Refuge Cove

The thrill outshines the romance in Dailey’s newest Americana novel. After quitting her elementary school teaching job and moving to Alaska, Emily Hunter quickly learns that her intended husband, Boone Swenson, is a scary con man. When pilot and loner John Wolf, a recovering alcoholic who lost his wife and his parental rights to his son, sees a woman in distress, he can’t just leave her—no matter how much he hates getting involved with other people’s problems—so he saves Emily from Boone and takes her to his cabin. She plans to put a stop to Boone’s behavior before he deceives another woman, but John, who turns out to be Boone’s ex-brother-in-law, knows how dangerous Boone really is. He decides to stick around and help Emily until he can convince her to go home. There’s plenty of action and a snippet of suspense, but there’s no flirtation, and John and Emily’s romance is tepid until after they confess their love. This imbalanced story will please thriller fans, but romance lovers will feel cheated. (Feb.)