After divorcing her toxic ex-husband, Vanessa Jared decides to spend time finding herself. Part of this exploration leads to a chance meeting with two other divorcees who form a bond and vow to help each other move on.

When Vanessa receives an unexpected visit from Michael Park - the Sheriff of her friends' town - regarding her ex-husband and his sister on the anniversary of her divorce, the last thing Vanessa wants is to be anywhere near the situation. But when she realizes that her ex has stolen her grandmother's ring and given it to his new fiance, she strikes a bargain; Vanessa will travel to his town to tell his sister about her toxic ex, and Michael will make sure she gets her ring back.

However, nothing is ever easy. From the moment she travels to the little town, which she affectionately calls 'Mayberry', she encounters one hilarious situation after another that throw her and Michael in close contact. Now she has to decide if she wants to pursue the attraction she has for him and open herself to another relationship.

LaQuette did a great job of weaving romance and comedy together.

I can't wait for the next book!

This is my first time reading a LaQuette book. I appreciated that the heroine was a Black woman over 40 who had a supportive sista circle comprised of other Black women of the same age. Besides all being Black women over 40, they had another common denominator: they are all divorcees. Here is where I am reminded of Farrah Rochon's trilogy of friends who meet after finding out they all dated the same guy, but got a friendship out of it.

In this book, we meet Vanessa Jared aka Vee, who divorced her controlling rich husband. Luckily, she had a great attorney and a career as an accountant, so she walked away well and had some breathing room to figure herself out. She is approached by a fine Asian man, who wants her help to stop his sister from making a big mistake. After some soul searching and evidence that she must take action for herself, she agrees and love develops. It was steamy, but not smutty. And a great introduction to an over forty romance trilogy. I look forward to seeing what happens next with Vanessa ,her man, and their friends.

Vanessa Jared is two years post divorce from her hor-rib-le ex husband and trying to get her life together when a sexy sheriff from another town, Michael Park, arrives at her door step asking for help because his baby sister is engaged to her ex. He devises a plan to get her to speak with his sister before it's too late...of course, the attraction is strong between them (I mean...look at that COVER) and they end up getting close.

I REALLY enjoyed this book and inhaled it in a day. I loved getting to know these characters and what Vanessa and Michael went through before finding each other. I enjoyed seeing Vanessa come into her own and face her past. It was very touching. I felt their connection pretty early on...And the steam? Yes, ma'am! The chemistry was strong between them. Michael using some Korean terms of endearment was the sweetest thing.

I really appreciated reading a romance book where the characters were a bit older (early 40's). It was a nice change of pace for me. I think even if you're used to reading about characters in their 20's in romance books...this was still easy to relate to when it comes to moving on from traumatic relationships. And of course, the usual romance tropes where two people fight their attraction for each other.

Another plus was the side characters...I enjoyed them all.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this digital ARC in exchange for a review.

I enjoyed Laquette's second-chance-at-love romance. I especially liked the themes of friendship, family, and small town connectivity that she employed. Using such mature leads also highlighted the effects of prolonged emotional abuse can have on future relationships. I enjoyed the banter and sass of Vanessa's friends and how each group of friends were so openly honest about how they should approach certain aspects of their lives.

What a delightful debut novel! The romantic story was wonderful, but I also really like Vanessa and her savvy attitude of getting her life back on track after divorcing her low-life ex. She's trying to get her groove back as a single woman and forget about her ex, but when she meets Michael, her plans take a slight detour. Vanessa and Michael work together to expose her ex for the snake that he is and in the process, she is able to gain back some of the self respect and confidence her ex had taken from her. Her and Michael also grow closer and begin to develop a beautiful relationship. I found the story to be well-written with a refreshingly unique and exciting plot. Both Michael and Vanessa were great characters and I enjoyed watching their relation blossom and grow. These two were so wonderful together and just had the sweetest most amazing chemistry. This was a really entertaining and enjoyable story and am glad I had the opportunity to read it. I will definitely be looking for more by this author!
I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of Vanessa Jared’s Got A Man.

The writing was really good and the story was heartfelt.

I had a hard time staying engaged as instant love is one of my least favorite tropes. It felt a bit saccharine to me.

I recommend this for people who love sweet romances reminiscent of hallmark.

Vanessa Jared's Got a Man is like reading a Hallmark holiday movie but with a completely diverse cast of POC. It was everything I needed. It had all the tropes, rich city girl falls for small-town sheriff. The hotel was full so they have to share a house. A town festival with a singles auction. It has it all.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book! I really like how the author was able to convey how far Vanessa has come and her growth since escaping her toxic and emotionally abusive relationship. The reader didn't need to see the abuse on page to recognize the changes Vanessa made in her self and her life and I appreciated how she was honest with her struggles and had a good support system in her two best friends. As for the romance, I think Michael and Vanessa has great chemistry from the start. It was important for the characters to understand how their life experiences led to their different personality characteristics, and that those differences needed to be addressed before starting a relationship together. My critique of this book is that I don't think there was enough drama when Vanessa's ex finally came back into the picture. I would have liked to see more, but the interaction was pretty much wrapped up into one scene and then he was gone. Based on what I read, I think the author could easily make this the first book of a series of books that are set within this town following different couples. Depending on the premise, I would probably read the next book if it featured Adam and Janae!

This is a romance that explores some hard topics, such as emotional and verbal abuse. Vanessa is a now divorced woman in her 40's who is struggling with who she is after spending 20 years in an abusive relationship (not physically) with her now ex-husband. I am glad to see the author take on this type of abuse and the impact it has on self worth. When Michael, a Sheriff enlists her to help save his little sister from Vanessa's ex-husband, she eventually relents. Michael and Vanessa have good chemistry, and he supportive as she is still working through her feelings post divorce.

Overall, this is a nice romance.
Thank you Netgalley, and St. Martin's Press for the Arc.

I loved the cover of this book. Representation in literature is so important. However, the story line just wasn't it for me. I didn't hate it, but I wouldn't pick it up for a re-read.

I was intrigued when I saw this book available on Netgalley but I’ll admit that I struggled with this read. It was very insta-lovey, and I didn’t feel like the main characters had any chemistry. I will say the supporting characters were lovely and Adam seemed really cool and I liked the HEA. It just felt a bit like I was being told how to feel in the story but I wasn’t vibing with it.

LaQuette, this is the best book I have read all year! I could not put it down, I read it twice within the three days! I loved the light you have shed on mental health and the stigma on therapy in the black community, something that is often downplayed or not thought of as something we should do. The vulnerability you show us in Vanessa, Janae, and Cree vs the relationships with Michael, Adam, and Derrick we some of my favorite parts of the book. I feel like I'm giving too much away, please go read this amazing book you will not be disappointed it is a definite 5/5. I cannot wait to see what else you have in store for this universe!

"Vanessa Jared's Got A Man" by Laquette was disappointing. I loved the diverse characters but they were not fully developed. I was anticipating the romance but felt that it was rushed and the first coupling awkward. Vanessa is 40 and divorced. Michael a sheriff gets her to help him save his sister from her grasping ex-husband. The premise was promising but not realized. If you like A Lot Like Adios this is not its like.

In the novel Vanessa Jared's Got a Man, Vanessa has taken 2 years to try to move on with her life after divorcing her abusive husband. He was never physically abusive to her, however he was mentally and emotionally abusive to her, so after 20 years of constantly being told what to do and being cheated on, she had enough. But when sexy sheriff Michael of Monroe Hills seeks her out regarding her ex-husband, she begrudgingly decides that helping Michael is the right thing to do.

I'll be honest with you readers.. I knew from approximately 5-10% into this book that it was not for me. When the author chooses this type of verbiage to describe a woman, I'm immediately turned away:

"watching her in her fitted sweater dress that hugged her high-sitting, full bosom and rounded hips that led to the thickest set of thighs he'd ever seen on a woman."

But, I kept reading because maybe the author meant it as in "thicc", not that she's incredibly overweight or something. Either way, I never really truly got into it. It was very mediocre. I was never invested in the story or the characters. Vanessa felt like one of those stereotypical rich women that look down their nose at anyone/anything beneath them. Despite her objections to being that type of woman, anyone who walks into a B&B and mentions "well it certainly isn't the Ritz" is definitely stuck-up.

The initial premise of the book was to expose Vanessa's no-good ex-husband, however it felt like it really took a back burner to Vanessa and Michael, yet SOMEHOW at the same time these characters never actually DO anything. They keep lusting after each other, but why? Because they are good looking? I found zero depth to the characters and had no idea why they were into each other besides the physical aspect. Then, when they finally do get around to exposing her ex... it's over after about 3 or 4 paragraphs! Vanessa laid out the facts and that was it. Everyone basically just moved on after that. I was just flabbergasted.

Overall, this one was not for me. 2/5 stars

I did like this book. I love that the author did not waste any time setting up the plot and we knew from the start where this story would go. I also love that it wasn't kept too pre-visible. I could not have predicted that $2M donation and my jaw literally dropped!
I think the confrontation with Karl was a bit flat and could have been more realistic. I do not see Karl listening to Vanessa without interrupting. I also would have love to have a little bit more details on his reactions; was he blushing? Was he pacing up and down. That would have made it fun.
A noticed a few typos. I could not find the first one I saw anymore (probably should have noted it down), but on page 435 reading from my phone, it says "to have you so hot and tight around my cock I could hardly breath". I believe the right word would have been breathe. On the same page, I think there is an apostrophe that can be removed. The sentence reads "She was out of breath, as if she'd run some type of marathon instead of orgasming on this man's couch"". I believe the apostrophe at the end of that sentence can be removed.
Overall, this was an easy read. I hope we will get other books following the adventure of the Savvy, Sexy and Single club. I can't wait to read more from this author!

<i>Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review</>

dnf @ 30%

the only problem i have with this book is that i don’t consider myself to be the target audience to read and review it. i couldn’t connect with the main characters because i found nothing about them to be relatable.
the book is well written but it’s just not for me.

I went back and forth on this book a lot. On the one hand, it's very well-written. The sex scenes are hot, the characters are well-rounded, and their development was believable. On the other hand, there are things that just didn't make sense.

At the beginning, Vanessa clearly doesn't know the other two women she befriends, but it also seems like they didn't know each other. Then we find out they went to high school together, and live in the same small town. The same small town, but utter coincidence, where Vanessa's ex falls starts dating someone new. It's not until like 2/3 of the way into the book that it explains Vanessa specifically went looking for a divorce support group nowhere near where she lived. But still--what was her ex doing there? I was confused for like 1/3 of the book. Then, this small town apparently has an airport but not a rental car facility? It's too small for a train or bus station, but people live 20 minutes apart by car. I'm supposed to believe that Vanessa is so incredibly wealthy, she can donate 2 million dollars without breaking a sweat, yet her husband has no cash assets at all. No matter how good her lawyer was, if his business made that kind of money while they were married, he could have made something in the two years since. Also, the woman who has tens of millions of dollars at her fingertips can't pay someone from the nearest large city like $1,000 to come get her and take her home? All the inconsistencies and weirdness kept taking me out of the story.

Thank you St. Martin Press and NetGalley for the eARC! All opinions expressed are my own. This review does NOT contain any spoilers. :)

☆☆☆☆ Overall

This book was written really well, and the cover is absolutely beautiful. I laughed, I cried, and I thoroughly enjoyed it for the most part. The few critiques I have are mostly on the plot, not that it’s bad - it’s just not the type of romance I usually read, with older characters. It’s a beautiful novel, but wasn’t my favorite thing in the world just because I felt like I couldn’t relate to it as much as I usually do with my favorite novels.

LaQuette can do absolutely NO WRONG in my eyes. and this book. WOOOO! Everything I love in a romance. Sexy. Smart. The enemies to lovers. The premise (getting a divorcee to help stop her ex's wedding) was super fresh and likeable. I swear I need another book with these two. So cute and funny... and did I say... SEXY!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC. I was really excited by the synopsis because we are following Vanessa, who’s in her 40’s and divorced. She has spent the past two years trying to figure out what she wants to do now that she is single. But, Michael the sheriff of a local town comes to her door asking for her help, he wants her to come to his hometown and help end the engagement between his sister, Cindy and Vanessa’s ex husband. Vanessa is hesitant at first but agrees to come. This book was so incredibly sweet and inspiring. I really loved Vanessa, she went through so many abuses from her ex and we see her give herself the space to start again. The romance is just chief's kiss and the spice!!! I highly recommend checking out this book and I will definitely be reading more from the author. The book will be out September 20th! 4/5 ⭐