Come Home with Me

November 20, 2017
In the cozy second Blue Moon Harbor contemporary (after Fly Away with Me), Fox primarily showcases the setting, a lovely but remote island off the coast of British Columbia where everyone knows your name. Miranda Gabriel (the younger half-sister of previous protagonist Aaron) is a single mother who’s always been unlucky in love. Now, forced to ask her brother for support, she has returned to Destiny Island to make a home with her child and wallow in her low self-esteem. Luke Chandler is the island vet, a handsome young widower with four-year-old twins and a long-ago crush on former goth girl Miranda. Luke encounters Miranda when she starts working at a toy store, and there’s an immediate zing of attraction, but Miranda is reluctant to date while trying to take control of her life and can’t believe someone as great as Luke could love her. As the romance builds, Miranda uncovers more details about the mysterious commune that was once a Destiny Island scandal, which will clearly be a throughline for the series. Readers will appreciate this pleasant second-chance story. Agent: Emily Sylvan Kim, Prospect.

December 1, 2017
Miranda Gabriel's view of Destiny Island as a rest stop back to her real life in Vancouver changes as she falls in love with the resident veterinarian despite her own misgivings and his family's resistance.When her big-city life explodes, Miranda returns with her 2-year-old daughter to tiny Destiny Island, which she escaped after high school. Working toward a college degree, she's too busy for a relationship but spends time with Luke Chandler, a veterinarian who lost his wife during the birth of their twins four years ago. Luke is not Miranda's type--she goes for bad boys, not good guys--though she's definitely attracted to the sexy vet. However, moving beyond friendship is complicated. Miranda, with her wild past, is intimidated by the picture-perfect Candace's shadow, especially when both Candace's and Luke's parents make her feel unworthy. Plus, her brother's fiancee, Eden, and her family are trying to bring Miranda into their loving circle, which, thanks to her emotionally wounded past, makes her feel unworthy and like an interloper. But as she settles into island life, Miranda realizes the place she once hated may bring her everything she's ever wanted, if she can overcome her own insecurities and allow herself a chance at happiness and love. Fox continues her touching Blue Moon Harbor series (Fly Away with Me, 2017) with another smart, affecting title, though the conflict is somewhat problematic, especially the fact that Miranda can stand up to people she respects but lets mean-spirited gossips get to her. An intriguing island mystery, a lively set of secondary characters, and a seemingly benign conversation regarding a potential real estate developer add texture and hint at possible upcoming conflicts.Like its main character, the book triumphs despite some cracks.

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