Love, Always and Forever: Sergeant Joe’s Boys, Book 3

Morgan’s third Sergeant Joe’s Boys contemporary is a gently wrought story of fences, both building them and tearing them down. Amy Short wakes firefighter Mikhail “Misha” Wanjek from exhausted slumber after a long night by ringing the bell, offering him brownies, and proposing a construction project. He couldn’t care less about the fence she wants to build between their houses, but of course the leggy brunette engages his interest, though flashbacks from his tour in Afghanistan and a life of loss have made him relationship-shy. Even though she’s perfectly willing to dive right into the project on her own—her bulldog puppy will be ready for pickup in two weeks, and the fence has to be up by then—the former Marine offers to help. With backup from his brother’s construction company, the two neighbors go to work. Gradually, Amy reveals more about her own difficult past. Most fences separate people; this one brings Misha and Amy closer, leading first to friendship and then to love. This is a real romance reader’s romance with a lovely slow burn at its heart. Agent: Michelle Grajkowski, 3 Seas Literary. (Mar.)