A NEW HOPE

After a horrible introduction, Matt Lacoumette makes amends to Ginger Dysart and the two become fast friends—before realizing they might be perfect for each other.

After losing her baby to SIDS, Ginger falls into a depression and has a hard time considering the future. Moving to the small Oregon town of Thunder Point to live with a cousin offers her a fresh start, and she settles into the friendly community and her new job at a florist's shop with an unexpectedly hopeful attitude. When she attends the wedding of a new friend, however, the bride’s drunken brother embarrasses her with his unwelcome come-on, which lands him in the emergency room when she pushes him away and he can’t stay upright. When Matt tracks her down to apologize, the two find that they’ve both recently had to deal with difficult divorces. Ginger was married to a self-centered wannabe rock star who abandoned her when she became pregnant and barely acknowledged the death of their baby. Matt married a party girl who was ill-fitted to his farmer’s lifestyle, then became resentful when he felt her trying to change him. Matt and Ginger are falling in love and considering a future together but not before they find a little healing and learn from their past mistakes. Carr continues her brilliant community-building as a number of storytelling threads come together in a rich narrative tapestry. Matt and Ginger’s romance is sweet though slow-moving, but there's a lively cast of secondary characters to keep us engaged and invested.

Fans will be delighted to get back to Thunder Point and another poignant romance.