Falling for Her Best Friend

Valentine’s Day in a quaint town known for celebrating holidays in style serves as the colorful backdrop for this playful second-chance romance, the first in the Love in Holiday Junction series from Franklin (Cecilia’s Soulful Heart). After 10 years of trying to make it on Broadway, a breakup spurs Violet Chalmers to return to Holiday Junction, Wash., to teach high school drama. She happily reunites with her childhood friend, Kade Rivera, an attractive singer-songwriter and the local math teacher. Unaware that Kade has been pining for her for years, Vi rekindles her high school romance with Liam Durant because “there’s something to be said for boring and reliable.” As the town prepares for its annual Valentine’s Day Sweetheart Ball, Liam asks Kade to keep his distance so he can have a real chance with Vi, while Vi tries to set up Kade with their friend Lena. Franklin populates her story with decent, well-intentioned people, making it easy to root for the mismatched couples as they try to figure out who they’re meant to be with. Fans of holiday themes will be drawn to this festive tale. (Self-published.)