Hometown Girl by Mariah Stewart- Nice addition to the series!

Life was always just about perfect for Brooke Madison Burke. She was the prettiest, most popular girl in small-town St. Dennis, Maryland, a prom queen, local pageant star, and the pride and joy of her loving parents. She even married the man of her dreams. But the promise of happily ever after fell to pieces when her husband was killed while serving in Iraq. Brokenhearted and longing for the solace of better days, she returns to the idyllic world of St. Dennis, and the familiar comfort of the family farm. Surrounded by her loving family and friends, she’s determined to build a new life, complete with her own cupcake bakery. She’s equally determined never to fall in love again.
For Jesse Enright, life has been a challenge. A fourth-generation attorney, he’s spent his life fighting to escape the shadow of his irresponsible father. Now he’s moved to St. Dennis to run the family law practice, and he’s ready to find the right girl, get married, and settle down. But his carefully laid plans go out the window when he meets Brooke and finds himself caught between the unbreakable law of attraction and Brooke’s resolve to go her way alone—despite the undeniable feelings Jesse stirs in her. But just like catching lightning in a bottle, is it possible to fall head-over-heels, heart-and-soul in love all over again? ( Synopsis from Barnes & Noble.com)

For readers who have read the earlier books in the Chesapeake Diaries Series, this book will be like coming home and visiting old friends. If you haven't read the books, this book can stand on it's own. 

Brooke has a full plate, widowed at a young age, single mom, and starting her own business. She has been widowed for four years but still keeps herself aloof from relationships. She is the queen of first dates with no follow ups. The book is realistic in portraying her ambivalence about her husbands death and the emotional toll it has taken on her and her son. Brooke has progressed throughout the series from a "mean girl" to a genuinely nice person in part because of the difficulties sh has faced.

Jesse has his own demons to slay as well. His father is heading for wife number 4 and has no relationship with his son. Jesse comes to St. Dennis to work at the family law firm and is treated like a pariah by his grandfather.  He is attracted to Brooke but unsure about his ability to maintain a long term realtionship.

Characters from earlier books make appearances in this book but the focus is mostly on Brooke & Jesse and how they interact with those characters.  They both learn a little bit about themselves from the people around them and from each other. Family members play a role in helping the relationship get off the ground and the fact that they have some business in common helps.

I enjoyed this book and the glimpses of the characters I had read about before. Like all good books in a series, lots of doors were opened for future relationships that I look forward to reading about.

RPL Notes: This book is available in the Adult New Paperback Section.  The earlier books in the series ( Coming Home and Almost Home) are in the Adult Fiction section and also in Large Print fiction.