'Vanessa Jared's Got a Man' is the second book by romance author LaQuette and I must say, I was pleasantly surprised with this one.

If you like some steam, and some off the walls chemistry then this is for you.

While I don't tend to gravitate towards the topic of divorce when picking up a new book, I found it interesting to see how our FMC moves on with her life while still trying to find herself.

Vanessa Jared’s Got a Man was a great contemporary romance filled with Divorcees, Drama and Diversity. The story follows a woman named Vanessa who is healing from a traumatic divorcee from an abuser. On the road to recovery and regaining her life, she finds amazing friends and within two years things begin to get better. That is until Michael, a cop from a small town, is at her door asking about her ex-husband. The premise is that Michael needs help convincing his sister Cindy that Vanessa’s ex-husband is a bad guy. Vanessa is not up for helping or being in any kind of drama until she sees a picture of Michael ‘s sister with Vanessa grandmother ring.

I enjoyed this novel. I think that it was an interesting story and Vanessa and Michael were very relatable. I would love to read more books like this one as well as find other books of multicultural interest. I would recommend this novel to anyone looking for a unique spin on romance.

4.5 out of 5 Stars from me!

Vanessa gets involved in helping keep someone else from being taken advantage of by her ex-husband. He really did a number on her and her self esteem and it has taken her a couple of years to get her life back. She thinks she has found the right man, but he has his own past. The past is something they have to both get beyond.

Thank you, St. Martin’s Press, for allowing me to read Vanessa Jared’s got a Man early.

That cover! A million stars for that cover! I loved the romance and the representation in this story. The pacing was excellent! I couldn’t connect to Vanessa as much as I wanted to, but I rounded my 3.5-star rating up to four because of the cover.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book so much. The cover is what drew me in. I am a sucker for black women looking exceptional on book covers.

Vanessa is a 40 year old two years removed from her divorce and trying to figure out what her purpose in the world is. She has two best friends whom she met at a support group for divorcees. Michael, a sheriff of small town and is of Korean descent, comes to Vanessa's door to ask for her for his sister, Cindy, who is engaged to Vanessa's conman of a ex-husband. The story follows them as they navigate when/how to approach Michael's sister and their growing attraction to each other. Shenanigans ensue along the way.

Vanessa and Michael have incredible chemistry. The banter between them is *chef's kiss*. And the way they spoke about personal things in their lives stood out to me. I loved all of their interactions. The spice was good and wasn't over the top. It was sexy, sweet, and intimate.


The characters are all super relatable. They were fun, lively, supportive, and hold each other accountable. Everyone needs these kinds of people in their lives tbh. LaQuette does a good job of making the relationship dynamics between each character come off as genuine. She also covers the complex feelings one has after leaving a emotionally abusive relationship and how grief plays into people's lives.


I loved all of the diversity as well. It was so nice to see black folks written so authentically. With LaQuette's description of the characters, I was able to vividly imagine each one as I read along. It was one of my favorite things about this book.

I feel like there will be more books to come with the best friends stories being told.


TW: This book covers Grief, Loss of Parents and Grandparents, Infidelity, Emotional Abuse

Honestly, I loved this book. Vanessa is picking up the pieces of her failed marriage to an abusive cheater, and trying to find her confidence and purpose again. Meanwhile Michael is doing everything in his power to make sure the people he cares about stay safe and happy. Michael is patient and caring with Vanessa, but he does have a tendency to push and somewhat smother. This book was a rare one where I loved all of the characters, main and supporting (except Karl, of course). I will definitely be reading more from this author!

Vanessa Jared's Got A Man is more than just a romance novel. It's about a woman trying o find herself after an abusive relationship. Vanessa is trying to figure out who she is a 40 something newly divorced woman. She's determine to move on and forget about her con artist ex husband. Then a super attractive sheriff shows up and drags her back into her ex husbands drama. I loved this story, it's got romance with a lot of depth and emotions attached.

Content Warnings: Emotional abuse, marital abuse, gaslighting, cheating

Two years after Vanessa divorces her abusive ex-husband, she doesn’t have to worry about money and she has close friends, with whom she started The Sexy, Savvy, and Single Club. However, she still feels in a state of unrest. Enter Michael Park, a sheriff from a small town who shows up at her door and asks Vanessa to talk to his younger sister, who recently became engaged to her ex-husband. Vanessa is against this plan until she discovers her ex-husband stole her family ring and has given it to his new fiance. She agrees to travel to the sheriff’s town to talk to his sister, but only to recover her ring- however, she didn’t anticipate the blooming chemistry between herself and the sheriff.



Vanessa Jared’s Got a Man is a book you can tell is going to be steamy from the first chapter. If you want a spicy romance that also has an emotional plot, I definitely recommend this! LaQuette’s characters were well-developed (including having flaws) and I enjoyed their personal journeys in addition to their intense romance. It was also refreshing to read about characters in their 40's.

This story deals heavily with Vanessa overcoming her ex-husband’s abuse, and I would even say that this is the center theme of the story. The plot about her grandmother’s ring didn’t seem at the forefront of the story except for at the very beginning to set the romance in action.

I think the plot was a bit rushed at places and the romance definitely overshadows the plan to expose her ex-husband, but I really enjoyed the exploration of other themes that dealt more with the characters. This was a gem from the Netgalley “Read Now” section, and I’m so glad that this cover instantly drew me in! Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 3.5 stars

“Because, silly man. I deserve you.”
“Vanessa opened her arms wide, bringing them in for one of their joint hugs. “Aww, the two of you are so sweet. What would I do without you?” “Me,” Michael mumbled. “You’d do me.””

I’m not ashamed to admit the cover was my primary reason for adding this book, and then I read the premise, which was so unique and interesting. The book definitely delivered on the sexiness the cover promised, but I feel just the slightest bit let down by the plot. I won’t say I’m disappointed by the focus on the romance, but I would’ve preferred 20 more pages that dealt more with the chaos that I felt the synopsis implied.

Nevertheless, Vanessa’s healing journey was a lot of internal push and pull, which I feel is quite accurate when it comes to recovering from mental wounds. Michael’s final arc felt a little rushed but he was lovably sexy throughout regardless.

I also felt that bit of something missing; something to get me to really see and feel these characters, which I wasn’t able to do no matter how hard I tried. But that might just be me. I had a good time despite whatever I felt was lacking.

(Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.)

I enjoyed this way more than I thought I would. Vanessa is getting over her ex and meets Michael because he tracks her down to get her help to stop his sister from marrying Vanessa ex with her grandmother's ring!!! I love it! I love them together! I love a good "close quarters" romance!!! Ah! I can't wait to get into more of this author's work!

I wanted more fro this and didn’t get it. There just didn’t seem to be enough heat or passion btn the 2 love interests and it seemed fairly routine. The drama of the book was very manufactured and not convincing And I just didn’t buy it.

This book was great! After the prologue, the plot takes off in the best way. Readers are immediately introduced to the broody and very sexy Sheriff Michael Park who's got it especially bad for our other main character, Vanessa Jared. Together they embark on a mission to rescue Michael's sister from Vanessa's abusive ex husband.

There was so much to love about Vanessa Jared's Got a Man. First of all, the tone of this novel is perfection. I think the author channeled so much personality and character into this novel, you couldn't help but be immersed in the story! Secondly, I loved how much depth the plot had. Vanessa is still struggling years after her divorce to piece her life back together. All I did was root for her happiness and I'm so glad she got it! And thirdly, I adored the cast of characters. I especially loved how Vanessa, Janae and Cree are all older, divorced women who will all star in their own love stories. It's refreshing! I can't wait to read the next books in this series.

Overall, I would absolutely recommend this book. If the GORGEOUS cover art doesn't convince you at all to buy it, then you're sincerely missing out. This was a quick read, but filled with heartfelt moments of moving on from trauma. And before I forget to mention, this book was indeed spicy!

Vanessa Jared’s Got A Man
⭐️⭐️⭐️.75 (Rounded to 4 ⭐️ for rating)
Genre: Romance
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 9/20/22
Author: LaQuette
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pages: 272
Goodreads Rating: 3.68

TW ⚠️: Domestic Violence, Depression, and Divorce

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing a digital copy of the book for me to read in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: Vanessa Jared decided that the best way to pull herself out of their post-divorce slump was to form The Savvy, Sexy, Singles Club. But on the two year anniversary, a sexy sheriff shows up on Vanessa's doorstep wanting her to help him keep his little sister from marrying her no-good ex. She wants nothing to do with her ex...until she spots a photo of her ex's new fiancee wearing her grandmother's ring--which he clearly stole from her. Vanessa is ready to take this trifling (fill-in-the-blank) down. What she does not expect is to fall in love along the way.

My Thoughts: This is a small town and second chance trope, one of the best tropes next to enemies to lovers trope. One of the things that I loved most about this book was that it focused on body positive, I believe more books should touch on this subject, especially in today’s world. I also loved that our MC, Vanessa, was a forty woman who just went through a divorce a few years back, you don’t see this too often either. The character development was well done, emotional, and complex, the only thing lacking was more time of the friendships would have been nice. The author’s writing style was authentic, intriguing, creative, and her description of the Korean culture was refreshing and specific to allow me to understand even better. While I felt like Vanessa and Michael’s love journey ended well, I believe the author was setting up sequels on Cree and Jenae, the other part of the Singles Club, which I would be interested to read. Overall, I enjoyed this book, it was a good read.

Special Thank you to St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this Digital ARC of Vanessa Jared's Got a Man.

I do love a good rom-com book and the cover of this book caught my eye. This book was an easy and fast paced read; almost like a Hallmark movie. Fairly low angst with good steam; A divorcee is trying to rebound from a bad marriage. A small town sheriff does not trust his sisters fiancée and seeks out his ex wife for help. They find themselves drawn to each other.....and so the story goes.

Not my favorite of 2022 but an enjoyable read nonetheless

I loved that there are different characters, from different backgrounds, etc. Also “older” MCs isn’t something I have a chance to read a lot, so that was refreshing. Absolutely loved how the author flipped the trope of the “rich guy” and Vanessa is the one who’s loaded.
The characters felt real to me, although I missed more development of the friendships. The friends showed up, gave advice, made fun, but they felt a little far off. From the beginning and synopsis it seemed like The Savvy, Sexy, Single Club would be more present. And the epilogue definitely seems to suggest that they the story will continue.
I liked that Vanessa even knowing she was a victim she didn’t wallow on her predicament. Yes, she was afraid, sometimes felt lost, but she didn’t come across as a whiny woman as she started to step outside her self-imposed protective shell. I think if the emotional abuse she suffered in her marriage had been revealed slowly, it would’ve worked better from the point of view of storytelling. Like when we know that something happened when Michael’s parents died, but we only learn it for sure when he come out and say it.
Karl came across a little 2-dimensional. But I think it might’ve been on purpose. The story gave me the feeling that wanted to be a “light romantic read”, borderline romcom even with all the heavy emotional baggage the characters are carrying around. It’s hard to get that tone right, and I commend the author for trying.
I recommend the book for those who want a steamy romance with mature and diverse characters.

Thank you NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Currently a DNF, even tho I really wanted to enjoy this book, I was really disturbed with how lusty Michael is after Vanessa when they clearly got a job to do. There seems to be a huge mismatch between their actions and motivations, and it makes me feel like everyone is acting really out of character even though it's so early I can't really sus out the depths of their character. The highlight of this book are definitely her besties who are such girlbosses. Maybe it's my issue bc I don't really like reading about debilitating depression and abuse, but trying to read this book was so difficult for me. I might pick this book up in a few months, but for now, it's a DNF

I did enjoy this book, but as a 20 something, I found this book to be suited for an older audience. Sometimes I find with these cartoony/illustrated covers, the books are geared to a 20-30 something audience, but when the characters are in their 40s, I sometimes find them to fall flat because of it. This book centres around divorce and overcoming it - which is the majority of the book - not just a small plot point, and that made it seem like this book would really resonate with a specific audience (i.e. not me). That being said, I enjoyed the read. I would probably give it a 3.65, and if I were older, it'd be a 4. It's a well-developed book and great writing for a debut novel. I'd recommend it to an older audience than 20 somethings!

Wooo this was good! Everything I’ve been looking for in a romance. The enemies to lovers was done perfectly and the tension and build up to love blew me away.

A solid 3.65/5.0. This had a good diverse range of characters throughout the book. However considering, it was very plot driven and consistently played on the theme of divorce. Nothing wrong with it, just evident throughout suggesting a specific audience group this was created for. I enjoyed how the story unfolded. There were some times where the author drew the audience away from the story line with side descriptions that weren’t pertinent overall. Overall, a good easy read with diverse characters.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and the Net Galley for the eARC!

Vanessa Jared’s Got a Man by LaQuette is the perfectly sexy but still emotional romance novel involving divorced from an abusive husband Vanessa & small town sheriff Michael, who spent most of his adult life raising his much younger sister after the death of their parents. I absolutely loved that this was a romance involving two around forty-somethings that were good people deserving of the love they put into their world. It was refreshing to see a passionate & mature love blossom from people that know their worth & go after what they want. Obviously, everyone’s human, so there was some self discovery & growth going on as they both navigate new chapters of their lives, but I really enjoyed this 4 star read!
The plot at times reminded me of something similar to my beloved Hallmark channel romance movies, but then add in the spice of more like an HBO show & all rolled together with in-depth meaningful characters & their journeys for a wickedly entertaining read.
I also loved both of the main character’s friends & I sincerely hope that they all get love stories. Monroe Hills is the perfect backdrop for many more adventures of love to come & I genuinely hope I get to read them!
If you’re in the mood for a quick, sentimental yet sexy romance involving two fantastic characters with depth, I would highly recommend checking out Vanessa Jared’s Got a Man!
Vanessa Jared’s Got a Man by LaQuette comes out September 20, 2022.

Massive thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Griffin for giving me the opportunity to read an arc of this in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger warnings: This book mentions &/or contains cheating, abuse, car accident & death of parents.

I will post on my social media once it gets closer to release & add links once I do.