Why Not Tonight

July 23, 2018
In Mallery’s delightful third Happily Inc. contemporary (after Second Chance Girl), an artist tries to help a glassblower rediscover his passion for art and life. At the behest of her boss and in the midst of a dangerous storm, gallery office manager and mixed-media artist Natalie Kaleta makes the long drive up to introverted glassblower Ronan Mitchell’s mountain home. When an accident traps her there for the duration of the storm, Ronan and Natalie end up tiptoeing around a strong mutual attraction. However, both of them have their own pasts to contend with, and neither feels ready for a serious relationship. Orphaned young and desperate for a family of her own, Natalie is considering having a baby and becoming a single mother. An abusive father and the revelation of a painful family secret have left Ronan scarred and set on self-isolation. Together, they decide to keep their relationship casual and fun, but soon they fall in love. Natalie is a charming, funny, and beautifully human heroine, and her chemistry with Ronan is genuine. A wedding destination hot spot in California is the perfect romantic setting for this tender story. Agent: Annelise Robey, Jane Rotrosen Agency.

August 1, 2018
Sent by the gallery where she works to check on a taciturn artist in his isolated hilltop home in the middle of a rainstorm, Natalie Kaleta winds up stranded.Ronan Mitchell moved to Happily Inc., California, after learning he was his artist father's illegitimate son. Raised by his father and his wife alongside their four legitimate sons, Ronan feels betrayed and confused and has distanced himself from his family, including the two brothers who followed him to the town. All three are renowned artists and share studio space attached to a gallery that carries their work. It's not unusual for Ronan to be out of contact, but when he's unreachable for too many days, gallery assistant Natalie is sent to check on him in his mountain home during a violent storm, then finds herself stranded due to blocked roads. Forced to spend a few days together, Ronan and Natalie have a delightful time and clearly share an intense chemistry. The two begin an affair that spills into their lives in mostly positive ways. Ronan is moved by Natalie's determined optimism, especially after he discovers her own heartbreaks and watches her own struggle as an artist. Natalie pulls Ronan out of his gloom, inching him back into a social life and his brothers' lives. A family reunion reopens wounds, though, and Ronan realizes he faces losing everyone he loves if he can't work through his hurt. Mallery's next Happily Inc. title rounds out the Mitchell family saga in satisfying fashion, and Natalie's bright, cheerful attitude is the perfect antidote to Ronan's self-absorbed moodiness, which occasionally weighs the book down. As usual in this series set in destination-wedding magnet Happily Inc., the central wedding of the book adds a fun touch, bringing texture and community to the story along with check-ins from favorite characters.A typical visit to the town of Happily Inc.--sexy, connected, emotional, and fun.

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August 1, 2018

Willow Gallery office manager and artist Natalie Kaleta decides that checking up on reclusive glass artist Ronan Mitchell when he doesn't answer his texts is a bit like bearding the dragon in his lair. She ends up as an impromptu guest at his mountainside fortress after her ancient car is crushed in a mudslide, and their perceptions of each other change, sowing the seeds for a different kind of relationship. An outspoken heroine with a positive take on life, a hero who needs to accept and forgive the past, and an offbeat group of family and friends keep the action swift and the various connections on track in a multilayered story that nicely continues the series. VERDICT Soul-crushing revelations and old resentments are tempered by whimsy, sass, and belly laughs in a scrumptiously sexy, playful story from one of the genre's best. Touching, refreshing, and fun. Mallery (When We Found Home) lives in Seattle.

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