Christmas at the Shelter Inn

The magic of the Christmas season comes alive in bestseller Thayne’s poignant latest holiday romance (after All Is Bright). Digital nomad Natalie Shepherd returns home to Shelter Springs, Idaho, as infrequently as possible, distancing herself from the memories of her mother’s and brother’s deaths and her father’s subsequent abandonment. Then her pregnant sister, McKenna, who still lives in town, is ordered onto bed rest and Natalie drops everything to be at her side. She gets into a car accident on her way back into town—and Griffin Taylor, her late brother’s dreamy best friend, is the one who comes to tow her car. As Natalie cares for McKenna’s two young daughters and helps out at the Shelter Inn, a senior apartment community that McKenna runs, the Shelter Inn residents—including Griffin’s grandmother—conspire to set her up with Griffin. But with Natalie fully intending to leave as soon as McKenna’s baby is born, can they make a relationship work? Thayne’s depiction of the Christmas season is timeless, complete with marshmallows and a Christmas Eve snowstorm, while her characters’ emotions feel authentic and often painful. The result is a good balance of light and dark. Agent: Annelise Robey, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Oct.)