Second Chance Summer

Shalvis knows all the right buttons to push with characters Lily Danville and Aiden Kincaid, a junk-food junkie and a former not-really-so-bad boy who share a hometown and a history of poor choices. Lily is fired from a tony San Diego beauty salon by her unscrupulous boss and forced to go back home to Cedar Ridge, Colo., to regroup, until she can find another job and escape the small town again. Lily is a beautiful everywoman as she binges on convenience store snack foods and encounters Aiden at the worst possible moment. It may have been 10 years since the death of Lily’s sister, Ashley, but Lily is still grieving, and the last thing she wants is to spend time with the guy Ashley had a big crush on. But Aiden, now a firefighter and a hero of the civilian group Search and Rescue, has always carried a torch for Lily, and he has no intention of letting her get away again. The flubs and flaws are hilarious, the grief feels credible, and the sparks fly in this solid, light romance from the always-reliable Shalvis. Agent: Robin Rue, Writers House. (July)