Destiny (Serendipity)
In Phillips’ second contemporary romance with light suspense elements set in the upstate New York town of Serendipity and focused on the Barron brothers, paralegal Kelly Moss starts rebuilding her own life now that her young half-sister, Tess, is comfortably settled. Annie, Kelly’s current employer’s daughter, soon becomes Kelly’s good friend. But when Kelly learns that Nash Barron, to whom she is incredibly attracted, is Annie’s overprotective ex-husband, Kelly does her best to protect her heart while sharing responsibility for Tess during Faith and Ethan Barron’s honeymoon. Meanwhile, past scandals, shadowy threats, and Nash’s own difficulties combine to provide a rocky road for romance. Phillips offers a more in-depth look at the Barron family issues than Serendipity (2011) provided as Kelly and the brothers work together for Tess’ sake while coming to understand, if not totally accept, one another’s choices. --Lynne Welch