cover image Handle with Care (Veteran Movers #3)

Handle with Care (Veteran Movers #3)

Marie Harte. Sourcebooks Casablanca, $7.99 mass market (352p) ISBN 978-1-4926-7050-6

Harte adds a charming, energetic third installment to her Veteran Movers contemporary series (after Smooth Moves). Former Marine Evan Griffith is shifting from a career in accounting to one with his cousins’ veterans-only moving company. He’s also trying to helping his aging mother, who seems to have found a new lease on life. While Evan’s not looking for romance, he falls head over heels for Kenzie Sykes during a particularly memorable moving job. Kenzie, trying to forget the heartbreak of a past relationship, keeps busy with the graphic design studio she runs with her somewhat sketched-in two best friends and her troublemaking younger brother, Daniel. Evan is determined to prove himself to Kenzie, from helping with her taxes to befriending her brother, but only Kenzie can decide whether she’s willing to pursue their growing passion. The bonds between the characters give the simple plot some depth, but the ending wraps up far too quickly for satisfaction. Still, this straightforward and steamy story will please series fans. Agent: Nicole Resciniti, Seymour Agency. (Sept.)