Dog Days Forever

This charming second-chance romance from Richard (An Unexpected Christmas) picks up 15 years after Caro Buchanan broke the heart of her childhood sweetheart, Max Abbott. Now Max, a high-powered Manhattan real estate executive, returns to hometown Cruickshank, N.C., to help his beloved widowed grandmother, Ava, sort through her things before selling her house and resigns himself to seeing Caro on a regular basis while he’s there. Dog rescuer, children’s book author, and retail worker Caro deeply regrets pushing Max away, and even went to Manhattan shortly after their breakup to try to make amends—before seeing Max in a clinch with a beautiful blonde and fleeing without a word. Back in close quarters, regrets resurface and chemistry reignites, but can they move on from their mistakes to build something real? Richard does a fine job showing how past regrets can color a life and pushes the message that it’s never too late. Caro and Max make a thoroughly believable couple and the brisk plot keeps pages turning. Small-town romance lovers should snap this up. (Mar.)