Behind Enemy Bylines: A cozy, low-spice, small-town romance brimming with early 2000s nostalgia
By (Author) Kathleen Fuller
Thomas Nelson Publishers
Thomas Nelson Publishers
28th January 2026
23rd October 2025
United States
General
Fiction
Romance
Narrative theme: sense of place
Modern and contemporary fiction: literary and general
813.6
Paperback
336
Width 139mm, Height 213mm
Full of small-town charm, this latest cozy, low-spice romance from USA TODAY bestselling author Kathleen Fuller offers a second chance at love for one local reporter and his big-city accountant ex.
Little Rock, Arkansas, 1995: Jade Smith's life has never been entirely stable. Bouncing back and forth between her mother and foster care, she learned that the only person she can really trust is herself. So when she starts to fall for newsroom reporter Sebastian Hudson, her defenses go up. When she gets a job offer from a company in Atlanta, Georgia, she immediately takes it, leaving Sebastian behind. He might have claimed to love her, but she knows no one sticks around for long.
Clementine, Arkansas, 2005: Ten years after his heartbreak, Sebastian is back in his tiny hometown running the local paper and writing his slice-of-life column. The numbers in the accounting book are telling a story he's not ready to read, but he's refused to entertain any buy-out offers from big conglomerates, even as other small presses are being grabbed up, and in some cases, put out of business. He's determined not to let anything happen to the Clementine Times.
In Atlanta, Jade is eager for the promotion that will finally provide the security she's always craved. There's only one hitch--her boss wants her to convince a small-town newspaper owner to sell his paper to their company. No big deal, right Then she learns the owner is none other than Sebastian Hudson. Now it's averybig deal.
Reunited for the first time since their awful break-up, Sebastian and Jade dig in their heels, refusing to see each other's side. But the small town of Clementine won't let them stay at odds with each other for long. Between a springtime hoedown, a dangerous apartment fire, Sebastian's slightly meddling younger sister, and the surprise appearance of Jade's younger brother, Sebastian and Jade end up discussing everything but business. They also rekindle past feelings.
But when one of them makes an unforgivable decision, can they find their way back to each other Or is this second chance the very last one
If you love low-spice, high-heart romances where the town is as much a character as the people in it, don't miss this tender tale of love lost . . . and maybe found again. Grab your copy of Behind Enemy Bylines and fall back in love with small towns, second chances, and the people who just might surprise you.
'The changing fortunes of newspaper publishing provide the backdrop for this spirited second-chance romance from Fuller (THE MARRIAGE PACT) . . . Fuller's lighthearted story brims with quirky characters and southern charm . . . Readers will race through this.' * Publishers Weekly *
'This sweet romance set in the early 2000s about a small-town Arkansas newspaper made me long for a time I didn't even know I was missing. By the time I finished BEHIND ENEMY BYLINES I wanted to pack my bags and travel down to Clementine so I could keep visiting all the new friends I'd made on these pages (hopefully at a hoedown with lots of funnel cake). If you're in search of a charming second-chance romance full of lovable characters and satisfying emotional arcs, Kathleen Fuller has written you a great one right here.' * Becca Kinzer, award-winning author of FIRST LOVE, SECOND DRAFT *
Kathleen Fuller is the author of several bestselling novels, including the Hearts of Middlefield novels, the Middlefield Family novels, and the Amish of Birch Creek series, as well as a middle-grade Amish series, the Mysteries of Middlefield. Visit her online at www.kathleenfuller.com, Twitter: @TheKatJam, and Facebook: Kathleen Fuller.