Spotlight & Giveaway: Maybe This Once by Sophie Sullivan

Today, HJ is pleased to share with you Sophie Sullivan’s new release: Maybe This Once.

From  Sophie Sullivan, comes a small-town, opposites-attract romance about two people who end up with more feelings than they bargained for after pursuing a summer fling.

Charlotte “Charlie” Ashford has worked hard to become her own person. Tired of living in the shadow of her famous parents, she gladly left behind a life of glitz and glamour to pursue her true passion: becoming a counselor. However, when a viral video upends Charlie’s plans, she wonders if the real key to discovering herself is through her late father.

Grayson Keller has finally found his footing. He’s settled in one place, surrounded by family, and secure in his business. By his third summer as owner, Get Lost Lodge is showing a steady profit and seeing its fair share of repeat visitors. Whatever happens, Grayson is perfectly content with his quiet life and careful heart. That is, until he meets Charlie, who he can’t seem to get out of his head.

On the surface, Charlie and Grayson seem to have nothing in common more than a growing attraction that neither of them can fight. Trusting each other isn’t easy. They’ve both been hurt before, and they’re not looking for anything serious. The solution is easy: they’ll date, have some fun, and walk away unscathed. Right? Or, maybe this once, they can see past the hurt to what, or who, is on the other side waiting for them.

Enjoy an exclusive excerpt from Maybe This Once: A Novel 

From Maybe This Once by Sophie Sullivan. Copyright © 2026 by the author and reprinted by permission of St. Martin’s Publishing Group.

Two
Grayson Keller did his best to stay out of other people’s business. If it had nothing to do with him or the people he cared about, there wasn’t much point in getting invested. He hadn’t always felt that way. His marriage, and the rocky divorce that followed, had closed off little chambers of his personality; made him choosier about who to let in, mentally, physically, and socially.
But extending simple kindnesses wasn’t nosy or out of line. When the golden-haired, beautiful-even-in-her-annoyance woman walked away from the reception desk, Grayson spotted her credit card wedged between the front desk and the floor, like she’d dropped it then accidentally kicked it. The space wasn’t big enough to pretend to ignore her irritation. She had a soft tone that was calm and collected but her words were precise and hard. It was a compelling contrast, like she was struggling to keep an ember from erupting into a full-blown fire. The combination of her voice, her words, and her slightly out-of-place elegance made him smile.
Standing there, staring at the closed elevator doors, he mentally cursed himself. What was he thinking chasing after a woman, even in a populated, open area? He had a sister and a niece. What if someone had done the same to them? Definitely the wrong impression. He tapped the credit card against his palm as his phone vibrated in his hand. Hers had buzzed so much on the front-desk counter, he’d thought it might dance its way off the edge. Whoever she was, she was popular.
For a split second there, he thought he’d seen a flash of mutual interest. It’d been so long since he’d felt a strong pull of attraction toward anyone, so he might have been wrong. He might have misread her gaze. The P on the lights above the elevator lit up. She’d gone to the parking garage. At least he knew better than to follow her down there.
Glancing around, he headed for one of the two leather chairs sitting against a wall, an ugly gold-and-marble table topped with magazines between them.
Sinking into the noisy leather, he set her credit card on the arm of the chair and pulled out his phone. He had some time, so he could wait and hopefully she’d come back up. The guys he knew from the outdoor expo being held the next day had invited him out for drinks tonight but he wasn’t into it. Hanging out at crowded bars or pubs had long ago lost its appeal.
Both his brother and sister had texted him. So had his niece, Ollie. Man, he loved that kid. Swiping his thumb over the screen, he clicked on the picture she’d sent. She wore a black suit with a lilac dress shirt. Grayson had the same outfit hanging in his closet for his brother Beckett’s wedding at the end of the month. Even though it was only the beginning of August, he knew the weeks would fly by and then summer would be over. By the end of it, his brother would be a married man.
Grayson
You look good kid. Almost as good as me.
Ollie sent a GIF of someone laughing so hard they fell over and Gray laughed out loud.
He found one to send back that had an old man with a ridiculously long bushy white beard saying “Still got it.”
Ollie
Can you bring back the good popcorn from Costco?
Pretty please.
She was ten now, going into fifth grade in the new school year, and had them all wrapped around her finger. Gray wondered how Ollie would react to the news that her mom—his sister, Jilly—was pregnant. She and her fiancé, Levi, were waiting to tell her until after the wedding. She’d be a great big sister, but she’d had the spotlight from all of them for a long time.
Grayson
You got it. I’ll see you tomorrow. Keep an eye on things,
okay? Don’t let Bernie start the painting without us.

Ollie
Too late. Levi, Uncle Becks, and Presley already helped.
Of course. He hated missing out on helping a man who’d become like family to all of them. Bernie had shown up at the lodge two summers back, right when Gray had taken over. Formally divorced and starting over in a completely new professional sphere—a hell of a jump from business management to running Get Lost Lodge—Grayson had been drowning. And not just financially. Bernie had a childhood connection to the lodge and convinced them to let him buy one of the cabins, giving Gray an influx of cash and some breathing room. Bernie’s niece was coming to stay with him at the cabin and he wanted to fix up the spare bedroom.
From the minute Gray had taken over the lodge, his family had also gone above and beyond to support him. Especially Ollie, his little pal. She’d followed him around from day one, like a mini manager. She and Gray’s siblings were the buoys that pulled him out of the murky darkness that coming home with very little to show for his life had plunged him into. Bit by bit, he came out of shock, reemerging into the world, into his family and his life. He’d never be the same, but maybe he wasn’t supposed to be. Older and wiser and all that shit.
“I certainly hope your amusement isn’t at my expense,” a strained but soft and warm voice he already recognized said at the same moment pointy-toed high heels filled his vision.
Grayson lifted his head slowly, his gaze going from his phone—and her shoes below it—up to meet her worried hazel-green eyes. No, he didn’t need to know other people’s stories but he couldn’t help being curious about hers. She was prettier up close. Even with a frown on her full lips. Her blond hair was thick and shiny, falling in waves around her face and over her shoulders. She had a delicate, if hard-set, jaw. Her eyes were expressive and, in this moment, a little unfriendly.
“It’s my niece making me laugh, actually,” he said honestly, wondering why she was so angry and mistrusting. Not your business.
The woman leaned in when Gray turned his phone, held it up to show Ollie in her suit. A smile broke free and he could tell that it surprised her as much as him.
Her guard seemed to drop with an exhale. “She’s adorable. And very fancy.” The woman’s gaze, much softer now, met Gray’s. Speaking of fancy. Everything from her shoes to her soft voice whispered sophistication. Which made her staying at the Wily Wolverine all the more interesting.

From Maybe This Once by Sophie Sullivan. Copyright © 2026 by the author and reprinted by permission of St. Martin’s Publishing Group.

Excerpt. ©Sophie Sullivan. Posted by arrangement with the publisher. All rights reserved.
 
 

Giveaway: One copy giveaway of MAYBE THIS ONCE, US winner only please.

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Meet the Author:

SOPHIE SULLIVAN (she/her) is a Canadian author as well as a cookie-eating, Diet Pepsi-drinking, Disney enthusiast who loves reading and writing romance in almost equal measure. She writes around her day job as a teacher and spends her spare time with her sweet family watching reruns of Friends. She’s had plenty of practice writing happily ever after as her alter ego, Jody Holford.

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