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2026 Book 1 - The Lost Husband by Katherine Center

This was a good way to start the year. I know I’ve liked other Katherine Center books, and I’d definitely read more of her work. Libby Morgan’s life totally changed after her husband died in a car accident. She discovers he left them in a financial bind, and she’s forced to move her and her two kids in with her toxic mother. Things are looking bleak until she gets a letter from her aunt, offering to rescue them in exchange for assistance working on her goat farm. 

Libby moves her family to Texas Hill Country, where she learns the freedom and hard work of life on a farm with her hippie aunt. Also on the farm is the overly-bearded, but steady and loyal, O’Connor, who shows her the ropes of milking goats and selling cheese. He is also caring for his wife, who is in a vegetative state, so any attraction they feel towards each other is off limits. It’s a sweet read, with O’Connor standing up to Libby’s daughter’s (Abby) bully, and Libby’s aunt Jean modeling how to live without being anxious all the time. Rounding it out is a former movie star who fell from grace, Sunshine, and Libby creates a new life for her and her kids. (8)

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