VANESSA JARED'S GOT A MAN

Two years after her divorce, a woman finds love with a small-town sheriff.

Vanessa Jared spent 20 years married to Karl Scott, a controlling and emotionally abusive man. Vanessa has moved on—made new friends, spent years in therapy, invested her divorce settlement wisely—but she still isn’t ready to dip her toe into the dating pool. One day, she’s approached by Michael Park, a handsome man with a big ask. His sister Cindy is newly engaged to Karl, and Michael can tell Karl is trouble. Michael asks Vanessa to share the story of her marriage with Cindy. He is aware his meddling might cause a rift with his sister, but he’ll do anything to save her from an unhappy future. Vanessa agrees to help only if Michael will recover her grandmother’s engagement ring, which Karl stole from her after their divorce was final. A confluence of mishaps leaves Vanessa stranded in town with literally no room at the inn, so Michael offers his spare room while they wait for his sister to return from a business trip. The complicated setup then goes on hiatus while the story focuses on Vanessa’s journey of self-renewal as she discovers the joys of small-town life while falling in love with Michael. This is a novel that promotes empowerment for women: Vanessa is a likable character who has learned to take care of herself, while Michael has to learn to let go and let his sister be in charge of her own life. Even though the external emotional stakes are high for both Vanessa and Michael, the novel is warm and comforting with very little conflict between them.

Smooth and competent.