JUST IN TIME – Addison Fox
An Alaskan Nights Novel , Book 3
Signet Eclipse
ISBN: 978-0-451-23973-0
August 2013
Contemporary Romance

Indigo, Alaska – Present Day

Hometown sports hero Roman Forsyth turned NHL star is back in town for the wedding of his best friend, aware that he'll run into his high school sweetheart, Avery Marks. Now sidelined with an injury that threatens his future, Roman is trying to keep his game face on and not let anyone know that he's not sure if he can play hockey again. Of course, meeting Avery again brings up his long buried regret that he hurt her all those years ago by leaving town and never looking back. But with the townsfolk's on the edge of their seats wondering if the long ago romance will be rekindled, Roman tries to convince himself that he can ignore the attraction he still feels for Avery.

Avery has tried to push the past hurt behind her after Roman left her all those years ago. She was left to deal with a sick, alcoholic mother and cared for her until she died. Since then she has seemingly moved on, even gained a would-be boyfriend after a visit to Ireland, yet here is Roman, the man she just can't seem to get out of her system. Of course, it doesn't help that she has her best girl friends, Sloan and Grier, along with most of the busybody town, pushing her to take up again with Roman. If she does, she knows he has a career based in New York City and has no intention of settling down in Indigo. Can she get past the pain of losing Roman…again?

It's summer in Alaska and time to celebrate a wedding in the Land of the Midnight Sun. In JUST IN TIME, Avery has watched her friends Sloan (BABY IT'S COLD OUTSIDE) and Grier (COME FLY WITH ME) fall in love and start preparing for their respective futures in Indigo. Avery spent a few months in Ireland on a travel exchange program and enjoyed it—and met a man who would do anything to win her love. But she still holds her heart aloof, afraid to allow herself to find love after being abandoned by Roman. Coming face to face with Roman leaves her on edge, especially when the sparks between them flare again. Wherever she turns, there he is, a man who is also tense around her. His stay in Indigo is temporary, and Avery works for his mother, so getting involved will only bring heartache. Too bad her libido didn't get the message…

Roman's life has revolved around his hockey career, but now it's in jeopardy due to vision problems, which can prove dangerous while playing. With downtime due to his injury, he decides to stick around Indigo for a while, and soon is roped into assisting the local kids' hockey team who are coach-less and skating on a rink badly in need of repair. He enlists help from the town—including Avery, which has them being thrown together. This closeness leads to hard to resist encounters. Roman doesn't plan to stay much longer in Indigo, so a fling is all he could offer Avery, yet their past proves a huge barrier to even consider that. Can Roman make things right for Avery without breaking her heart…again?

Readers who have read the prior books in the Alaskan Nights series will once again meet many of the same characters. In addition to Sloan and Grier, their respective fiancés, Walker and Mick, are Roman's best friends, and readers get glimpses of the men's grandmothers and Roman's mother, Susan, as well as many other quirky characters too numerous to list here. But each and every one of them helps provide a “Northern Nights” flavor to JUST IN TIME. While each book can be read separately, it might be best to read the other books to get into the essence of JUST IN TIME.

The lively banter and “on the edge of their seats” sexual chemistry that zings between Avery and Roman really clicks in JUST IN TIME. For a fun, lively contemporary romance that is entertaining and will have readers not wanting this story to end, grab JUST IN TIME today.

Patti Fischer