LUCAS HEYES is a man with a plan. Move back to Rivers End. Fix his broken relationship with his ex-brother-in-law Isaac Macallister, and be a good uncle to his niece Sara. Oh, and open Higher Ground – the coffee shop he’s been dreaming about for years. There’s only one hitch. Shannon MacAllister – Isaac’s younger sister – is back in town too, and living across the hall from him. Apparently he wasn’t gone long enough for his feelings for her to fade. After what happened five years ago, he’s sworn he’ll never keep secrets from the MacAllisters again. But is he willing to break that oath for Shannon?

SHANNON MACALLISTER has one wish, to get kissed at New Year’s by a man as unlike her fiancee – make that EX-fiancee – as possible before she settles into substitute teaching in her hometown and figures out what she wants to do with herself. She gets her wish. But along with it comes a whole whack of complicated. Her body wants Lucas, but her mind can’t help pointing out that while he’s sexy as hell, he lied to her before, and she’s not about to go back to that place. Bad enough that apparently they’re neighbours, but they share a family too. They’d all been through hell once before because of the Heyes family. Will Shannon trust enough to open up her heart and risk trying again?

HEAT LEVEL: Lots of sweetness, but there is a bit of on the page heat.

LANGUAGE: There are some strong words used here.

MAGIC: A magical romance, sure. But no spells in this one.