Regan Forest is an author I read quite a bit of when I started reading romance. I enjoyed her atmospheric settings, ranging from Wales to France to Arizona ghost towns, her unusual characters, and often paranormal-influenced plots. In the mood for that kind of read, I ordered several books on her backlist I hadn’t yet read. To my surprise the best of the bunch didn’t have any of those things I expected from her, but was this gentle love story with its haunted characters and nicely evoked Nebraska setting. It’s also the flat-out funniest book I’ve read this year, thanks to one scene-stealing porcine named Pig Newton.

Kyle Sanders is a newcomer to Rosewood, Nebraska, and as expected in a small town, he’s greeted with a great deal of curiosity and interest. Margie Donovan senses that he’s not being entirely forthcoming about his past, but she has secrets of her own that none of her friends and neighbors know about. She’s not going to go prying into his business, regardless of how interested she is in the man who purchased property from her and is now her closest neighbor.

For his part, Kyle hopes to finally stop running and lay down some roots. Though he knows it may not be the best idea, he can’t resist growing closer to the warm, friendly Margie. At least not until his past resurfaces – and threatens to expose Margie’s as well.

For such a short book, When Tomorrow Comes contains a little bit of everything I’m looking for in a good read. It’s sad, emotional, suspenseful, dramatic and very, very funny. The love story is sweet. There’s a real sense of sadness to the characters, both trying to hide the secrets of their pasts and create new lives for themselves. It has a pair of antagonists who manage to be more menacing than most villains you’d find in outright romantic suspense novels, all without posing the slightest physical threat. It’s more story – and less hormonally – driven than I’ve come to expect from the Temptation line. That isn’t to say the author doesn’t deliver a convincing love scene, but there’s significantly more to the story than their sexual relationship.

The very best thing about the book, though, is Pig Newton. Margie saved the former police pig from the butcher after he was shot on duty. She lets him stay in the house when it’s cold because he disdains staying in the barn with the “lesser” animals like dogs. He’s one of those animals with more personality than some people. He craves attention, loves certain TV shows (Hee Haw and Green Acres, of course) and also happens to be a recovering alcoholic. Given a pig’s strong sense of smell (stronger than dogs’, you know), it’s not even safe being around him with an unopened beer can in your hand. The trouble this pig manages to get into over the course of the book is fall-down funny. This is one of those rare books that manages to be both serious and hilarious without any of it feeling out of place.

As much as I enjoyed it, When Tomorrow Comes is more of a good read than a great one. The opening was overwritten and establishing the characters and rhythm of the story took too long. While Newton’s scenes were wonderful, other moments in the story seemed forced. And the ending, while happy, wasn’t as satisfying as I might have liked (the antagonists didn’t get nearly enough of a comeuppance). But everything that is good about it is downright great, and that pig provided more entertainment than several whole books put together. Some of the author’s other books are better written, but this is one engrossing, effective little read.