There’s nothing quite like a trip to the ocean or lakeshore on a warm summer day. If you’re looking to beat the heat and find your next beach read, New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis’ new release The Friendship Pact (Avon Books) is the perfect book to dive into. Set in the quaint town of Sunrise Cove, CA, tucked between Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Mountains, this romantic tale of second chances and inner strength is sure to sweep readers off their feet.
For all of Tae Holmes’ life, it’s just been her and her mom against the world. But when a guest at one of Tae’s fundraisers mentions something about knowing her father, Tae is stunned; all her life, she’d been told he was dead. Despite their usually close relationship, Tae’s mom refuses to give up any more information about the man. But Tae is determined to get to the bottom of this mystery and is looking for all the help she can get — even if that help comes from the unlikeliest of places.
Reuniting with Riggs Copeland was never something Tae expected to happen. After their high school romance ended in heartbreak, the two of them went in opposite directions — Riggs enlisted in the Marines and Tae stayed behind in quiet Sunrise Cove. But when Riggs returns back home and offers to help track down Tae’s dad, she can’t pass up the opportunity. On one condition, though: it’s for their own best interests that things stay platonic. Of course, with unspoken feelings simmering just below the surface, that’s a lot easier said than done.
A ROMANCE WELL WORTH ROOTING FOR
When it comes to Jill Shalvis’ writing, no one says it better than the author herself: she’s a pro at writing “warm, funny, sexy romances and warm, funny, sexy women’s fiction.” The Friendship Pact does not disappoint in any of those regards, packing sizzling tension and heartwarming tenderness in a cool 378 pages. The author seamlessly weaves the different story threads together, balancing Tae’s hunt for her father and her dynamic with Riggs. It’d be difficult not to root for the main characters of The Friendship Pact; sincere, flawed and all-too-realistic, the characters feel like they could jump off the page. In an interview with Fresh Fiction, Shalvis describes how her characters’ personalities inform how she approaches their romance:
“[Tae is] scrappy and determined, always has been … she takes some of that attitude into her personal relationships, which means she tends to scare people away. Luckily, Riggs doesn’t scare easily. So basically, her journey is to love and trust herself so that she can love and trust those who want to love her.”
With such a keen eye for characterization, it’s no wonder that Shalvis is able to craft such a compelling story. As Tae and Riggs’ romance heats up and family gets all the more complicated, readers will be kept on the edges of their seats to see how the story develops. Poignant and achingly romantic, The Friendship Pact is a dazzling new release you won’t want to miss out on.
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