Emily Murphy has lost her marriage, her mother and her sense of identity. She has determined her best choice is to sell the last remaining asset she has; a building once housing a restaurant and apartment in downtown Valentine, Colorado. It should be enough to fund her delayed return to college and the education that will help guide the rest of her life, including adopting children to create a family.

Unfortunately her situation is worse than she'd imagined. The former tenants of the building have intentionally destroyed much of the interior and worse yet she learns she does not hold the lease completely. A lien against a loan is held by a local Valentine resident.

Nate Thalburg is viscerally attracted to the strawberry blonde in the pink raincoat the minute she seeks shelter from the rain in the local bar. A hot and flirty game of pool leads to an intense lip lock, but when Emily slams on the brakes he realizes he uncharacteristically has gone a bit too far into unknown territory. He is more than glad she stopped him in his tracks when he learns she plans to stay in town instead of just passing through. The last thing he wants is a relationship. Still, when her car leaves her stranded and he discovers she intends to stay in the ruined apartment above her restaurant space he can't in good conscience leave her to fend for herself. He has little choice but to park her in his grandmother's boarding house even though he knows she'll get a plentiful earful of gossip about his past.

Emma Cane's debut novel has everything I want in a love story; plenty of contrary and amusing residents surrounding the main characters and a setting I can almost touch not to mention strong ties of friendship and a happy ending. The details of Valentine Valley were created with a great deal of affection and the town is a big part of the draw for me. As I read I was wishing it were real and that I could move there. I am glad to know A TOWN CALLED VALENTINE is only the first of a series, as I am eager to visit again.