The Jump Off

Romance sours when distance separates two lovers in Dixon's competent but clunky debut novel. Mobile, Ala., software engineer Troy Sanders dreams of building a home for his fiancée, Jennifer Stevens, an ambitious, gorgeous criminal lawyer, but trouble looms when Jennifer leaves Troy in Mobile for a lucrative law gig in Atlanta. Regular visits and phone calls keep things together until Troy makes a trip to Atlanta and catches Jennifer with another man. He eventually lands in the arms of Dana Suarez, a sexy Latina co-worker, who shares his bed while Jennifer tries to reconcile. Things are hot for a while, but Dana's Fatal Attraction -esque dark side surfaces when Troy considers getting back together with Jennifer. Dixon has a solid grasp on the mechanics of storytelling, but the romance material proves predictable and clichéd, while the violent resolution to the romantic triangle is especially ludicrous. Dixon's debut does have its entertaining moments despite the first-novel warts. (Aug.)