Hope Falls Universe Books in Order

The Hope Falls universe is a shared small town setting where several authors tell stories about a mountain community built around a ski resort, a tight knit group of friends, and plenty of snow. Lucy Score’s contribution, Heart of Hope, slides neatly into that world while still working as a complete stand alone for readers who have never visited before.

The story centers on Bristol, a single mom who runs the local breakfast spot and is quietly stuck. She is grieving the loss of her youngest sister while helping her older sister plan a Christmas wedding, raising a son, and feeding half the town before most people are awake. Everyone else seems to be moving forward, and Bristol cannot quite figure out how to follow.

Enter Beau, a stranger who shows up in Hope Falls claiming to be taking a break from his life and looking for a low profile. In reality he is a former professional hockey player with personal reasons for being there, and he is not nearly as detached as he pretends. Offering to teach Bristol and her son to skate and understand the sport gives him a way into their orbit without revealing too much too fast.

As the novel unfolds, holiday traditions and community events wrap around their growing connection, from rink mishaps to late night talks over diner coffee. Bristol has to relearn what it feels like to be seen as more than a reliable sister and short order cook, while Beau wrestles with obligations that could hurt the people he is coming to care about most. The tension comes as much from secrets and timing as from any outside threat.

Because Heart of Hope is part of a larger universe, readers will spot familiar landmarks and recurring side characters if they have read other Hope Falls stories. At the same time, it gives newcomers everything they need on the page. It is a quiet, wintery corner of Lucy Score’s catalog, full of rink lessons, big family breakfasts, and a reminder that sometimes a new season of life starts in the least glamorous, most ordinary moments.