Flirting with Alaska

Calhoun's tender second Moose Falls, Alaska, contemporary (after Falling for Alaska) turns the focus onto Caleb Stone. The Stone brothers are still in Moose Falls, where their meddling grandma Hattie is working to convince them to take over her cider business. Though eldest Xavier is ready to settle in town after getting engaged to a local woman, he wants the decision to be unanimous. Caleb, meanwhile, dreams of fame and fortune in Hollywood, though so far his career consists of only one villainous turn on a reality dating show. His priorities may change, however, when he meets Sophia Brand, a photographer and single mother hired by Hattie to take promotional photos. The pair discover an immediate connection while trapped together in Hattie's attic, where Sophia was searching for an old camera and Caleb had been sent to help her before the door unexpectedly locked behind them. Afterward, their relationship toggles between avoidance and attraction. Hattie interferes, playing matchmaker by forcing the two to work together on a new ad campaign using Caleb's infamy to bring attention to the brand. The prose is simplistic and there's some redundant exposition, but the love story is sweet and moves at a swift pace. Fans of the first book won't be disappointed. (Dec.)