Sister Rain’s Note:
The stories I write share the things that make up large parts of my life: Piper, travel, vision loss, US history, my marriage. Reading is also an important component. I am not, nor ever will be, a book influencer, but I can, from time-to-time, offer my recommendations. Happy Reading!
The Beach Shack (Series) by Cindy Nichols
Actually called the Laguna Beach series, all seven titles (to date) begin with the words “The Beach Shack.”
A contemporary story, it is the saga of the Walsh family and their restaurant, the Beach Shack. Located on the Pacific Coast Highway in Laguna Beach, California, the family-owned and operated business may be the series’ main character. In this place, family members come home and relationships evolve. Although the Shack is the tie that binds, each person’s story is unique as they find their way. Not only as part of a complex clan, but as individuals with baggage, hope and dreams of their own.
Richard Walsh built the Beach Shack; upon his passing his widow, Margo, kept the restaurant afloat while raising their two children, neither of whom had an interest in taking over the business.
Siblings Meg, Tyler and Anna, the grown grandchildren of Margo, step in when Margo begins to show signs of her age, while her great-granddaughters, high school cousins and best friends Stella and Bea find their roots and wings amidst grilled cheese and pickles.
The books in the series are not stand-alones, I would definitely suggest you read them in order. With each volume, including the first, you think you have the whole picture, but Nichols continues to add pieces throughout that you didn’t know you were missing.
The books in order:
- The Beach Shack – 2025
- The Beach Shack Summer – 2025
- The Beach Shack Artists – 2025
- The Beach Shack Promise – 2026
- The Beach Shack Anchor – 2026
- The Beach Shack Circle – 2026
- The Beach Shack Legacy – 2026
- The Beach Shack Blessing – coming 2027
Wanting to describe this series to you correctly, my initial inclination was to say The Beach Shack series is light and fluffy. That would be misleading. There is great depth in this multigenerational chronicle, with a strong community never far from the forefront. I am always looking forward to the next installment, while equally concerned that it will be last.
By the way, there is some romance, but if the series were a recipe it would say “just a pinch.” Although a restaurant i predominantly featured, the list of ingredients for these books does not include spice. It’s not needed, the writing is richly favored without it.
Works of fiction, from the first few chapters of the inaugural book, I believed that if I drove down the coast of California, I would see the Beach Shack perched atop a cliff above the Pacific Ocean. Exiting the car, I would smell coffee, cheese and the salty sea. I would enter and discover Joey folding napkins, Anna at the grill, Margo at the counter, Bernie in his booth, Bea and Stella doing homework at another, Stella’s ever-present camera on the table. Meg would be bringing in a fresh supply of pesto and Tyler would be wiping tables. I would smile at them all, wishing they knew me as well as I knew them.
I would then turn my eyes to the ceiling, where hundreds of shells from all over the world, supplied by customers from their travels, create a stunning mosaic. The members of the Walsh family create a beautiful tapestry of their own.
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