Keeping It Hot

May 29, 2017
Readers of this sweet contemporary (the first in the Breakfast in Bed series) will chortle aloud as two friends finally see the romance that’s been in front of them all along. Resort owner Dylan Jackson is shocked when he sees his usually dressed-down best friend, coffee shop owner Zoe Hart, after her makeover. Now that she’s traded in her khakis and polo shirt for sexier outfits, Zoe believes she can finally get Dylan—whom she’s been in love with for years—to see her as more than one of the guys. When a drunk Zoe confesses she’s still a virgin, Dylan offers to be her first lover, and after a steamy night together, they both realize they want more. They initially think the change will be easy, but Dylan’s busy work schedule leaves Zoe feeling neglected. Dylan must find a way to balance his career with his love life or risk losing the only woman who’s ever held his heart. Landon will enthrall readers with this delightful romance. Agent: Jane Dystel, Dystel & Goderich Literary.

June 15, 2017
A friends-to-lovers contemporary romance set in sunny and steamy Pensacola, Florida.It's Zoe Hart's 29th birthday, and she's rather upset her virginity is still intact. She owns a coffee shop in her best friend Dylan Jackson's Florida resort, and through their years and years of friendship, she's gotten no closer to becoming more than a confidante to him. But her employee and friend Dana Anders has made it her personal mission to get Zoe out of the friend zone and into Dylan's bed by the time she hits 30. The first thing on the agenda: a makeover, where Zoe trades her coffee-stained polos and sensible ponytail for more form-fitting clothing and some product in her thick, wavy hair. Her new look confuses Dylan at first, since he's unused to seeing Zoe in anything other than khakis, but he finds himself taking more than a second glance at the woman who's always been there, unnoticed. As Zoe fills up her social calendar, no longer at Dylan's beck and call to fill any gaps in his busy schedule, Dylan realizes his attachment to Zoe is more than platonic. There's an awful lot of dialogue among Zoe, Dylan, and the secondary cast of meddling characters. Everything is always being explained rather than shown through details or a character's introspection, and the constant talking can make the romantic progression feel glacially slow. Dylan's characterization also borders on the misogynistic, as he seems personally affronted when Zoe begins to take more pride in her appearance and when she doesn't return one of his text messages within the hour. His sense of entitlement to his friend's time overshadows any romantic feelings blossoming between him and Zoe. A romance that starts sweet but quickly sours because of an unpleasant hero.

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