Chin debuts and launches her Blue Cedar Falls series with a delightful, opposites-attract, interracial romance. Surly military veteran Clay Hawthorne arrives in his late friend Bug's wealthy North Carolina hometown determined to realize Bug's dream of opening a bar "for people who'd never had a seat at the table." He finds a spot in Blue Cedar Falls's quaint tourist district across the street from the Sweetbriar Inn. June Wu, the most responsible of three Wu daughters, helps run the inn with her stepfather, takes care of her mother as she recuperates from a lengthy hospital stay, and struggles to manage the mounting medical debt without alerting her family to their financial peril. With a new highway already disrupting tourism and threatening the economy, June strives to convince Clay to work with, not against, the other local businesses. Their relationship convincingly morphs from animosity to romance as mutual attraction leads to sweet, sexy lovemaking--but questions about whether lasting intimacy is possible given their vastly different life experiences create genuine tension. Chin rounds out the romance with a diverse, well-shaded supporting cast, a tender subplot about June's lesbian friend coming out to her parents, and plenty of groundwork for future romances featuring the other Wu sisters. It's a standout achievement. This edition also includes the novella "Kiss Me at Sweetwater Springs" by Annie Rains. Agent: Emily Sylvan Kim, Prospect Agency. (Oct.)

In Blue Cedar Falls, North Carolina, a small town where everyone knows everyone, Clay Hawthorne sticks out like a sore thumb. The gruff ex-soldier couldn't be bothered with making friends through gossip. All Clay wants to do is build a bar in his new town and offer good beer and music. He starts construction on his property, much to his neighbor's dismay. June Wu runs her family's inn while struggling to manage her mom's medical debt. When the noisiness of construction affects her customers, she instigates a meeting with Clay that goes wrong from the moment he answers her knock on his door. In her romance debut, Chin weaves together the lives of two complete opposites who unexpectedly find that they can lean only on each other. The reader explores Clay's grief and loss and weighs the all too relatable burden of June's responsibilities. But their struggles don't define this story; instead, June and Clay's slow-burning chemistry carries the novel, which launches Chin's Blue Cedar Falls series.

A prickly veteran and a sweet bed-and-breakfast owner butt heads in this small-town contemporary romance debut. Sweetbriar Inn has been in June Wu's family for generations, but with tourism dwindling in Blue Cedar Falls, North Carolina, she's desperate to keep her guests happy. Her mother's medical bills are piling up and money is tight. When a string of noise complaints come in, she discovers that Main Street has a new addition. Clay Hawthorne is keeping his late friend Bug's dream alive. While in the Army, they would always talk about how Bug wanted to open a bar in his hometown. With Bug now gone, Clay is determined to carry out their plans, though he already carries with him a rather large chip on his shoulder about the townspeople. He dismisses June and the other residents as busybodies, and soon he's caught up in red tape involving liquor licenses and the local business association. Some see Clay as an outsider in their close-knit town, though there are a few--including June--who think Blue Cedar Falls could use a bit of shaking up. As in most small-town romances, there's a full cast of characters, from nosy neighbors to perky bakers, making the setting feel alive and truly lived in. The romance itself is the weakest part of the book, as Clay quickly turns from grumpy to downright rude. He outright refuses June's request to compromise on his construction hours even after she graciously lends him a ladder and brings him pie. His default reaction is to push people away by being unkind, and while his baggage may be understandable, the way he frequently jumps to conclusions about his fellow townspeople makes his redemption an uphill battle. He certainly doesn't seem fully apologetic by the end, marring what could have been a charming and emotionally complex romance. June, though, is an utter delight, and Clay never reaches the point of deserving her. A middling debut with a heroine who deserves better. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.