The House on Main Street

Tess McKenzie fled Apple Valley, Wash., for a career as an interior designer in Annapolis, Md. When Tess’s sister, Emily, is killed in an accident, Tess inherits a Victorian house in Apple Valley, a failing antiques store, and guardianship of her autistic nephew, Alex. She’s also stuck with Gertrude, the crotchety aunt who raised her. Her childhood best friend and crush, Cade Cunningham, is now the sheriff; he’s stunned that former tomboy Tess is now a beautiful independent woman. For Alex’s sake, Tess stays in Apple Valley, but can Cade get her to feel at home in the sometimes stifling and insular town? Romantic suspense author McCoy (Fugitive) allows the pedestrian smalltown romance plot to be overshadowed by the cipher that is Emily. To Tess, she’s the sister whose mistakes Tess had to fix; to Cade, she’s the lover who betrayed him. Was she irresponsible, naïve, scheming, loving, angelic? Other characters seem dull in comparison to the one who never appears in the book at all. Agent: Melissa Jeglinski, Knight Agency. (Nov.)