Mathias Mitchell's easy smile hides a world of hurt. After the worst kind of family betrayal, he moves to Happily Inc., California - the wedding destination town supplies a steady stream of bridesmaids, perfect for his "no promises, no pain" lifestyle. Yet he can't stop watching for his beautiful, elusive neighbor on the animal preserve behind their homes. Gamekeeper Carol Lund knows she's not special enough to attract an alpha male like Mathias,...

Annabelle Thorley's father died financially ruined; her fiancé called off their betrothal, and she remains at the mercy of her controlling and often cruel brother. She runs away to Fellsworth, where her estranged uncle serves as the school's superintendent, and work for her wages for the first time in her life. Gamekeeper Owen Locke, a widower, is fiercely protective of his only daughter. After an encounter with Annabelle, his steady life is shaken....

A reimagining and continuation of E. M. Forster's classic novel Maurice, told from the gamekeeper Alec Scudder's perspective. Di Canzio follows their story past the end of Maurice to the front lines of battle in World War I and beyond. Forster, who tried to write an epilogue about the future of his characters, was stymied by the radical change that the Great War brought to their world. With the hindsight of a century, di Canzio imagines a future for...