52 PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ■ SEPTEMBER 9, 2019
Review_FICTION Review_FICTIONhusband, Matthew, threatens to kill her
for displeasing him, she begins planning
to escape to the West, where her cousin
and her best friend have already found
love and happiness. After she flees, a case
of mistaken identity gets her kidnapped
from her westbound train by a band of
outlaws that includes Gabriel Sloan. They
plan to ransom
her, but she
refuses to go
back to her hus-
band, and
Gabriel feels
responsible for
her. Gabriel was
kidnapped from
his Native
American tribe
by white mis-
sionaries and is now a loner who doesn’t
feel at home anywhere, but Evelyn’s quiet
strength breaks through his emotional
barriers. Trust doesn’t come easily for either
of them, and as they give in to their feel-
ings, Matthew comes hunting them. Sandas
raises the emotional stakes and continually
ratchets up the sexual tension and sense
of danger. A stellar cast of supporting
characters (including two couples from
earlier installments) adds depth. Fans of
historicals will devour this suspenseful
romance, and series fans will be sorry to
see the trilogy end. Agent: Nalini Akolekar,
Spencerhill Assoc. (Nov.)Laura the Explorer
Sarah Begg. Sarah Begg, $7.99 trade paper
(308p) ISBN 978-0-9876415-0-2
Australian author Begg’s debut totters
unevenly between its moments of sexual
slapstick and broad humor about 20-some-
thing anxiety, and its overly complicated
small-world romance, never quite investing
in either. Laura Baker tries to make a fresh
start with a move into a Sydney flat after
her marriage to her high school sweetheart,
Jack, ends with the revelation that he is
gay. Her new roommates, Ben and Kalina,
convince her to revisit her missed oppor-
tunity to sleep around. Meanwhile, she
avoids her mother’s matchmaking and
develops a crush on the mysterious Lucas,
whom she keeps running into around town.
The roommate dynamic has smart dialogue
and energetic playfulness, but Laura’s
relationships with family and work friendsare stereotyped, and her internal mono-
logue is obvious and fussy. Though there’s
true humor in the bad sex vignettes, Begg
never allows her heroine to really enjoy
her casual encounters, denying frustrated
readers the joy of the vicarious romp in
favor of a milquetoast romance and vague
self-discovery. If Begg commits whole-
heartedly to her comedy in future books,
she could be an author to watch. (BookLife)Inspirational
The End of the Magi
Patrick W. Carr. Bethany House, $15.99 trade
paper (384p) ISBN 978-0-7642-3491-0
Carr (The Shock of Night) retells the story
of the Magi in this bustling biblical
adventure. In 537 BCE, the prophet Daniel
predicted that from the day of the com-
mand to rebuild Jerusalem to the coming
of the Messiah would be 483 years, and he
taught the Magi, a group of wise men, to
keep watch for his coming. In 5 BCE,
Myrad, the adopted son of Gershom, a
respected member of the Magi, has a dream
of a star hanging in the sky, not moving at
all. When most of the Magi, including
Gershom, are murdered by Parthian king
Phraates IV, Myrad takes his father’s papers
and flees, a journey made more difficult
by his club foot. He’s aided by God, a kind
merchant, and a few other displaced Magi
in his quest to discover the meaning of his
dream and to avenge his father’s death.
Myrad witnesses the birth of Christ in
Bethlehem, but even then, his dangerous
journey is not complete. Myrad’s divine
vision of the star and his arduous trek
battling his own physical problems to pay
homage to the Messiah capture the majesty
of biblical narratives and will appeal to
Christians well versed in scripture. Fans of
Mesu Andrews will love this. (Nov.)A Pursuit of Home
Kristi Ann Hunter. Bethany, $14.99 trade paper
(384p) ISBN 978-0-7642-3077-6
Hunter (Return of Devotion) centers the
pleasing third entry in the Haven Manor
series on Jess Beauchene, heir to a lost
European kingdom who is living in hiding.
Twenty-five-year-old Jess escaped from
France to England 10 years ago in 1806,
after her family—the last remaining
members of the fictional kingdom ofVerdonne—were captured and their home
was burned down. Now Jess works as a cook
at Haven Manor, an estate in the English
countryside. After she receives a cryptic
letter and learns that a family member
might still be alive, she risks exposing
herself to find the truth. Derek Thornbury,
a rare artifacts expert, spends his days at
Haven Manor analyzing paintings and is
skeptical of Jess’s request to help her
decipher clues in an old family journal. As
they follow the journal’s clues, they draw
closer together, but locating the lost crown
of Verdonne, which will prove her family’s
claim, proves harder than they expected.
Faith elements are light, and though the
supporting cast is used mainly to further
the plot, the chemistry between Jess and
Derek develops organically. Hunter nicely
blends historical romance and mystery in
this satisfying tale. (Nov.)Smoke Screen
Terri Blackstock. Thomas Nelson, $16.99
trade paper (352p) ISBN 978-0-310-33259-6
Brenna Herzog faces a difficult divorce,
the release of her father’s murderer, and
long-standing rumors that surrounded her
father’s death in this exciting inspirational
thriller from Blackstock (If I Run). During
a long custody battle with her soon-to-be
ex-husband, Brenna’s once-strong faith
begins to fade as she drowns her sorrows
in vodka. When Nate Beckett, her high
school boyfriend, returns to town, Brenna
feels her depression lift. Nate’s father,
Roy, has been in prison for 14 years for
the murder of Brenna’s father, pastor
Strickland, but Roy has always maintained
his innocence. Strickland had objected to
Brenna’s relationship with Nate when they
were caught sneaking out together, and,
after he was shot to death, a fight the pastor
had had with Roy became the primary
evidence for Roy’s conviction. As Nate
attempts to patch up his relationship with
his father, who had been an abusive alco-
holic, Nate assists his father in searching for
the real killer—despite his belief in Roy’s
guilt. As Nate stays in town, he spends
time with Brenna, and they realize the love
they had as teenagers is still strong. Nate
is determined to help Brenna keep her
children, and also to discover the truth as
new information emerges about the night
of Strickland’s death. Blackstock’s intense
and twisty story will please fans of her