Caught Up in Raine

Urban fantasy author O’Connor (Trinity Stones) branches out into romantic women’s fiction with a sexy tale of angst, guilt, love, and hate. Jillian Grant is a wealthy New Jersey widow, photographer, and author of romantic thrillers. While working on a novel based on her first true love, Drew, who died as a teen, she sees 24-year-old Raine working on a landscape crew. He has an uncanny resemblance to Drew, and she convinces him to model for the cover of her novel. Instant chemistry sparks between them. Raine’s mother died six years earlier, and he hates his alcoholic father, who robbed him of his future by spending his college fund. The December/May romance falls flat, with Raine’s need for love and nurturing veering too far into mommy issues. Unexpected twists and turns keep the reader interested in the story, but the characters sometimes come across as whiny and needy. Agent: April Eberhardt, April Eberhardt Literary. (Apr.)