by Stephanie Shephard
To the outside world, Gloria Johnson is thriving—tall, radiant, and effortlessly bohemian, she’s the queen of Pike Place Market in Seattle with her booming bakery and catering business. Her days are filled with fresh pastries, long client lists, and a wild circle of friends who swear she’s got it all. But behind the curated perfection is a woman too busy to feel, too guarded to love, and too stubborn to slow down.
Enter Dr. Akio Narita—a mysterious, painfully handsome Japanese-American physician with a quiet intensity and the kind of presence that could break a woman wide open. He’s all sharp suits, sharp cheekbones, and secrets he doesn’t wear on his sleeve. Gloria is sure he’s not her type. Too different. Too reserved. Too perfect. And when her best friend tricks her into a dinner with him, she expects an awkward night she’ll laugh about later.
She does not expect a slow burn that ignites into a whirlwind romance.
As Gloria and Akio get swept up in a connection neither saw coming, their chemistry forces them to confront wounds they’ve long buried. Old traumas, family ghosts, and the fear of being truly seen threaten to unravel what they’ve just begun to build.
But love—real love—asks you to show up.
A Sweet Love Like Ours is a lush, slow-burning, modern romance about second chances, deep healing, and the kind of love that’s sweet, messy, and worth fighting for.
by Stephanie Shephard
To the outside world, Gloria Johnson is thriving—tall, radiant, and effortlessly bohemian, she’s the queen of Pike Place Market in Seattle with her booming bakery and catering business. Her days are filled with fresh pastries, long client lists, and a wild circle of friends who swear she’s got it all. But behind the curated perfection is a woman too busy to feel, too guarded to love, and too stubborn to slow down.
Enter Dr. Akio Narita—a mysterious, painfully handsome Japanese-American physician with a quiet intensity and the kind of presence that could break a woman wide open. He’s all sharp suits, sharp cheekbones, and secrets he doesn’t wear on his sleeve. Gloria is sure he’s not her type. Too different. Too reserved. Too perfect. And when her best friend tricks her into a dinner with him, she expects an awkward night she’ll laugh about later.
She does not expect a slow burn that ignites into a whirlwind romance.
As Gloria and Akio get swept up in a connection neither saw coming, their chemistry forces them to confront wounds they’ve long buried. Old traumas, family ghosts, and the fear of being truly seen threaten to unravel what they’ve just begun to build.
But love—real love—asks you to show up.
A Sweet Love Like Ours is a lush, slow-burning, modern romance about second chances, deep healing, and the kind of love that’s sweet, messy, and worth fighting for.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business.
Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world.
