★Moher, Laura. Curves for Days. Sourcebooks Casablanca. (The Galway Series, Bk. 1). Aug. 2023. 336p. ISBN 9781728278056. pap. $16.99. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

DEBUT Alice Rose Barnes has spent the last 16 years alone, unable to trust anyone after a traumatic high school experience. Then she wins the lottery, and suddenly people she barely knows are calling and banging on her door. Desperate for peace and frightened for her safety, Alice runs away, eventually landing in Galway, NC. Using the name Rose, she begins to make friends and build a life there, all while hiding the fact that she’s now a multimillionaire. When she employs grumpy carpenter Angus Drummond to do extensive renovations on her new house, she doesn’t realize how much he’s going to change her life. Angus is happy to have finally found someone who is open and honest, with no pretenses or secrets—except Rose does have a secret. The protagonists of this opposites-attract, enemies-to-lovers romance are authentic and relatable. Their sexual tension is instant, and the slow burn of their relationship realistic. Rose’s past trauma is revealed gradually and is treated sympathetically, as is Angus’s (and other military veterans’) mental health issues. VERDICT Readers will love the banter between Rose and Angus and cheer them on as they slowly build their relationship.