CABIN FEVER

Young widow Nolie Harper still lives with her late husband's parents, who control her life and that of her five-year-old daughter. When she inherits two cabins and a feed store clear across the country, Nolie jumps at the chance for a new start. Bethlehem, N.Y., seems like a bustling metropolis after tiny Whiskey Creek, and Nolie savors the freedom to reopen the feed store, make new friends and check out Chase Wilson, who rents the other cabin. A local boy who became a successful lawyer before losing everything, the handsome Chase is hiding out in scruffy and self-pitying depression. Nolie painstakingly coaxes him out of his shell, with the help of two eccentric guardian angels. Like Pappano's previous Bethlehem book, Heaven on Earth, this is a soothing read—almost too soothing. The romance between Nolie and Chase is devoid of true conflict. Even the sudden arrival of Nolie's ex–in-laws adds little drama, since their custody plans for their grandchild are preordained to fail. Only a subplot involving charismatic con man Cole Jackson, who falls in love with Chase's sister while fleecing the townspeople, builds true suspense. While it lacks the snappiness and wit of many contemporary romances, this seamlessly spun story is quietly uplifting. (July)