No Tan Lines

April 16, 2012
The Capulets and Montagues had nothing on the Cates and Saunders families, who own opposite sides of a Florida boardwalk town and live in cold disdain of their neighbors, in Angell’s lighthearted contemporary series launch. Shaye Cates is a natural beauty, happiest in shorts and flip-flops, who runs her family’s faltering businesses from the beach on the Barefoot William side of town. Handsome Trace Saunders is rarely seen without a suit as he manages a dignified and profitable real estate empire in a traditional office. A volleyball tournament that straddles both sides of the beach forces them to work together, and instant sizzle leads to inevitable romance, despite disapproval from both families. Other than a secondary romance between Shaye’s cousin and Trace’s ex, nothing much happens, but Angell does a great job of making the reader feel the sand beneath the characters’ toes. Agent: Roberta Brown, Brown Literary Agency.