I Do with You

At the start of this playful small-town romance and Maple Creek series opener from Landish (The Wrong Guy), Hope Barlowe leaves her high school sweetheart, Roy Laurier, the son of Maple Creek’s sheriff, at the altar. Meanwhile, musician Ben Taylor comes to a crossroads in his career. Struggling with writer’s block, stage fright, and imposter syndrome, he takes a break from the pressures of burgeoning stardom with a scenic retreat in Maple Creek’s woods. He’s not expecting a beautiful woman in a wedding dress to come barreling through his camp site. As the small-town gossip mill churns and residents splinter into Team Hope and Team Roy, Hope and Ben grow closer, and Ben rediscovers his muse through their budding romance. Unfortunately, despite Hope’s stated desire to figure out who she is “beyond Roy Laurier’s girl,” the narrative doesn’t allow her much room for personal growth outside of the men in her life as she barrels straight into a new relationship. A sense of fatedness between Hope and Ben somewhat compensates for the couple’s rushed romantic development, however, and the quaint setting charms. Readers will be eager to return to Maple Creek. (Nov.)