The First Time at Firelight Falls

February 19, 2018
In the sexy fourth California-set Hellcat Canyon contemporary (after Dirty Dancing at Devil’s Leap), Long introduces her hottest hero so far: clever, handsome Gabe Caldera, principal of Hellcat Canyon Elementary and former Navy SEAL. Florist Eden Harwood keeps everything close to her chest, including the identity of her 10-year-old daughter’s father, but her attraction to Gabe, and his to her, grow impossible to hide. She initiates a series of secretive sexual encounters with him, but the intensity of their passion unfortunately disguises the confusing magnitude of their true feelings. Their shaky balance is compromised when someone from Eden’s youth arrives unexpectedly in Hellcat Canyon, and she must deal with her own past actions, plus swiftly multiplying consequences, by building an honest and solid relationship with Gabe. Vivacious banter and rich rapport among the secondary characters invigorate this enchanting, fun, and realistic series. Agent: Steve Axelrod, Axelrod Agency.

Starred review from April 1, 2018
An elementary school principal with a Navy SEAL body woos a down-to-earth florist who realizes romance is worth fighting for.Eden Harwood is too busy being a single mom to her 10-year-old and managing her thriving business to go on a date. Veteran Gabe Caldera really wants to change her mind. But when do two adults with too many obligations find the time to explore the possibility that they might be perfect for each other? It may have to be in the parking lot of the school where Gabe is the principal, or his office, or on a soccer field, or in a car in a secluded spot off the road. Long (Dirty Dancing at Devil's Leap, 2017, etc.) sets up a playful courtship between her protagonists, with every rushed conversation ending on a cliffhanger that they pick up the next time they cross paths. She's also skilled at ratcheting up the sexual tension alongside the emotional connections that the two build through their repartee, which may make the reader nostalgic for a time before everyone filled out online dating profiles. The charm of the novel also comes from the fact that its setting has been fleshed out over several books, and the cast of characters in the town has expanded and deepened, echoing the author's Pennyroyal Green historical romance series. The novel varies its tone well in the first half, mixing comic dialogue with hints of Gabe's and Eden's secret depths. Though it succumbs a little to melodrama in the second half, when Eden's past comes back to town, the overall impression is of lightness and hope. This blend of sweetness and conflict evokes Nora Roberts' early Americana.The fourth novel in the Hellcat Canyon series highlights Long's deftness at staging small-town romance.

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Starred review from May 15, 2018
There were days when Gabe Caldera actually believed being a Navy SEAL was easier than being an elementary-school principal. On the other hand, not once in Gabe's career in the U.S. Navy did he ever encounter a woman quite like Eden Harwood. For 10 years, Eden has divided her time solely between taking care of her daughter, Annelise, and growing her florist business, all without once revealing, much to the chagrin of every gossip in town, who Annelise's father is. Eden has been perfectly content living her life in a sex-free zone until just one meeting with Gabe has her rethinking her self-imposed ban on romance. But before things get really hot between them, Eden's past, in the form of Annelise's father, comes knocking at her door. Romance readers who crave levity-laced love stories can't afford to miss RITA Award-winning Long's latest deliciously fun contemporary romance, the fourth in her Hellcat Canyon series. Between the novel's brilliantly etched characters, the cleverly conceived small-town setting, the bone-melting sensuality, and the wit-infused writing, romance readers will find themselves happily succumbing to Long's numerous literary charms.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

Starred review from June 15, 2018

With a ten-year-old daughter and a thriving flower shop, single mom Eden Harwood doesn't need a man in her life--and for years she's managed to keep the local bachelors at bay. But elementary school principal and ex-Navy SEAL Gabe Caldera is not so easily dissuaded, and Eden, as determined as she is to avoid a relationship, can't deny the pull between them. Propriety wars with passion as they come to terms with their feelings, only to have their budding relationship threatened when Eden's past--and her daughter's father--come to town. Appealing protagonists are complemented by an exceptional cast of old and new characters (an overly critical helicopter mom and a precocious ten-year-old are especially pleasing), bringing the quirky town to life. VERDICT Sweet, sexy, flirty, and upbeat, Long's latest Hellcat romp is undiluted fun and as refreshing as a California breeze. A great summertime read. Long (Dirty Dancing at Devil's Leap) lives in Northern California.

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