A Guide to Sarina's Small Town Books
A Definitive Guide to the Small Town Romances
This is Griffin. He has opinions about cider, and about Audrey.
Welcome! If you're looking for my Vermont romances, you've come to the right place.
Most of my small town books are set in the same fictional corner of Vermont, where farms, cider mills, and family businesses are a way of life. You'll meet the Shipley family, the Rossi family, and plenty of other characters whose lives overlap from book to book. Although these stories are connected, every romance has its own happily-ever-after and can be enjoyed as a standalone.
This guide starts with the True North series in reading order, followed by the Giltmaker books, which return to the same community with a new cast of characters. I've also included a few standalone novels that share the same cozy, emotional, small-town feel.
There’s a lot here, so you can find exactly the kind of happily-ever-after you're in the mood for.
💕 ~ Sarina
The True North Series
Bittersweet
A grumpy Vermont farmer gets a second chance with the free-spirited woman he never forgot, set against the backdrop of orchards, cider, and a bustling family farm. Expect small-town charm, second chances, foodie vibes, found family, and a heroine who's a fish out of water in the country. Vibe: super sexy, apples varietals as love language. Unexpected scene: the outdoor shower.
Steadfast
A recovering addict returns home after prison to face the woman he once loved—and the consequences of the mistakes that tore them apart. It’s a redemption romance with small-town healing, first love, forgiveness, and recovery at its heart. Vibe: angsty! Deeply romantic! See also: hate sex. Unexpected scene: the church supper.
Keepsake
A shy guy with a hell of a past and a traumatized woman find unexpected safety together on a Vermont farm. This is a slow-burn romance full of healing, found family, hurt/comfort, and two lonely people learning they deserve love. Vibe: first times (for him!) and hot glances. Unexpected setting: the farmer’s market.
Bountiful
A hockey player walks into a bar, and nothing is ever the same. Packed with pining, family life, and angsty missed connections. Vibe: 🔥. Unexpected character: their surprise ba.
Speakeasy
A hardworking brewer and a down-on-her-luck law lawyer discover that love can bloom even between Romeo and Juliet. Expect craft beer, entrepreneurial dreams, opposites attract, and a romance that bridges old rivalries. Vibe: sexy, secretive. Unexpected setting: his truck, his hot tub… Unexpected character: an asshole cat
Fireworks
A down-on-her-luck TV broadcaster comes home to her least favorite place in the world: Vermont. And guess what? The boy who broke her heart is the first person she sees. Vibes: achy reconnections. Unexpected plotline: suspenseful drama!
Heartland
Escaping a cult is only the third hardest thing she’s ever done. The first two are: college math, and quietly pining for her best friend. Vibes: homemade caramels, secret kisses and first times. Unexpected characters: two naughty goats.
Waylaid
A sexy iconoclast and the prickliest member of the Shipley family find themselves to be unwilling roommates. Oh, and he has amnesia, and doesn’t know that he once asked her out. Vibes: awkward banter. Unexpected character: the bear in chapter one.
The Giltmaker Books
Good as Gold
She wants a baby. He wants her. Old friends with some new business to do together… Vibes: hot glances and hot everything.
Golden Touch
He returns to Vermont to help his family’s struggling brewery. She’s on the run… And they are roommates. Vibes: enemies to lovers with all the banter.
Standalones
Roommate
A broke baker is reluctantly saved from living in his car by the guy who’s still embarrassed about lusting after him in high school. Plus lots of homemade bread, and sexy cooking lessons. Vibes: big families and big feelings plus pretzels 🥨.
Boyfriend
He offers himself as her Thanksgiving date as a rent-a-boyfriend situation. Then the fake relationship starts to feel all too real. Vibes: hockey, college towns, difficult families and the holidays.
A Little Too Late
Can he save his family’s ski mountain? Everyone’s happy to see him except her—the one who got away. Vibes: mountain chalets and second chances for enemies to lovers.