An Everyday Hero

Trentham (The Military Wife) nails the pride and pain of military families with this expertly rendered, deeply felt contemporary romance. Greer Hadley gives up her Nashville music dreams and returns to her tiny hometown of Madison, Tenn., only to find her long-distance boyfriend in bed with someone else. She responds by getting drunk and trashing a local bar. After getting arrested, Greer must complete 50 hours of community service as a music teacher at a local charity dedicated to aiding veterans and their families. One of Greer’s first students happens to be her high school crush, Emmett Lawson, an Army captain who lost his leg to war. Undeterred by Emmett’s initial prickly manner, Greer pushes for him to open up, and soon animosity turns to attraction between them. Trentham’s agility with tough topics—including PTSD and substance abuse—and her effortlessly empathetic characters combine to create a compulsively readable tale. By turns heartwarming and heartbreaking, this story will grip readers from start to finish. Agent: Kevan Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency. (Feb.)