All fired up

The Crews family welcomes a surprising new member in the fulfilling but formulaic final installment of Foster's Road to Love trilogy (after Slow Ride). Mitch Crews served five years in prison as the result of his stepfather's drug dealing. Now free, Mitch travels to Red Oak, Ohio, to seek out his half-brothers, Jack and Brodie, the heroes of the previous two books, and their mother, Ros, to see if he can build a life with them, though none of them know of Mitch's existence. When Mitch meets Charlotte Parrish, Jack and Brodie's colleague, he is instantly smitten. Charlotte introduces him to his half-brothers, who quickly come to embrace him, but Mitch struggles to believe he could be worthy of the love of his newfound family, let alone a woman as beautiful and innocent as Charlotte. When Mitch's ruthless stepfather comes to town with a grudge, Mitch must fight to keep his loved ones safe and avoid slipping back into his criminal clutches. Though the plot is predictable and its happy ending veers toward saccharine, Foster's fans will be glad to revisit favorite characters. This earnest romance nicely rounds out the series. Agent: Steven J. Axelrod, Axelrod Agency. (Nov.)