April Parker moved to Willow Creek to raise her daughter after a painful divorce, but she didn't like living in such a small town and promised herself she'd move as soon as Caitlin started college. Since she didn't plan to stay long, April never got involved in town life. Local boy Mitch Malone is the exact opposite. Born and raised in Willow Creek, he's the gym teacher, the high school football coach, and a fixture at Jackson's bar. He's also deeply insecure about how his family views his personal life. When Mitch decides that he needs to bring a girlfriend to an upcoming Malone family get-together, he and April strike a deal: Mitch will help April fix up her house, and April will be Mitch's fake girlfriend in front of his family. Over the next few weeks, the closeness that develops between them changes everything. This sexy, witty, fast-paced romantic comedy has surprising emotional depth. It can be read as a standalone or as part of DeLuca's "Well Met" series. VERDICT Readers won't want to put this novel down once they start and will clamor for more as soon as they finish. Recommended for public libraries.--Heather Miller Cover, Homewood P.L., AL

When Mitch rescues April in a bar, saving her from an obnoxious guy who's trying to pick her up, she agrees to help him out by pretending to be his girlfriend at a family dinner. Having raised her daughter alone, April is planning to sell her house, with Mitch's fix-it help, and follow her dream of moving to the city and changing her life. Mitch, a high-school gym teacher with a beautifully chiseled physique, is a headliner at the local Renaissance Faire; costumed as a Scotsman, he performs choreographed combat on a lawn chess board. When his family gathering morphs into a weekend away to celebrate his grandparents' fifty-seventh anniversary, Mitch and April find themselves sharing a hotel room and having totally unplanned and unexpected hot sex. DeLuca's enchanting tale of unsought love developing over home improvement tasks and making family members happy, cheerfully set against the charming backdrop of a Renaissance fair, is a joy to read. Readers will also enjoy DeLuca's Well Met (2019) and Well Played (2020).