Reminders of Him
by Colleen Hoover
GENRE: Contemporary Fiction, Romance
After serving five years in prison for a tragic mistake, Kenna Rowan returns to the town where it all went wrong, hoping to reunite with her four-year-old daughter. But the bridges Kenna burned are proving impossible to rebuild. Everyone in her daughter's life is determined to shut Kenna out, no matter how hard she works to prove herself.
The only person who hasn't closed the door on her completely is Ledger Ward, a local bar owner and one of the few remaining links to Kenna's daughter. But if anyone were to discover how Ledger is slowly becoming an important part of Kenna's life, both would risk losing the trust of everyone important to them.
The two form a connection despite the pressure surrounding them, but as their romance grows, so does the risk. Kenna must find a way to absolve the mistakes of her past in order to build a future out of hope and healing.
Author Biography
Colleen Hoover is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty four novels and novellas. Hoover’s novels fall into the New Adult and Young Adult contemporary romance categories, as well as psychological thriller.
Colleen Hoover is published by Atria Books, Grand Central Publishing, Montlake Romance, and HarperCollins Publishers.
In 2015, Colleen’s novel Confess won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance. That was followed up in 2016 with her latest title, It Ends With Us, also winning the Choice Award for Best Romance. In 2017, her title Without Merit won best romance.
Her novel Confess has been filmed as a series by Awestruck and is available on Prime Video via Amazon and iTunes. Katie Leclerc and Ryan Cooper star in the series.
Colleen founded The Bookworm Box, a charity bookstore and book signing event, with her family in 2015. The Bookworm Box hosts a book signing (Book Bonanza) each year which features over 200 authors as well as an annual auction to raise funds for food banks and other charities across the nation. To date, The Bookworm Box has donated over $1,000,000 to help those in need. - Author's website
Kirkus
After being released from prison, a young woman tries to reconnect with her 5-year-old daughter despite having killed the girl's father. Kenna didn't even know she was pregnant until after she was sent to prison for murdering her boyfriend, Scotty. When her baby girl, Diem, was born, she was forced to give custody to Scotty's parents. Now that she's been released, Kenna is intent on getting to know her daughter, but Scotty's parents won't give her a chance to tell them what really happened the night their son died. Instead, they file a restraining order preventing Kenna from so much as introducing herself to Diem. Handsome, self-assured Ledger, who was Scotty's best friend, is another key adult in Diem's life. He's helping her grandparents raise her, and he too blames Kenna for Scotty's death. Even so, there's something about her that haunts him. Kenna feels the pull, too, and seems to be seeking Ledger out despite his judgmental behavior. As Ledger gets to know Kenna and acknowledges his attraction to her, he begins to wonder if maybe he and Scotty's parents have judged her unfairly. Even so, Ledger is afraid that if he surrenders to his feelings, Scotty's parents will kick him out of Diem's life. As Kenna and Ledger continue to mourn for Scotty, they also grieve the future they cannot have with each other. Told alternatively from Kenna's and Ledger's perspectives, the story explores the myriad ways in which snap judgments based on partial information can derail people's lives. Built on a foundation of death and grief, this story has an undercurrent of sadness. As usual, however, the author has created compelling characters who are magnetic and sympathetic enough to pull readers in. In addition to grief, the novel also deftly explores complex issues such as guilt, self-doubt, redemption, and forgiveness. With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Publisher's Weekly
Bestseller Hoover (Layla) explores repentance and forgiveness in a contemporary romance that's sure to tug on readers' heartstrings. After five years in prison for the involuntary manslaughter of her boyfriend, Scotty, Kenna Rowan is ready to reunite with her and Scotty's four-year-old daughter, Diem, who was taken away from her immediately after the birth. She has almost no money, no job, and a rundown apartment, and her parental rights were terminated after Diem was born, making their reunion an uphill battle. With no support from her own estranged mother or contact with Scotty's family, who took Diem in, Kenna has a long way to go to start over. While working to find her bearings, she meets Ledger Ward, the owner of a local bar--and Scotty's best friend. Though the odds are against them, they can't deny their growing attraction or the lingering guilt they both feel about Scotty's death. With Ledger at her side, Kenna works toward healing herself, reconciling what both she and her daughter deserve for a brighter future. Hoover delves deep into grief and guilt to create a multifaceted redemption story for a cast of characters who fight as fiercely as they love. Fans won't be disappointed. Agent: Jane Dystel, Dystel & Goderich Literary. (Jan.)
Any Dream Will Do
by Debbie Macomber
Shay Benson adored her younger brother, Caden, and that got her into trouble. When he owed money, Shay realized she would do anything to help him avoid the men who were threatening him, and she crossed lines she never should have crossed. Now, determined to start fresh, she finds herself in search of a place to stay and wanders into a church to escape from the cold.
Pastor Drew Douglas adored his wife. But when he lost her, it was all he could do to focus on his two beautiful kids, and his flock came in a distant third. Now, as he too is thinking about a fresh start, he walks through his sanctuary and finds Shay sitting in a pew.
The pair strike up a friendship—Drew helps Shay get back on her feet, and she reignites his sense of purpose—that, over time, turns into something deeper, something soulful, spiritual, and possibly romantic. Even Drew’s two children are taken with this woman who has brought light back into their lives. Perhaps most important, Shay learns to trust again as she, in turn, proves herself trustworthy to her adopted community.
But Caden’s return to town and a disastrous secret threaten to undo the life Shay has tried so hard to rebuild. It will take the utmost courage and faith if she and Drew hope to find healing and open their hearts to a brighter future.
Facing the Dawn
by Cynthia Ruchti
While her humanitarian husband Liam has been digging wells in Africa, Mara Jacobs has been struggling. She knows she's supposed to feel a warm glow that her husband is nine time zones away, caring for widows and orphans. But the reality is that she is exhausted, working a demanding yet unrewarding job, trying to manage their three detention-prone kids, failing at her to-repair list, and fading like a garment left too long in the sun.
Then Liam's three-year absence turns into something more, changing everything and plunging her into a sunless grief. As Mara struggles to find her footing, she discovers that even when hope is tenuous, faith is fragile, and the future is unknown, we can be sure we are not forgotten...or unloved.
Things We Hide From the Light
by Lucy Score
Police Chief Nash Morgan is known for two things: being a good guy and the way his uniform accentuates his rear end.
But two bullets put a dent in his Southern charm and now he's facing a criminal still on the loose and a town full of citizens that consider the law more of a 'guideline'. The last thing he needs is the leggy, smart-mouthed Lina Solavita moving in next door, making him feel things he doesn't have the energy to feel.
Lina is on a mission. As soon as she gets what she's after, she has no intention of sticking around. The town of Knockemout has other ideas. Soon she finds herself sucked into small-town life. Dog-sitting. Saying yes to a bridesmaid's dress. Listening to the sexy chief of police in the shower.
But when Nash discovers Lina's secret these friends become furious enemies - though the sparks flying between them don't know the difference between love and hate.
