Hope Springs

In this engaging novel, Tate (Cherished) follows the Sanders and Dillon families in the novel’s eponymous and tiny Southern town. When a pillar of the community falls ill, the main characters are confronted with their own mortality, unresolved romances from the past, and a long-held family secret. Tate expertly crafts an intriguing narrative that explores unrequited love, true faith, and the complicated politics of change in the Christian church. There are many characters, as intimated by the two family trees that open the book, but a lot of plot comes packed with nearly all of them—sisters, cousins, and all. Some parts of the book touch on racial reconciliation and church administration; those are less compelling than the profound revelations of the town’s residents in this affecting tale about forgiveness and following God’s call. Agency: The Barnabas Agency. (June)