Coming Home [Mass Market Paperback]

Shirlee Busbee (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2003

World-famous model Roxy Ballinger returns to her hometown longing for peace and quiet. But when she crosses paths with Deputy Sheriff Jeb Delaney, he's the one man she doesn't want to see--or desire. Original.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Roxanne, like her sister-in-law, Shelly, in Return to Oak Valley [BKL D 1 02], has come home to stay. At 38, she's in semiretirement from modeling and looks forward to living in her secluded northern California hometown where she buys some land and starts to create her dream home. The only fly in the ointment is deputy sheriff Jeb Delaney. They have been at odds with one another since she was in high school and he busted her for minor possession. The two still strike sparks off one another, and, unexpectedly, the sparks explode into a sexual encounter that the two try to ignore. Twice divorced, Jeb just wants "love 'em and leave 'em" relationships, but Roxanne intrigues him. The chemistry between them becomes even stronger after a break-in at Roxanne's home, but can Jeb believe that Roxanne really wants to live in the valley? And can Roxanne really trust a man after her last disastrous affair? Busbee's diverting and lusty tale will have readers calling for more. Patty Engelmann
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Shirlee Busbee is the proud author of 11 novels, including seven New York Times bestsellers. Published since 1977 and with over nine million copies of her books in print, she is the recipient of numerous awards for excellence in writing, including the Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award and Affaire de Coeur's Silver and Bronze Pen Awards. Shirlee lives in California with Howard, her husband of 34 years, two standard schnauzers, and the Standardbred horses the couple raise for pleasure.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (September 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446611905
• ISBN-13: 978-0446611909
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,101,253 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid contemporary romance with just the right amount of sizzle to keep you hooked, September 2, 2005

By 

TheSchemer "Scheme" (NYC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Coming Home (Mass Market Paperback)

You can go home again. Roxanne Ballinger left Oak Valley as a bright-eyed teenager eager to make her mark on the world. Make her mark she did, becoming one of the world's most recognizable models and a darling of the gossip columns. Now older and wiser (becoming tabloid fodder does that to a woman), Roxanne has come home to the valley to start a new life. After buying some property, she's eagerly working on renovating her new home. Life is almost perfect except for continuously running into her lifelong nemesis, Jeb Delaney.

The Princess is back and Oak Valley detective Jeb Delaney isn't sure how he feels about it. Ever since the night he busted a seventeen-year old Roxy Ballinger for marijuana possession, the two of them have been sniping and snarling at each other every time she comes home for a visit. Now older and wiser (surviving two divorces does that to a man), Jeb is determined to stay away from Oak Valley's newest property owner. He figures she'll soon grow bored slumming and return to her jet set lifestyle.

Just when these two think they've finally got a handle on each other, an unexpected moment alone explodes into a passionate tryst in Roxanne's kitchen, and both realize that all bets are off. Is it a temporary aberration or the result of years of denying a growing attraction? Roxanne and Jeb are about to find out.

The second book in her Oak Valley series, Shirlee Busbee's COMING HOME is one of those easygoing, laid-back romances with just the right amount of sizzle to keep you hooked. While there is a bit of a mystery evident throughout the story, at its heart this tale is about two wary individuals who, having been burned by love before, embark on a relationship that has sprung up on them by surprise. Roxanne and Jeb are refreshingly mature and realistic. Ms. Busbee has wisely stayed away from emphasizing Roxanne's celebrity past, instead focusing on her readjustment to life in a small community and her cautiously evolving affair with Jeb. A well-detailed narrative brings Oak Valley and its inhabitants to life and adds to a sense of homecoming that will draw the reader in. Perhaps best known for her sweeping historical sagas, COMING HOME is a fine example of Ms. Busbee's versatility and is sure to introduce new fans to her body of work.

TheSchemer

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I Really Enjoyed "Coming Home", April 18, 2004

By 

Susanne A. Ireland "unicorn425" (Willits, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Coming Home (Mass Market Paperback)

The first Shirley Busbee book I read was "Return to Oak Valley" and after meeting and getting to know Shelly Granger, Sloan Ballinger and their families I was thrilled to find "Coming Home". It continues the story of the Ballinger and Granger families with the return of Sloan Granger's sister, Roxanne, a supermodel, who comes home for Shelly & Sloan's wedding and decides to stay. I can't wait for another book in this line. I found it realistic, especially since I live in the area these two stories are based upon, and the characters are very much like many of the ranching families I know.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I liked it!, September 30, 2003

By 

mimi woolem (Moss Landing, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Coming Home (Mass Market Paperback)

I have read Shirlee Busbee's books for a while,and I found this one refreshing,as with Return to Oak Valley.
The characters very real,and easy to relate to. The story line fast paced, and kept my interest. I could hardly put the book down!