Magnolia Sky
Warner Books (Forever)
Contemporary Romance
August 1, 2004
ISBN-13: 0446614106
Available in: Paperback
Army Ranger Luke Boudreau commanded a secret mission that went horribly awry. The physical wounds he takes away from the experience are inconsequential compared to his guilt for the loss of a fellow soldiera man who will never be recognized for his bravery because of the covert nature of their operation. When Luke is recovered enough, he travels to Grover, Mississippi to pay his respects to a woman who gave her son to the service of his country. He must do so in a way that doesn't reveal the true circumstances of the man's death. He braces himself for a mother's bitter anger, secretly hoping this encounter will begin to deliver him from his torment.
However, what he finds in Grover is far from either recrimination or absolution. He is quickly drawn into a family that desperately needs his helpa younger brother bent on self-destruction and a mother with a secret burden of her own. And most shocking of all, he discovers a beautiful widow he didn't know existeda woman who tempts him to break his own moral code.
Winner 2004 RITA for Best First Book
Hoosier native, Susan Crandall grew up in a small town, loving the fact that if you didn't know everyone, you at least knew of them or their aunt, or their cousin, or the person who cuts their hair. She's taken the warmth and emotion of that sense of community and flavored her books, drawing fond memories from those who've lived in a small town and a quiet yearning from those who have not. After a few years in the big city (Chicago), she returned to her Indiana hometown where she lives with her husband, two college-age children, a menagerie of pets, and a rock band in the basement.