Just My Type

This entertaining rom-com from Ballard (Lease on Love) kicks off when relationship columnist and serial monogamist Lana Parker is dumped by her boyfriend of four years in “an Elle Woods moment” and her boss at online magazine Always Take Fountain challenges her to write a new column about being (and staying) single. If she does well, she has a shot at writing lifestyle pieces for the much more prestigious paper that has just acquired the site. But there’s a catch: she’s competing against her former best friend and first boyfriend, Seth Carson, a rootless freelance journalist who’s been challenged to write about becoming “boyfriend material” after years of playing the field. As former lovers turned bitter rivals turned uncertain coworkers, Lana and Seth slowly rebuild their old connection, discovering a deep chemistry that never quite faded. Ballard’s leads easily prove their compatibility through snarky banter and subtext-laden glances that leave no doubt as to their inevitable happily ever after. But the story, which refreshingly sees both protagonists undergoing therapy for their respective issues while reassessing their personal and professional goals, is one of healing and emotional growth as much as romance. There are few surprises here, but that doesn’t make it any less fun. [em]Agent: Kimberly Whalen, Whalen Agency. (Feb.) [/em]