Full exposure

When Josie, a Washington, DC-based boudoir photographer, arrives in New Orleans to photograph the festivities before a wedding, and the wedding is canceled, she has a free week. At a Mardi Gras parade, she reaches out to grab a flung string of beads and smacks a gorgeous Asian guy right in the face, making him drop his phone. Spencer, recently returned to New Orleans after living in DC for a dozen years, is unemployed and planning to make a movie about the Vietnamese Krewe of Saigon founded by his grandfather. After a sweet date at Cafe du Monde, they go their separate ways but run into each other again. A visit to Bà Bà, Spencer's grandmother, who is nearing her one-hundredth birthday, is a delight, just the start of wonderful interactions across generations in his community. Hot, steamy sex and shared passions are great, but the distance between DC and New Orleans could prove to be a wrench in the works. Lam (Happy Endings, 2021) is establishing herself as the queen of sex-positive multiracial romance.

A whirlwind vacation fling kicks off this rushed and unsatisfying romance from Lam (Happy Endings). On an impromptu New Orleans vacation, photographer Josie Parks accidentally bonks a handsome stranger in the head with some freshly caught Mardi Gras beads. Dazed but still conscious enough to notice how attractive she is, NOLA local Spencer Pham seizes the chance to ask her out. They share a first date that Lam works a bit too hard to convince readers is magical, skipping right past any kind of getting-to-know-you dance. After serendipitously running into each other again the next day, fate tempts them to explore their connection further. Spencer offers to help Josie build her photography portfolio for an art gallery, and Josie encourages Spencer to finally fulfill his dream of making films. But Josie is only in town for a week, and both are acutely aware that the deeper they fall for each other, the harder it will be when their time runs out. It's not entirely unusual for romance protagonists to fall in love in such a short time frame, but Lam fails to make her protagonists' spontaneous connection convincing through a disjointed and unnaturally paced plot. It's a shame, because the New Orleans backdrop is vibrant and alive. This one misses the mark. Agent: Tara Gelsomino, One Track Literary. (Feb.)

A vacation fling in New Orleans leads to an artistic partnership and the possibility of true love. Planner, list-maker, and boudoir photographer Josie Parks was supposed to be traveling from her home in Washington, D.C., to New Orleans for a photo shoot, but when her client cancels, she decides to take the trip anyway for a much-needed vacation as she reevaluates her career goals. At the Mardi Gras parade, instant attraction sparks between her and Spencer Pham, a New Orleans native who's just returned home after losing the data analyst job he loathed. Spencer has long dreamed of being a filmmaker, and his latest idea is to make a documentary about his grandfather, founder of the first all-Vietnamese krewe in New Orleans. Josie and Spencer agree to help each other with their creative pursuits and even decide to team up for an art competition. Spencer brings out a spontaneous and relaxed side to Josie, but eventually she has to wonder if their relationship has a future. The New Orleans setting is richly described, and its diverse residents are highlighted. Josie and Spencer are charming, and their chemistry is hot. While there's much that is delightful in the story, however, it lacks depth. The romantic arc is low-stakes as the couple meshes well from the start, and the character growth is shallow. This combination leads to a lack of tension throughout, making the novel feel uninspired. Underbaked plotting and characters in a vibrant setting. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.