Coming Home [Mass Market Paperback]

You can go home again. Roxanne Ballinger left Oak Valley as a bright-eyed teenager eager to make her mark on the world. Make her mark she did, becoming one of the world's most recognizable models and a darling of the gossip columns. Now older and wiser (becoming tabloid fodder does that to a woman), Roxanne has come home to the valley to start a new life. After buying some property, she's eagerly working on renovating her new home. Life is almost perfect except for continuously running into her lifelong nemesis, Jeb Delaney.

The Princess is back and Oak Valley detective Jeb Delaney isn't sure how he feels about it. Ever since the night he busted a seventeen-year old Roxy Ballinger for marijuana possession, the two of them have been sniping and snarling at each other every time she comes home for a visit. Now older and wiser (surviving two divorces does that to a man), Jeb is determined to stay away from Oak Valley's newest property owner. He figures she'll soon grow bored slumming and return to her jet set lifestyle.

Just when these two think they've finally got a handle on each other, an unexpected moment alone explodes into a passionate tryst in Roxanne's kitchen, and both realize that all bets are off. Is it a temporary aberration or the result of years of denying a growing attraction? Roxanne and Jeb are about to find out.

The second book in her Oak Valley series, Shirlee Busbee's COMING HOME is one of those easygoing, laid-back romances with just the right amount of sizzle to keep you hooked. While there is a bit of a mystery evident throughout the story, at its heart this tale is about two wary individuals who, having been burned by love before, embark on a relationship that has sprung up on them by surprise. Roxanne and Jeb are refreshingly mature and realistic. Ms. Busbee has wisely stayed away from emphasizing Roxanne's celebrity past, instead focusing on her readjustment to life in a small community and her cautiously evolving affair with Jeb. A well-detailed narrative brings Oak Valley and its inhabitants to life and adds to a sense of homecoming that will draw the reader in. Perhaps best known for her sweeping historical sagas, COMING HOME is a fine example of Ms. Busbee's versatility and is sure to introduce new fans to her body of work.

TheSchemer

The first Shirley Busbee book I read was "Return to Oak Valley" and after meeting and getting to know Shelly Granger, Sloan Ballinger and their families I was thrilled to find "Coming Home". It continues the story of the Ballinger and Granger families with the return of Sloan Granger's sister, Roxanne, a supermodel, who comes home for Shelly & Sloan's wedding and decides to stay. I can't wait for another book in this line. I found it realistic, especially since I live in the area these two stories are based upon, and the characters are very much like many of the ranching families I know.

I have read Shirlee Busbee's books for a while,and I found this one refreshing,as with Return to Oak Valley.
The characters very real,and easy to relate to. The story line fast paced, and kept my interest. I could hardly put the book down!