Serendipity

I was lucky enough to read and ARC from NetGalley (thanks Carly) of Serendipity. From the author’s website.~

New York Times bestselling author Carly Phillips presents the first in a delightful new series about a quaint upstate New York town where love, fate and fortune are intertwined …

Faith Harrington was the classic girl of privilege–until her father was convicted of running a Ponzi scheme and then her marriage crashed and burned.

Now Faith is back in her hometown, hoping for a fresh start. But her father’s betrayal has rocked Serendipity – and not everyone is ready to welcome her with open arms. Then she runs into her teenage crush — the dark, brooding Ethan Barron. Ethan, no stranger to scandal himself, never imagined he’d own the mansion on the hill, much less ever again come face to face with Faith–the princess he once kissed senseless. The chance meeting reignites the electric charge between them.

Still, when Ethan hires her to redecorate what was once her childhood home, Faith is sure that getting involved with the town’s notorious bad boy will only lead to trouble. But her heart has other ideas. And so do the townspeople of Serendipity …

Carly Phillips gives her readers another winner with Serendipity. I fell for Ethan from the start. He is a bit of a smart ass, but really has a heart of gold. He still carries guilt for mistakes he made as a teenager, especially how it affected his brothers Nash and Dare. When half-sister Tess is dropped at his house, Ethan has yet another person to feel guilty about.

Faith has never really had control of her life. She went from her parent's house pretty much to her husband's house, and has decided to finally step out of her shell and take control of her own life. Of course she meets Ethan again pretty much the first day she comes home to Serendipity. There is still something there between them that hasn’t gone away since high school.  When Ethan hires her to help decorate her childhood home, the sexual tension continues to build. Not even the arrival of Ethan’s half sister can put a complete damper on their attraction.

Carly also gives us some amazing supporting characters with this new series. Ethan’s brothers Nash and Dare are pretty much butt heads to Ethan when he first comes back. Both thaw a bit towards him as the book progresses, Dare more so than Nash. Really just makes me want to know more about each of these men.  Can’t wait to see what happens to Faith’s best friend Kate, her friends April and Lissa, and her ex-boyfriend Nick in future books.

The town of Serendipity kind of reminds me of Robyn Carr’s Virgin River. As I met each new character, I couldn’t wait to read his or her story. The actual release date for Serendipity is Tuesday, September 6, 2011. I suggest everyone run to their nearest bookstore or favorite on-line retailer and get your copy on Tuesday! The next book in the Serendipity series is Destiny and it is currently set for release in January  2012.