Provenance

Laureano (The Saturday Night Supper Club) explores the trauma of parental abandonment in her gratifying latest. Interior designer Kendall Green, who grew up in foster care after her mother abandoned her when she was five, has always kept a distance from others. When Kendall inherits land from a grandmother she never knew in tiny Jasper Lake, Colo., she moves there and meets handsome town mayor Gabriel Brandt. Gabriel, who also grew up feeling abandoned by a father who spent more time with his second wife and other children, is trying to prevent a real estate developer from gobbling up Jasper Lake properties and changing the face of the town. The pair work together to thwart the developer, as well as to resolve their issues with childhood trauma and faith, eventually building trust in one another through a deepening relationship with God. As a romance develops, Laureano goes deep on the architecture, renovation, design, and preservation of the historic town. Filled with colorful characters and glowing descriptions of the landscape, Laureano’s slow-burning romance has atmosphere to burn. Fans of Rachel Hauck should take a look. Agent: Steve Laube, Steve Laube Agency. (Aug.)