Starshine Cove Books in Order

The Starshine Cove novels are set in a tiny seaside village that is hard to find on any map, tucked away near the Dorset and Cornwall border with a horseshoe of white sand, bright blue water and a close knit, slightly eccentric community.

In Escape to Starshine Cove we meet Ella Farrell, burnt out by a stressful job and a painful betrayal in her relationship. She jumps in the car with no plan beyond “away”, breaks down on a remote lane and stumbles into Starshine Cove, where a Dolly Parton lookalike called Connie runs the café, a scruffy dog adopts her and quiet, steady pub landlord Jake begins to feel like home.

Secrets of Starshine Cove turns to Cally, a single mum and hairdresser from Liverpool who is stretched thin between a clingy mother and her young son Sam. When life in the city implodes she heads south, only to wash up in Starshine Cove in the middle of a storm, where new friends, school runs and a possible romance force her to decide what kind of future she really wants.

In Finding Hope in Starshine Cove the village becomes a refuge for Lucy Brown, a single mother from rural Ireland who has spent years keeping her distance from people. A chance meeting with charming stranger Josh at the airport, a reunion with old friends for Ella’s wedding and the arrival of someone from her past all push Lucy to stop hiding and let the cove’s kindness work on her scars.

Although each book focuses on a different woman, the same faces and places keep reappearing, from Connie’s café and Jake’s inn to the locals who treat newcomers like family. The tone is warm and witty, but Johnson does not shy away from themes like burnout, controlling relationships and complicated co parenting, which gives the cosy setting a bit of bite.

If you like the idea of a hidden village that seems to appear exactly when people need it most, Starshine Cove is an inviting place to linger for a trilogy of small town romances with plenty of heart.