The Renewal » (New edition)

After nine co-authored books with her husband Jim, Terri Kraus, has added her award-winning interior designer's eye to her world of fiction. She comes to the Restoration series naturally, having survived the remodel, renovation and restoration of three separate residences. She makes her home in Wheaton, IL, with her husband, son Elliot, schnauzer Rufus and Siberian cat Petey.

Leslie Ruskin has just purchased the historic Midlands Building, which-like her life-needs a little renovation. She and her five-year-old daughter are starting over after a devastating divorce but standing on the sidewalk looking up at the seedy downtown brownstone, Leslie wonders if she's done the right thing. It needs work. A lot of work. Jack Kenyon, a master carpenter, is starting over too. Beginning his own construction business, he seems to be the perfect man for the project. But haunted by loneliness, his past failures, and the lost relationship with his own young daughter, Jack finds it difficult to maintain his sobriety. As Jack and Leslie discover a growing attraction, Jack's old demons begin to surface. Will the whole project derail-or will they find the renewal their lives so desperately need?

Tamara Butler - Library Journal

Newly divorced Leslie Ruskin moves into her new home with her five-year-old child, but the old house needs a lot of work. Her lead carpenter has his own demons to face from the past as he battles for sobriety. The author (The Renovation: Carter Mansion) also writes inspirational novels with her husband, Jim.