Libby Gill is delighted to announce the publication of her debut novel, Malibu Summer, by Penguin Random House/Pamela Dorman Books. After publishing six nonfiction books, Libby switched to writing contemporary romance because “the kids are off the payroll and it sounded like fun.” She is thrilled that her book—a clash made in heaven between an up-and-coming soil scientist and a down-on-his-luck television producer—landed with a Big 5 publisher. “MALIBU SUMMER is the story of Ivy Bauer, a bright, young soil scientist and inventor of a game-changing organic irrigation system. She’s on top of the world when, suddenly, her husband is killed in a biking accident. Needing space to grieve, she takes a summer job as a gardener in Malibu.
Conrad Reed is a wealthy Hollywood has-been who, after the death of his wife, feels overwhelmed by the care of his anxious stepson Hudson, massive cliffside estate, and deteriorating career. He hopes Ivy will help take at least one thing off his plate. But the bossy, opinionated Ivy isn’t making things any easier for him. Sparks fly—and not the good kind. But it’s when Ivy finds the key to Hudson’s heart that Conrad’s own heart begins to melt as well—and then the sparks that fly are the ones that kindle the best kind of love affair . . .”