Heartwarming books with characters you'll love: have you been to Pajaro Bay?

Hallie Reed has given up on fairy tale dreams. They only lead to pain. Now she has a new rule: stick to the safe path. But when her friend disappears from a summer job at a funky old amusement park, Hallie has to break out of her protective shell and take a chance on something bigger than herself.

The Madrigal family was shattered when a fire swept through their oceanfront boardwalk a dozen years ago. When outsider Hallie comes to town, she learns the place is haunted by tragedy, and she's soon swept up in the decades-old mystery of the Madrigals. Is she the one who can help Kyle Madrigal finally make peace with his family's legacy? And could this be the key to unlocking her own lost dreams as well?

Get away to the little California beach town where the cottages are cute, the neighbors are nosy, and it's always possible to find your personal Happily Ever After. The Pajaro Bay novels can be read in any order.