and her degree to open a nonprofit catering to female entrepreneurs. But until those six winning numbers come through, Dreamy must deal with her “micromaniac” boss, Gordon Mathison...even when he makes her want to poke an eye out with her multicolored high heels. Potential Mathison investor and venture capitalist Karter Redford also needs a career change—one that requires working less than 16 hours a day and spending more time relaxing at his 7,000-square-foot Hollywood Hills home. At almost 40, Karter fears his workaholic ways might be the death of him, and when he steps into Mathison’s office and meets the vibrant Dreamy, he knows she’s worth settling down for. Dreamy also feels their passionate connection, but is she willing to risk her well-laid plans by mixing business with pleasure? Cooper offers an honest and hopeful Cinderella story about two hardworking people from two different worlds. Dreamy is motivated and idealistic—“I am beautiful. I am confident. I am lovable. I am a lottery winner”—but never jaded, even when faced with Karter’s wealth: “He was champagne and caviar, while she was Kool-Aid and frickin’ Kit Kats.” Dreamy continually blossoms throughout the novel, and her unshakeable drive makes each success even more gratifying for the reader cheering her along. A sweet and sincere love story that hits the jackpot of rom-coms.
A BRUSH WITH LOVE
Eddings, Mazey St. Martin’s Griffin (336 pp.) $16.99 paper | March 1, 2022 978-1-2508-0598-0 An aspiring oral surgeon has to rethink her priorities in life and love when she literally crashes into a handsome first-year dental student. Harper Horowitz is, by her own admission, a bit of a perfectionist, almost to a fault—she foregoes socializing for studying, studying, and more studying, all in order to pursue her dream of earning the top placement in an oral surgery residency. Life, or maybe fate, seems to have other plans when she topples down the stairs and lands right on top of Daniel Craige (no relation to the famous Bond actor). He’s handsome, he’s funny, and what’s more, he’s really into Harper, but the timing couldn’t be worse, especially when there might be an imminent cross-country move in her future. The two solemnly agree to remain friends, but they start to reconsider that plan with all the free time they’re spending together—and all the hard truths that come to the surface along the way. Eddings’ debut is equal parts hilarious and heartwrenching, though the bumps on the road to Harper and Dan’s happily-ever-after do contribute to some uneven pacing, particularly at the conclusion. What’s most rewarding about the book, however, is the fact that Harper and Dan have a dynamic that helps each of them discover the best version of themselves in the course of their romance; Harper not only acknowledges, but finds successful ways of mitigating her deeply rooted anxiety, 54
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and she and Dan both deal with unresolved trauma connected to their pasts. A poignant debut that will put a smile on your face.
THE COWBOY SAYS YES
Fox, Addison Avon/HarperCollins (384 pp.) $8.99 paper | April 26, 2022 978-0-06-313519-2
A celebrity couple attempts to get their unhappy marriage back on track. Hadley Wayne has deep roots in the small Montana town of Rustlers Creek: It’s where she grew up, it’s where she met and married her husband, Zack, and now it’s where she hosts her popular Cooking Network show, The Cowgirl Gourmet. The show is successful beyond her wildest dreams, turning her into a household name and catapulting her and her husband and their ranch into the spotlight. It’s not that Zack resents Hadley’s success, but he feels a deepening chasm growing between them every day. They’re both afraid their marriage is unraveling, but the lines of communication are completely down, and they’re unable to fix what is wrong. When a business trip sends them to California, Hadley and Zack both hope that time away from the ranch will help them reconnect. Fox’s novel is full of angst and melodrama, with two other secondary romance plots: Zack’s parents experience marital difficulties, and Hadley’s producer falls in love with one of the cowboys on the ranch. Unfortunately, these subplots just serve to highlight the lack of progress between Hadley and Zack. Their emotional reactions, especially at the beginning, feel manufactured to create melodrama. The plot meanders for most of the book before scrambling to an unsatisfying and rushed conclusion. This frustrating take on the “marriage in trouble” trope fails to deliver a convincing happily-ever-after.
FROM BAD TO CURSED
Harper, Lana Berkley (368 pp.) $16.00 paper | May 17, 2022 978-0-593-33608-3
Opposites attract in this witchy enemies-to-lovers romance. It’s springtime in Thistle Grove, a quaint magical town readers were introduced to in Payback’s a Witch (2021). Isidora Avramov has been unsatisfied working for the family business lately, but she doesn’t think she could ever tell her mother how she feels for fear of being a disappointment. At least she has the Flower Moon Festival to look forward to, until a member of the Thorn family, practitioners of green magic, is cursed with the necromantic magic the Avramov family is known for. Issa begrudgingly teams up with Rowan Thorn to investigate,
