The best of me

A woman gets off the bus in the small town of Blessings, Georgia, with her eight-year-old daughter, Carlie, then dies from heart failure in the lobby of the police station. She had a letter of guardianship for Ruby, who is now married to Peanut Butterman. The couple did not think they would be able to have children, and quickly come to love Carlie as they learn to care for her. The community rallies around them, helping Ruby keep their salon running. Carlie is sad about the loss of her mother but learns how to adjust to life with new parents, a new school, and a protective friend, Melvin Lee, a recurring character in Sala's beloved Blessing series. Outside of town, Deborah comes home to help her mother and finds her high-school sweetheart, Ladd, injured in a field. She saves him, and she and Ladd reconnect in a satisfying second-chance romance subplot. Sala wraps up this excellent, 13-title small town series with plenty of emotion and memorable moments. Blessings fans may also enjoy Beverly Jenkins' Blessings series about a different, equally memorable town.

Sala's 13th Blessings, Georgia novel (after The Christmas Wish) offers an emotional, dual-narrative romance. Dying of a heart condition, Shirley Duroy returns to Blessings with her seven-year-old daughter, Carlie, hoping that Ruby Dye, the owner of the salon where Shirley worked as a teenager, will agree to be Carlie's guardian. She barely makes it to the police station before dying, but she leaves a letter for Ruby detailing her request. Ruby and her husband, the improbably named attorney Peanut Butterman, are blindsided, but, unable to have children of their own, they welcome the confused and grieving Carlie into their home and together the trio navigate becoming a family. Meanwhile, veterinarian Deborah Ryman returns to Blessings to help her mother sell the family farm and reconnects with her neighbor and ex-boyfriend Ladd Daltry. When Ladd is severely injured by a stampeding bull, Deborah rushes him to the hospital and their old spark reignites. Sala brings the vibrant, folksy community of Blessings to life with a distinctive Southern charm. Devoted readers and newcomers alike will embrace this heartfelt story of love and family. Agent: Meredith Bernstein, Meredith Bernstein Literary. (Apr.)