Finding Home Again

A second chance is hard to come by in the sizzling but unevenly paced third romance in Jackson’s Catalina Cove series (after Forget Me Not). Ten years ago, Keagan Chambray accused his girlfriend, Bryce Witherspoon, of cheating, and their relationship came to a disastrous end. Now in their 30s, the two tolerate each other only at the behest of their mutual best friend, Vashti. When Keagan finally hears Bryce’s explanation for what happened between her and her friend Samuel, he realizes what a fool he’s been and sets out to regain Bryce’s heart. Bryce never stopped loving Keagan, but she’s afraid to subject herself to more pain with a man who doesn’t trust her. Even when Bryce and Keagan detest each other, their chemistry leaps off the page, but a rushed mystery introduced late in the plot steals focus and cripples the climax. An underdeveloped antagonist and a disorienting late plot twist keep this enemies-to-lovers romance from living up to its potential. Readers will root for the sparring lovers but long for a more satisfying ending. Agent: Pattie Steele Perkins, Steele Perkins Literary. (Nov.)