Paper Hearts

December 8, 2014
Abigail Pressman is more than the owner of the Book Nook in Loves Park, Colo.; she’s a descendent of the city’s founders. To her mother’s chagrin, Abigail is also one of the few single women in a town dedicated to romance, in keeping with its name. When Jacob Willoughby buys her building, Abigail faces eviction if she can’t convince the handsome doctor that the Book Nook needs to stay. As Abigail and Jacob waffle between disdain and affection for each other, Abigail discovers the paper hearts contained in a love letter. Sent to Loves Park to obtain the town’s romantic postmark anonymously each Valentine’s Day, the letters (and accompanying hearts) reveal a couple’s intimate love story, and Abigail’s frosty stance toward romance begins to thaw. When she decides to share the decorative paper hearts, and the story behind them, with her customers, the result is a boom in business that may just stay her eviction. Walsh (A Sweethaven Summer) pens a quaint, smalltown love story, complete with an overbearing mother, an unscrupulous business partner, and a group of busybodies whose hearts are in the right place even if their actions are questionable. While certain elements are predictable, Walsh develops enough plot twists to make this enjoyable to the end. Agent: Sandra Bishop, Transatlantic Agency.

February 1, 2015
Loves Park, Colorado, is home to dreamers, romantics, and Abigail Pressman, who feels like the last single woman in town. Instead of searching for the ideal man, Abigail has resigned herself to putting all of her heart into her shop, the Book Nook. But her longtime plans for expansion are thwarted when a handsome doctor purchases the building and informs Abigail that she'll have to vacate her space within months. Much to her dismay, as Abigail fights to keep her business alive, she also fights a growing attraction to Dr. Jacob Willoughby. Walsh creates a palpable will-they-or-won't-they dynamic that will keep readers reading. Jacob, it turns out, has some secrets and a troubled past that may threaten his business and his relationship with Abigail. Can he learn to open up and forgive himself? Will Abigail be able to seize hold of the confidence she needs to perceive her worth as a woman? With a little loving meddling from the ladies of the town and a pinch of faith, Abigail and Jacob find themselves embarking on an unexpected journey.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)