I loved how these two were able to slowly heal each other and I think their personalities really complemented well. ~ Under the Covers

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Some series are pure comfort food, and Dare Island is that warm bakery smell that hits before you even open the door. Carolina Dreaming by Virginia Kantra is the story where they’ve both been through it, but they’re still trying kind of small town romance. The vibe is gentle, hopeful and emotional, with just enough bite from the past to make the healing feel earned.

If you’re starting your Virginia Kantra reading journey, make sure you stop by the Virginia Kantra author guide for her complete works and the Dare Island series guide, so you have all the books in order. You’re going to want those breadcrumbs once the Fletcher family starts pulling you into everybody’s book.

What is Carolina Dreaming by Virginia Kantra about?

In Carolina Dreaming by Virginia Kantra, Jane Clark is keeping her world small on purpose: her son, her bakery, and the safety she rebuilt after an abusive marriage. Then Gabe Murphy, an ex-Marine with a complicated past and nowhere else to go, lands on Dare Island. Their connection grows carefully, but when Jane’s past resurfaces, trust becomes the real love story.

Carolina Dreaming by Virginia Kantra Book Review

I always come back to this series because of the sweet small town feel and the family unit that is always present in these books.  CAROLINA DREAMING by Virginia Kantra still delivered on that!

Gabe is an ex marine.  He got into a bit of trouble after his military career and ended up in jail for a while.  He also doesn’t have the best opinion of himself and always expects others to think the worst of him.  With no money he finds himself in Dare Island in search of his military buddy, Luke.  

And what he finds there is not only the support of his long time friend and his family, but a sweet woman that needs his help and he can’t stop getting closer to.  Wanting to be better for.  That right there is my favorite thing about this book.  The way that this developing love and relationship was able to heal not only Gabe but Jane as well.

Jane is a bakery owner with a son and a troubled past in the way of an abusive ex husband who is currently in jail himself.  She’s always been attracted to the bad boys and in the past that wasn’t always the smart choice.  So she struggles with this new attraction to Gabe because she shouldn’t want his type anymore.  Until she gets to know Gabe and sees there’s a lot more to him than the fact he spent time in jail.  He’s not a bad boy at all, if anything he’s an incredibly good boy.

I really enjoyed this story, it was sweet which is something I look forward to in this series.  But it was also a little slow on the build up.  Which worked ok because they were both so tentative but I wish we would’ve had a better progression to that end point instead of jumping right in at the end.  I loved how these two were able to slowly heal each other and I think their personalities really complemented well.  I hope there’s more to come from this small town because I’ll continue reading them!

About the Dare Island series by Virginia Kantra

The Dare Island books follow a tight-knit crew in a North Carolina coastal community where family ties run deep, the gossip travels faster than the tides, and love stories tend to come with generational baggage in the best way. If you like romance that keeps the couple central but still makes the town feel alive, this is a great one to start. Dive deeper with our Dare Island series reading order and guide.

Final Thoughts

If you want a romance that feels like a deep breath, Carolina Dreaming by Virginia Kantra really works. The best part is watching two people who have every reason to keep their walls up slowly decide they deserve something softer. Gabe’s “I’m trying to be better” energy plus Jane’s hard-won caution makes their connection feel careful in a way that fits the story. Even when you wanted the pacing to move faster, the emotional intent stays clear: this is about trust being rebuilt, not just attraction showing up to cause chaos.

And now tell me, are you a small town healing reader right now, or are you chasing maximum drama with your beach reads?

Want to see some of Virginia Kantra book recommendations? Check out the perfect books to read if you love Anne of Green Gables.

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