I love books about family whether they are estranged, keeping secrets and finding one another, and these two were wonderful. Both were read/listen, but more listen than read. I enjoyed both of these stories and definitely recommend them if you enjoy Women’s Fiction, Romance, Secrets, and Family. Both of these books were provided to me by the publisher upon request. The ratings and opinions shared are my own.

The Lost and Found Girl by Maisey Yates, Samantha Cook (Narrator)

Published July 26, 2022 by HQN Books, Harlequin Audio

4 Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The McKee sisters are known for finding baby Ruby on the bridge twenty-two years ago, in Pear Blossom, Oregon. Ruby is the “miracle baby”, who brought the town together and gave them hope. She became the unofficial symbol for the town, a reminder that there is good, hope and new beginnings, as a teenage girl had gone missing one year prior to the discovery. Ruby is raised by the McKees and becomes the fourth sister. Ruby is back in town, after going to school in Europe and is ready to start her dream job as an archivist with the historical society in her small hometown. Her return is the catalyst to uncover secrets, mysteries, and troubles faced by her sisters. Marianne is the oldest sister with the perfect family, home and business, or is it all as perfect as it seems. Lydia, the next in line has recently lost her husband to ALS, and nobody knows why she hasn’t grieved for him. His best friend, Chase, has been around helping out, but does he have an ulterior motive? Finally, there’s Dahlia, the third sister and the closest in age to Ruby, She is single and happy that way. She is a journalist and writing for the local paper, looking for secrets that might just blow up what everyone in town believes. Will they find out where Ruby came from? Will her sisters solve their problems and move forward happily in life?

This story is very different from the cowboy romances that I have come to associate with Maisey Yates. The Lost and Found Girl focused on all of the McKee sisters. Their loves, losses, and troubles, that made them real, and relatable. I liked them all and wanted them to sort out what they really wanted in life and grab it. There are also mysteries to be solved, first and foremost, what is true about Ruby’s abandonment and discovery. I enjoy books that deal with siblings, reconciliation, secrets and relationships and this book had all of that. Although the sisters were not estranged, they did keep secrets from each other. This was an interesting look at family relationships, especially as adults who live separate lives and don’t really know what goes on in each other’s homes and lives. I wasn’t sure where this story was going, besides solving how Ruby came to be on that bridge so many years ago, but Maisey Yates took me to a spot that I had not expected. There was such a great twist and I loved how everything came together. I recommend this book if you enjoy women’s fiction, some mystery and a little romance. The audiobook was narrated by Samantha Cook. This is a new narrator to me, and I enjoyed her performance. I will say that she does great female voices, but this is one case when a male narrator would have upped the audiobook a notch. Overall, I recommend this audiobook.

In the Middle of Hickory Lane by Heather Webber, Narrated by Hallie Ricardo & Stephanie Willis

Published July 26, 2022 by Macmillan Audio, Macmillan-Tor/Forge

5 Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

In the Middle of Hickory Lane was such a delightful story, that I enjoyed every minute of it. Emme Wynn has lived most of her life with her con-artist mother, constantly on the run. When she turned eighteen, she left her mother behind and tried to make something of herself. She got her GED, a driver’s license and a job. This was enough for her grandmother, Glory, to track her down. She contacts her and asks her to come home to small-town Sweetgrass, Alabama and help her run her booth at the Sweetgrass Marketplace. Emme agrees, and she is looking forward to finally become part of a family. But, Emme has a secret that she needs to keep. Emme’s cousin, Cora Bee Hazelton has her own color and consulting design business in Sweetgrass. When they meet, they feel a connection and quickly become friends. Both of these young women have secrets, baggage and broken hearts. They put on a good front, but have scars they might never get over. Both of these women meet men that they are attracted to, but neither is interested in a relationship due to their pasts, but Chase and James have other ideas. This is a beautiful story that will help both these young women find love, and the men, who are new in town to find roots in Sweetgrass, Alabama.

Okay, I want to move to Sweetgrass! What a wonderful, accepting town it is. Glory is the matriarch of the Wynne family. She wants to reunite her family before she is gone, and is thrilled to have found Emme, her son’s daughter. Unfortunately Rowan is gone, but he lives on in Emme. I love that each person in the family has a gift, whether it is seeing aura’s, feelings or seeing visions, they are able to understand others and solve some mysteries. It seems that Cora Bee’s grandparent’s disappeared when her mother was young and Glory took her in as her own. When Emme arrives in town, the body that was uncovered in a sink hole is yet to be identified, but it is a huge mystery. I loved how each chapter starts with flower facts, especially as the garden plays such an important role in the story. All the characters in this story are wonderful. Some are a bit quirky (Dorothy, aka Dotty) and others are loving and caring. I wanted to sit down and have sweet tea with them, and I don’t like sweet tea. The animals also play a key role with one bringing Cora Bea and James together, and one that is trained to track down Dorothy, who has a brain injury and often wanders off. This book has humour, affection, sadness, secrets, hurt, and love all rolled up in a lovely story of family, romance, new beginnings and mystery. I can’t recommend this book enough. I did a read/listen and loved the audiobook. The narrators, Hallie Ricardo & Stephanie Willis, do a wonderful job with this story. Their accents, voices, tone, expression and emotion added much to my enjoyment of this book. If you enjoy audiobooks, I recommend you listen to this one.