A Dazzle of Diamonds

Johnson continues her Georgia Coast romance series with this humorous third installment (after Glitter of Gold), a friends-to-lovers tale about an event planner and an unlikely candidate for sheriff. Penelope Hunter is forced to confront her past and possibly lose a potential client, Emmaline Adams, when she finds out her ex-fiancé, Winston St. Cloud, is Emmaline’s future husband. Penelope also receives a phone call from socialite Anabelle Haywood, who threatens to move her annual fund-raising event because of Penelope’s friendship with Tucker Westbrook, Penelope’s childhood best friend and a current candidate for sheriff. Mrs. Haywood recently received a letter detailing the Westbrook family’s alleged history of thievery and connection to a century-old conspiracy about missing treasure. In an attempt to improve Tucker’s image as he runs for sheriff, and to convince Winston that Penelope has moved on, Penelope and Tucker decide to not correct Emmaline’s assumption that they’re dating. Things go comically awry as Penelope and Tucker try to resist their feelings for one another while attempting to disprove the allegations made against Tucker by finding the treasure. In the end, both turn to God for help, who may have different plans than they envisioned. Romance and intrigue combine wonderfully in this enjoyable inspirational. (Aug.)