Review_FICTION
52 PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ■ OCTOBER 14, 2019
Review_FICTION
with Star’s two sisters, is threatened with
being taken into foster care. Meanwhile,
Jett is surprised when his sister, Trina,
shows up with her twins and a new baby—
and then disappears. Since both Jett and
Cassie had told each other they weren’t
ready to take care of children, each resorts,
in a somewhat confusing plot twist, to
shenanigans and misdirection to hide the
fact that they are caring for children. While
light on faith elements for inspirational
fiction, Ferguson’s humorous and chaotic
tale will please rom-com fans. (Dec.)Echoes Among the Stones
Jaime Jo Wright. Bethany House, $15.99
trade paper (384p) ISBN 978-0-7642-3388-3
A decades-old murder case brings
together a grandmother and granddaughter
in this excellent inspirational mystery from
Wright (The House on Foster Hill). Imogene
Grayson discovered her sister, Hazel,
murdered in their attic in 1946 and has
devoted her life to finding justice. Seventy
years later, and no closer to knowing the
truth, Imogene is a grumpy nonagenarian
who’s never gotten over the loss of her
beloved sister. Imogene’s granddaughter,
Aggie Dunkirk, receives a letter from
Imogene requesting a visit while she
recovers from a broken hip. Grudgingly,
Aggie complies, only to discover that
Imogene has lied about her broken hip to
gain Aggie’s sympathy, there is a skeleton
in her backyard, and she has a disturbing
dollhouse that
appears to be a
recreation of a
murder scene.
In sections set
in the mid-cen-
tury, Imogene
begins her
investigation
which quickly
goes cold. In the
present, Aggie
takes a job restoring a flooded cemetery
with handsome archaeologist Collin
O’Shaughnessy. Together they discover
secrets among the graves, along with
roses with messages written on the petals.
They soon realize someone wants them to
stay away from the grave of Hazel
Grayson, and when Aggie makes the
connection to her grandmother, she
dives fully into solving the mystery ofAway from Keyboard series (after In Her
Sights) explores the healing power of love.
When hacker Wren Kane’s recovering
addict brother, Zion, dies of an apparent
overdose, she’s convinced he’s been mur-
dered. Wren finds clues that confirm her
suspicions and indicate that others are in
danger. She
tries to enlist
Dax, the ex-
military owner
of her security
firm, to help
save them, but
he remains
skeptical. Enter
Ryker McCabe,
who comes to
the firm looking
to make amends with Dax for abandoning
him when they fought together in
Afghanistan. When Ryker hears of Wren’s
plans to take on the murderers by herself,
his new code—“never leave a man
behind”—won’t allow him to let her go it
alone. Working together to take down the
criminal, Ryker falls for Wren, but wor-
ries he’s too broken to be worthy of her.
Steamy love scenes and rapid pacing keep
the pages turning. Smart, strong charac-
ters and thrilling action make this install-
ment a must-read for romantic suspense
fans. (Self-published.)Inspirational
The Dating Charade
Melissa Ferguson. Thomas Nelson, $15.99
trade paper (336p) ISBN 978-0-7852-3100-4
Ferguson’s delightful debut follows a
first date that turns quickly into a childcare
quagmire. After yet another date with a
man who forgot to mention he was married,
33-year-old Cassie Everson gives up on
dating and focuses on her work at Girl
Haven, a center for disadvantaged teen
girls. Firefighter Jett Bentley has had a
crush on Cassie since high school. After
Cassie’s best friend, Bree, goes into Cassie’s
dating app to set up a date with Jett, Cassie
doesn’t even give Jett a chance. Undeterred,
Bree and Jett conspire to create a surprise
that hard-to-please Cassie can’t help loving.
But after the dreamy date, both their nights
take a sudden turn. Cassie has to intervene
when one of her Haven girls, Star, alongNow he’d rather drink his pain away than
work to maintain the place, but Sonya’s
determined to whip him back into shape.
Though flirty Austin and no-nonsense
Sonya initially butt heads, they soon
develop a bond. But as they start to clear
out all of the junk Austin’s grandfather
hoarded, Walter resorts to violence to try
to stop them, hoping to keep an old family
secret buried. Villainous Walter leaps off
the page, making his eventual takedown
that much more satisfying. Ryan’s expert
pacing will easily keep readers enthralled.
While this can be read as a standalone,
the ending has enough of a hook to make
readers eager for their next visit to
Montana. Agent: Suzie Townsend, New Leaf
Literary. (Dec.)Falling for Her Best Friend
Tami Franklin. Tami Franklin, $12.99 trade
paper (290p) ISBN 978-1-07-729008-2
Valentine’s Day in a quaint town known
for celebrating holidays in style serves as
the colorful backdrop for this playful
second-chance romance, the first in the
Love in Holiday Junction series from
Franklin (Cecilia’s Soulful Heart). After 10
years of trying to make it on Broadway, a
breakup spurs Violet Chalmers to return
to Holiday Junction, Wash., to teach high
school drama. She happily reunites with
her childhood friend, Kade Rivera, an
attractive singer-songwriter and the local
math teacher. Unaware that Kade has
been pining for her for years, Vi rekindles
her high school romance with Liam Durant
because “there’s something to be said for
boring and reliable.” As the town prepares
for its annual Valentine’s Day Sweetheart
Ball, Liam asks Kade to keep his distance
so he can have a real chance with Vi, while
Vi tries to set up Kade with their friend
Lena. Franklin populates her story with
decent, well-intentioned people, making
it easy to root for the mismatched couples
as they try to figure out who they’re meant
to be with. Fans of holiday themes will be
drawn to this festive tale. (Self-published.)★ On His Six
Patricia D. Eddy. Patricia D. Eddy, $11.99
trade paper (326p) ISBN 978-1-942258-17-9
Alternating perspectives between a
guilt-ridden hero seeking redemption and
a plucky heroine seeking revenge, the
exhilarating third standalone in Eddy’s