One year after her husband Randy's death, Lola Williams realizes her happy marriage was just an illusion and that her lying, cheating husband has left her with nothing but regrets. While Lola's experiences with love have definitely soured her on the idea of happily ever after, the geriatric board members of the Sunshine Valley Widows Club think they can find Lola her Prince Charming. Sheriff Drew Taylor is number one on the Widow's Club list for Lola, but Drew isn't exactly sure that a charmingly unpredictable gal like Lola, who is determined to track down her late husband's romantic bit on the side, is really what he needs in his life right now. Or is she? Curtis launches her Sunshine Valley series on a high note with a comically captivating contemporary romance that is jam-packed with plenty of sassy humor, small-town charm, sweet romance, and a rich cast of endearingly quirky characters.

A widow burned by love gets tangled up with a small-town sheriff in this contemporary romance series starter.Lola Williams' first real encounter with Sheriff Drew Taylor is when he catches her burning her late husband's underwear in a front-yard bonfire. The spectacle even attracts the very curious Sunshine Valley Widows Club, who soon adopt the mission to get the two unlucky-in-love people together. Lola gave up her dreams and lucrative career in New York City to move to her husband Randy's small hometown of Sunshine, Colorado. It's only after his death that she discovers he was quite the philanderer. Meanwhile, Drew's wife had no problem leaving him and their daughter high and dry. It's understandable why both Lola and Drew would feel jaded and cynical at the prospect of dating, especially since the small-town atmosphere lends itself to plenty of gossip. Lola's discoveries about her husband, though, are just the tip of the iceberg, and it's Drew to whom she turns to find out more about Randy's double life. Despite the heaviness of a spouse's death and the bitterness that may come with such intense heartbreaks suffered by both main characters, there's warm and pleasant goofiness to the town of Sunshine and the gentle romance between Drew and Lola. The Sunshine Valley Widows Club probably deserves most of the credit. They steal every scene and have perfect timing with comedic relief or a meaningful word. The biggest hurdles for readers' patience will be Lola's constant doubting of her own agency, even when it means admitting she made bad decisions, and how the slow-burn romance truly stretches the definition and nearly puts this into cozy women's fiction territory.An average romance that makes up for it with a lively, comedic cast. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

The quirky members of the Sunshine Valley Widows Club play matchmaker in this leisurely paced and entertaining series debut from Curtis (Dandelion Wishes). Lola Williams left her career as a makeup artist to move with her new husband, Randy, to his Colorado hometown. Lola struggles to break into the tight-knit community, which only gets harder after Randy's sudden death. Cleaning out his things, Lola discovers evidence that Randy was having multiple affairs, sending her on a quest to uncover the women's identities as the town's Widows Club, a support group for women who've lost their husbands, rallies around her. Sheriff Drew Taylor finds Lola's impulsive antics endearing (burning Randy's underwear in a bonfire, setting up his blow-up dolls in his former shop windows) but believes he has no room for her chaos in his life. Drew's ex-wife, who abandoned him and their six-year-old daughter, is moving back to town, and he's convinced he needs a stable woman to counterbalance his ex's influence on his daughter. Drew's slow realization of his love for Lola, nudged along by the Widows Club, sweetly parallels the townsfolk's gradual embrace of her as part of their community. Readers who enjoy relaxed stories of acceptance will be gratified. The edition includes a bonus story by Annie Rains. (Apr.)