Hedging Your Bets

Contentious neighbors find unexpected romance in this fun enemies-to-lovers contemporary from Denker (The Rom-Com Agenda). Gillian Pritchard has enjoyed “years of blessed solitude” since her divorce, loving her life in the comfortable and cozy town of Willow Cove, Ontario, where she cultivates a flourishing flower garden. Her few attempts at dating have gone poorly, however, bringing up insecurities about her weight and desirability exacerbated by her fat-shaming ex-husband. On the bright side, she feels this will be her year to place first in the annual community gardening competition—until Noah West moves in next door and starts pulling up the hedge separating their properties. Sexy Noah has returned to his family’s summer vacation town for a fresh start after a failed relationship. He and Gillian are immediately attracted to each other, but awkward encounters and misunderstandings leave them on the wrong foot. When Noah enters the gardening competition, Gillian fumes. As the competition heats up, however, these two realize they have more in common than either would like to think. The small-town drama is juicy and the couple’s chemistry is palpable throughout. These two are great together. Agent: Jordy Albert, Booker Albert Agency. (Jan.)