Close to Home Books in Order

Close to Home is a very Barbara Bretton idea. These stories are likely to stay near family, neighborhood, and the ordinary places where life gets complicated fast. The conflicts are emotional rather than flashy, but that often makes them hit harder.

This is the territory where Bretton usually shines, people dealing with parents, children, exes, old wounds, and the uncomfortable truth that the people who know you best can also unsettle you most. Romance in that setting is not just about attraction. It is about whether love can survive real life at close range.

Readers who prefer character-driven contemporary stories, especially ones rooted in family and place, will probably feel at home here. The title promises intimacy, and Bretton is usually very good at delivering it.