Right Beside You

Set in Northern Ohio, this soft single-dad romance focuses on taking a chance on love after loss and despite miscommunications. Felicia Hawkins is a successful woman who works hard at her job coordinating workshops and training sessions for executives. She has a deep relationship with her elderly grandmother and her parents, and also has a longtime crush on her friend Richard Grimes, a widowed single father to teen girls who handles IT and administrative tasks at her company. In the years since the death of Richard’s wife, Richard and Felicia have been dancing around each other without any idea that their romantic feelings are mutual. Felicia thinks that she’s lost her chance with Richard—thanks to hearing that he’s been tapped for a transfer and seeing him around town with Regina, an old flame—and Richard believes that Felicia couldn’t ever want him. As Christmas approaches, the magic of the season leads them to search their hearts and reach out to each other at last. There’s no overt focus on religion, but the occasional mentions of faith and overall vibe will be deeply familiar to congregants of black American churches. Poor pacing and a rushed romantic resolution mar this otherwise tender and appealing romance. [em]Agent: Andrew Stuart, Stuart Agency. (Oct.) [/em]