Vanessa Jared's Got a Man: A Novel by LaQuette
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Web ID: 1505842012 reviews
Great Story!
What I liked the most about this story was Vanessa Jared was a forty something divorcee picking up the pieces and turning the pages and starting a new chapter in her life. I love the meet up with Cree and Janae who became her best friends and together they formed the Savvy Sexy and Single Club. In trying to start a new chapter in her life Vanessa's life takes a turn when Michael Park shows up on her doorstep asking her to help him with his baby sister whose about to marry Vanessa's ex she's not interested until she spots her grandmothers ring and realizes her ex has stolen the ring and she wants it back. Michael's friends Adam and Derrick were great as well and I did feel the connection between Vanessa and Michael. Great story I liked it.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Good Romance
I enjoyed reading Vanessa Jared's Got A Man. This story was very entertaining with great characters. Loved how the ladies had their own group the Savvy, Sexy, and Single Club. The chemistry with Vanessa and Michael was hot. This is a good second chance at romance read. I received an ARC for my honest opinion!!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
steamy, engaging, sexy diverse 40+ romance
Sheriff Michael Park convinces divorcee Vanessa Jared to help him keep his little sister from marrying her no-good ex in LaQuette’s Vanessa Jared’s Got a Man. The novel gets off to an emotionally intense start, dealing with the lingering impacts of Vanessa’s marriage and divorce. Brilliant, courageous, beautiful, stronger than she knows, and a bit lost, Vanessa is on the road to rediscovering herself after years of keeping her needs, dreams, feelings, and desires hidden to become the woman her ex wanted her to be. Meeting and becoming friends with two other amazing Black women recovering from divorce in therapy helps her in this journey. Loyal, loving, dependable, sexy, honorable, and overprotective, Michael quit his job, gave up his life in the city, and moved back home to raise and care for his teenage sister after their parents die in a car accident, making her the focus of his life. LaQuette’s vibrant writing style, vivid description, lively and authentic dialogue, humor, wit, and emotional narrative draw you in instantly, making the pages fly by. She deftly develops her cast of diverse and relatable characters in this interracial/multicultural romance, with interactions and conversations between the characters that feel natural and genuine. I love that despite the diversity in race/ethnicity among characters and interracial romantic relationships—Vanessa is African American, and Michael is Korean American—the characters’ races are not at issue or a focal point of the story. Vanessa Jared, a 40-something divorcee, meets two women who become her best friends while rebuilding her life after divorcing her toxic, emotionally abusive, cheating ex-husband. Together they form The Savvy, Sexy, Singles Club and start the “Do Me” portion of their lives. On the second anniversary of her divorce, sheriff Michael Park comes to Vanessa expecting her to help him stop his little sister from marrying her no-good ex. However, Vanessa refuses to help because she’s freed herself from him and never wants to see or be near her ex again. But when Michael shows her a photo of his sister and Vanessa sees that she’s wearing her grandmother’s ring that her ex must have stolen from her, Vanessa is more than willing to help him to recover it. The last thing she expects, however, is to fall in love with Michael in the meantime. Vanessa and Michael’s relationship is a bit of a slow burn. But the wait is well worth it. LaQuette wonderfully develops their relationship from uneasy allies, to friends, to lovers with flirty, sexy, sweet, and humorous banter. I love Michael and Vanessa’s connection, interactions, sexual chemistry, intimacy, and love scenes, which are sexy AF. Vanessa and Michael don’t shy away from serious conversations but also talk about all kinds of things, with a lot of flirting, innuendo, and fiery chemistry. I love how intensely Michael is feeling Vanessa. While he tries to keep his cool and stay in control, it doesn’t take long for his attraction to her to deepen. Vanessa, on the other hand, is hesitant to get involved with anyone after her experience with her controlling ex. So, Vanessa fiercely fights the attraction—though she’s deeply attracted to Michael from their first meeting. Spending time with him only makes Vanessa respect and care for him, and she wants him even more. But Vanessa can only allow herself to enjoy being with him while she’s in town because she’s not willing to risk her heart or independence. Michael’s relentless need to protect the people he loves, which tends to get out of control, only reinforces her skittishness about pursuing anything romantic with him. LaQuette does a great job of showing her characters existing and having lives outside of each other while they’re together, which sometimes is missing from romances. I love Vanessa’s friends and their relationship. Their conversations and interactions are insightful, honest, humorous, and so crucial to the revelation and development of Vanessa’s character and the novel. Likewise, Michael’s relationships with his friends and the townspeople are entertaining and enlightening about Michael and his sister, furthering their development and the story. I like how LaQuette subtly speaks to the stigma of therapy in the Black community and emotionally manipulative/abusive relationships through Vanessa’s situation. Through Michael and his sister’s loss, LaQuette explores grief’s impact on surviving family members and its influence on their personalities and interactions with the people in their lives. Jared’s Got a Man is an angsty, sexy AF, humorous, steamy, emotional, multicultural/interracial romance. I highly recommend it to readers looking for a steamy, engaging, sexy romance about diverse characters in their 40s. The novel explores themes of self-discovery, letting go of the past, emotional healing and recovery, friendship, learning to trust and open your heart to love again, and making a fresh start after an emotionally abusive relationship. CW: past emotional abuse/manipulation and control. Advanced review copy provided by St. Martin’s Griffin via Netgalley for review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A Romance I Recommend
I didn’t know what to expect going into this story, knowing that I’m not much of a romance reader. I dabble in reading them here and there, but if I could read more romance novels like Vanessa Jared’s Got A Man, then I’m hooked. Let’s talk about the cover! What a beautiful one at that and to be honest that is what first caught my attention. I mean, with a cover like that, there’s no way I wouldn’t enjoy the words in it. This is a fictional story with plausible situations and friendships. Vanessa’s determination and will to take control of her life had me cheering her on and smiling every step of her way along with her two best friends, who brought humor and inspiration into their small circle. The romance was slow building, but steady, keeping me on the edge of my seat. However, once the spark was lit there was no turning back for Vanessa and Michael. Vanessa Jared’s Got A Man by LaQuette is a beautiful story of healing, moving on and loving again. I highly recommend this book to romance readers and maybe to some who want to start reading romance and don’t know where to begin. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an eARC for my honest review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Sweet & Steamy
I really enjoyed this story about a woman getting her groove back and a second chance at love! It has the perfect blend of sweet and spicy as well as light and serious. Both in their 40s, Vanessa and Michael are genuine and wonderful characters with flaws. While their romance is the main storyline, I liked that we see significant growth from both of them. Vanessa and Michael aren’t the only lovable characters. Both have a great group of besties who provide comic relief and tough love advice when needed. I’m looking forward to what might happen next with this group of friends. If you are looking for older MCs, a romance with depth, and a quaint small-town vibe, Vanessa Jared’s Got a Man belongs on your tbr. ✨ Favorite Quote: “The idea that we have to have everything figured out at any given point in our lives is a lie. You know that, don’t you?” ✨
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A delightful romance
I requested an ARC of this book, and all opinions are my own. I loved this book. The relationship between Vanessa & her two best friends is affirming, and positive - which is something she needs after suffering emotional abuse during her marriage. Then when she meets Michael, the sheriff of the small town her besties are from, and finds out her jerk ex is out to do the same thing to his sister, she is forced to confront her past head on. Michael & Vanessa fairly burn the pages with the tension that builds almost immediately. He's an honest to goodness 'good' man, but events from his past have given him a full-on hero complex, which Vanessa doesn't appreciate. They are a delightful couple, and you can't help rooting for them. I loved the story, I loved the characters, and I think everyone should pick this one up!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Smart, steamy contemporary romance
Divorcée Vanessa joins up with sexy small-town sheriff Michael to stop his little sister from marrying Vanessa’s narcissistic ex. LaQuette is a queen of smart, steamy contemporary romance. In the prologue, Vanessa is a wreck after leaving the narcissistic husband who emotionally abused her for twenty years. Two years later, when the main action of the story opens, she’s found her feet with the help of her girlfriends. Michael is compassionate and supportive, understanding how difficult it is for her to entangle herself in her ex’s life again. Vanessa and Michael are both reluctant to start up a new romance after the scars of their past. The chemistry proves too strong to resist—but they have to dig deep to find the strength to overcome their internal and external obstacles, so they can be together. There are no superficial “misunderstandings” here. The conflicts are believable and real. The audiobook was enjoyable and well done, making it easy to tell the characters apart. Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Second Chance Spicy Romance
Do you like sassy women friends and a hot romance? If so, this book is definitely one you’ll like. Vanessa is a divorced woman in her 40s. She met her two best friends in a divorce support group and their relationships/interactions are wonderful. One day, two years after her divorce is final, Michael Park shows up at her door because he’s trying to protect his sister from Vanessa’s ex, who was an emotionally abusive, controlling, cheating husband, and he asks Vanessa to help him. They have an instant attraction. The intercultural romance was delightful (Vanessa and her two friends are African American; Michael is Korean-American.) Michael happens to be the sheriff in a small town in the Pocono Mountains (Vanessa refers to the town as “Mayberry”), where her two friends live. She lives in New Jersey, in a gated community of some sort, is an accountant, and is totally not used to the vibes of a small town. The audiobook was great. Denise Wallace did a fabulous job with the various voices. Be advised: do not listen to this without headphones because there are a bunch of very explicit scenes. Definitely NSFW! Warnings: (past) death of parents; (past) emotionally abusive relationship Steam factor: High Thank you to OrangeSky Media and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook and to St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com