First published 2025
Vanessa Mayfield drops her daughter Sadie off at college and stops at a "Christmas in July" sale in Marietta. She doesn't find what she's looking for. The gold and ruby ring her great-grandfather discovered at Normandy on D-Day has been missing for years. But she does meet Ben Miller, who co-owns the antique store and makes her laugh for the first time since her husband died. Their friendship grows through the fall as Vanessa prepares for her annual Columbus Cares Christmas Military Dance. She wants to tell Sadie about Ben when her daughter returns from college, but the words won't come. Meanwhile, Ben's father Howard buys a box of old items that contains Vanessa's precious ring. He doesn't know its history. He only sees its five-figure value and plans to sell it to fund his dream of traveling the world. When Ben discovers his father possesses the very heirloom Vanessa has been seeking, he faces an impossible choice between family loyalty and new love.
Genres: historical-fiction, contemporary-romance, military-romance, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Columbus, Marietta, Normandy
Period: D-Day, Fall, July
208 pages · Hardcover · Thomas Nelson