Sorry to hear about your personal situation. However, you will find lots of us in the Costa Blanca looking to start the next phase of our lives.
We, like you started looking in Denia and Javea, then continued south to Moraira and further to Altea where we recently bought. Like you, we didn't rent first, not wanting to spend a year in limbo and spending money we could use towards the purchase. Denia is a really nice normal, working town with access to ferries to Ibiza and other places. Javea we liked the old town, but not so much the small sandy beach which is bordered by shops and eateries. Moraira we loved but found it too expensive, and ended up in Altea Hills area, which is a rocky hillside but beautful views. We loved also Calpe as a town, with the nice long beach, full range of shops and restaurants. However, we found the housing too tight (close houses) for our liking, but will probably spend more time in Calpe than Altea (the hills where we bought is between the two, with a tennis club). We have yet to investigate, but I hear Altea is nice...also I forgot to mention the Benissa coast!
What i might suggest is to drive the coast and inland a little, get a feel for the different communities and see what feels right. Good luck!