The Love Fix

Bestseller Shalvis’s emotional eighth standalone Sunrise Cove contemporary (after Better Than Friends) expertly tugs at the heartstrings. After art appraiser Lexi Clark’s boss turned boyfriend dumps and fires her in one fell swoop, her stepsister, Ashley, compels her to return to the Lake Tahoe hamlet of Sunrise Cove to carry out their late mother’s last wishes: delivering handwritten apologies to the people affected by her gambling addiction. It’s a difficult task, as Lexi’s complicated feelings about her mother, Daisy, remain unresolved, and she resents carefree younger Ashley for having evaded the brunt of the childhood trauma Lexi endured. Also back in town is Heath Bowman, Lexi’s childhood friend, who is equally damaged by a rough upbringing. Their chemistry sparks as Heath helps the sisters deliver the letters, but both are determined not to form romantic ties. Through the nuanced sisterly dynamic at the novel’s heart, Shalvis incisively explores the fraught aftereffects of being raised by a parent with addiction. The romance is equally well executed, with Heath and Lexi’s efforts to deny their attraction doomed to fail from the start. This poignant tale is one to throw in the beach bag. (June)