It had been seventeen years since Tara Martin had been to Ocracoke, North Carolina. It was easy to remember how long it had been; it was the last vacation she had taken with her father. They had spent two glorious weeks at her grandmother's cottage that July. After her father drowned that fall, the thought of being on a tiny strip of sand in the Atlantic terrified her, and she never set foot on Ocracoke again. Until today.
Within hours of arriving, Tara discovers puzzling clues from her grandmother's life. With each new clue more confusing than the last, she's left wondering how well she really knew the woman who raised her. Despite her promise to stay the entire summer, her plans are to leave Ocracoke as soon as her grandmother's cottage is ready to sell. Then she meets Larry Taylor, a handsome local contractor, who came to Ocracoke a few years before to escape his own demons, and found life on the isolated island a soothing balm to his fractured soul. Finally at peace, Larry patiently pursues a reluctant Tara. Plagued by insecurities and self-doubt, Tara slowly allows Larry into the recesses of her heart, second-guessing and questioning his motives, as well as her own, every step of the way - but it's the unraveling of the mysteries surrounding her grandmother that leave her heart reeling.
Set in the picturesque village of Ocracoke, North Carolina, A Summer in Ocracoke is an inspirational story of learning to trust someone enough to tear down the walls that keep your heart safe, yet imprisoned, of missed opportunities, and the courage to love, whatever the cost.