Rescue Me

Gibson (Any Man of Mine) pairs up two damaged souls desperately in need of rescue in this distant and dark contemporary. Sadie Jo Hollowell reluctantly goes home to dusty cowtown Lovett, Tex., after a 15-year absence. Intending to be in and out for a family wedding, Sadie is surprised to fall hard for Navy SEAL Vince Haven, a sexy, silent man with a broken-down truck. Vince is fleeing his Afghanistan-related PTSD demons; searching for roots, he decides to take over his aunt’s convenience store/gas station in Lovett. Meeting Sadie and discovering their sexual fireworks momentarily soothes his restless soul. The emotionally closed duo fight their deeper feelings even as their bodies steam up the pages, leaving them surprisingly closed off to readers. The first five chapters of backstory and scene-setting fail to enliven the plot, which doesn’t begin to entice until present-day action takes over. Agent: Claudia Cross, Sterling Lord Literistic. (June)