Renovation

Robbins cleverly balances tension and release in this suspenseful mystery. JK Lassiter has simple ambitions: to launch his career in flipping real estate and have a life to call his own. He struggles to control his psychic powers with a combination of hard work, wearing gloves, and maintaining a strict medication regimen. When he embarks on a summer restoration project, he finds that the neighborhood harbors more dark memories and secrets than he can cope with—and it’s simultaneously made very attractive by his handsome neighbor Nick Collier. JK soon finds himself more involved with the house and its surroundings than he intended to be. Someone on the street is a murderer, and only JK is aware that a man is dead. By interweaving blooming passion with grim magic and constantly raising the stakes, Robins draws the reader smoothly into the mystery. As JK takes risks to help his new neighbors, he finds reasons to grow stronger and become his own man. The thrilling resolution feels earned and satisfying, with good intentions unraveling the careful balance of secrets and grief. (May)