Get a Life, Chloe Brown

Chronically ill Chloe Brown’s near-death experience is the catalyst for a thrilling, life-altering adventure that will keep readers riveted. Chloe, living but not thriving in present-day England, is on her daily walk when a car just misses crashing into her. Realizing life’s too short for her to settle for her boring routine, she creates a list of ways to change her life—starting with moving out of her family’s home and into her own apartment, and working up to traveling the world—but discovers that she needs a little push to follow through. Enter her new building superintendent, Redford “Red” Morgan, a tough guy with a heart of gold and a hidden artistic talent. Their relationship begins antagonistically, but the more time they spend together, with Red coaching Chloe through her list, the more sparks fly. It’s quickly clear that the question isn’t whether they’ll get together but whether they can overcome their past traumas to turn their fling into something that will last. Chloe is a fantastic heroine with a refreshing voice; she’s understandably prickly given all she goes through as a black, overweight, disabled woman, but that edge doesn’t make her any less endearing to Red or the reader. She feels real and so do her struggles. Red is also dynamic and fascinating. Both characters need to change their lives and stand up for themselves, and readers will find them inspiring. Best of all, the romance is sizzling hot. This contemporary is a page-turning winner. Agent: Courtney Miller-Callihan, Handspun Literary. (Nov.)