Hold On to Me

Bennett’s delightful third Return to Haven contemporary (after Be with Me) features feisty Jade McKenzie, who left her seven-figure job in Atlanta to help revitalize the local airport in Haven, Ga., and sexy, brooding Cash Miller, a pilot who also runs a successful gym. Cash’s cousins have found love with Jade’s best friends, but Jade and Cash remain bickering annoyances to each other. When Cash flies Jade to a family wedding she’d rather not attend, skillfully handles an emergency landing, and agrees to be her date to the wedding, Jade acknowledges a long-simmering attraction to this man who would never garner her socialite mother’s approval. Cash, meanwhile, realizing that Jade is not the elitist snob he considered her, defends her in confrontations with an ex-boyfriend and her hypercritical mother. While sparks fly after the family wedding, the two vow to keep their relationship just physical and hidden from their friends. Bennett builds both sexual and emotional tension between the lovers: as they share their private heartaches, trust and affection grows, too. Bennett’s fans will enjoy seeing characters from her Monroes series make appearances in this capable and satisfying romance. Agent: Elaine Spencer, Knight Agency. (Sept.)