Single Dads Club

This first book in a planned series follows Delilah, the most helpful person in her town, and Rowan, a single father new to the area. Rowan and Delilah are still recovering from childhoods marked by different forms of parental neglect, although they now have supportive family members. Their experiences growing up taught them to prefer the safety provided by distancing their true selves from the world, rather than the uncertainty of opening up to people who might hurt them. Delilah understands the root of her excessive helpfulness, just as Rowan is aware of why he is frightened of forming new emotional connections, but this self-knowledge gets them only so far. Both struggle with whether they deserve or can attain something as wonderful as an all-encompassing love. Fellow townspeople whose attempts at matchmaking are both hilarious and heartbreaking provide levity and also introduce the protagonists of future entries in the series.