I love the fact that this was a story about an interracial couple. Vanessa is a black woman, who is strong and independent and is learning to live a life after escaping a marriage of 20 years. A woman who is learning to love herself again, and love the concept of love again. Then you have Michael, a Korean man who has spent his whole life caring for others- especially his younger sister Cindy even more so since his parents tragically passed away; finally trying to put himself first and love again. The story is about two people who fall in love in their 40's in not the most "traditional" way. Michael seeks Vanessa out to help him stop his sister Cindys marriage to Karl... otherwise known as Vanessa's ex husband. Personally for me- this wasn't my favorite read. I just am not a fan of insta love and insta attraction. I just felt that things moved so quickly for the timeline they were in. Everything happened within a week or two and I just couldn't really vibe with it. This might be a perfect book for many, because I did enjoy many aspects of it but for me personally I just couldn't get too invested.

I went into this book having heard some mixed reviews so I wasn't sure if I was going to like it, but I ended up being pleasantly surprised. This book was fun and heartwarming, and I loved that the characters were a little older but still going after their HEA. I can't wait to see if LaQuette will continue this series with the side characters in this book, it seems perfectly set up for them to also get HEA's and I'm excited to see what happens.

I read "Vanessa Jared's Got a Man" by LaQuette on NetGalley. I really enjoyed how Vanessa grew so much as her own person in this book, with the help of some great friends. As a woman who was held down in her marriage, Vanessa really came into her own and was able to help others also.

This is the 3rd book that I have had the pleasure of reading by LaQuette. I love her writing style, her characters are awesome, the hero and heroine are in their forties and the plot is simply the best. With this being LaQuette’s debut Romance comedy, I must say she did an awesome job. Vanessa Jared is now single after being divorced from her cheating domineering, emotional abusive her husband. Vanessa joins Savvy, Sexy Singles Club where she meets Janae and Cree. These three women form a bond. Michael is a sheriff from a neighboring town in need of Vanessa’s help. Michael needs/wants Vanessa to help him keep his sister from marrying her no good husband. As Michael and Vanessa team up to for the good of Michael’s sister the two are getting closer and closer. I so love how Vanessa is coming back into her own with her life taking a turn for the better. In Michael, Vanessa finds what she did not have in her ex-husband. These two have great chemistry and they bring on the steam and heat. I also enjoyed the camaraderie between the characters. I surely hope that Janae and Cree get their book.

I received an ARC via NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin, I am leaving my review voluntarily.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin.

The title of this book made me think of the song “Chante’s Got a Man, by Chante Moore from 1999. Some of the lyrics are:

Chante's got a man at home (I gotta go home)
It hurts me your man's leaving you all alone
I can't help it that your baby's bad
Creeping out, cheating on ya, beating on ya
Chante's got a man at home
And he's sure good to me
Now why'd you let him beat you down
No, no, what's up with that
There's good men around
Don't you know how beautiful you are inside girl
And don't you let nobody go and steal your pride
Oh no no, I know your thing girl

This music artist is a black woman who found love and happiness with a man that she now loves. This book encompasses this song drilled out to its essence. This is a romance novel but also a book of self-discovery for Vanessa. This book opens with Vanessa leaving a horribly emotionally abusive marriage. It fast-forwards two years after the divorce and follows her life as a newly single woman. She’s not put herself out there (in the dating world) since the divorce. So, when a police chief shows up at her door to convince her to come to his small town and speak to his sister, that is now engaged to her ex-husband, she’s skeptical but wants to help.

The storyline seems implausible to me. After two years after leaving her ex, would she really get entangled in his mess to help a stranger? Maybe. While in said town, would she then be stranded there due to car trouble when she has unlimited income? Possibly. Then would she stay a week in the police chief’s house and fall hopelessly in love? Doubtful. It felt a little forced to me. She has two friends in the same town who can’t take her home or let her stay with them while her car is being repaired. I had more questions while reading this book rather than being immersed in the story.

Overall, it was a nice read, and I was able to finish it over a weekend. Both characters were likable and had relatable flaws. The nuances in this author’s writing were also enjoyable. If forced proximity and insta-love stories interest you, then you should pick up this book.

I just reviewed Vanessa Jared's Got a Man by LaQuette. #NetGalley www.netgalley.com

Two years after her divorce, Vanessa Jared is still struggling to get back to a normal life. She discovered her husband of twenty years had been cheating on her, but that was only the surface reason for her hurt. He’d been emotionally abusive and controlling throughout their life together. When Michael, sister of her ex’s current fiancée, arrives at her door, asking her to open up those wounds so his sister doesn’t suffer the same fate, Vanessa reluctantly agrees to talk to her. Along the way, she starts to catch feelings fur Michael, but doesn’t yet trust herself or anyone else in a healthy relationship.

Vanessa Jared’s Got A Man is a humorous, deep romance, with lots of spicy scenes, a strong female main character, and lovable, endearing supporting characters. The abuse and control is not described in detail, it’s just briefly mentioned. It definitely held my interest and wasn’t entirely predictable like most rom-coms out these days. Highly worth reading!

Can we just admire this hot and sexy and sensual cover for a moment?absolutely gorgeous!!!

I was immediately drawn in the story and my heart went to the protagonist. Vanessa reminded me so much of my smart, sexy and sensitive friend and all the turmoil and emotional pain of her divorce and how difficult it was for her to re-build her confidence and start her new life. LaQuette shows life as it is from the courage it takes to file a divorce and walk away from an abusive partner to how hard it is to start trusting people, how even a simple comment can rub you wrong way because you don't want to be patronised or taken advantage of. We also see other aspects of divorce through the secondary characters and their challenges. My admiration for creating realistic, relatable characters in an age group which doesn't get enough representation in romance and not shying away from portraying real life problems.

While Vanessa is rediscovering her independence and what it means to take care of yourself so that you can love and take care of others, Michael is also doing his own balancing act of being a strong, protective older brother without either spoiling his little sister or never letting her spread her own wings. There's also wonderful cast of supporting characters- fully developed and well-differentiated with their own unique voices that add more humour and genuine emotion to the overall story.

The chemistry between the protagonists- oh my gosh! Normally I don't go for anything insta, including instalust, but here there's all this immediate powerful attraction Vanessa and Michael feel for each other, all this tension that keeps building up. When they do act on it, it feels natural and it's hot, hot, hot, it's like fireworks going off on a New Year's Eve. Once again, I am so happy to see the author showing that asking for and expressing consent is crucial.

LaQuette's writing is engaging and I could almost hear my friends talking and teasing each other on a night out. With all that, there is a certain gravitas- she knows that the issues she's raising are important and have to be dealt with in a sensitive way.

All I can say, I can't wait to come back to Monroe Hills for more hot and sizzling romance!

#VanessaJaredsGotAMan:⁣
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When Toni Braxton was singing about, “and I can’t get you out of my head” she was seeing in the future to this book, Vanessa Jared’s Got A Man, because I cannot get this book out of my head! Admittedly, this is my first LaQuette book, but it will not be the last.⁣
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First off, I want to talk about Vanessa Jared herself. This women is inspiring and phenomenal. I love how LaQuette wrote her as a character. We have this strong, amazing, caring, intuitive woman, who is healing. She is a victim of emotional abuse on the behalf of her ex-husband, and she’s what many would consider an unsuspecting victim of it. The vulnerability was so realistic as EA is something no one should endure, but just like other abuse, strong, powerful women can fall prey to an abuser. I loved that Vanessa was cautious, but still understood her true worth once she was in the process of healing. Maybe it’s because the characters seemed to be in their 40s..ish, but as I grow older, I can appreciate this type of character because I’ve seen it first hand.⁣
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The many times I squealed, or hand over mouth, or hand clutching pearls were so good. This book is very steamy, but Michael and Vanessa’s connection was undeniable. I did do an audio combo, and headphones around smaller ears is definitely needed. AKA if you’re in the school pickup, you better change to Spotify. The readers of the audio were wonderful and highly recommend the audio.⁣
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I LOVED The Savvy, Sexy, Single club! They gave me Farrah Rochon’s TBP trio feels. Each woman was completely different, but they all had an understanding and caring for the other to truly have a meaningful relationship. They held each other accountable, but still gave the love and care a true friend would.⁣
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Thank you so much @smpromance @orangeskyaudio for the gifted copy! I could not put this short, but sexy, read down! Vanessa Jared’s Got A Man is out today!⁣
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*As always, if you’re a BIPOC reader and want my ARC of VJGAM, DM me and I’ll send it over, no strings attached. Let’s put own voices books in the hands of own voices readers. ❤️⁣
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#SMPInfluencer #smpromance #laquette #MilesOfPages #Bookish

Vanessa Jared was in an abusive marriage for 20 years, but with the help of therapy, a divorce support group, and the women in her Savvy, Sexy, Singles Club, she is ready to start getting her life back on track. Then Michael Park, a sheriff in a small town, asks Vanessa for help convincing his sister that her fiancé, who happens to be Vanessa’s ex-husband, is bad news. Will their undeniable attraction to one another get in the way of stopping Mike’s sister from making a big mistake?

I love romance books, but the characters tend to be in their 20s or early 30s. As a woman in my 40s, I was thrilled to read a romance featuring characters in their 40s! It was even more relatable because it was set in an area very close to me. The small town where Mike lived was charming, and I was glad Vanessa got stuck there! I loved Vanessa, and her friends were incredible! Vanessa went through so much and, after a lot of work and support, she became strong and independent. While I’m not a fan of insta love, I was a fan of Mike. He was protective, caring, and sweet! He and Vanessa’s chemistry was seriously off the charts! 🔥🔥🔥 This was a fun, spicy, sweet read with diverse characters who had depth and heart! I really hope this will become a series!

First off, the cover of this book is stunning!

While being a romance novel, the author did touch on sensitive subjects such as divorce and domestic abuse. I loved how Vanessa dealt with her past and allowed herself grace moving forward. Her two best friends, Cree & Janae, were hilarious and so supportive! The relationship between Michael and Vanessa unfolded at the right pace. The connection between them was spicy hot, like all the peppers hotttt! I will for sure be reading more from this author!

What makes this book different:
I loved that LaQuette chose to write about second chance romance in 2 grown adults! The main character, Vanessa, is a 40-year-old woman, recently divorced, who is finding her way being newly single. She was married to Karl for 20 years...literally half her life. So, all she knew was life with him. Vanessa is very real in that way; many women are trying to navigate life outside of marriages and starting to come into their own.

Michael Park, the main male character, seeks out Vanessa to try to help his younger sister, Cindy, before she marries Vanessa's ex-husband. He is a fixer; you can tell he really loves those around him. He really wants the best for others, and because of that trait, he puts himself on the backburner. He is loyal almost to a fault...he enjoys his career, he loves his sister, and he cares for his friends. What has Michael done that was completely for him, taking all others out of the equation?

You put Vanessa and Michael together, and they are the cutest. Both of them wanted the same thing but didn't know how to exactly express that or explore that option.

What I enjoyed:
-Healthy male relationships: oftentimes, minority males, are written as the antagonist. I loved that Michael, Derrick, and Adam were all minorities. They all had their own careers and were well educated. They were not out here being with every woman around town just because they could. They were respectful and respected in their friend circles and community. Adam was the epitome of a "tell it like it is" friend. He did not hold back when it came to Michael, and I loved it!

-Women empowerment: Can we take a moment to recognize how BOSS Vanessa, Cree, and Janea are? These women literally are the life of the party...they may not have it all together, but they know their worth! They are able to hold their own and do not need a man...and I love that part of the story. They didn't need to be rescued; they weren't distressed. They were coming out of previous relationships and learning to live their lives for them!

What I didn't like:
There wasn't anything that I didn't enjoy in this book. I found the characters to be relatable and complex.

Overall, Vanessa Jared's Got a Man is a well written novel. I liked the mature relationships; the ones that cultivate self-love and compassion. I don't think I've read the forced proximity trope before...I can dig it! Karl, Vanessa's ex...complete jerk! And you can tell he knew he was a jerk. He had "privilege" written all over him.

I highly recommend this book. It's perfect for a quick read. The plot was great. There was some spice...LaQuette can write a sex scene Ya'll!

This one was a solid 4/5 stars for me!

What can I say but WOW! I absolutely loved this book. The slow-burn romance, the diversity, the spice. Such a fun fast pace book with an unusual storyline. I can't say I've read any other book with this plot line.

Vanessa is a newly divorced women who thankfully escapes her abusive ex-husband and is seeking some enlightment in a divorce support group when she meets two other women recently divorced. Through this meeting these friends create their own support group and become best friends. I have to say I absolutely loved the friendship between these ladies it felt so refreshing reading women building up women like this. We all need friends like Janae and Cree.

After two years Vanessa finds herself struggling and her life takes a spin when an attractive Michael Park shows up on her doorstep with a wild proposition.

This book was wonderful and I can't wait to read more of LaQuettes future books

Thank you to NetGalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A curvy, gorgeous 40ish accountant! Hell yes! We do exist lol. Yay for accountants in books especially since Vanessa loves being an accountant.

Her ex was horrible to her and she is trying to recover and rebuild when Michael shows up asking for help. These two had immediate chemistry and as they started to work together it just heated up. 🥵

Loved how she had healed and found her voice! Being with someone for 20 years and being controlled would take awhile to recover from. From 20 to 40 you are a different person anyways.

So glad she got her second chance at life and to keep on accounting!

Had to include Grandmas Kitchen candle in this pic! Grandma's are a very important part of a family.

✨ And I just adore this cover! It's gorgeous!! ❤️

Thank you stmartinspress and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

I enjoyed this book a lot. I liked that the main characters were older. I loved Vanessa finding herself and learning how to stand up for herself after her horrible marriage. The book definitely had a number of laugh out loud moments. The characters have friendships that felt real. I absolutely loved Michael and Vanessa together. I hope the author writes stories for some of the supporting characters in this book, I would definitely read them. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Vanessa Jared is a 40-something-year-old woman trying to figure her life (as well as herself) out after divorcing her husband of over two decades. She's mainly focusing on herself until one day, around four years after her divorce, a small-town sheriff named Micheal Park is knocking at her door and asking for her help in preventing her ex-husband from marrying his little sister. The sheriff comes up with a plan to get his sister not to marry her current fiancé which requires Vanessa’s help.

As the two move forward with the plan their feelings for one another seem to be getting stronger and stronger…

I honestly really enjoyed this book. I thought the concept was really different from books I’ve already read in the past, so that was interesting. I also really liked the diversity and representation, because it is definitely not something that you see every day.

However, I feel like this book isn’t really for people around my age just because of how old the characters themselves actually were. I had no problem reading it, it’s just that the mention of age really made my brain take a pause and be like “they’re literally full-blown adults.” It was just a little weird at times.

I also felt that the romance between the two was a little too fast-paced. One second they were having a conversation on her front porch and the next he was having... interesting dreams about her. I get that someone can find another person attractive after meeting them only once, but this was a little too fast for my liking.

I would like to thank you so much, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sending me this ARC.

Thank you so much for sending me this book for review.

I absolutely loved this book! First, the cover is ::swoon:: It was refreshing to read an interracial/multicultural romance with a Korean American love interest. As a GenXer, I'm always thrilled to read a romance focusing on older couples! I loved that her girlfriends had her back and her best interest at heart. My first marriage was very similar to Vanessa's and I identified with the ways emotionally abusive relationships rob you of your judgement and self esteem. I also really liked the friendship between Michael and his friends and the attention the author paid to the ways strict family roles can also harm men. If you're looking for a SPICY romance with heart of a Hallmark movie and the depth your favorite tv drama, this is the book for you!

It's time to make a change and who better than to help her than her friends Janae and Cree. The three of them comprise the Savvy, Sexy, Singles Club and it's Vanessa's turn to host their get together. As she's locking up, a voice calls out to her using her married name, one she hasn't used since her divorce two years ago. The Asian man approaching her is muscular and she should be uneasy but instead she feels more unnerved but not fearful. When he identifies himself as Michael Park, Sheriff of Monroe Hills in Pennsylvania, she immediately thinks of the friends she's meeting, both of whom live there. However, that is not who he's here to discuss, He wants to speak with her about her ex-husband Karl and on a personal level not a professional one.

It seems her ex-husband has convinced Michael's sister, Cindy to marry him. She will ignore whatever Michael has to say thinking he's just being overprotective. If Vanessa is there to prove Karl isn't a widower and is scamming her, he has a chance to save Cindy a lot of pain and heartache. Vanessa doesn't agree until she notices Cindy is wearing her grandmother's ring. A ring that was awarded to her in the divorce.

That night Vanessa finally has the courage to admit to her two best friend the full extent of the abuse she was subjected to during her years with Karl. The telling of it and the support of her friends who would be close by firm her resolve to help Michael prevent this disastrous marriage.

Neither Vanessa nor Michael could foresee how the attraction between them would grow as the weather in the area causes a couple of things to happen. First Vanessa loses her reservation at the bed and breakfast then the weather would keep her there until Cindy could make it back to town.

I love the way this story unfolds. The romance and sizzle, the town, even the eventual confrontation is perfectly executed.

I look forward to reading more from this debut author.

I checked out an upcoming romance novel, Vanessa Jared's Got a Man by LaQuette, and this one wasn't doing it for me. There are many factors to my dissatisfaction, and I will explain, but before I go in, IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE STORY.

The storytelling of this novel was fine. It has all the qualities of a good romance: a good-looking small-town sheriff, forced proximity, open jalapeno spice level, and petty revenge. But even with all of this, some things in the story still bothered me.

I had some problems with the dialogue in the story. It just wasn't believable. The conversations (specifically when the men were speaking) sounded like they came from a woman's perspective. With services like sensitivity reading on the rise, I'm surprised that LaQuette didn't ask a group of guys what a particular conversation between men sounds like. I won't say men's circles don't have deep discussions about marriage and relationship advice, but in my opinion, it didn't translate well on the pages.

Overall I rated this book 3-stars. It was okay. I appreciate this black romance novel not being the typical ghetto love story to which most people connect black and romance, so that was a breath of fresh air.

The following review will be posted on my blog tomorrow, Tuesday, September 20th, the day of publication. It will be shared on Twitter and Instagram between today and the day of publication, as well. It has already been posted to Goodreads tho. The blog post includes links to order the books and to its Goodreads page, so readers can add it to their to-be-read books.







“Michael’s place was not her home, yet she clearly understood that she’d be lying if she said part of her didn’t wish it could be.”

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 5
Spicy Meter: 4.5 stars
Content Warnings: Discusses cheating, gaslighting, parent death, car accident, codependency, and describes sexual content.

“Vanessa Jared’s Got a Man” follows Vanessa Jared (surprise surprise), a divorcee who, after being bossed around and manipulated by her ex—and getting to keep half his fortune after the divorce—, is approached by Michael Park, the sheriff of a small town called Monroe Hills, who’s little sister is about to marry Vanessa’s ex. Vanessa, naturally, wants nothing to do with it, until she sees the ring her ex used to propose to his new fiancée. Vanessa’s grandmother’s ring. Which was coincidentally “lost” in the middle of her ex moving out in the middle of the divorce. There is no way Vanessa can then let her ex get away with it, and so she agrees to go with Michael to Monroe Hills and tell his little sister who Vanessa’s ex really is. But perhaps she’ll find more than exes and anger in Monroe Hill. Perhaps she’ll even find love.

This book is so so good. Don’t take how long it took me to read it as a sign of it being boring, but take it as a sign of me being extremely busy. Yes, it took me 4 months to finish this book, but I also read it in huge sprints. Once I started reading, I would refuse to put it down—that’s how good it was.

“There was something too intense to describe about Michael. The more time she spent in his presence, the more apparent it became. That kind of power and confidence could ruin a woman.”

I don’t think any review would make this book justice. Michael is most literally my dream man. I loved Vanessa and her support system. Their chemistry was so real. I loved the small town feel of it all. I literally would not change a single thing about this book, hence the 5-star rating it got.

I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy romance novels with strong leads. Both Vanessa and Michael are stubborn, loyal, and independent as hell. If you’re more into shy characters, this is not it. Also, be read for some real spiciness. The sexual tension is worth the wait.

If you click here, you’ll be redirected to Goodreads, so you can add the book to your TBR list.

Or you could click here, and be redirected to Amazon, so you can order the book.

ARC provided by NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: September 20, 2022

“Whether the results are good or bad, my choices are my own. I’ve lived with a man who controlled everything from how I wore my hair, to what shade of lipstick I was allowed to put on. I can’t do that again.”

The cover drew me in, and I am so glad I did! Vanessa Jared’s got a man is a fun, fast paced romance with GROWN folks! I repeat, Grown folks! My kingdom for reading HOT romances between fully grown people, God bless the author. LOL.

We have Vanessa a divorcee who has rebuilt herself after her snake of a ex husband emotionally abused her, and by fate she gets to meet Michael who desperately wants to prevent his sister from suffering the same at hands of same man. They meet, sparks flyy, one beautiful small town location, 2 sets of amazing besties, and they get their happy ending.

I enjoyed this very much.

A huge thanks to the St Martin's press and NetGalley for the ARC.