Review_FICTION
62 PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ■ APRIL 6, 2020
Review_FICTION
travels from Kirrinfief to cover Lissa’s
patients in London. As both adjust to the
charms and quirks of life in a small town
and big city, they exchange emails about
patients. Soon their correspondence
becomes more personal than professional
as they forge a powerful bond. Their long-
distance relationship is sweet but slow as
the medical drama and contrasting settings
take center stage, but their eventual face-
to-face meeting is worth the wait. This
cute, cozy story will draw readers in. Agent:
Deborah Schneider, ICM Partners. (June)To Catch an Earl
Kate Bateman. St. Martin’s, $7.99 mass
market (336p) ISBN 978-1-250-30611-1
In Bateman’s sparkling second Bow
Street Bachelors Regency (after This
Earl of Mine) an elusive thief falls for the
investigator seeking her arrest. Emmy
Danvers comes from a long line of French
jewel thieves but has been content to live
a crime-free life in the four years since her
father, the notorious Nightjar, died. Then
her family starts
receiving letters
threatening to
expose and
harm them if
they do not sur-
render all the
jewels Emmy’s
father stole and
steal three more
high-profile
pieces. Emmy
reluctantly takes up her father’s mantel
as the Nightjar, hatching a plan to
recover the crown jewels of France from
the British Museum. Alex Harland, Earl
of Melton, works as an agent of inquiry
after returning from battle in the conti-
nent and is determined to capture the
Nightjar. But when his investigation
leads him to Emmy, she steals his heart,
forcing Alex to decide if he is willing to
implicate the woman he loves. Bateman
loads her fast-paced heist with fun secret
identity hijinks, clever characters, and
sizzling romance. Series fans and new
readers alike will be thrilled. (June)Half Truths
Claire Contreras. Claire Contreras, $3.99
e-book (368p) ISBN 978-0-9983455-6-7
Scandal, secrets, and the bad behaviorsSupportive neighbors enhance the
hilarity and add a sense of community
sure to tug at the heartstrings. This
sweet romance is a joy. Agent: Nalini
Akolekar, Spencerhill Assoc. (June)500 Miles from You
Jenny Colgan. Morrow, $16.99 trade paper
(432p) ISBN 978-0-06-291124-7
Strangers trade lives in this endearing
romance from Colgan (The Bookshop on the
Shore), which will remind rom-com aficio-
nados of the film The Holiday. London
nurse Lissa Westcott witnesses a teenage
boy getting run over by a car and is part of
the failed effort to save his life. After the
tragedy, she suffers from PTSD, leading her
superiors to
arrange for her
to swap jobs
with a nurse in
the quiet town
of Kirrinfief,
Scotland, as a
break from
stressful London
life. Meanwhile,
nurse Cormac
MacPhersonaround in this spirited contemporary
from Brogan (My Kind of Forever). Ever
since Carli Lancaster’s divorce was final-
ized eight months ago, she’s been doing
her best to make ends meet while raising
her two teenage
daughters.
Adding Gus, an
oversized and
undertrained
puppy, to the
family only
adds to her
stress—espe-
cially when he
pilfers her new
neighbor’s
T-bone steak right off his grill. Ben
Chase is mid-divorce and just wants to
be left alone, but he’s drawn to Carli’s
personality and good looks. An easy-
going friendship soon develops between
them, but becomes harder to maintain
as their feelings for each other grow.
Brogan’s voice is distinct and irresistible,
offering both laugh-out-loud scenarios
and moments of poignancy as Carli and
Ben wade through the murky waters of
divorce and single parenthood.★ The Marriage Game
Sara Desai. Berkley, $16 trade paper (352p) ISBN 978-0-593-10056-1D
esai’s delightful debut is a playful take on enemies-
to-lovers and arranged marriage tropes starring
two headstrong Desi-American protagonists.
Layla Patel returns home to San Francisco from
New York City after losing her job, her boyfriend, and
her self-respect. Her father, determined to fix her life,
offers her the office space above his restaurant (which
he neglects to tell Sam Mehta, the current tenant),
and makes her a profile on an Indian dating site
(which he neglects to tell Layla). Sam refuses to vacate
the office space, but Layla sets up shop there anyway.
The pair instantly clash, but when suitors from the
dating website show up at the office hoping to woo Layla, Sam feels oddly
protective. They strike a bet: if Layla finds a husband among the blind dates
her father set up, she has to surrender the office to Sam, if she doesn’t, then Sam
must leave the office. As part of their deal, Sam will chaperone her dates to protect
her from the judgement of her hypertraditional suitors. It’s a blast to witness
Sam and Layla exchange flirtatious barbs as their snarky chemistry blossoms
into something real over the course of Layla’s hilariously disastrous dates.
Rom-com fans should take note of this fresh, fun offering. Agent: Laura
Bradford, Bradford Literary. (June)