Serendipity: Wonderful New Romance by Carly Phillips

Title: Serendipity
Author: Carly Phillips
Pages: 304
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Serendipity is the first in a trilogy of contemporary romances featuring the estranged Barron brothers, and is a wonderful start to a promising new series by best-selling author Carly Phillips. Featuring a fabulously appealing hero and extremely likeable heroine, the series also has a cast of charming supporting characters who live in the small upstate New York town of Serendipity.

Faith Harrington bravely returns to her home town of Serendipity to make a new start after her father is arrested and convicted of perpetrating a Ponzi-like fraud, cheating numerous Serendipity residents of their life savings. Faith’s also been bruised by her discovery that her husband, who she married at her father’s insistence, was cheating on her… What’s more, he proudly admitted that he married her only as a way to advance his own career.

Some of the townspeople blame Faith for her father’s actions, and snub her, while others are cautiously welcoming. While I can understand why some would be upset with Faith, I do think that their blame is misplaced. Nonetheless, Faith’s dignified and humble response, willingness to take responsibility, and steadfast refusal to let their hostility cow her, make her a very appealing character. This is especially in contrast to her mother’s continued insistence on living in the past, when she was the most influential and wealthy woman in Serendipity.

Like Faith, Ethan Barron has also returned to Serendipity. But unlike Faith, the reformed bad boy returns home as a wealthy entrepreneur with a successful business. Reformed rebels make the best heroes, and Ethan certainly is right up there with some of my favorites. After his parents were killed in a motor accident on the way to bail him out of a scrape, Ethan was unable to bear the guilt. He ran away and joined the Army, leaving his two younger brothers in Serendipity to be fostered out to different families. His time in the military straightened him out, and now he’s back to try and make things right with his brothers.

Ethan and Faith had some heated moments together back in high school, but haven’t seen each other since then. When Ethan returns to Serendipity, he thinks that buying the old Barrington home will set him on the road to respectability, and hires interior designer Faith to remodel the house. Although it hurts Faith to have to redesign her childhood home, her determination to make her interior design business succeed prompts her to agree. Faith becomes embroiled in Ethan’s attempts at reconciliation with his brothers, who are understandably antagonistic, since they blame Ethan for causing their parents death, and for abandoning them. However, when Ethan has a teenage half-sister thrust upon him, the three brothers reluctantly set aside their differences to make sure that Tess has the structure and support she needs.

I loved reading this book, and especially enjoyed seeing Ethan and Faith’s interactions with the rebellious and vulnerable Tess, who really only wants a bit of attention and affection. I found my heart going out to Ethan and his brothers, as they struggled to find common ground, and my heart broke a little when I saw how Ethan so willingly accepted how Nash (a lawyer with an acid tongue) and Dare (a cop with a soft heart) rudely rebuffed his advances. I especially loved how Faith stood up for Ethan with his brothers.

This was a wonderfully romantic and sexy story that had you rooting for Ethan and Faith to have their happy ever after. I was also intrigued and entertained by the cast of extended family characters. I can hardly wait to see what happens with the slow-to-forgive Nash in the next book, Destiny!