S Lea launches retirement adventure series set in Portugal

S Lea’s new women's fiction book turns retirement worries into a story about friendship, finances, and a possible move abroad. The first title in The Retirement Escape Club series follows four women as they test whether Portugal could offer a more affordable and adventurous next chapter.

Why it matters: - The Retirement Escape Club: Pastries, Passports, and Portugal reframes retirement anxiety as a practical search for options. - The story taps a real pressure point for many older adults: whether retirement in the U.S. can still be affordable. - The book pairs financial uncertainty with travel and friendship, giving readers a fiction format for a familiar life decision.

What happened: - S Lea released The Retirement Escape Club: Pastries, Passports, and Portugal, a women's fiction adventure centered on retirement planning. - The book follows Maggie Ellis, a woman in her sixties who has survived divorce, worked hard, and saved carefully, only to worry that retirement in America may cost too much. - Maggie starts a club with three other women to explore whether living abroad could offer a more affordable and fulfilling future. - The book is the first title in The Retirement Escape Club series. - The book is available at More information.

The details: - Diane is a widowed former nurse who thinks through medical risks and preparation. - Rita is a retail veteran who uses humor to deal with financial stress. - Linda is an optimistic dreamer looking for beautiful surroundings on a limited budget. - The first trip in the series takes the women to Portugal. - The story moves through the Algarve's cafés, tiled streets, coastal scenery, unfamiliar transportation, pastries, accommodations, and staircases that test the travelers physically. - Future books will continue following Maggie, Diane, Rita, and Linda as they deal with retirement, friendship, finances, and life abroad.

Between the lines: - S Lea said the series grew out of her own questions about retirement later in life and whether she had saved enough to retire comfortably. - The author researched Social Security, healthcare, living expenses, and international alternatives before building the series. - The premise suggests retirement can be a reset, not just a downsizing exercise. - The fictional friendships and trip details are designed to mirror real concerns for readers facing the gap between retirement hopes and available resources.

What's next: - The Retirement Escape Club series will keep expanding as the four women explore additional places and possibilities. - The books are positioned to follow the characters as they test whether a life abroad can work financially and emotionally. - S Lea is using the series to explore whether aging can still include adventure, freedom, and new starts.