Published by Sourcebooks Casablanca on July 14, 2026
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Rating:
Goodreads
Some love stories don’t stay buried, no matter how far you run.
Hazel Pierce has three goals for coming back to Star Falls:
1. Help her estranged dad.
2. Keep things strictly temporary.
3. Absolutely, under no circumstances, fall for Tucker Colburn again.
That plan dies a dramatic, soggy death when a rogue wasp sting sends Hazel swerving off the road and into the river—only to be hauled out, half-drowned and furious, by the Star Falls Fire Department’s finest. Unfortunately, “finest” is ex–best friend, ex–one-night mistake, and the man she’s been avoiding for a decade.
Tucker’s always had a way of getting into her head. And now between a family that thrives on gossip and a town that’s way too small for all this chemistry, Hazel’s running out of ways to avoid the truth. As sparks turn into late-night confessions and slow, toe-curling kisses, Hazel has to decide if she’s done running—from her past, from this town, and from the only man who’s ever made her feel like home. And Tucker has to prove that this time, he’s not just her safe place to crash—he’s her always.
It had been 12 long years since Hazel left Star Falls in her rearview mirror, but it seems her heart still beats for Tucker Colburn and his beats for her. Hazel was determined to take this opportunity to right some wrongs and to show the town of Star Falls how much she had grown, and maybe she would even take a second chance on love this time around.
"You have a serious problem." He smiled. "I know. And her name is Hazel."
This one started off with a bang and pretty much kept me rapt from beginning to end. I never tire of second chance romances and am especially fond when the history runs deep. Hazel and Tucker had been neighbors who grew up together. When things were rough at home, Tucker would sneak into Hazel's room. She was he safe space. During their teens, their friendship blossomed into a romantic relationship, but when Tucker did not join Hazel on her exodus, she believed the relationship was one-sided.
"You remember how I like my coffee." His eyes held mine. "I remember how you like everything."
As much as Hazel's push-and-pull drove me up the wall, I still could not help rooting for her. She became a bit of a wild child after her mother's death, but she wanted a chance to show the people of Star Falls that in her 12 year absence, she had grown and changed. She was on a mission to atone for her past transgressions, and I loved seeing her put that plan in action.
She looked like home. My past, my mistakes, and the one thing I'd never stopped wanting - all wrapped up in one.
But most of all, I wanted her to give Tucker a chance. The man was trying so hard to crack through her tough girl exterior and win her heart. It was clear they were perfect for each other and would be amazing together if Hazel were able to overcome her fears and really leave the past behind.
We'd made new memories here, painted them over the old ones.
There was a suspense element which I didn't really care about, but the high stakes situation near the end of the story had me in tears. I was in tears, people! I definitely didn't expect to be in such an emotional state given that the book up to that point had been typical Shalvis - light and breezy. It was quite a climax and the feels were kept at that level until the end.
"From the day I met you, my goal was to be your forever."
As always, it was a delight to be back in this world because I adore the Colburn clan and their antics. I loved the way the whole family was integrated into the story, and Her Fluffiness (the cat) stole my heart. I hope Jill Shalvis is listening because she planted the seed for Kiera, and I am expecting a book where she gets her HEA.
"Love isn't the prize at the end. It's the whole damn story, and we were just getting started."
Overall: Another delightful trip back to Star Falls! This small town second chance romance hit all the right notes for me, and I was glad to be there as Hazel and Tucker unpacked their emotional baggage and found their way back to each other.
Published by MIRA on July 7, 2026
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Rating:
Goodreads
One week. No drama. And absolutely no dating each other.
After graduating college, five friends make a pact. Every summer, they’ll meet for one week at the same beach house on the California coast to relive the golden days of college. There’s just one no dating within the group.
Simple enough, except Everett and Sutton already broke the rule before summer even began… and couldn’t seem to stop. What started as a one-time fling turned into an annual habit neither of them could quit, until the night everything fell apart.
Five years later, Sutton has no interest in seeing Everett ever again. Until one of their friends, newly divorced and looking for an escape, calls everyone back to the beach house. She expects awkward silences and forced smiles, but nothing could prepare her for Everett--still infuriating, still magnetic, and still capable of unraveling her with a single glance.
As the week stretches on and every re-lived tradition, shared meal and outing bring a flood of sun-soaked memories that feed the spark between her and Everett, Sutton begins to wonder if the promise that broke them apart was worth keeping in the first place… and if breaking it again will ruin the delicate balance their friend group has finally started to reclaim.
They were summer people. Every year, following their annual group vacation, Sutton and Everett stole two days for themselves. With every summer, their feelings grew until they were ready to take that next step, but revealing that they broke the "pact" also broke their group. Five years had passed since that dismal event, and they are gathered once again, but will Sutton be willing to risk her friendship in the name of love.
This book was so many things. First and foremost, it was a romance. The way Sutton and Everett met, the spark they shared, and the way their worlds collided had such a meant-to-be feel for me. But Sutton had experienced quite a bit of trauma due to her family and was reluctant to embark on a romantic relationship. Via yearly flashbacks, I got to watch this relationship grow as Sutton and Everett grew in importance for one another and they were excited to be more than summer people.
This relationship had A LOT of ups and downs, and they were kind of frustrating because the issues were all due to an outside influence. Yes, this book was a romance, but it was also about friendship. Sutton was thrilled to have met her "people" during her first year of college. This tight knit group were very important to Sutton given the way her parents abandoned her. So, she held tight to them, and when the group went from five to four due to a breakup, they made a pact not to date each other ever again. The only problem was that the newest member of their group was Sutton's most recent one night stand.
This whole situation was something that tore me in half. I understood that Sutton loved her found-family with all her heart and couldn't bear to be a grenade that blows them apart. In reality, life, time, and geographical separation were already challenging the group dynamic. This is such a common issue for adults as they age. They marry, have children, have careers - whatever it is, they cannot always maintain the friendships from their youth like they had in the past. I understood why this was so important to Sutton, but I also thought she was missing an opportunity at something real with Everett.
Everett seemed more invested in that next step than Sutton. He was newer to the group and had his own family issues, but he was willing to give her his heart and make of go of what they had. It was clear they had chemistry and an amazing connection. I know I wanted them together. There was this one point near the end that was devastating to me, but the ending was everything! I loved what Blakely did for all involved, and heck, it made me happy.
*ARCS PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER
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