Rating: 4 out of 5.

I loved this book. It’s a heart-warming, quiet book that reaffirms your belief in love and friendship. It’s set sometime after WWII (I think maybe the early 50’s) in a tiny town in Florida. Sheriff Winston Browne watches over his town with a generous spirit, even after he receives terrible, life-altering news. When a young girl with a dangerous secret shows up in town all alone, Winston takes her under his wing and ensures she is cared for and protected. That includes housing her with his best friend’s girlfriend, who he starts to romance after she and his best friend part ways.

At the beginning of the book Winston is a lonely character – while he has friends, he keeps them at arms length. Spending time with the young girl, and interacting with her care-taker, brings him out of his solitary life and he finally starts living, and not a moment too soon. With the town obsessed with baseball and the Brooklyn Dodgers, he also takes a fatherless boy heading down a dangerous path under his wing to help the boy’s family out, and gain the boy as a catcher for his baseball team.

Reading this book is like snuggling under a warm blanket and listening to a rain shower on a lazy weekend spring day. I loved the cast of characters in the town, and loved the journey Winston took as he interacted with the people in his life. If you want to read a book that is going to make you laugh, smile and cry – this is a must-read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and Thomas Nelson. All opinions are my own.