WHY NOT TONIGHT

Sent by the gallery where she works to check on a taciturn artist in his isolated hilltop home in the middle of a rainstorm, Natalie Kaleta winds up stranded.

Ronan Mitchell moved to Happily Inc., California, after learning he was his artist father's illegitimate son. Raised by his father and his wife alongside their four legitimate sons, Ronan feels betrayed and confused and has distanced himself from his family, including the two brothers who followed him to the town. All three are renowned artists and share studio space attached to a gallery that carries their work. It’s not unusual for Ronan to be out of contact, but when he’s unreachable for too many days, gallery assistant Natalie is sent to check on him in his mountain home during a violent storm, then finds herself stranded due to blocked roads. Forced to spend a few days together, Ronan and Natalie have a delightful time and clearly share an intense chemistry. The two begin an affair that spills into their lives in mostly positive ways. Ronan is moved by Natalie’s determined optimism, especially after he discovers her own heartbreaks and watches her own struggle as an artist. Natalie pulls Ronan out of his gloom, inching him back into a social life and his brothers’ lives. A family reunion reopens wounds, though, and Ronan realizes he faces losing everyone he loves if he can’t work through his hurt. Mallery’s next Happily Inc. title rounds out the Mitchell family saga in satisfying fashion, and Natalie’s bright, cheerful attitude is the perfect antidote to Ronan’s self-absorbed moodiness, which occasionally weighs the book down. As usual in this series set in destination-wedding magnet Happily Inc., the central wedding of the book adds a fun touch, bringing texture and community to the story along with check-ins from favorite characters.

A typical visit to the town of Happily Inc.—sexy, connected, emotional, and fun.