Fierce friendships, a fragile family, and a young woman's only sanctuary.

Intent on escaping the far-off echoes of war, plus the heat and humidity of a Minnesota summer, Celia tags along with college friends to a tranquil lake resort. She quickly realizes that one glorious month at Whispering Pines-filled with sun-splashed days and crackling bonfires under starry night skies-will never be enough.

Something about the resort pulls at Celia. Heartaches back home fade away. Here, she can be herself, even if she doesn't quite fit in. Her friends hint at dreams of exciting careers, but their primary focus is on nabbing the perfect husband. Not Celia. Her own father left them destitute, and she's vowed to never follow in her mother's footsteps.

But Celia can feel her steely resolve soften as she twirls across a crowded dance floor in the arms of a man she barely knows. Their whispered conversations last until pink washes a pre-dawn sky, causing Celia to reexamine everything. She's intrigued-tempted, even. But when catastrophe shatters the serenity she's found at Whispering Pines, she'll face an agonizing decision.

Travel back to 1942 as Kimberly Diede introduces you to a loyal, ambitious young Celia in this fifth book in her heartwarming series, Celia's Gifts. Immerse yourself in the loves and losses Celia experiences at Whispering Pines. Will unthinkable loss destroy her, or will she emerge stronger than ever?