Gouda Friends

“Best friends for-chèvre” help each other find and then follow their bliss in Yardley’s charming, slow-paced second Ponto Beach Reunion rom-com (after Love, Comment, Subscribe). People-pleaser Tam Doan is stuck in a bad pattern of “dating jackasses and taking low-end jobs.” Then, after an 18-hour work day, she walks in on her boyfriend in bed with another woman. Worse, he’s thrown out her emergency cheese. Tam dumps him, quits her job, and moves home to Ponto Beach, Calif., to reconnect with old friends—especially her equally cheese-loving BFF Josh O’Malley. Five years earlier, Josh hit rock bottom and Tam helped him pull his life together to create Ghost Kitchens Unlimited, several delivery-only restaurants operating out of one commercial kitchen. Now Josh wants to return the favor. As Tam searches for a career and Josh expands his business, the pair become friends with benefits in a series of sizzling sex scenes. But when Tam is offered her dream job in Seattle, will she choose to prioritize her personal or her professional life? It’s palpable how much Tam and Josh care for each other, and though there are few belly laughs here, the plethora of cheese puns are sure to make readers smile. Yardley’s fans will gobble up this gentle but steamy romance. Agent: Tricia Skinner, Fuse Literary. (Mar.)