cover image Summer of Secrets

Summer of Secrets

Charlotte Hubbard. Kensington/Zebra, $6.99 mass market (352p) ISBN 978-1-4201-2169-8

Hubbard (Law of Attraction) centers her new inspirational series on the Sweet Seasons Cafe, where everyone in Willow Ridge, Mo., knows your name. Miriam Lantz, proprietress and delectable cook, is a devout and attractive widow who has made a success of the cafe with the help of her daughters Rachel and Rhoda, though the elders disapprove of their independence. When the girls’ missing triplet, Rebecca, turns up 19 years after being swept away in a flood, she brings the unfamiliar ways of the outside world to threaten the placid existence of the Plain folk. She also catches the eye of flirtatious Micah Brenneman—making Rachel more than a little jealous. Miriam is determined to reunite her family even if she risks expulsion by her community. The cumbersome depiction of Amish speech disrupts the narrative, but those who enjoy a glimpse of the culture will find the story appealing. Agent: Evan Marshall Agency. (Feb.)