Sold on Love

Sold on Love, published in 2022, is the third book in Kathleen Fuller’s Maple Falls Romance series set in the fictional small town of Maple Falls, Arkansas.  

The book opens with real estate agent Harper Wilson’s car breaking down on the way to show a property to a client, with the wedding of Anita and Tanner (the couple at the center of the previous novel, Much Ado about a Latte) scheduled for later that afternoon. She calls local mechanic Rusty Jenkins for help and is able to make the sale and the wedding. Two months later, she has to have the car fixed again, and she offers him dinner after he takes her home.  

Later that evening, Rusty’s sister Amber calls to say that her husband Austin has been offered a job in Colorado Springs, meaning that Rusty’s grandfather Russell (called “Senior”) would likely have to move from their Little Rock (Pulaski County) home back to Rusty’s place. But Rusty’s place is in poor repair, meaning that Senior needs a new home, and so he asks Harper about it, pointing out a property outside of town as his preference. The agent for that property is Brielle Weaver, the woman for whom Harper’s ex-boyfriend Jack Bell dumped her, making things awkward.  

Too, Harper is asked to organize a bachelor auction for a local fundraiser gala in which she is involved, and she ropes Rusty and Senior into the project, giving Rusty a makeover. As they continue to interact, the fashionable Harper and the mechanic Rusty find themselves increasingly attracted to each other. Jack shows up at her house to tell her that Brielle, who has long nursed a grudge against Harper, has been poaching Harper’s clients and spreading rumors about her, which is why she has had such a downturn in her business. Rusty sees Harper and Jack together and assumes that they are dating; he subsequently withdraws from the bachelor auction.  

Meanwhile, Harper’s parents, Madge and Don, are in the process of getting a divorce after Madge discovered that Don had an affair some time back, further complicating Harper’s life, although when they come to sign the papers finalizing their divorce, Madge decides to give Don a second chance. When Harper confronts Brielle about Jack’s allegations, she denies them, and Harper realizes that she might be having so much trouble because her heart is no longer in her work. Rusty astonishes Harper by showing up at the gala to be auctioned off, and Harper and Brielle get into a bidding war that ends with Harper spending $10,000 for Rusty, who misinterprets the gesture and storms off.  

But Harper demands her date and cooks him dinner at her home, and they finally confess their love for each other. Afterward, she decides to begin closing down her business and devote herself to baking, which is her true passion. The epilogue finds Harper and Rusty married. 

For additional information:
Fuller, Kathleen. Sold on Love. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2022. 

Kathleen Fuller. https://kathleenfuller.com/ (accessed February 21, 2025). 

Staff of the CALS Encyclopedia of Arkansas