Unspoken

Rimmer meticulously deconstructs a floundering marriage in the second standalone installment to the Start Up in the City series (after Unexpected). Before Isabel Winton signs her divorce papers, she plans to spend the weekend licking her wounds alone at her house in Greenport, Long Island. Upon arrival, she is shocked to discover Paul, the soon-to-be-ex-husband she walked out on 10 months ago, already there and unwilling to leave . They reluctantly settle on a plan to spend the weekend together and work at rebuilding a friendship, and Isobel quickly realizes that her self-absorbed computer-nerd husband has grown into an open, caring partner willing to work on their relationship. The isolation of the setting lends itself to the stark vulnerability of Rimmer's protagonists as they grudgingly open up to one another. The inevitable sex scenes between Isobel and Paul are simultaneously deliciously intense and achingly tender. The authentic push and pull of this complex relationship is sure to resonate with readers. Agent: Amy Tannenbaum, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Dec)