Can’t Stand the Heat

Gleefully demonstrating that a person cannot be defined by his or her past, Ellis (A Love Built to Last, as L.S. Childers) bubbles to the top with the Gibbons Gold Diggers series launch. Lauren Gibbons is a rebellious former lady of leisure who breaks out of the family business of courting men for their money and becomes a restaurant sous chef. While avoiding her ex and the gilded cage of her past, Lauren crosses paths with Cris Weaver, a former NFL star who is considered the perfect catch by her mother and sisters. She must balance the bitterness of the past with the delicate sweetness of the new life she’s building. Sizzling chemistry ignites between the main characters, developing from a slow simmer as anticipation and plot build to a full rolling boil. The book features sparkling dialogue, delicious romance, and a masterfully constructed story with a strong, well-developed cast of characters whose varying viewpoints provide depth and layering. (May)