Leaving November by Deborah Raney

Clayburn, Kansas is the last place Vienne Kenney wishes to return to but with her mother stricken by a stroke she has no choice. Humiliated by her failure to pass the Bar exam for the second time, Vienne invests her time transforming her mum's cafe into a coffee bar, passing the time until she can leave Clayburn forever.

Determined to remain clean after a nine month stint in rehab, Jackson Linder returns to Clayburn to reopen his art gallery and make a better life for himself. When gossip and pressures abound, temptation follows Jackson and he can only pray he will be strong enough to resist.

Vienne and Jackson renew their childhood acquaintance but when Jackson reveals his secret, Vienne knows she has no choice to but to sever all ties with him - she promised herself she would never again put herself near a man who would repeat her father's mistakes.

Deborah Raney turns the tables on her second Clayburn novel. In the first story, Remember to Forget, Clayburn was a refuge for Maggie Anderson but in Leaving November, Vienne wants nothing more than to escape. I loved returning to Clayburn for another moving portrayal of the heartache of poor choices and the beauty of restored relationships. Jackson's struggle with his addiction is agonising in its authenticity, just as Vienne's loss of faith in God and herself is all too real. Beautifully written, Deb Raney touched my heart with her characters' journey towards love and redemption and I won't easily forget its message of hope. I am invested in these characters' lives and highly anticipate the third instalment, Yesterday's Embers.

Available now from Howard Books

RelzReviewz extras:~

Review of Remember to Forget

Interview with Deb Raney