Behind Enemy Bylines

The changing fortunes of newspaper publishing provide the backdrop for this spirited second-chance romance from Fuller (The Marriage Pact). Accountant Jade Smith and columnist Sebastian Hudson first bond while working at the Democrat Gazette in 1994 Little Rock, Ark. Just as sparks start to fly, Jade’s offered a high-paying job at a media conglomerate in Atlanta, which would give her the resources to adopt the troubled foster brother, Logan, she’s told no one about, including Seb. Ten years later, Jade’s still working in Atlanta and trying to keep Logan out of trouble, while Seb runs a struggling local paper in Arkansas, the Clementine Times. Jade’s boss decides to acquire the newspaper and sends her to convince Seb to sell. Her return stirs up dormant passions, but when Seb starts to suspect that she’s feigning her feelings to strike a deal, it’ll take plenty of faith to help the pair mend things—and for Jade to finally open up about the rocky childhood she’s hidden from many in her life. Though Fuller’s lighthearted story brims with quirky characters and southern charm, she adeptly weaves the main narrative with a moving plotline about the challenges of an upbringing in the foster care system and its lasting consequences on kids and families. Readers will race through this. (Sept.)