The Wedding at Moonglow Bay

Wilde’s overwrought fourth Moonglow Bay romance (after The Lighthouse on Moonglow Bay) focuses on a painful love triangle between two brothers and Samantha Riley. Coast Guardsman Nick Ginelli met orphan Samantha in high school and swept her off her feet with stories of the “Lightning Strike,” a Ginelli family belief about love at first sight. Tragedy came for the fiery couple, however: after marrying young, Nick was lost at sea. Heartbroken, Samantha devoted herself to the Ginelli family restaurant, earning a degree, and raising her daughter. Then Nick’s older brother Luca returned to town, sparking a new love. With Nick officially pronounced dead, Samantha and Luca marry—only for a very much alive Nick to walk into the bedroom right as they’re about to consummate their marriage. Coverage of Nick’s return goes viral, adding to the pressure on Samantha to determine which brother will make her happiest. While Wilde is clearly aiming for tenderness and poignancy, the ludicrous contrivances that keep the plot moving make this land closer to melodrama, and Samantha’s romantic angst seems endless. Readers will likely lose patience well before Samantha finds her soulmate. Agent: Jenny Bent, Bent Agency. (Mar.)