You and Me, Always

The charming village of Stanton Langley in England’s Cotswolds serves as both character and setting in Mansell’s (The One You Really Want) latest multigenerational romance. Lily’s dying mother wrote her letters, each one to be opened on her birthday. Now that Lily’s turning 25, she reaches the final letter. She learns the name of her mother’s real love and writes to him with hopes of a meeting. Lily’s biological father was never in the picture, and the recently widowed Coral, who runs the architectural salvage where Lily works, raised Lily after her mother died. Pilot Dan, Lily’s childhood friend and confidant, secretly loves her, and for years Lily has concealed her feelings for him as well. Their witty dialogue sizzles, and the plot weaves naturally among characters, who are all strongly developed with solid backstories. An actor hiding from the paparazzi in a neighbor’s house and the antics of Coral’s Internet dating complete this captivating read. Agent: Jennifer Unter, Unter Agency. (July)