by Shanna Hatfield
Release date: May 22nd, 2025
Genres: Adult, Historical Romance
Blurb:
She desires his heart.
He longs for her love.
Can they find common ground when he returns forever altered by the war.
In a world turned upside down by World War I, all Sarah Richards desires is to love Brett Rawlings and build a future together. After graduating high school a year early, she’s ready to dive into her dreams of college and a home filled with laughter and love. But one impulsive decision threatens all her aspirations—as well as her relationship with Brett.
As the war rages on and men head off to fight, sixteen-year-old Brett reluctantly follows his twin brother, Ben, sneaking off to France to join the American Expeditionary Forces. As the months pass, Ben thrives amidst the chaos of battle, while Brett finds himself haunted by the girl he left behind and the uncertainty of his own heart. When Ben reveals a life-altering secret, the bond between the brothers is shattered, forcing Brett to grapple with betrayal as he faces the brutal realities of war.
Brett returns home a changed man, burdened with memories too heavy to bear, yet yearning to mend the fractures of the past. Will Sarah still be waiting for him, or have time and truth forged an unbridgeable chasm between them?
Find out in this heartfelt historical romance that weaves a tale of hope, grace, forgiveness, and sweet, enduring love.
Purchase:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/
Excerpt:
Movement outside drew Sarah’s gaze to the front window as she dusted the furniture in her parents’ family room. Kade and Caterina Rawlings marched up the front walk.
She’d wondered how long it would be before she had to face them, and dreaded the moment it would happen. Because of her own preference to avoid conflict, Sarah hadn’t said a word to her parents about her unexpected marriage.
Quickly whipping off her apron and tossing it and the feather duster in her hand into the closet beneath the stairs, Sarah took a deep breath and smoothed the sides of her hair as she strode to the door. A loud knock echoed through the house before she reached it.
She put on a polite smile and pulled open the door, but the smile quickly melted at the sight of Caterina’s white face and tear-rimmed eyes and Kade’s square jaw set in a firm, unyielding line. She would have been terrified of the deputy if she hadn’t known him to be a kind, caring man.
“Sarah, may we come in?” Kade asked, removing his hat and holding it in the hand not wrapped around Caterina’s waist. “We need to speak to you about an important matter.”
“Of course,” she said, moving back as they stepped inside. As far as Sarah knew, it was the first time Caterina had come to the house. Kade was the one who had usually retrieved the boys if they’d stayed too late when visiting.
“Sarah? Who is at the door?” her mother called from the kitchen.
“Deputy and Mrs. Rawlings,” she replied, wishing her mother hadn’t heard the knock or their voices. It seemed impolite to be yelling up and down the hallway, but she certainly wasn’t going to mention that to her mother.
“Invite them in. I’ll bring lemonade,” June Richards said in a loud voice.
Sarah motioned for Kade and Caterina to step into the living room. It was Sarah’s favorite room in the house, with big windows that let in plenty of light, and comfortable furnishings positioned to take advantage of the warmth of the big fireplace in the winter. Bookcases were filled with much-loved stories and a few mementoes gathered through the years.
Kade and Caterina took a seat on the couch, while Sarah perched in one of the side chairs across from them. She leaned forward and moved a stack of magazines off the low table in front of the couch, anticipating her mother setting a tray with lemonade and glasses there.
“Is your father home, by chance?” Kade asked, giving Sarah a probing look.
“No, sir. He’s at his office,” Sarah said. Harry Richards owned his own dental practice in town. Sarah helped at the office by keeping her father’s books, writing correspondence, and assisting his receptionist with patient appointments. However, her mother was hosting her garden club tomorrow and had tasked Sarah with helping clean the house from top to bottom today. To keep her two younger brothers out of the way, her mother had sent them outside to play, with orders not to come back in before supper.
“It might be best if you have him come home,” Kade said in a voice that sounded more like an order than a suggestion.
Sarah certainly wasn’t going to argue with him. She hopped up, rushed down the hallway to the back door, and whistled loudly, drawing the attention of Clark and Simon as they valiantly fought in a mock battle with swords made of tree branches.
“Boys!” she yelled, and they stopped grunting and flailing the branches to look at her.
“What?” Clark asked, running toward her, branch still in hand.
“What?” Simon mimicked, following his older brother.
Clark gave him a shove, and they were back to swatting at each other with the branches.
Sarah jumped off the porch, marched over to them and took Clark’s arm in one hand and Simon’s in the other. “Deputy Rawlings is here and wants to speak with Dad. Will you boys run down to the office and tell him it’s urgent? Please?”
“I bet Dad’s going to jail!” nine-year-old Simon declared, tossing down his stick and starting for the gate.
“Maybe he formed a gang,” eleven-year-old Clark mused as he ran after his brother.
GIVEAWAY
Blitz-wide giveaway (INT) ends May 29
- $20 Amazon gift card
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AUTHOR BIO:
USA Today Bestselling Author Shanna Hatfield writes sweet romances rich with relatable characters, small town settings that feel like home, humor, and hope.
Her historical westerns have been described as “reminiscent of the era captured by Bonanza and The Virginian” while her contemporary works have been called “laugh-out-loud funny, and a little heart-pumping sexy without being explicit in any way.”
When this farm girl isn’t writing or indulging in rich, decadent chocolate, Shanna hangs out with her husband, lovingly known as Captain Cavedweller. She also experiments with recipes, snaps photos of her adorable nephew, and caters to the whims of a cranky cat named Drooley.
To learn more about Shanna or the books she writes, visit her website http://shannahatfield.
Author links:
https://shannahatfield.com/
https://shannahatfield.us1.
https://www.facebook.com/
https://twitter.com/
https://www.pinterest.ca/
https://www.instagram.com/
https://www.bookbub.com/
Her historical westerns have been described as “reminiscent of the era captured by Bonanza and The Virginian” while her contemporary works have been called “laugh-out-loud funny, and a little heart-pumping sexy without being explicit in any way.”
When this farm girl isn’t writing or indulging in rich, decadent chocolate, Shanna hangs out with her husband, lovingly known as Captain Cavedweller. She also experiments with recipes, snaps photos of her adorable nephew, and caters to the whims of a cranky cat named Drooley.
To learn more about Shanna or the books she writes, visit her website http://shannahatfield.
Author links:
https://shannahatfield.com/
https://shannahatfield.us1.
https://www.facebook.com/
https://twitter.com/
https://www.pinterest.ca/
https://www.instagram.com/
https://www.bookbub.com/
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