| Looking for Leroy by Melody CarlsonStarring: Brynna Phillips, a divorced Oregon teacher definitely not looking for love, who joins her coworker Jan on a summer RV trip; and Leroy Sorrentino, a widower with three adult daughters.
A complex pairing: After Brynna talks about a teen romance from summer camp, Jan decides they'll find the boy named Leroy whose family owned a California vineyard. When they find the place, Brynna's roped into a job by Leroy's pregnant daughter...but doesn't mention she knows Leroy.
For fans of: charming second chance romances; middle-aged main characters; wine country settings. |
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| Meet Me in the Margins by Melissa FergusonThe setup: Editor Savannah Cade secretly writes a romance novel while working at an upscale Nashville publishing company where the boss' handsome son has just arrived from New York to be the new VP.
What happens: Savannah stashes her manuscript in a secret room, and when she returns for it, someone's edited her work. As the two editors communicate back-and-forth via the novel, Savannah realizes she's falling for her editor...even though she has no idea who he is.
Is it for you? Though faith doesn't play a role, this clean, sweetly charming romance offers an intriguing look at the publishing world and features a storyline reminiscent of You've Got Mail. |
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| Count the Nights by Stars by Michelle ShockleeOne place, two times: At Nashville's famed Maxwell House Hotel during the 1897 Tennessee Centennial Exposition, wealthy Priscilla Nichols falls for a poor Italian immigrant. In 1961, after Miss Priscilla falls ill, Audrey, who works at the Maxwell's front desk, sorts through the elderly woman's papers with a young lawyer, which leads them to a long-ago mystery.
For fans of: Kim Vogel Sawyer's A Silken Thread, a romance set during the 1895 Atlanta cotton exposition; and split-time romances, like Ashley Clark's Heirloom Secrets trilogy.
Reviewers say: "good to the last drop" (Library Journal); "a riveting historical romance" (Publishers Weekly). |
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The setting: An antique store becomes a place of healing for broken hearts. What happens: After losing her parents as a child, Lisa Miller has grown up afraid of loving and losing. She dedicates herself to teaching in an Amish schoolhouse and helping the grandparents who raised her, all while avoiding the advances of newcomer Paul Herchberger. Paul enjoys antiques and meets Orley Troyer while looking for unique old milk bottles in yard sales. Orley and his wife offer prayers and advice as Paul tries to reach Lisa’s closed heart. But when secrets are revealed, will Lisa use them as an excuse to close herself off again? Series alert: The Sugarcreek Surprise is second in the new Creektown Discoveries series; The Walnut Creek Wish is the first title. |
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Secrets, Secrets Everywhere
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Her Secret
by Shelley Shepard Gray
Introducing: Hannah Hilty, the 20-year-old Amish victim of an English stalker, whom she hopes she's left behind in Ohio when her family moves to quiet Hart County, Kentucky, for a fresh start.
What happens: The Hiltys have trouble adjusting (especially Hannah's siblings), friends are made (including handsome Isaac Troyer), upsetting secrets come to light, a health crisis occurs, and the stalker returns.
Series alert: This is the opening book in in the Amish of Hart County series, which are charming Amish romances with suspenseful elements.
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| Secrets of My Heart by Tracie Peterson1879 Portland, Oregon: Though her marriage was loveless, Nancy Pritchard, who's struggling with her faith, is shocked that her newly deceased husband may have been killed due to his illegal activities.
What happens: Nancy gets help digging into her husband's business dealings from a childhood friend, lawyer Seth Carpenter (who has his own secrets), and turns her home into a boarding house for women.
Series alert: This series starter (which includes some characters from the Heart of the Frontier novels) wraps up the romance portion nicely, but those who want to see justice fully realized will want to read the rest of the Willamette Brides trilogy. |
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What it is: A decade-spanning novel of family and faith The setup: Now in her eighties, Perla Phillips has carried a secret since she was eighteen years old. When she sees her granddaughter, Ella, struggling for perfection, she decides to share her secret to show that God can use even the biggest mistakes for good. But before she can reveal what happened during that summer sixty years ago, she has a debilitating stroke. What happens: Carrying a secret of her own, Ella arrives back in Wise, West Virginia, to help her aunt Sadie care for Perla. Both know the woman wanted to tell them something, but she’s now locked in silence. Together they begin looking into the past, but they may learn more than they expected. |
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