The Foster Girls — Lin Stepp

The deep secrets - that restrict us and limit our lives - are at the heart of this first, engaging novel in the Smoky Mountain series.

Vivian Delaney - in The Foster Girls - arrives in the quiet Wears Valley, on the backside of the Smoky Mountains, carrying a heavy load of hidden problems - and eager to find a quiet place to escape the recent troubles of her past. However, secrets are hard to keep, and right away Vivian encounters unexpected challenges with her landlord, Scott Jamison. From Vivian's first meeting with Scott - at the end of a rifle barrel - Scott seems purposed to push past all Vivian's defenses and to find a way into her heart.

Just as Vivian begins to trust Scott - and is able to share her secrets with him and new friends in the valley - love for a little foster girl, Sarah Taylor, challenges Vivian and Scott's new relationship. When Sarah is lost in the mountains, the suspense and conflict build - with the lives of several characters caught tantalizingly in the balance.