Books Set in Utah
Our journey through the 50 states continues with a stop in Utah!
Book Club Pick – Utah
Puck Drop by Brittney Mulliner
What is Puck Drop about?
She doesn’t date hockey players, and he needs to earn the respect of his new team, but they’re willing to break all the rules for just one kiss. But if they can’t keep their relationship a secret, things could blow up in all their faces.
Since their parent’s death, Chloe Schultz has put every ounce of her energy into her twin brother’s NHL career. She won’t let distractions—like dating—get in the way of keeping the Utah Fury as the championship team. Until she meets Reese.
Reese Murray was shocked when he was traded the week before the season started. He’s bitter, but he won’t let that stop him from proving he’s the best. The Fury welcomes Reese, with one warning: stay away from the marketing manager, Chloe Schultz, if he wants to stay on her star brother’s good side. Too bad she’s the first woman that’s caught his eye in years.
Can Chloe and Reese keep their focus while trying to hide their growing attraction, or will their secret come out and tear the team apart?
Brittney Mulliner on Literary Escapes Podcast
Want to know more about Brittney and her books? Listen to this conversation on the Literary Escapes Podcast!
More Sweet Reads Set in Utah
Enjoy this additional selection of books set in Utah, spanning cozy mystery, sweet romance, and historical fiction. Perfect for easy reading, these delightful tales promise happy, hopeful endings.
Which one will you choose for a literary escape to Utah?
Something Wilder by Christina Lauren
Genre: Romantic Adventure
Growing up the daughter of notorious treasure hunter and absentee father Duke Wilder left Lily without much patience for the profession…or much money in the bank. But Lily is resourceful, and now uses Duke’s coveted hand-drawn maps to guide tourists on fake treasure hunts through the red rock canyons of Utah. It pays the bills but doesn’t leave enough to fulfill her dream of buying back the beloved ranch her father sold years ago, and definitely not enough to deal with the sight of the man she once loved walking back into her life with a motley crew of friends ready to hit the trails. Frankly, Lily would like to take him out into the wilderness and leave him there.
Leo Grady knew mirages were a thing in the desert, but they’d barely left civilization when the silhouette of his greatest regret comes into focus in the flickering light of the campfire. Ready to leave the past behind him, Leo wants nothing more than to reconnect with his first and only love. Unfortunately, Lily Wilder is all business, drawing a clear line in the sand: it’s never going to happen.
But when the trip goes horribly and hilariously wrong, the group wonders if maybe the legend of the hidden treasure wasn’t a gimmick after all. There’s a chance to right the wrongs—of Duke’s past and their own—but only if Leo and Lily can confront their history and work together. Alone under the stars in the isolated and dangerous mazes of the Canyonlands, Leo and Lily must decide whether they’ll risk their lives and hearts on the treasure hunt of a lifetime.
Painting Kisses by Melanie Jacobson
Genre: Christian Romance
Lia Carswell is good at what she does—even if it isn’t as glamorous as her old life in Manhattan. The popular waitress works hard in a small Salt Lake City diner, with the goal of easing her sister’s financial strain. And with her witty personality and good looks, she’s something of an enigma to the male customers who vie for her attention. Ever the professional, Lia keeps her distance—with one exception. Aidan is a breakfast regular, and Lia’s easy rapport with him draws her attention, though she would never let their relationship get serious—especially since he’s not the only one trying to catch her eye. Her handsome neighbor Griff has been hinting that he wants more than a neighborly relationship.Then her old New York artist life comes knocking, and an offer is made for a series of commissioned paintings. Lia knows it would ensure financial security for her family, but she doesn’t know if she wants that life anymore. When she undertakes one final project, she reawakens her heart and soul. And as she finds herself falling in love and needing an outlet more and more, she realizes her paintings might be her saving grace.
Root, Petal, Thorn by Ella Joy Olsen
Genre: Historical Fiction
Ivy Baygren has two great loves in her life: her husband, Adam, and the bungalow they buy together in one of the oldest neighborhoods in Salt Lake City, Utah. From the moment she and Adam lay eyes on the home, Ivy is captivated by its quaint details—the old porch swing, ornate tiles, and especially an heirloom rose bush bursting with snowy white blossoms. Called the Emmeline Rose for the home’s original owner, it seems yet another sign that this place will be Ivy’s happily-ever-after…Until her dreams are shattered by Adam’s unexpected death.
Striving to be strong for her two children, Ivy decides to tackle the home-improvement projects she and Adam once planned. Day by day, as she attempts to rebuild her house and her resolve, she uncovers clues about previous inhabitants, from a half-embroidered sampler to buried wine bottles. And as Ivy learns about the women who came before her—the young Mormon torn between her heart and anti-polygamist beliefs, the Greek immigrant during World War II, a troubled single mother in the 1960s—she begins to uncover the lessons of her own journey. For every story has its sadness, but there is also the possibility of blooming again, even stronger and more resilient than before…
To Helvetica and Back by Paige Shelton
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Star City is known for its slopes and its powder. But nestled in the valley of this ski resort town is a side street full of shops that specialize in the simple charms of earlier eras. One of those shops is the Rescued Word, where Chester Henry and his adult granddaughter Clare lovingly repair old typewriters and restore old books. Who ever thought their quaint store would hold the key to some modern-day trouble?
When a stranger to town demands they turn over an antique Underwood typewriter they’re repairing for a customer, Clare fears she may need to be rescued. A call to the police scares the man off, but later Clare finds his dead body in the back alley. What about a dusty old typewriter could possibly be worth killing for?
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