A TABLE FOR TWO

A nurse with a painful past learns to heal herself when a software engineer reprograms her attitude toward companionship.

When avowed city dweller Gabriel Cunningham moves to a small town to replace his sister, Andrea, as their grandmother’s caregiver, he's confident that he will return to Atlanta—along with Nana—within a few months. But Firefly Lake, nestled close to Napa Valley, has its own charms. One of them is Serenity Wheeler, accomplished professional nurse and superb amateur chef, who regularly hosts a Supper Club for her girlfriends, which includes Gabriel’s sister. When Andrea moves away, Serenity extends a courtesy invite to her brother. Although Gabriel makes a terrible first impression, Serenity gradually begins to enjoy his company. But when mutual dislike morphs to desire, both decide to keep their relationship casual: Serenity is especially not keen to enter a commitment after a bad breakup. But when they bond over food and conversations, Gabriel and Serenity are required to reevaluate their demands from the relationship. The rhythms of Firefly Lake, complete with a lovely ice-cream shop and several food-loving denizens, are consistently warm and comforting. Lister displays a knack for seamlessly weaving evocative descriptions of culinary delights with equally vivid portraits of engaging characters. While Serenity and Gabriel are fun when together, their interactions with their respective friends and family are especially entertaining. It's easy to empathize with Serenity’s fears and Gabriel’s reluctance to commit, but the obstacles that mar their path to happy companionship often seem perfunctory. While Serenity’s tendency to compare Gabriel to her ex-boyfriend is perfectly justifiable, the bar often seems to be set too low for Gabriel: He's able to lope over it merely with his effortless charm and consistent likability.

An enemies-to-lovers romance that is light on the animosity and heavily loaded with love.