Tracy Solheim begins her Second Chances series with Back to Before, a multi-layered romance set in the aptly named town of Chances Inlet, North Carolina. A coastal community with charm to spare and the kind of small-town dynamics that mean gossip is a simple fact of life, Chances Inlet is home to the McAllister clan and the historic house that Gavin McAllister is renovating for a reality show.

The house itself is ripe for another shot at a source of happiness. Built in 1820 for an Englishman’s bride who died en route to America, its magnificence has suffered from years of neglect. Its restoration is the center around which all of the characters revolve, in one way or another, and those characters create a richly detailed, intergenerational cast.

First is Gavin, an architect whose dreams of a big-city career in New York have been put on hold while he salvages the family construction business from disaster after his father’s death. Then there’s Ginger Walsh, a dancer whose dreams of a life as a ballerina were derailed by an accident, and whose part in a popular soap opera has townspeople convinced she’s just as conniving and bratty as her soap character. She’s in Chances Inlet strictly to earn some cash as a production assistant on the renovation reality show, and she’s counting down the days till she can leave.

The way Gavin and Ginger fall for each other—and what happens after they do—makes Back to Before as refreshing as the North Carolina surf.

Gavin and Ginger make a truly unlikely couple, but from the day they first meet, the attraction between them sizzles. Gavin’s not looking for love—his fiancée dumped him days before their wedding earlier in the year—and Ginger’s unsure about tangling with the “star” of the show, but as circumstances force them together again and again, the heat crackling between them is hard to deny. But could it be more? Solheim does a great job creating characters with realistic goals as well as obstacles, and Gavin and Ginger’s status as a couple is never a foregone conclusion. 

The same realism gives great texture to the supporting characters. Gavin’s mother, Patricia, is enjoying running an inn, but she feels guilty about her romance with the new sheriff after so many years as her husband’s wife. A born mother, she also takes in “strays” like Cassidy Burroughs, a goth teen from a trailer park with attitude to spare who needs a chance to make friends. Lori Hunt, one of Patricia’s employees at the inn, is clearly hiding from something or someone in her past. Even Diesel Gold, the reality show’s inexperienced producer, is licking his wounds and hoping to finally make his father proud. 

Gavin and Ginger are the funny and flirty focus of the book. The way they fall for each other—and what happens after they do—makes Back to Before as refreshing as the North Carolina surf, and just as rewarding.  

Amy Garvey is a freelance editor and the author of several romances and two novels for young adults. 

New York Times best-selling author Catherine Bybee delivers an emotional story with Not Quite Forever, the latest installment in her Not Quite series.

Successful romance author Dakota Laurens attends a writers’ conference as a scheduled lecturer but gets more than she anticipated when she meets the handsome doctor Walt Eddy. Both Dakota and Walt are slotted to use the same classroom, and the accidental double booking leads to shared drinks, conversation and mutual attraction. Their time is cut short when Walt’s work with Doctors Without Borders calls him away. It’s not until they both return to their homes in Southern California that they have the opportunity to explore their attraction.

While Walt’s work in a hospital ER is exhausting and time consuming, Dakota’s schedule is a bit more flexible. The two manage to see each other sporadically, but when Dakota accompanies Walt to Colorado for his father’s birthday party, things really heat up. Unfortunately, the intense physical connection between them is in direct contrast to Walt’s mother’s chilly reaction to Dakota. Mrs. Eddy doesn’t like Dakota, and she doesn’t try to hide her feelings. Walt’s support of Dakota, however, is unqualified.

Just when it seems that all will go smoothly for the two lovers, Walt’s past experiences make him question—and fear—his deepening feelings for Dakota. The two have a rocky road ahead of them, fraught with surprises and life-threatening peril, and whether they will find their way through their difficulties is anyone’s guess. This leads, of course, to deeply emotional, wonderfully written scenes that readers will relish.

Bybee has created an interesting and refreshingly adult heroine in Dakota Laurens. A strong woman with certain undeniable flaws, Dakota remains honest, admirable and sympathetic, and readers will find themselves rooting for her. Walt Eddy, too, is a man of strong character who balances Dakota very well. The couple is surrounded by a supporting cast of interesting friends and family, while the worlds of medicine and romance writing provide intriguing detail. The plot is well conceived, with a few surprising twists that are sure to keep readers engaged and eagerly turning pages.

Lois Dyer writes from Port Orchard, Washington