Maybe for You

McLaughlin’s satisfactory third Whiskey and Weddings contemporary (after Maybe This Time) features Army veteran Alexis, who’s grieving the death of her fiancé, and Jake, part owner (with Alexis’s brother, Dean) of Kansas City’s Stag distillery. During her final year of deployment in Italy, Alexis and Jake carry on a long-distance friendship, and upon her return, Alexis accompanies Jake on a two-week festival tour of making sales and seeking new contracts. Jake is determined to shed his playboy reputation and considers Dean’s sister off-limits; Alexis still mourns Nathan. However, when sparks fly, both agree to a fling before Alexis takes a CIA job in Virginia. An unexpected pregnancy, despite precautions, brings their affair into the open. Readers may feel frustrated by the artificial obstacles to Alexis making a commitment despite her advancing pregnancy: she’s certain that Nathan’s death means she’s not meant to have a family, and she worries that Jake is only staying out of obligation, despite evidence to the contrary. A tender subplot featuring Alexis’s ongoing caring relationship with Nathan’s family in Atlanta adds substance to this light but enjoyable story. Agent: Sarah E. Younger, Nancy Yost Literary. (Sept.)