Made for Us

Chase (the Montgomery Brothers series) grabs readers by the heartstrings and reels them right into the antics of the lively Shaughnessy family: a father, five sons, one daughter, and their lingering memories of a mother who was killed in a car accident. Aiden, the eldest child, has always been bold, hardworking, and extremely protective of his family. He keeps all nonrelatives at bay until he meets Zoe Dalton, a fiery decorator who’s just as brazen as he is and has suffered just as much loss. When a hurricane crashes into their North Carolina coastal town and leaves them stranded together in a small apartment, Zoe and Aiden end up sharing more than flashlights and food. But after the storm clears and they are forced to rejoin the rest of the world, Aiden can’t deal with the changes to his orderly life and pushes Zoe away, even though she’s the only woman who’s ever been able to impress him both in and out of the bedroom. Chase excels at giving even the most minor character a unique voice, and she makes Zoe and Aiden work hard for their happy ending. Readers weary of shoehorned-in suspense plots will find this novel gratifying and realistic; it’s an uncluttered, perfectly paced look at two individuals trying to move forward after tragedy. Agent: Mark Gottlieb, Trident Media Group. (Aug.)