Walk Me Home

This backstory-heavy debut by the two-woman team writing as Kendall leans heavily into moments of small-town zaniness at the expense of real feeling. Charlie Nash returns to her close-knit hometown of Silverlake, Tex., for her cousin’s wedding 12 years after the fire that leveled her home when she was a teen. The tragedy killed her grandmother and caused a rift between the Nash family and that of Charlie’s then-boyfriend, firefighter Jake Braddock, who was blamed for starting the blaze. Charlie agrees to help Jake’s sister, event planner Lila Braddock, manage her cousin’s bridezilla antics, but when Lila taps Jake as a last-minute groomsman, Charlie and Jake must confront their past hurt and lingering feelings. The overly invested population of Silverlake seems to have been on emotional hold for the decade since the fire, making the story feel contrived. Several secondary characters, especially the men of Silverlake’s fire department, are sketched well enough to carry the Silverlake Ranch series forward, but readers will finish the first installment feeling less than inspired to continue. Agent: Louise Fury, The Bent Agency (Jan.)