Kiss Me Hello

Burrowes concludes her contemporary Sweetest Kisses trilogy (after The First Kiss) with the spotlight on MacKenzie, managing partner of the family law firm that connects the three books. Mac is a force to be reckoned with in the courtroom and office, but in his personal life he is reserved and practically celibate. As in the earlier novels, the hero meets a strong-willed woman and immediately falls head over heels, despite little to no encouragement or reciprocation from her. Mac’s instant attachment is to Sidonie, the beautiful woman who now lives in his childhood home with her foster son. He aggressively pursues her and helps her with the torturous demands of foster parenthood, keeping his livelihood a secret after Sid reveals her loathing of lawyers. The characters have an uncanny ability to derive layers upon layers of understanding from a simple look, and the plot follows a familiar trajectory. The story introduces some new characters with intriguing histories and ties together some loose ends in the series, but it is far from compelling. Agent: Steve Axelrod, Axelrod Literary Agency. (Mar.)