Oh contemporary romance, how I love thee. Let me count the ways. I love a romance where the sexy hero is searching for redemption and the heroine is there to help him find his way.Ethan Barron (love the last name) and Faith Harrington have returned to their hometown of Serendipity for different reasons. After her father was convicted of spear-heading a Ponzi scheme and finding out that her good-for-nothing ex-husband was using her for her father's connections, Faith is looking to start her life anew in the only place that she could truly call home. Ethan left Serendipity 10 years ago and never looked back. Now that he is rich and successful, he wants to show the town and his brothers that he is no longer the irresponsible kid that left them when their parents died. Ethan knows that it's not going to be easy to gain his brothers trust and love again but he is willing to do whatever it takes to get it back.Ethan is looking for redemption and validation. He has left his Bad Boy persona behind and wants to show everyone that he has changed. Ethan and Faith already have a bit of history. When she was 16, Faith and Ethan shared a passionate kiss. Faith pulled away not because she thought that Ethan wasn't good enough for her but because she didn't understand the feelings that he aroused in her. Ten years later and the teenage attraction has not faded. Faith isn't looking to get into a new relationship. She wants to concentrate on starting her new business, building a new life.Serendipity is a romance that will pull at your heart-strings. I felt so bad for Ethan when his brothers constantly rejected him and bashed him. Faith is the one person who is constantly in his corner reassuring him that he is not the bad person his brothers makes him out to be. Even with her own issues thanks to her dad pilfering money from the residents of Serendipity, Faith did not waver from her determination to start a new life. Serendipity has a great cast of characters that added depth to the story. I liked how the book wasn't just about Ethan and Faith's romance, but about family and reinforcing that familial foundation. Despite all of his career success, Ethan doesn't fill truly successful without his brothers in his life.Ethan and Faith face a few bumps in the road as they try to forge ahead with their relationship but I loved that the conflict wasn't drawn out. Phillips has you rooting for Ethan from page 1. All you want is for his brothers to give him a second chance. There were plenty of times where I wanted to bash Nash over the head.I am a huge Carly Phillips fan. Her Hot Zone series is one of my favorite all time contemporary romance series. If you haven't read it, you are missing out! Phillips does not disappoint with Serendipity. Serendipity has everything that I love about contemporary romance. The romance between Ethan and Faith was believable. They had great sexual chemistry. The cast of side characters added great depth to the story line, especially Ethan's brothers, Nash and Dare. I can't wait to visit them again.Serendipity has heart, romance and a tortured hero looking for redemption. All in all, Serendipity was everything I wanted out of a contemporary romance.B+
