Driftwood Dreams

Lowe continues her Carolina Coast series (after Beach Haven) with this touching romance centered on high school friends who reconnect later in life. After Josie Slater’s mother died, Josie decided to stay in Sunset Cove to help her father run the family diner. A few years later, artist August Bradford, Josie’s former best friend, returns from a tour of Europe to help his uncle with an art camp and also reconnect with Josie. August wants Josie, who has long wanted to go to graduate school for painting, to partner with him as a co-teacher, and he asks her to help in getting the art camp started. Josie agrees to help part-time; engaging her creative passion quickly transforms her from stuttering and shy to someone confident and comfortable in her own skin. As secondary characters and family members nudge Josie and August toward each other, the art projects push Josie to reconnect with her passion for painting. While obligations to her father keep Josie from enthusiastically accepting the co-teacher position full-time, all it takes is August losing his patience with her indecision for Josie to truly embrace the opportunity. Throughout are subtle reminders to not only trust God, but to also share one’s God-given gifts with the world. This slow-burning romance will appeal to fans of Irene Hannon. (June)