Hope Like Wildflowers

Basham (The Juliet Code) sets a sweet and spirited romance against a rugged, early 20th-century North Carolina backdrop. After 17-year-old Kizzie McAdams gets pregnant and is disowned by her family, she seeks refuge with the baby’s father, wealthy Charles Morgan, who sets her up in a house of her own. Sympathetic neighbor Nella reminds Kizzie of her worth as a child of God, though Kizzie feels rejected by Charles and is convinced her sins are irredeemable. When Kizzie and her son are threatened by judgmental townspeople, Nella helps Kizzie skip town. She sets out in the middle of a snowstorm and happens upon handsome Noah Lewis, whose carriage has been overturned. He welcomes her and her son to the estate he shares with his mother and brother, and Noah and Kizzie begin to fall for each other, though there are formidable obstacles standing in their way, including a scheming brother, a contested family fortune, and a ghost from Kizzie’s past. While the character of Noah feels too good to be true, Kizzie’s irrepressible spirit carries the narrative forward as she strives to restore her faith and carve out a better life for herself and her son. This has charm to spare. (Oct.)