Chasing Red

Ronin’s debut features an appealing hero but an annoying heroine. Veronica Strafford needs a place to stay, and Caleb Lockhart offers her one. She accepts, and they start to feel a mutual attraction, but his playboy reputation stirs up the trust issues she developed after watching her now-deceased mother pine after her unfaithful and emotionally abusive father. Caleb’s father was also unfaithful to his mother, and Caleb has vowed never to dishonor a relationship, which is why he’s never been in one before. Her determination to stay shielded collides with Caleb’s goal of winning her over, and she ignores his efforts to prove that she’s the only one for him, instead being fooled by jealous so-called friends who scheme to destroy their relationship. The romance is well developed, and readers will swoon over Caleb, who’s a spirited and fun-loving optimist, but Veronica’s constant wallowing in self-pity and refusal to change her mind in the face of evidence will leave a sour aftertaste to an otherwise sweet novel. This volume offers no romantic resolution, but a sequel is planned. (Sept.)