On Magnolia Lane

In Hunter’s endearing final installment to her Blue Ridge Romance series (after Honeysuckle Dreams) Georgia pastor Jack McReady has a crush on congregation member Daisy Pendleton. While Jack has never acted on his feelings for Daisy (believing it would be inappropriate), his friend Noah doesn’t feel the same way and signs Jack up for a dating site, then connects them under the pseudonymous initials TJ. Daisy is grieving the recent loss of her father and finds great solace in both Jack’s counseling and her light conversations online with TJ. In a plot reminiscent of You’ve Got Mail, the relationship develops, and so does Jack’s shame over deceiving Daisy. When a man appears at Daisy’s flower shop and reveals unknown information about her father, Daisy’s world is shaken. Hunter manages to keep the tone light all the way through the predictable ending. Hunter’s simple romance reveals both sides of a modern, single pastor—the spiritual guide and the ordinary man looking for a partner. (Nov.)