Maybe This Time

January 22, 2018
McLaughlin’s second Whiskey and Weddings contemporary (after Maybe I Do) starts out sweet but ends on a sour note. Jen Mackenzie is one of the working poor, both fiercely proud and desperate to keep her head above water. She’s had a crush on comfortably wealthy TJ Laughlin since high school, but, now that she works for him, she assumes he disdains her and accordingly treats him rudely. In fact, TJ’s fallen for her. At first, the way that TJ decides to finally act on his feelings is sweet and patient, and if he’s a little overbearing, he means well. Slowly, though, that attitude shifts into near-violent jealousy, possessiveness, and controlling behavior, turning what should be a love story into a surprise horror novel for readers who recognize the hallmarks of abuse. With weak plot resolutions and explicit but lukewarm sex scenes, this novel is an easy pass. Agent: Sarah Younger, Nancy Yost Literary.

February 1, 2018
Set against the backdrop of a chic Kansas City distillery, a woman plagued by years of bad luck finds love with her middle school crush-turned-new boss.Jen Mackenzie and TJ Laughlin have known each other for more than a decade, but they wouldn't exactly call themselves friends. After one disastrous project in government class, it became obvious that the two of them were like oil and water. Jen came from a poor background and had a penchant for getting into trouble. TJ was the typical preppy rich boy--a little stuffy and addicted to his parents' approval. As adults, not much has changed. Jen is now working as a bartender for the Stag, a whiskey distillery owned by three men, one of whom is TJ. Twelve years after middle school, Jen is covered in tattoos, is one purchase away from getting hit with an overdraft fee, and is caring for her ornery mother, who has breast cancer. TJ's dream to open a distillery was met with apprehension from his country club-loving father. But five years into the success of the Stag, he hopes his dad will come around. The distillery itself is perhaps the most exciting part of the book, from descriptions of the decor to the tasty cocktail offerings. Jen and TJ's relationship operates much like it did a decade ago; Jen teases TJ, and he gets uptight and awkward. Rinse and repeat. Jen is a heroine who just can't catch a break, and while her circumstances are a testament to her resilience, it can become tiring watching one bad thing after another happen to her. TJ and Jen do have a cute back-and-forth, antagonistic relationship, with neither one wanting to admit their feelings for the other. However, it would feel more fitting for characters in their teens rather than their 30s.A fine romance with a setting more interesting than its characters.

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February 1, 2018
With her artful tattoo sleeve, dyed black hair, and outgoing personality, Jen Mackenzie is attractive to most men, but most men don't consider her marriage material, and she's fine with that. Jen has never seen herself as the settling-down type, and she certainly doesn't expect her high-school crush, rich and handsome TJ Laughlin, to see her that way, either. Unbeknownst to her, however, TJ noticed Jen back when she was the lead in the high-school musical, and now that they work together at the Stag, Kansas City's newest whiskey distillery, of which TJ is part-owner, he can't help but notice her every time she's near. Jealousy flares TJ into action when a rival tries to put the moves on Jen, and a mutual attraction that's been simmering for a decade finally comes to rolling boil as TJ tries to convince Jen that she's worth more than just a fling. The second novel in McLaughlin's Whiskey and Weddings series, following Maybe I Do (2017), is a sexy and sweet contemporary romance with believable characters and realistic southern atmosphere.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)