Contemporary Romance published by Berkley 28 Mar 23
Papillon in Louisiana is a quirky town with its characters like the gator who greets visitors, the judge who prefers fishing to being in court, and townspeople who get up to all kinds of shenanigans. It’s no wonder this has become one of my favorite contemporary series and I look forward to every new release.
Quaid is one of the scions of Papillon and has followed in his father’s footsteps and opened a law office, where he does his best to help all the townspeople. True, he settles more cases out of court and takes kind rather than cash for a lot of his cases, but it’s a reasonably good life.
Jayna was the trailer trash, the nerdy poor girl from the trailers, the butt of jokes of the other school children. She couldn’t wait to shake the dust off her hometown and settle down as a high-powered lawyer in New Orleans, married into a prominent legal family in the city. When she stood on the side of Right, she found herself facing a disbarment hearing, divorced and penniless, and forced to come back to her hometown with her tail between her legs.
Down but not defeated, Jayna decides to use her legal training to give Quaid some competition in the legal arena. She takes on cases that force him to go to court, to the dismay of the judge who has to curtail his fishing. What a riot those court appearances are. Also, Quaid discretely steers business her way that might actually net her money, rather than just the vegetables and other goods that she’s getting compensated in. Quaid might not have remembered Jayna from school, but she definitely stirs his libido now. With Jayna’s feisty championship of her sister, her determination to succeed despite the obstacle’s life throws in her path, and her determination to take no help that might be considered charity, she makes for an interesting, colorful character.
This is a great story that encourages taking chances and shooting for the moon, breaking out of the mold that one is born into. Plus, of course, there’s the bonus of catching up with all the characters from the previous books in the series. I absolutely loved this one and can’t wait to see what comes next.
Grade: A
Summary:
Quaid Havery always planned to follow in his father’s footsteps. He went to law school and then came home to take over his dad’s legal practice. Being the only lawyer in small-town Papillon, Quaid is pretty sure he’s seen everything. After all, he was once asked to sue an alligator for defamation of character. He’s prepared for anything the town can throw at him, until he encounters Jayna Cardet. She’s gorgeous, smart, funny, and unlike any woman he’s met before….Except he has.
Jayna never thought she’d return to Papillon, but when her life gets turned around she must learn to live in the close-knit community again. She certainly never dreamed she would practice law in her little town, but she finds herself in the courtroom, and the opposing counsel is her former high school crush, Quaid. It wouldn’t be so bad if the man had developed a beer belly, but Quaid is more handsome than ever. And instead of ignoring her like he did in high school, he’s made it plain that he wants to get to know her.
Thus begins a courtship destined to end in a wedding or a war. Either way, the locals are popping some corn and eagerly awaiting the outcome.
Other books in this series:
