“Sparks is superb at what he does. The setting is postcard perfect. The characters are immensely likable. . . . This is a tidy miracle you can count on.”—The Washington Post
Tanner Hughes was raised by his grandparents, following in his grandfather’s military footsteps to become an Army Ranger. His whole life has been spent abroad, and he is the proverbial rolling stone: happiest when off on his next adventure, zero desire to settle down. But when his grandmother passes away, her last words to him are find where you belong. She also drops a bombshell, telling him the name of the father he never knew—and where to find him.
Tanner is due at his next posting soon, but his curiosity is piqued, and he sets out for Asheboro, North Carolina, to ask around. He’s been in town less than twenty-four hours when he meets Kaitlyn Cooper, a doctor and single mom. They both feel an immediate connection; Tanner knows Kaitlyn has a story to tell, and he wants to hear it. To Kaitlyn, Tanner is mysterious, exciting—and possibly leaving in just a few weeks.
Meanwhile, nearby, eighty-three-year-old Jasper lives alone in a cabin bordering a national forest. With only his old dog, Arlo, for company, he lives quietly, haunted by a tragic accident that took place decades before. When he hears rumors that a white deer has been spotted in the forest—a creature of legend that inspired his father and grandfather—he becomes obsessed with protecting the deer from poachers.
As these characters’ fates orbit closer together, none of them is expecting a miracle . . . but that may be exactly what is about to alter their futures forever.
“Sparks is superb at what he does. The setting is postcard perfect. The characters are immensely likable. . . . This is a tidy miracle you can count on.”—The Washington Post
Tanner Hughes was raised by his grandparents, following in his grandfather’s military footsteps to become an Army Ranger. His whole life has been spent abroad, and he is the proverbial rolling stone: happiest when off on his next adventure, zero desire to settle down. But when his grandmother passes away, her last words to him are find where you belong. She also drops a bombshell, telling him the name of the father he never knew—and where to find him.
Tanner is due at his next posting soon, but his curiosity is piqued, and he sets out for Asheboro, North Carolina, to ask around. He’s been in town less than twenty-four hours when he meets Kaitlyn Cooper, a doctor and single mom. They both feel an immediate connection; Tanner knows Kaitlyn has a story to tell, and he wants to hear it. To Kaitlyn, Tanner is mysterious, exciting—and possibly leaving in just a few weeks.
Meanwhile, nearby, eighty-three-year-old Jasper lives alone in a cabin bordering a national forest. With only his old dog, Arlo, for company, he lives quietly, haunted by a tragic accident that took place decades before. When he hears rumors that a white deer has been spotted in the forest—a creature of legend that inspired his father and grandfather—he becomes obsessed with protecting the deer from poachers.
As these characters’ fates orbit closer together, none of them is expecting a miracle . . . but that may be exactly what is about to alter their futures forever.
Reviews-
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April 1, 2024
Best-selling Sparks sets his newest in Asheboro, NC. Army Ranger Tanner Hughes is in town looking for the father he never knew. He meets Dr. Kaitlyn Cooper and the two connect from the start. Meanwhile, on the edge of the state's Uwharrie National Forest, 83-year-old Jasper spots a white deer and vows to protect it. Prepub Alert.
Copyright 2024 Library Journal
Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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Starred review from July 1, 2024
Tanner Hughes is a retired military officer traveling across the country to visit the families of individuals who have died during or after their service. His mother died in childbirth, and Tanner didn't know his father's identity until his grandmother, on her death bed, gave him a name, Dave Johnson, and a place, Asheboro, North Carolina. Once there, Tanner, like Lee Child's Jack Reacher, comes to the rescue of a teenage girl who is getting bullied at a restaurant and, predictably, meets her divorced mother, Kaitlyn, the local doctor. The attraction is immediate, but Tanner plans to leave for Africa in a few weeks, still needs to find his father, and isn't looking for a permanent relationship. But could his father be one of Kaitlyn's patients, Jasper, a mysteriously burned man who lives in a remote cabin and carves animals out of wood? No one reads Sparks for his plot twists, and this tale is pretty straightforward. But the romance between Tanner and the doctor sizzles, and Sparks is a master at creating fully developed, sympathetic characters with complete and compelling backstories. Readers will be drawn into this touching story of hope, faith, and love, and Sparks' many fans will find just what they're looking for.COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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July 15, 2024
Bestseller Sparks (The Longest Ride) brings all the emotion fans expect in his heart-tugging latest. Tanner Hughes was raised by his grandparents after his single mother’s death and has spent his adult life serving first as an Army Ranger, then in Cameroon with the U.S. Agency for International Development. He has no interest in slowing or settling down—but after his grandmother, on her deathbed, reveals the name of his biological father, he heads to that man’s last known location: Asheboro, N.C. He intends for it to be a quick stop on his itinerary before returning to Cameroon, but Tanner doesn’t figure on meeting—and falling for—divorced physician Kaitlyn Cooper. The pair are thrown together after Kaitlyn’s teenage daughter, Casey, accidentally crashes into Tanner’s car, and the adults immediately form an emotional bond. Kaitlyn, who has never left Asheboro, starts to dream of happily-ever-after, but will Tanner’s restless feet doom their relationship before it can begin? Sparks enriches Kaitlyn and Tanner’s love story with a striking supporting cast, especially Kaitlyn’s kids, Casey and Mitch, and an elderly neighbor named Jasper. The mystery of Tanner’s parentage finally unravels at the story’s end, delivering an emotionally satisfying finale. This is sure to be another hit for Sparks.
