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Rating: 5 out of 5.

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Publication Date: December 15, 2021

Publisher: Atmosphere Press

List Price: $17.99 Trade Paperback

ISBN-13: 978-1-63988-096-6

Genre: Fiction

Page Count: 312

Author interview

Steeped in Southern charm, Roscoe’s debut is an unforgettable tale of love, loss, family, and friendship. Cora Graham is still trying to come to terms with her unexpected break-up with her boyfriend of one year when she gets the news of her estranged father’s early-onset Alzheimer diagnosis. Despite her reluctance, Cora returns to her hometown and finds herself entrapped in an impossible situation. When Jensen Mabry, the man who rejected Cora the last time she visited the town, offers to help her, she has her doubts. But life has something else planned for her. While the romance stays at front and center, the realistic and interesting personal dilemmas of the protagonists keep the reader invested. Cora struggles with her troubled relationship with her father and hasn’t gotten over her shame and guilt over Jensen’s earlier rejection. Jensen is trying to mend his old mistake. The romance between the two is thoroughly developed and charming. They have delicious underlying chemistry, but it is Jensen’s emotional care of Cora’s tortured soul and the latter’s staunch trust in the former that make them a winning pair. Roscoe skillfully explores themes of loss, trauma, pain, guilt, regret and tackles complicated family dynamics and friendship with understanding and warmth. The dialogue, particularly Cora’s monologue, is often funny and sharp. Lighthearted, sexy, and full of heart, the novel makes for a fun, poignant beach read.

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