cover image Windswept Way

Windswept Way

Irene Hannon. Revell, $17.99 trade paper (352p) ISBN 978-0-8007-4191-4

Hannon (Sea Glass Cottage) returns to Oregon in this upbeat installment to the Hope Harbor series involving a haunted house and a redemptive romance. Reeling from a recent breakup and the loss of her job as an events planner, Ashley Scott needs a new project, so she takes a cross-country trip from Tennessee to scout out a 1910 Queen Anne Victorian whose eccentric owner, Rose Fitzgerald Warner, has decided to use it as an event space to earn extra money. Despite rumors of ghost sightings, Ashley joins forces with Rose to become the house’s co-owner, and the two move forward with a renovation plan. Ashley also meets Jon Gray, a local landscaper and wounded veteran. Jon’s lonely, fears women can’t get past his severely scarred appearance, and has lost faith in God. Ashley hires him to work on the property’s grounds, and as they restore the property, an attraction builds. Meanwhile, Jon struggles to regain his faith, and the two get closer to uncovering the house’s secrets. Hannon’s nuanced character development and snappy pacing make this tale of second chances a pure delight. Readers will eagerly turn pages until the satisfying close. (Apr.)