Becoming Bella

Christmas cheer abounds in Hegger’s fantastic second Ghost Falls contemporary (after Positively Pippa). Sugary sweetness, not sassiness, has long defined goody-two-shoes Bella Erickson. She’s been the perfect daughter, granddaughter, and business owner. This Christmas season, however, she’s over it all. Her life is in a rut, she’s 34, and, with the help of some self-improvement tapes, she aims to break free and truly live. Enter Sheriff Nate Evans, the self-defined black sheep of the Evans family. Like everyone else in their little town of Ghost Falls, Utah, he knows that Bella’s been in love with him since they were in the first grade. But he’s kept his distance—until now. The good girl captures the bad boy’s attention with her new, slightly naughty ways. When a stalker threatens Bella, Nate steps up to protect her. The plot draws readers in with style and substance, then keeps the pages flipping until the very end with delicious sensuality and intertwining story lines. Hegger excels at depicting familial relationships and friendships of all kinds, including purely platonic friendships between women and men. Tears, laughter, and a dollop of suspense make a memorable story that readers will want to revisit time and again. Agent: Nalini Akolekar, Spencerhill Associates. (Oct.)