The Summer He Came Home

Starred review from February 4, 2013
In this captivating and hopeful yarn, single mom and housecleaner Maggie O’Rourke meets her match in willful, dazzling rocker Cain Black. After fleeing from a destructive past, Maggie has started anew in Crystal Lake, Mich., and will do whatever it takes to make a good life for her son, Michael. When Cain comes home to Crystal Lake after 10 years away and meets Maggie, he feels an immediate connection to the beautiful but aloof woman. Although Maggie attempts to keep her distance from the town’s most sought-after bachelor, she relents in light of Michael’s affinity for Cain and her own undeniable attraction to him. Soon they begin a passionate affair and are surprised by the intensity of their feelings. When their jealous exes separately seek revenge, Cain and Maggie must admit their love so they can stand together. Readers will eagerly turn the pages of this well-wrought and satisfying romance. Agent: Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary Agency.

March 1, 2013
Famous rock musician Cain Black returns to his Michigan hometown to attend the funeral of a childhood friend. Reconnecting with his remaining friends and his mother reminds him of what originally inspired him to follow his dream. Cain had abruptly left a tour after a publicized fight with his long-time songwriter and friend Blake, who he caught with his now ex-wife. Can he go forward in his career without Blake? Cain is drawn to Maggie, a single mother, but when a tabloid publishes a photo of them together, she becomes terrified because she is hiding from a violent man. Cain and Maggie are forced to deal with their pasts if they are to find a future together. The start to Stone's new series is realistic and edgy, with a large-world perspective as well as warm characters and an appealing small-town feeling. And bad-boy Cain will appeal to new and veteran romance readers, including those who enjoy novels by Cathie Linz and Susan Elizabeth Phillips.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)