Nothing has ever come easily to Charlotte. Her landscape design business will go belly up if she doesn't find a paying client-and soon. Since her sister's death, all attempts to nurture her niece Mazie have been rebuffed. Even her engagement to the handsome Harp is taking some getting used to. But just over the horizon, on an island in a river, is an exquisite rustic lodge in need of a garden. Its owner, Fig Bigelow, is eccentric, principled, utterly delightful-and the keeper of a terrifying secret. Charlotte's Crossing is as much a love song to native plants and a plea for their protection, as it is a story of one woman's uncommon love for an uncommon man.

"This is not just a balanced, well-researched discourse on the value of native plants . . . although it certainly is that. This is a real novel, with human interest plots and subplots, engaging dialogue, and skillful character development. A great read, whether or not you have ever heard of a native plant!"

-Doug Tallamy, author of Bringing Nature Home.

". . . a cracking good story . . . Fans of field guides as well as readers on the beach will find it both engrossing and enlightening."

-Julie Christianson Stivers, author, editor, On the Town Magazine

". . . a heartfelt love story and a plea to rethink how we landscape and garden today. A very enjoyable read."

• Esther Durnwald, Michigan Wildflower Farm

"One woman's heroic fight to ban the sale of invasive plants -This is my fantasy. Arnold's elegant descriptions of nature's beauty will leave readers wanting to know the name of every leaf, twig and flower."

• Jessie Schulte, Kent Conservation District