Kiss Me That Way

Trentham’s first Cottonbloom contemporary draws a clear, albeit stereotypical, picture of a town that straddles a river, half lying in white-collar Mississippi and half in blue-collar Louisiana. As a girl, well-off Mississippian Monroe Kirby climbed out of her bedroom window to escape her mother’s predatory boyfriend. Louisiana swamp rat Cade Fournette rescued her. For years they secretly met and shared confidences, until he inexplicably left town. Fifteen years after their first encounter, Cade’s a wealthy inventor and Monroe’s a physical therapist. He limps back into town with a knee injury and ends up in her office. They still share an emotional connection, and as she treats his injury, desire enters their relationship, leading to sizzling intimacy. At the heart of this wrong-side-of-town story are deftly drawn characters who understand that everyone has fears. Trentham layers the weight of family responsibilities throughout the well-paced story. The towns’ competing festivals and quirky characters add humor and link the other romances in the series. (May)