I never meant to derail a man like Cole Ford. One lost passport and a spiraling travel disaster later, I’m stranded in Cinque Terre—overwhelmed and completely out of my depth. Then Cole shows up: calm, controlled, infuriatingly handsome. He’s order wrapped in a perfectly pressed shirt, and somehow the only person who makes me feel steady in the middle of my own chaos. I start wanting what I shouldn’t—him. And wanting Cole feels dangerous in a way I can’t even explain.
Cole
I don’t do chaos. And Juliette Porter is chaos with a heartbeat. I live by structure, logic, and The Bachelor Pact—especially the final rule: never fall in love. Flying to Italy to retrieve Juliette was supposed to be simple. But she slips past every defense I’ve built, makes me crave the unpredictable, and tempts me to break the vow I swore I’d never touch.
By the time we return to the familiarity of Cedar Falls, one truth is unavoidable: to keep her, I’ll have to shatter my last unbroken rule—and finally risk my heart.
Retired hockey player Caleb Colburn needs this construction project to prove himself in the family business, but he also needs to recover from the injury that ended his pro career. Too bad Emma Sumner, architect liaison and Caleb’s college nemesis, is back in town and assigned to the project. They’re going to have to see each other almost every day. Which means once again she’ll make his life a living hell.
As for Emma, her job is on the line with this big project, made all the more challenging by the project manager. Caleb was the one who had snagged the scholarship she’d desperately needed to stay in college. She’s been living hand to mouth ever since and has no intention of ever forgiving the man.
But the beautiful historic building they’re renovating is exactly the kind of project that they both love best. Their surprising common ground and a burning mutual attraction start bringing them closer and closer to a potentially explosive mistake. And that’s even before the secrets come out…
This book is about second chances, old wounds, and two people being forced to confront a past that never quite let them go. Thisis the second book in Jill Shalvis’s Colburn Brothers series, and while it can be read as a standalone, the pull of this family makes it hard not to want to start at the beginning.
Caleb Colburn is a retired hockey player determined to prove he belongs in the family construction business, while Emma Sumner is the architect liaison he’s required to work with—despite a college history that left deep scars on both sides. From the moment they’re thrown back together, the tension is immediate, charged with sharp banter, unresolved hurt, and undeniable chemistry.
Jill Shalvis excels at writing characters who feel real and imperfect, carrying emotional baggage that doesn’t magically disappear. Emma, in particular, is heartbreakingly relatable, and I spent much of the book wanting to wrap her up in a hug and urge her to let her guard down. Their enemies-to-lovers journey is built on genuine pain and misunderstanding, making the emotional payoff especially satisfying.
Witty, warm, and laugh-out-loud funny, it delivers heart, heat, and a deeply comforting romance that leaves you eager for more Colburn brothers.
My Sanctuary 