Katherine Center's witty, madcap 12th novel, The Love Haters, follows a video producer who heads to Key West, Fla., to save her job but risks losing her heart.
Katie Vaughn has sworn off love after being dumped by her singer-songwriter ex. She's also worried about layoffs at her Dallas-based company, so when her boss, Cole, sends her to Florida for a last-minute gig, Katie feels she has no choice. The catch? The video's subject is Tom "Hutch" Hutcheson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer and Cole's (ridiculously handsome) brother. And Katie can't swim.
Center (The Bodyguard; Hello Stranger) plunges Katie into a cheerful, colorful Key West setting, including a quirky motel, a group of Golden Girls-esque retired ladies, and a 160-pound rescued Great Dane. As she films Hutch in his element (and learns to swim), Katie finds herself attracted to him, but Hutch isn't a big fan of love, either. Meanwhile, Katie's cousin and best friend, Beanie, is on a mission to help Katie not only tolerate her body but also learn to love it--and herself.
Though readers will root for Hutch and Katie to fall in love, Katie's journey toward self-acceptance is equally engaging and important. When a hurricane threatens the Keys, Hutch and Katie must find the courage to tell some hard truths, take risks, and rewrite the old narratives they've believed for far too long. The Love Haters is a sweet, slow-burn romance and a reminder that the best love stories begin with coming home to ourselves. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams