Lilac Island — Linda Hughes

Three strangers find second chances on one island.Quaint cottages, homemade fudge, horse-drawn carriages - Mackinac Island is a picturesque Victorian-era town known for its annual Lilac Festival.And its magical impact on its inhabitants.Leah Paganelli came to the island to begin settling into widowhood. She embraces a bohemian sense of freedom by capturing nature in her paintings. But her newfound independence comes with an uninvited guest: guilt.Lester Lange is escaping from the world - and from his memories of Vietnam. After a failed marriage, he shuns the notion of ever falling in love again. He's determined to sit alone on his porch watching sailboat races for the rest of his days.Magazine reporter Cassie Evans has been sent to the island against her will to write a travel article. But she's too distracted by the island's old-fashioned ways to work on her story. Plus, that cowboy named Russ isn't helping her focus, either.Lilac Island, a heartwarming, romantic Shades of Hope novella, digs up poignant lost loves and shocking family secrets that draw these three strangers together in the most unexpected of ways, giving each of them hope for the first time in years.