Dear Reader,

Before I met my husband, I’d never slept outside. Never. Not once. My husband, on the other the hand, grew up camping. In fact, my mother-in-law has a very cute picture of him at eight-weeks-old being bathed in a bucket at their campsite. The first time he took me for an overnight stay in the great outdoors, there was such a bad windstorm, we ended up sleeping in the car. Yet he persisted and even went so far as to buy me two sleeping bags (yes, two—one for me and one for him) our first Christmas together.

Over time, my husband’s gift-giving skills have since improved (thankfully) along with my love of camping. Okay, so maybe the word “love” is a bit strong, but I genuinely enjoy our annual “tent-cations” and I think the experience has been amazing for our kids. Last year, my bossy older brother (who always brings his sweet family to join us) convinced us to go whitewater river rafting and the idea for A FAMILY UNDER THE STARS was born!

Alex Russell (who you might remember from previous Sugar Falls books) is a born outdoorsman and wilderness guide. Other than attending a posh and exclusive sleep-away camp in junior high, lifestyle guru Charlotte Folsom isn’t accustomed to venturing too far from the big city. However, when Alex is hired to take Charlotte on a whitewater expedition for her upcoming magazine article, their attraction is stronger than the river current….