Cuesta’s debut is a playful and sometimes heart-tugging story of an unlikely bed and breakfast in the tiny Upper Peninsula town of Manistique, Mich. Mark’s Aunt Vivian has died, and though they weren’t close, she left him her tidy, beautiful country inn. She had been renting rooms during the tourist season, while in the off-season she worked as a doctor traveling the world with Doctors Without Borders. When Mark first arrives in Manistique, his intention is to sell the inn and return to his work in Chicago as a financial planner, but he’s waylaid by Emily, who needs a room. She just finished medical school, and while traveling to Chicago for her residency, a deer crashed into her car; the slow pace of the quaint town means repairs could take days. Mark reluctantly gives her a room, but before he knows it, more guests begin to arrive. As he thinks of turning them away, Emily becomes overly helpful, allowing more people inside. A series of coincidental commonalities and a friendship developing between Mark and Emily sustain the fast pace of this story. Cuesta’s witty prose is consistent throughout, punctuated by some laugh-out-loud moments. This is a fun, quirky escape from reality. (Self-published.)