cover image Suddenly One Summer

Suddenly One Summer

Julie James. Jove, $7.99 mass market (304) ISBN 978-0-425-27376-0

Sparks fly when divorce lawyer Victoria Slade moves in next door to Chicago Tribune reporter Ford Dixon—but they are not the falling-in-love kind of neighbors. She thinks he’s an arrogant jerk with a parade of women; he finds her judgmental and abrasive. This has the makings of a long and uncomfortable summer, until Victoria is roped into helping Ford’s sister. Their childhoods—Ford with an alcoholic dad and Victoria taking care of a mother with depression—taught them to sidestep relationships and entanglements. The boundaries they place around their tentative friendship and eventual affair are distressing but realistic, and it’s gratifying to see the barriers eventually fall. Victoria’s struggles to face her fears and acknowledge her shields are raw and heart-wrenching, but each healing step toward a future with Ford feels like a victory. Ford is a genuinely nice guy, and it’s easy to root for him to win the woman of his dreams. Their happy-ever-after is not a sweet and foregone conclusion, but a hard-won battle involving risks and blind faith. Agent: Robin Rue, Writers House. (June)