Vanessa Jared’s Got a Man

LaQuette (the Devereaux Inc. series) centers this cookie cutter small-town rom-com on a pair of 40-something protagonists both recovering from derailed early adulthoods filled with grief and regret. Two years post-divorce, Vanessa Jared celebrates her freedom from a toxic marriage with the friends who helped her along the way: the Savvy, Sexy, and Single Club. But her past comes back to haunt her when Monroe Hills, Pa., Sheriff Michael Park requests her help to convince his 25-year-old sister not to marry Vanessa’s ex-husband, Karl. Vanessa’s reluctant to get involved, but she agrees when she sees a photo of the engaged pair and recognizes her grandmother’s stolen engagement ring on the bride-to-be’s finger. With years of therapy under her belt and the support of the Savvy, Sexy, and Single Club, Vanessa is more than ready to face Karl—but she’s unprepared to wind up stuck in Monroe Hills and unexpectedly falling in love with Michael. The mature, strong-willed main characters’ steamy romance generates some genuine heat, but the rushed plotline is predictable and LaQuette leaves little room to develop her cast, making the secondary characters blend together. This is best suited for the author’s diehard fans. (Sept.)