New Beginnings at Shady Springs

Author: Sarah Anne Crouch
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Shady Springs #4
Pages: 234
Release Date: July 21, 2026
Publisher: Scrivenings Press

Widowed teacher Clara Lewis has accepted a quiet life in Shady Springs, Arkansas—until a devastating tornado upends the town and opens her heart to unexpected possibilities. As she helps rebuild, Clara finds herself torn between Derek Waterson, a charming widowed father new to town, and Sam Sullivan, the gentle preacher who has secretly loved her for years.
Sam has always believed love isn’t meant for him, but working alongside Clara—and mentoring a hurting teen who needs them both—begins to change everything. In the middle of wreckage, whispers, and blooming spring gardens, Clara and Sam must decide whether they’ll keep protecting their hearts … or trust the God who makes all things new.
A warm, uplifting Christian romance filled with second chances, small-town community, and God’s perfect timing.

---

Reviewer: Billi Varela

This is the fourth book in the Shady Springs series. The characters from the other series appear in this book, so if you have not read, I would recommend reading them first for no spoilers.

I absolutely love a good friend’s story. And Sam had my heart from the very beginning. Finding out about his previous heartache and seeing him struggle was very heartbreaking. And he is also a pastor, which should not have made things worse, but it did for him.

The couple are older so it was very sweet to see how they got to have their chance at love even though they are older. It is very rare to find books with older main characters, so I really liked this one and how well Sarah Anne Crouch wrote them. 

This is a clean romance free from any explicit content and language.

Disclaimer: I received an ebook of this book from the author. I was not required to give a favorable review. All opinions are my own.

---