Just This Night

February 29, 2016
In Madison's delightful debut contemporary, two broadcast journalists push past betrayal to find love again. TV news reporter Elizabeth "Beth" White is ambitious but no diva. She lands her dream job at News 9 San Diego, but her fiancé refuses to move there with her, and he soon drops the bomb that he is marrying her sister. Crushed by work pressure and the wedding photos, Beth uncharacteristically goes looking for a hookup; gorgeous Jake "Mac" MacDonald enthusiastically complies. New to town, single dad Mac is struggling with the aftermath of his wife's affair and desertion of their young daughter. The one-night stand seems like a good idea right up until until the next day, when News 9's newest photographer turns out to be Mac. Worse, the coworkers begin developing romantic feelings for each other. Madison provides context with snippets of a toxic newsroom where jealousy and sabotage are habitual. A few clichés, like the leads getting caught canoodling by Mac's cute 4-year-old, don't diminish the novel's charm or its likable main characters. Agent: Kristin Nelson, Nelson Literary.