Good enemies to lovers story and start to the new series. Shanna is a high school principal with ambitions to become the next superintendent. Those plans hit a road bump when several students and teachers are caught cheating on the SATs. Though she had nothing to do with it, Shanna is under intense scrutiny while the investigation continues. This includes being placed under the supervision of rival principal Lynx Harrington. Not only is he her former high school boyfriend, but he is also in the running for the superintendent job.

Lynx is not happy to be in charge of Shanna. His memories of their high school breakup make it difficult for him to trust her. His attraction to her only complicates matters.

I enjoyed seeing the relationship between Shanna and Lynx develop. Their antipathy toward each other is evident in every word of their initial encounter, but they have no choice in working together. Lynx, who had plans to attend an out-of-state auction that week, invited Shanna to go along and make it a working vacation. Shanna was wary but willing to try. The trip started a little rough, with Lynx and Shanna sniping at each other until the subject of their high school relationship came up. They finally cleared up that misunderstanding, leaving Lynx to realize what a jerk he'd been. With that out of the way, the door is open for Shanna and Lynx to rekindle their friendship and maybe a little more.

I liked how Lynx helped Shanna see the benefits of a life/work balance by planning fun activities for when they weren't working. Not only did they get to know each other better, but their attraction also grew until they could no longer resist it. It is clear that their feelings for each other grow stronger. But the investigation hanging over Shanna's head raises some issues between them. Lynx is a fixer and wants to do anything he can to help her with her situation. Unfortunately, he tends to jump in with a solution instead of talking to Shanna about it. Shanna is intelligent, independent, and stubborn, and she sees his actions as a lack of trust or belief in her.

When Lynx takes his "fix it" attitude too far, Shanna is furious. Their relationship had been going well until then, with both thinking about a future together. This blow splits them apart. I ached for Shanna but felt she was being a bit unreasonable. A conversation with her best friend brought up some ideas Shanna hadn't considered. I liked that Shanna's self-examination showed her that Lynx wasn't the only person in the wrong. Meanwhile, Lynx misses Shanna. He's had an eye-opening conversation with his mother, showing him he has a lot to learn. I enjoyed seeing him search for the best way to show Shanna how he felt. I loved his solution - it was a beautiful expression of his feelings and understanding. The ending was terrific.

Family is an essential theme in this book. Shanna has her mother and her younger sister. Mom has dementia, and the scenes of Shanna's visits with her are heartbreaking. Shanna's biggest worries during this book are losing her job and being unable to provide for her mother. She also helps support her younger sister, Yanni, who is in college. I liked the closeness between Yanni and Shanna.

Lynx is part of a large family. When they were young, he and his brother Hawk were adopted by the Harringtons. Lynx and Hawk are white, and the Harringtons are Black, but that never made a difference when they were growing up. He is also close with his five other brothers. I enjoyed the scenes with the brothers together. There is a lot of teasing, but the support is unquestioning. I look forward to reading their stories.

There is a fair amount of time spent showing the issues Shanna faces as a Black woman in her profession. Her anger and hurt at her treatment are understandable. The incident at the convenience store was well-portrayed and disturbingly realistic. I was happy to see Lynx wanted to understand - his conversation with his mom was especially enlightening. ( )