Look on the Bright Side

Bestseller Higgins (Pack Up the Moon) proves her mastery of the romance genre in this emotional tour de force. Lark Smith fell in love with her late fiancé, Justin, in kindergarten. Now, seven years after his death, she doesn’t believe she’ll ever love again and pours all her passion into her work as an oncology resident. That’s why she’s so disappointed when she’s demoted to the ER due to her overly emotional reaction to the death of her favorite patient. So when universally despised surgeon Lorenzo Santini (aka Dr. Satan) asks her to pose as his girlfriend at a family wedding to placate his grandmother, Lark reluctantly agrees in exchange for 25 grand and Santini’s promise that he can get her back in oncology. While Dr. Satan lives up to his nickname, Lark falls in love with his welcoming Italian family—especially his brother Dante, who has a surprising tie to her past. Braided into this central romance plot are the stories of Lark’s mother, Elsbeth, and her landlady, Joy. When Elsbeth discovers that her husband has had an emotional affair, Joy, who’s spent a lifetime recovering from her father’s psychological abuse, offers her a place to stay and the women heal together. Higgins balances tear-jerking moments with happiness and hope, and crafts strong female characters worth cheering for. Readers should have tissues at the ready. (May)