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…
About The Author
My Review
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 Rating
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