No Stone Unturned

An archaeological dig turns up secrets past and present in this spirited Regency romance from Hovde (Winter Weather). Bridget Littleton promised her dying mother that she’d look after her brother, Daniel, but he’s now a member of the Royal Navy and has been missing for eight months. Determined to raise the funds to pay an investigator to search for him, Bridget hatches a plan to submit a research article to an archaeological journal, which offers 50 pounds for the best piece. She turns to the nearby Hawthorne property—where a friend recently found an ancient mosaic—in search of a discovery that might provide material. But the property’s been recently occupied by Rafe Hawthorne, a handsome war veteran who’s determined to restore his family’s estate to glory and has little interest in anyone excavating it—even enterprising Bridget, to whom he’s quickly drawn. Bridget eventually persuades him to let her dig, but more challenges await as she struggles to be taken seriously as a female archaeologist, grapples with her relationship with God, and uncovers a plot tied to the site that threatens her and Rafe’s lives. The narrative perspective alternates between Rafe and Bridget, gradually ramping up the romantic tension, but making the plot more difficult to follow. Still, fans of Julie Klassen and Sarah Ladd will be swept up. (July)