Love at First Sight

Williams (Enemies to Lovers) questions how much stock should be placed in first impressions in this cute contemporary. Jessie and Cal meet cute in a London Whole Foods and wind up spending a perfect afternoon together. They seem like a match made in heaven, but their date abruptly ends when they witness a woman’s suicide attempt, and Cal steps in to get the woman off the ledge and to the hospital. Jessie’s impressed by his compassion but frustrated he left before they could exchange numbers. She’s left hopelessly pining, until the pair run into each other again when Jessie’s infuriating boss introduces Cal as her boyfriend and says his name is Vinnie. As Jessie tries to make sense of both her feelings and Cal/Vinnie’s whole deal, she also attempts a career change, copes with a nasty stepmother-to-be, fends off the flirtations of a friendly butcher (who Jessie writes off as a player), and endeavors to take on board her best friend’s encouragement to stop being a doormat. The result is a pleasing story of a resilient young woman who doesn’t give up on herself when her romantic life isn’t going well. Fans of Jill Mansell and Beth O’Leary should check this out. (Aug.)