Made in Manhattan

Layne (To Sir, with Love) brings a light touch to this delightful, gender-swapped My Fair Lady tale in which the city itself is a nuanced character. Manhattan socialite Violet Townsend occupies herself with charity engagements, volunteer work, and helping family friend Edith Rhodes, the soon-to-be retired CEO of a global conglomerate, to manage her daily affairs. It all fills her time, but it doesn’t fill her heart, something she only discovers after meeting Edith’s long-lost grandson, Cain Stone, who’s poised to inherit Edith’s company. Rough-around-the-edges Cain is already well established in New Orleans, and he’s not super interested in getting the polish Edith and Violet think he needs to please the company’s board of directors. As Violet takes him under her wing, she learns that under his gruff exterior lies sweetness and charm. Their growing connection combined with Cain’s kindness to Violet’s dog is sure to tug readers’ heartstrings. Layne has a skill for building unique heroines, and Violet, who has anxiety about expressing herself stemming from losing her family at a young age, adds depth to this contemporary. Layne’s fans are sure to be pleased. Agent: Nicole Resciniti, the Seymour Agency. (Jan.)