Shannon O’Connor Delivers Again in Love, Unexpected

Love, Unexpected by Shannon O’Connor, is an emotional, heartfelt end to Lighthouse Lovers, a charming sapphic romance series

Synopsis: Love, Unexpected

A tender, spicy, and emotionally resonant story of finding love in the wreckage of a broken plan, Love, Unexpected brings together two women at very different turning points in their lives, proving that sometimes the best things happen when everything else falls apart.

When Alana ditches her wedding and escapes to her parents’ summer home, she’s overwhelmed by shame, confusion, and the weight of small-town gossip. The last thing she expects is to find comfort—or attraction—in the form of Harmony, the grounded, compassionate contractor fixing up the house…and maybe fixing a little more than that.

Harmony, a single mom balancing co-parenting with her ex-wife and providing a stable life for her daughter, isn’t looking for anything complicated. But Alana, with her disheveled wedding dress, emotional baggage, and big heart, is impossible to ignore. As the summer unfolds, slow-burning chemistry turns into something deeper, with both women discovering unexpected joy, clarity, and the possibility of new beginnings.

This book features:

• Runaway bride trope
• Single mom / co-parenting rep
• Femme/Butch dynamic
• Bisexual awakening
• Slow burn to spicy sapphic romance
• Themes of self-discovery, vulnerability, and starting over

Love, Unexpected is Book 5 in the Lighthouse Lovers series, but like the others, it works perfectly as a standalone. Fans of emotional healing arcs and quietly powerful love stories will find this one especially satisfying.

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Review: Love, Unexpected

An emotional, heartfelt end to a charming sapphic romance series.

Love, Unexpected is the fifth and final book in Shannon O’Connor’s Lighthouse Lovers series—a collection of sapphic small-town romances loosely connected by a central event: Alana’s upcoming wedding.

But in a twist fitting of the title, the wedding doesn’t happen, and Alana finds herself on an unexpected journey of self-discovery and new love.

After running away from the wedding that was meant to tie the series together, Alana ends up at a house undergoing renovations—being done by Harmony, a young mother and recovering alcoholic who has been sober for five years.

The romance that unfolds between them is tender, authentic, and deeply satisfying. It’s a slow build that never feels to slow or to fast, despite the book’s shorter length (180 pages).

Within these limited pages, Shannon O’Connor manages to give both characters space to grow and for their relationship to develop organically.

This isn’t a typical runaway bride story—it’s about two women healing and learning to trust themselves and each other. Harmony’s sobriety, her relationship with her child and ex-wife, and her day-to-day struggles are portrayed with nuance, never feeling like token traits but genuine facets of her character.

Meanwhile, Alana’s internal journey—as she breaks free from societal expectations and begins to understand what she truly wants—is just as compelling.

As with the rest of the Lighthouse Lovers series, this is not a closed-door romance, and yes, there is a memorable slip-and-slide reference that will stick with readers for more than one reason!

Although this is the fifth in the series, new readers will find enough context to enjoy the story without feeling lost. But for those who’ve read the earlier books, Love, Unexpected delivers a meaningful conclusion that ties together the emotional arcs of the series—especially Alana’s, who has lingered in the background until now.

Conclusion

Love, Unexpected is a poignant, satisfying finale to the Lighthouse Lovers series. It’s a story about second chances, found family, and the courage it takes to walk away from something that looks perfect on paper in order to find something real.

Recommended for: Fans of sapphic romance, small-town settings, runaway bride tropes with a twist, and stories about healing and personal growth.

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