Emergency Contact

Starred review from August 28, 2023
Bestseller Layne (Passion on Park Avenue) teams up with her husband, debut author LeDonne, for this sparkling second-chance romance. Manhattan attorney Katherine Tate’s father died on Christmas nine years ago, and ever since, she’s been the consummate Grinch—one of many differences between her and her ex-husband, Tom Walsh. When a car accident lands Katherine in the hospital shortly before Christmas, she’s distressed to realize she never changed her emergency contact information—but even though she and Tom haven’t spoken in years, he still shows up. The doctor discharges Katherine but warns against leaving her alone, so Tom invites her to spend Christmas in Chicago with his family, never mind how this complicates his plans to propose to his new girlfriend on Christmas Eve. A blizzard turns their cross-country trek into a hilarious series of misadventures. Along the way, Tom realizes that he still has a soft spot for “the most stubborn, proud, and ridiculous person” he knows, and Katherine discovers she can still read Tom’s moods like a book. The authors make the most of the alternating perspectives to convincingly chronicle Katherine and Tom’s reawakening love. Supporting characters, especially trucker Gorby, who comes through for Katherine and Tom in a pinch, add to the fun. This is a gem. Agent: Nicole Resciniti, Seymour Agency.