cover image Worth the Trouble

Worth the Trouble

Jamie Beck. Amazon/Montlake Romance, $12.95 trade paper (355p) ISBN 978-1-50395-450-2

In the second St. James contemporary (after Worth the Wait), set on present-day Block Island, R.I., Beck takes readers on a journey of self-reinvention and risky investments, in love and in life. Cat St. James got by on her looks for a long time. She’s older now, and she wants to secure her future and prove that she’s more than a pretty face. Hank Mitchell wants Cat from the moment he sees her. She’s his boss’s sister, but that doesn’t bother him, and when she’s happy to make out with him at his boss’s party, he figures that’s a hint that she doesn’t mind his simple lifestyle—but she blows him off to go back to her rich boyfriend. When Cat offers Hank a business proposition, he’s worried about the financial risks—he supports his sick mother and pays his sister’s college tuition—and also concerned that his intense attraction to Cat will get in the way. In the first book, Cat and Hank were intriguing secondary characters; now they shine, and returning readers will be thrilled by how Beck develops them. With strong family ties, loyalty, playful banter, and sexual tension, Beck has crafted a beautiful second-chances story with a nice setup for the sequel. Agent: Jill Marsal, Marsal Lyon Agency. (Feb.)