Pivot

The three novellas featured in this high-octane romantic suspense anthology form a captivating whole. Martin’s “Against the Heart” introduces Meri Jones, a single mother working to keep her four-year-old daughter, Lily, safe from her abusive ex. Meri and Lily flee to Washington State, where Meri falls for private detective Ian Brodie. Zanetti’s “Shaken” focuses on artist Michelle Peach, Meri’s childhood friend from her time in foster care, as Michelle tries to stay one step ahead of her meth-addicted birth mother, Jayleen—the woman who first brought Meri’s ex into their lives—and in the process reunites with her long-lost love, Marine-turned-sheriff Evan Boldon. Fellow former foster kid Melanie Cassidy steps into the spotlight in Ivy’s “Echoes of the Past.” When Melanie witnesses and foils a kidnapping, she becomes a target for several dirty cops and reconnects with her old flame Det. Gray Hawkins to root out the rogue actors. Remarkable tonal consistency and interlocking elements ensure that these twisty, sizzling love stories flow seamlessly together. Readers won’t want to put this one down. Agents: (for Martin) Alexandra Machinist, ICM; (for Ivy) Evan Marshall, Evan Marshall Agency; (for Zanetti) Caitlin Blasdell, Liza Dawson Associates. (Apr.)