Boardwalk Summer

Fisk’s first novel since 2010’s Lake Magic is a tender but flawed tale of reunited lovers. Hungry to race, NASCAR driver Nick Fortune sped away from Minnesota with the plan of someday returning for his high school sweetheart, Hope Thompson. Neither of them knew she was pregnant when he left. Disowned by her mother for getting pregnant out of wedlock, Hope changed her last name and moved to Tranquility, Wash., with her aunt. Meanwhile, Nick was ashamed of taking longer than he expected to become a success, so he stopped talking to her. Years later, he’s finally rich and famous, but he has no idea that he’s also the father of twins—until Hope contacts him to say his leukemia-stricken son is in need of a bone marrow transplant. The crisis brings them together, but mostly they wrestle with the past rather than the present. Some readers may find Hope’s stubbornness and demanding ways more vexing than admirable, but Fisk foregrounds Hope’s devotion to their children and Nick’s determination to have both his dangerous career (which Hope objects to) and his family. Nick’s dedication to the relationship outweighs Hope’s, putting an unwelcome imbalance in this otherwise sweet romance. Agent: Christina Hogrebe, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (July)