WHEN CARDINALS APPEAR (THE LOVE BIRDS)

After her mother’s death, a young woman revisits her childhood home and discovers important truths about her first great love in Schenck’s romance novel.

Lanie McCallister has been named executor of her mother’s estate and must return to her hometown of Cedar Haven, Maryland, to help settle her affairs. After traveling back to the east coast from her home in Seattle, Lanie takes up temporary residence in her mother’s recently vacated home, which is also the house where Lanie grew up. Though the property is chock-full of memories of her mother, Melody, Lanie (with her brother, Steven) has agreed to sell it. After Lanie begins packing up her mother’s belongings, she takes a drive to see her brother and ends up with a flat tire. As luck would have it, the person who shows up to tow Lanie’s car is none other than Nate, her childhood sweetheart, and quite possibly the one that got away (“Nate finally raised his eyes to meet mine, and my attempt at indifference wavered when I saw how much they had softened with sympathy”). Although Lanie has a serious boyfriend back in California, and may soon be engaged, seeing Nate brings back many complicated feelings for her. Each day she remains in town, Lanie seems to bump into Nate with increasing frequency. Before long, she learns a secret from their shared past that makes her wonder if she and Nate might deserve a second chance at a new future together. Told entirely in the first person, from Lanie’s perspective, the book details different ways that adults deal with grief and loss and provides hope that righting longstanding wrongs can help mend ailing hearts. As Lanie navigates complicated relationships with both her ex and her current boyfriend, as well as her brother (and even her deceased mother), the novel explores questions of self-doubt, fragile mental health, and whether second chances are worth taking. Despite following a predictable path, the story’s journey toward its inevitable conclusion is thoroughly delightful. With a plot-focused narrative and fast-paced dialogue, this wholesome tale will keep readers engaged throughout.

An uplifting romance about mending bruised relationships and holding onto hope.