Serendipity by Carly Philips

Faith and Ethan shared a kiss on the back of his motorcycle when Faith was 16 years old. The chemistry is still there between them but neither are looking for a serious relationship.  Ethan hires Faith to redecorate his house, a house that use to be hers....

Faith Harrington used to be from one of the most prominent families in the town of Serendipity, that is until her father was convicted of fraud in a Ponzi scheme that rocked their town and left people angry and without any money.

Faith returns to Serendipity to try to start her life over after her marriage failed by opening her own interior decorating business. It just happens to be at the same time when her father was arrested. Unfortunately, her welcome by most of the town’s people is anything but welcoming. 

Ethan Barron was once known as the towns bad boy. After his parent’s deaths, he left his two younger brothers behind to join the military.  Ethan returns to Serendipity to try and mend the fences with his brothers so that they can be a family once again. Ethan’s brothers are not having all warm and fuzzy feelings about the older brother who forced them into foster care and split them up....until they find out a startling secret.

Serendipity is the first book in this series.  I really liked this book.  I liked the feeling of not just a second chance at starting lives over or proving that people can change, but a second chance at being a family even if it isn’t anybody’s idea of perfect.  I liked how Faith knew returning to her home town after what her father did wasn’t going to be easy and how she let the real her show- not the one everyone thought she was.  Faith wasn’t ever the oh-poor-me-look-at-what-you-all-are-accusing-my-father-of-boo-hoo kind of girl. No, she was angry towards him for what he did and how he has no remorse at all and so she refused to even talk to him.  I felt for Ethan. He just wanted his brother’s to understand why he left. He wanted to prove to them that he has changed but he knows he can’t force them to forgive him.  Ethan stepped up when it came to time with his half-sibling.  Faith sees the good qualities in Ethan and even when his brothers are nasty to her.   

I am looking forward to reading the rest of this series so I can find out if the Barron brothers come together as a family again or if the two younger brothers stay determined to keeping themselves separate from their older brother.