I loved this book! It's a perfect romance. I'll do anything for an enemies to lovers, so this story checked all my boxes. The tension, the reward, all of it - chefs kiss!

Do you like sassy women friends and a hot romance? If so, this book is definitely one you’ll like. Vanessa is a divorced woman in her 40s. She met her two best friends in a divorce support group and their relationships/interactions are wonderful. One day, two years after her divorce is final, Michael Park shows up at her door because he’s trying to protect his sister from Vanessa’s ex, who was an emotionally abusive, controlling, cheating husband, and he asks Vanessa to help him. They have an instant attraction. The intercultural romance was delightful (Vanessa and her two friends are African American; Michael is Korean-American.) Michael happens to be the sheriff in a small town in the Pocono Mountains (Vanessa refers to the town as “Mayberry”), where her two friends live. She lives in New Jersey, in a gated community of some sort, is an accountant, and is totally not used to the vibes of a small town.

The audiobook was great. Denise Wallace did a fabulous job with the various voices. Be advised: do not listen to this without headphones because there are a bunch of very explicit scenes. Definitely NSFW!

Warnings: (past) death of parents; (past) emotionally abusive relationship
Steam factor: High

Thank you to OrangeSky Media and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook and to St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I was instantly enthralled into this book and the premise of finding yourself as a woman after a certain age. I loved the friend group and the lovely banter they had as they all tried to rebuild. Vanessa our main character has left a marriage after 20 years and is trying to find herself. After attending a divorce support group she finds her tribe and things begin to make sense.

Then we meet our male protagonist, Sheriff Michael Park, who meets Vanessa by chance and is instantly attracted to her. What follows is small-town charm, a chance at love, and tons of sweet moments. Definitely a cute story.

Holy hotness, Batman! Vanessa Jared got her groove back and then some after her messy break up with the sexy sheriff Michael Park! The chemistry between these two is crazy intense and so spicy!!

Vanessa is still recovering from a very controlling ex and an unhealthy marriage. She’s approached by Michael, whose sister is Vanessa’s ex’s mext victim. He needs her help to break them up. Will she comply?
Vanessa is snarky and knows her worth. She won’t let another man control her again, ever. Michael is the head of police in his small town, but he has a long way to go before he is able to corner Vanessa.
It’s an amusing read with the rapport between Michael and Vanessa, interlaced with very steamy scenes.
Who knew “Mayberry” could be so exciting?

I personally had to dnf pretty early just because i knew this book isn’t for me. with a sherif love interest and the main character being in her 40s, it was a story that i knew i wouldn’t be able to connect with.

Vanessa is 40ish and devastated after a messy divorce from an emotionally abusive husband. She drives two hours from her home in New Jersey to a small town in Pennsylvania to go to a support meeting and meets two women who become her best friends. Two years later a man shows up at her door and says he wants her help breaking his sister's, engagement to Vanessa's ex, Karl, and what a coincidence that he is from the same small town in PA!

I never felt a romance between Vanessa and Michael, lots of lust but no real connection or one that made me want to root for them. From his standpoint he liked her thick thighs and big posterior and she had a lot of thoughts too along the same line. The friends, Janae and Cree, were just in the background being sassy But other than Janae being a nurse I have no idea what Cree did and they all grew up as good friends with Michael. Cindy, Michael's sister, doesn't even make an appearance until half way into the book.

The writing was fine but it was just not a book for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me a digital copy.

Thank you @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the #gifted eARC of VANESSA JARED’S GOT A MAN!

Phew this book is STEAMY! I was not expecting that from its cute lil cover art.

I haven’t read many romance books with the MCs in their forties but after reading this one, it’s definitely something I’d love to read more of. There’s just something special about a female MC who is so confident and assured in herself. Vanessa knows how she deserves to be treated and she demands it.

I loved Michael’s POV. He instantly falls so hard for Vanessa (I mean she’s a total badass so how could he not?!). His deep sense of loyalty to his family and community was endearing. You definitely want a friend like Michael on your team.

Vaness and Michael’s chemistry was off the charts and I sped through this one to get to their HEA. Fingers crossed that we get a sequel love story for Vanessa’s bestie Janae and Michael’s bff Adam!

VANESSA JARED’S GOT A MAN comes out on September 20th!

Cw: emotional abuse, gaslighting

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4954621341
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CiVRAEXLZzs/

What a wonderful debut novel. The story of Vanessa getting her groove back & Michael who might be a help with doing that was fun, flirty, & descriptive. The secondary characters were good & hopefully we are being set up for the next book in the series with the ending. Can't wait to visit Monroe Hills again.

Thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

The cover is what first drew me to this book. l love it! I really liked this book.

Vanessa Jared is recently divorced from her manipulative husband and is trying to find herself. At a divorce support group, she meets two other women and the three form an instant bond. A very interesting set of circumstances leads Vanessa to the small town of Monroe Hills, PA where Michael Park is the Sheriff. Michael is single but not ready to mingle as he has very little time for a personal life.

Vanessa and Michael spend a lot of time avoiding each other’s gaze but they are irreparably drawn to each other. Whew... the heat and magnetism between these two is off the charts! But, can Vanessa leave her old life behind and truly find what she wants out of life? Can Michael drop his need to control everything and everyone in his life?

I appreciated that this book was very body positive and that the male and female friendships were about building up and not tearing down. This book is also about starting over, finding yourself and finding love. This book gave everything and left me wanting for nothing! I would highly recommend this one if you are looking for a great romance read!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review

I loved this book. The relationship between Vanessa & her two best friends is affirming, and positive - which is something she needs after suffering emotional abuse during her marriage. Then when she meets Michael, the sheriff of the small town her besties are from, and finds out her jerk ex is out to do the same thing to his sister, she is forced to confront her past head on.

Michael & Vanessa fairly burn the pages with the tension that builds almost immediately. He's an honest to goodness 'good' man, but events from his past have given him a full-on hero complex, which Vanessa doesn't appreciate.

They are a delightful couple, and you can't help rooting for them. I loved the story, I loved the characters, and I think everyone should pick this one up!

I really loved this. Vanessa Jared is reeling from a divorce she was in for 20 years and is trying to figure out who she is now. At a divorce support group Vanessa meets what will soon be her best friends, Cree and Janae. They have an instant bond and create The Savvy, Sexy, Singles Club. I love it!

The HEAT, and the CHEMISTRY between Vanessa and Michael is everything! Whew! When Michael uses Korean terms of affection I grinned ear to ear this was so cute 😩🥰 I ate it up!

This wonderful story was about starting over. Finding love with yourself and finding the true love you deserve. Beautiful friendships as well. Bravo LaQuette this was a refreshing take contemporary romance.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for the eARC!

I am obsessed. First of all, this was spicy as hell and I LOVED IT. I also love a 2nd-chance-at-life/love situation with a character overcoming their trauma from a previous toxic relationship. I want to be Vanessa Jared when I grow up. Loved this !!!

A great read.
Vanessa reluctantly agrees to help Michael try and stop his sister marrying Vanessa 's ex husband.
Loved the support that Vanessa had from her best friends.
Looking forward to more from this author.

I really wanted to love this book, but I just didn’t. Something about the writing just didn’t hook me. Maybe it was the way the characters seemed so consumed with their attraction to one another - it got in the way of their growth and development.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and for the advanced reading copy of Vanessa Jared's Got a Man, receipt of which does not impact my review.

It's been two years since Vanessa Jared's divorce from her cheating ex, Karl, was finalized, and she's ready for the next phase in life. She has wonderful friends and a great place to live - but some things are missing, professionally and personally. The last thing she expected was to be pulled into her ex's orbit again, by Monroe Hills' handsome sheriff Michael - because Karl's at it again, and this time he's targeted Michael's younger sister. Oh, and Karl told people she's dead AND stole her grandmother's ring to propose to his new fiance!

LaQuette's novel was such a delightful read, full of passion, heart, and fun moments, too. Vanessa's journey was a joy to read and follow. The chemistry between her and Michael was fantastic. Plus, the epilogue appears to set us up for a book two - I can't wait to be back in Monroe Hills!

ugh look how stunning that cover is

this book dealt with people in their 40s which is not something i’m used to but refreshing to see!

i honestly had no idea what this book was about when i started it but it was a fun time!

the friendships >>>

it was very insta lovey so if that’s something you enjoy…

DNF @ 30%

Thank you so much to SMP Romance and Netgalley for providing an e-arc and ALC of this. All thoughts and opinions are still my own.

I am unbelievable sad to be DNFing this book. It was one of my most anticipated fall releases (I mean have you seen this cover?!) but sadly this one just did not work for me.

I want to start with what I did like first though. I LOVED our heroine. I thought that her personal journey was beautifully handled and I liked watching her be both strong and broken at times. As much as we'd all like to think that healing is a linear upward trend, I think that Vanessa's ups and downs were a much more accurate depiction of PTSD and abuse.

But the friendships!! The friendship between the 3 female characters nearly kept me reading this story. I loved them all so much. Their friendship was ride or die and watching them support each other through some really difficult stuff, no holds barred, is what everyone deserves out of their friends.

And I thought the concept of the plot was fun and made a great meet cute.

However, I was 30% into a 270ish page book and we still hadn't actually gotten to the plot. We were still in the setup stage and my focus was starting to wane.

But in the end it was the actual writing style that made me decide to put this down. This book is SO descriptive and wordy. Every single detail is described in excruciating detail - I literally know where in the hero's kitchen his utensils are stored. And in the end, I just couldn't keep pushing through for such a slow moving plot.

Thank you to NetGalley and SMP for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

CW: death of parents (past), grief, toxic/emotionally abusive relationship (past)

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f contemporary romance
-small town romance
-insta attraction
-roommance
-dating in secret elements
-just a hookup
-great female friendship

This was a great read. Vanessa is divorced and figuring out what her life is now that she's away from her toxic ex. But walks in Michael, protective older brother, asking Vanessa to help break up his sister and her ex. Add in a storm and a broken down car and these two are stuck together.

Great sexual tension and sex scenes that were hot and built the intimacy. I really enjoyed Vanessa's journey as she figured out what she wanted from her life. She pushed back against Michael, both figuring the other out. A messy situation, I really enjoyed their push and pull. The third act was a perfect piece as they both fought for the other.

Fingers crossed this one ends up being a series, very much hoping Vanessa's friends also get their HEA.

Steam: 3.5

Liked but didn't love. This was a life and love after divorce romance featuring a diverse cast of characters. There's so great steamy scenes (man knows how to please his lady!) but the overall plot/story wasn't super compelling. Just an okay read for me but I do LOVE the cover! Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my review!