The Sweetheart Deal

Liasson (Coming Home to Seashell Harbor) charms with her witty Blossom Glen series launch, a modern twist on Romeo and Juliet. A year after Tessa Montgomery’s fiancé dumped her, their breakup is still the hottest gossip in small-town Blossom Glen, Ind., where she’s struggling to keep her family’s bakery afloat. Then Leo Castorini returns to town to help out with his family’s nearby restaurant. The Montgomery and Castorini families have been rivals ever since one of Leo’s ancestors jilted a Montgomery at the altar. Though Tessa had a crush on Leo in high school, their family feud kept them apart. Now both struggle to be taken seriously by their parents, until Leo floats a scheme to make their parents pay attention—and save both family businesses—by faking a marriage. Tessa reluctantly agrees, on the condition that they go their separate ways after six months. But as they work together to convince their loved ones the marriage is real, a genuine connection forms. Liasson brings her idyllic small town to life with a close-knit, engaging cast; humor; and sparkling romance. Readers will be cheering for Leo and Tessa to find their happily ever after. Agent: Jill Marsal, Marsal Lyon Literary. (Feb.)