cover image A Hero to Come Home To

A Hero to Come Home To

Marilyn Pappano. Grand Central/Forever, $6 mass market (400p) ISBN 978-1-4555-2004-6

Pappano (In the Enemy’s Arms) shines in this poignant tale of love, loss, and learning to love again. Teacher Carly Lowry wants nothing more than to find peace after her husband, Army staff sergeant Jeff Lowry, is killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. Two years later, what’s sustaining her is the Fort Murphy Widows Club, aka the Tuesday Night Margarita Club, based at Fort Murphy, Okla. On one club outing, Carly meets a man who captures her attention: Sgt. Dane Clark, who lost a leg in combat and who can’t quite believe anyone will want him again. Can the two overlook their losses and build a new life together? Pappano creates achingly real characters whose struggles will bring readers to tears. Well-placed secondary plots seamlessly set the stage for additional books in the series. Agent: Melissa Jeglinski, Knight Agency. (July)