ex-Navy SEAL turned security specialist. Focused. Intense. And definitely not here for the memories.
Because someone is watching Bailey. Sending messages that feel too personal. Too obsessed.
To keep her safe, Rhett takes Bailey to the one place a stalker can’t find her — Cedar Shores. But sharing a cabin with the man she never stopped loving is a different kind of danger for Bailey. Especially when Rhett’s protective gaze follows her like she’s something worth guarding. Like she’s his.
Bailey spent her career writing men who would burn the world down for the women they love.
Turns out, she grew up with one.
“The right person asking if you’re okay makes it safe to suddenly not be okay sometimes.”
Not only is this the first book in a brand-new series by Lily Parker, but Safe Haven is also the very first taste of Lily Parker’s brand of storytelling that I’ve sampled. I’m a fan. I am so impressed with the way Lily can bring the swoon-worthy moments and seamlessly weave in the suspense. I also absolutely loved how effortlessly Rhett protected Bailey during each suspense-filled moment.
Bailey is an author who has climbed her way into a moment where her acclaim has earned not only adoring fans, but a very dangerous stalker. Yikes. Rhett is her brother’s best friend and also happens to be her best friend’s brother. That’s tidy…don’t you think? Rhett also happens to be an accomplished Navy Seal with covert missions under his belt and the ability to compartmentalize his past and keep it there. That specifically means that when he left Cedar Shores for the last time it was also the last time he saw Bailey…until she got herself a stalker.
“You told me to follow my gut, and my gut says you’re it.”
Safe Haven was one wild ride. The stalker aspect kept me on edge. I honestly can’t tell if it was my anxiety or the way Lily Parker wrote those scenes that kept me so twitchy—in a good way of course. You don’t want to be a complacent reader in a Romantic Suspense. Bailey and Rhett forced proximity due to safety concerns lends itself to some of the most romantic lines in the books. The way Rhett is so gone for Bailey just does me in, and I truly understood how guarded Bailey is around Rhett because getting over a first love is so hard to do.
I was so surprised by Safe Haven! The dialogue and the romance is so effortless. The suspense kept the plotline moving along at quite the clip and by the time I was nearing the end I couldn’t quite believe that it had come so quickly! I admire Lily Parker’s writing style, and I look forward to the additional romance(s) that will hopefully be out sooner than later! Congrats on your new release Lily! Suspense girlies! Go get your copy!
Jes is a self-proclaimed bookworm, who recently moved from the PNW back to the Midwest. When her nose isn’t in a book, she’s spending time with her husband, two kids, and her three fur babies, or exploring the globe. She also firmly believes that you should start the day with coffee, and end the day in bed with a good book.
