March 1, 2019
Luesse (Missing Isaac, 2018), an award-winning writer and editor for Southern Living, demonstrates her love for Alabama in this inspirational romance set at a boarding house in the fictional town of Blackberry Springs. With America's entrance into WWII, the town is exploding with people arriving to work for the local munitions factory; so Dolly Chandler opens up her family home in an effort to keep the tax man at bay. Central to the story are Anna and Jesse Williams, a young couple who left their home in Illinois after almost losing the family farm; Daisy Dupree, a young widow who can no longer stand living in her hometown after her childhood sweetheart is killed in the war; and Reed Ingram, a young army medic recovering from war injuries that have left his mind and a leg damaged. Luesse brings them all together in a search for treasure after the discovery of the journals kept by Catherine O'Dwyer, wife of the scandalous local river pirate, Andre Chauvin. Luesse's uplifting tale will delight fans of sweet historical romance.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)