Hidden Heritage — Kathleen Pieper

Elly Gilmont, an orphaned raised in Kansas by her unlovable uncle and aunt, feels shy and unpopular. Then, at nineteen, she joins her mother's warm-hearted family in Hawaii and blooms like a tropical flower. There she meets vain, unpredictable Brad Jeffers. Sometimes he seems to be mocking Elly. At other times he can be the most understanding man in the world.

But he's not for me, Elly keeps telling herself. After all, he's practically engaged to Vicky Gates, isn't he?

Positive she can never compete with the glamorous Vicky, Elly loses some of her newly won confidence. For she has no way of knowing Brad's true feelings about Vicky and her--and the future.