IN YOUR DREAMS

When Emmaline Neal needs a date for her ex-fiance’s wedding, Jack Holland volunteers, eager to escape to Malibu from freezing Manningsport, New York, and the community that’s branded him a hero.

After rescuing four local teens from a car accident, Jack feels stifled by his sudden celebrity, especially since he feels unworthy. Hearing that friendly local cop Emmaline needs a date for a wedding in sunny California, Jack jumps in. Emmaline is the most down-to-earth person he knows, and helping her save face with an ex seems like a fair trade-off for some warm weather and a respite from his town’s suffocating admiration. For Emmaline, Jack is the last man in the world she wants to take since she has a huge crush on him but knows he's way out of her league. “Jack Holland was ridiculously gorgeous....Tall and blond with eyes that were so clear and perfect and pure that they made a person think of all sorts of ridiculous synonyms for blue.” However, with no one else on the horizon, she agrees, then falls for him even more when he poses as her lover and defends her to the awful ex and his bridezilla, not to mention the oblivious psychologist parents who are convinced she's gay. Sleeping together only complicates things, and back home, they fumble their relationship. Jack’s exquisite ex-wife is determined to get back together with him, while he’s suffering from a case of PTSD he refuses to acknowledge. While Emmaline knows Jack is attracted to her, he never shows any signs of fighting for her when it matters. Wounded and unsure, Jack and Emmaline examine their hearts and decide to fight for their unexpected yet perfect-for-each-other happy ending. Higgins returns to her popular Blue Heron series, creating two appealing, authentic characters who take a staggering emotional journey cushioned by humor and love.

Higgins exhibits her storytelling artistry with another stunning romance that includes her trademark touches of laugh-out-loud humor and tear-jerking pathos.