The Sweetheart Rules

Jump’s second Sweetheart Sisters contemporary (after The Sweetheart Bargain) brings together two flawed yet appealing single parents searching for love. Veterinarian Diana Tuttle, who’s raising a 15-year-old son, seems, on the surface, to have it all together. But when her ex-lover Mike Stark, a Coast Guard lieutenant, returns to her sleepy Florida beach community with his two daughters in tow, her peaceful life is disrupted. Mike’s abusive stepfather made it hard for him to be comfortable with anything but strict routines, and when his flaky ex leaves eight-year-old Jenny and four-year-old Ellie with him, he doesn’t have the first idea of how to be a good father. Enter the scheming grannies of the Golden Years Retirement Home, who have one happy couple under their belts—and are aiming for another. Diana and Mike lurch toward love, slowly learning that perfection is not a prerequisite for being a parent, in this heartwarming and charming story. (Apr.)