Thankful

Bestselling author Gray continues her Sugarcreek series with this braided tale of second chances. Christina Kempf and Aden Reese remember clearly Christina’s disastrous fall through the ice a decade earlier, both fighting the memories and trauma in their own ways. The pair were raised as siblings, though Christina knows Aden is the man for her, and Aden feels the same about her. Can they overcome fear of each other’s rejection to find happiness? A second plot strand features Sugarcreek Inn owner Jana Kent, who wants to move ahead after 12 years of living her late husband’s dream of running a restaurant, but wonders how to do so. In the third subplot, Amish couple Judith and Ben Knox are longing for a child. They begin fostering a baby whose mother is in prison. These interwoven stories create what will surely be a popular addition to the Sugarcreek series. Agent: Mary Sue Seymour, Seymour Agency. (May)