Goodnight, Beautiful
Nova Kumalisi and Mal Wacken have been best friends since childhood (and secretly half in love with each other). Nova would lay down her life for Mal, but then Mal comes to her with a proposition that makes her nervous. Mal’s wife, Stephanie, is unable to have children, and they want Nova to be the surrogate mother. Nova agrees, but Stephanie, already somewhat suspicious, finds a text message from Mal to Nova that suggests they were more than friends and forces him to cut all ties to his best friend and his son. Eight years later, Nova and Mal are still not speaking to each other, and Nova is raising their son, Leo, by herself. But when Leo becomes critically ill, Nova realizes that despite their estrangement, Mal needs to know his son before it’s too late. Is there too much bitterness, anger, and deceit between Mal, Nova, and Stephanie, or can it be bridged in time? Koomson’s fifth novel is a dramatic, intense story about love and forgiveness. --Hilary Hatton