Swept Away

This first collaboration between seasoned author Hilton (Patchwork Dreams) and fellow pastor’s wife Loven is an easy read. Sari Morgan is set on marrying her granddaughter Sara Jane off to new handyman Drew Stevenson, but she’s in a race against time as Alzheimer’s threatens her matchmaking and the stubborn pair resist her efforts. Sara Jane views Drew as a “John the Baptist wannabe”; he sees her as a “high-maintenance drama queen.” Each has experienced a loss too great to speak of with the other. Yet their mutual attraction draws them together as strongly as their misconceptions work to keep them apart. Drew has overcome grief and found his way back to God by hiking the Appalachian Trail, while Sara Jane struggles to believe that God exists and continues to blame herself for the deaths of her parents. Intermittently, the three of them work on Sari’s ballad quilt, sewing a story that resembles their own lives as much as it does the folk ballad “Pretty Saro.” The authors blend a simple romance with the somber, universal issues of death, illness, and forgiveness in a relatable tale full of likable characters. Agency: Steve Laube Literary Agency (Nov.)