Take a Chance on Me

Launching the Something New series, debut author Dawson introduces a runaway bride. Maddie Donovan, suddenly desperate to escape her own wedding, climbs out a church window and takes off. When her car breaks down, she walks through Illinois farmland to the neon bar sign and meets lawyer turned bar owner Mitch Riley. Through a drunken haze, Maddie realizes this man sees her and listens to her, while Mitch realizes he’s laughed more with her than he has in the three years since he left Chicago. In a case of who’s-rescuing-whom, the two build sexual tension through romantic gestures while confessing their secrets to each other. Can Maddie run toward freedom instead of running away? Can he recapture the feeling of being alive instead of numb? Witty repartee, memorable secondary characters, and powerful attraction skillfully handled will have readers eager for the next in the series. Agent: Courtney Miller-Callihan, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. (Feb.)