Can’t Hurry Love

The quirky members of the Sunshine Valley Widows Club play matchmaker in this leisurely paced and entertaining series debut from Curtis (Dandelion Wishes). Lola Williams left her career as a makeup artist to move with her new husband, Randy, to his Colorado hometown. Lola struggles to break into the tight-knit community, which only gets harder after Randy’s sudden death. Cleaning out his things, Lola discovers evidence that Randy was having multiple affairs, sending her on a quest to uncover the women’s identities as the town’s Widows Club, a support group for women who’ve lost their husbands, rallies around her. Sheriff Drew Taylor finds Lola’s impulsive antics endearing (burning Randy’s underwear in a bonfire, setting up his blow-up dolls in his former shop windows) but believes he has no room for her chaos in his life. Drew’s ex-wife, who abandoned him and their six-year-old daughter, is moving back to town, and he’s convinced he needs a stable woman to counterbalance his ex’s influence on his daughter. Drew’s slow realization of his love for Lola, nudged along by the Widows Club, sweetly parallels the townsfolk’s gradual embrace of her as part of their community. Readers who enjoy relaxed stories of acceptance will be gratified. The edition includes a bonus story by Annie Rains. (Apr.)