His to Protect

The second in the Fireside series (after His to Love) pulls in characters from the first book and ends with a cliff-hanger that sets up the love story of the next, in the process creating a strong sense of the Detroit neighborhood community that supports the characters. Declan Moore, the owner of the Fireside Grill, is instantly drawn to protect the woman he finds feeding her dog out of his restaurant’s dumpster. Trina Wilson, running from her powerful and abusive husband, is reluctant to trust any man, but she can’t resist the offer of a hot meal and a bed to sleep in. Trina’s husband is still looking for her, though, and as Declan and Trina get closer, Trina gets more anxious about staying in Detroit, all too close to the home she fled in Kentucky. The alternating points of view create windows into the characters’ motivations, and the reader will be gripped by Trina’s fear of her husband and Declan’s compassion and anger on her behalf. The final showdown feels a bit contrived, but the personalities and prose shine through the formula. Agent: Michelle Johnson, Inklings Literary. (July)