Next of Kin

'Tender, thoughtful, and deeply touching, Next of Kin celebrates the gift of found family, the wonder of falling in love, and the beautiful work of building a life together.' — CHLOE LIESE, author of Two Wrongs Make a Right

When people-pleasing Chloe learns that her birth mother has unexpectedly had another baby, she doesn’t hesitate to become a kinship carer. But when she fails to meet social services’ financial evaluation, she is faced with a choice: see her baby sister placed in foster care or participate in a new initiative, where two prospective guardians join households to qualify.

Enter Warren, a surly mechanic’s apprentice attempting to get custody of his deaf fifteen-year-old brother. From the moment Warren drives up thirty minutes late, blasting music out of his car, Chloe is convinced that this is a very bad idea. The two immediately clash but eventually agree to live together for the sake of their younger siblings.

As their lives intertwine, and Chloe adjusts to caring for her newborn sister, she begins to see a new, softer side of Warren. In fact, they’re far more similar than she could have imagined. What started as forced begins to feel natural – and far less lonely. Chemistry soon intensifies beyond what either of them can stand, but is their mutual attraction worth risking everything they’ve fought for?