Need You

Finz’s by-the-numbers small town Sierra Nevada romance does little to engage readers or encourage them to read further books about the Garner family. Colt Garner, the resolutely single police chief of fictional resort town Glory Junction, Calif., still periodically works as an extreme sports and tour guide for Garner Adventure, as well as keeping a hand in country music. His primary contact with clothing designer Delaney Scott, who has retreated from Los Angeles to Glory Junction to restart her career following an adversarial divorce, is a conflict over access to the easement road they share. Finz skillfully creates a robust gallery of extensive supporting characters and a believable small town, but the story is marred by stilted pacing, factual errors, and gender stereotypes. Agent: Melissa Jeglinski, Knight Agency. (Aug.)