Going into 2026, one of my biggest goals was to pick up new-to-me authors and thus far, it’s been hit after hit. That’s why I was so excited when I got a pitch about Janae Sanders’ Second Time Around by LaQuette.

LaQuette is an author I’ve heard of but hadn’t read until 2026. Not sure what took so long because she’s been writing for years now. While many know her from her Harlequin titles, she’s currently publishing a series with St. Martin’s Press.

You might recongize either the cover or the title of her 2022 release which was Vanessa Jared’s Got a Man. Dubbed the Savvy, Sexy & Single Club series, this follows three friends who get their chance at finding happily-ever-after after getting out of long-term relationships.

Before getting into too many details, I’d like to thank St. Martin’s Press for sending me an ARC so I was able to read and review this one.

Janae Sanders’ Second Time Around has it all.

Before getting into my thoughts, I didn’t read Vanessa Jared’s Got a Man before picking this book up. However, I do think it’s best to read it before reading this one. It gives a little bit more context on the side characters are and their relationship. Even so, this book quickly caught me up to speed. 

We’re following Janae who is divorced, hardworking and a single mother to her son, James. She is just looking to focus on her son until she meets up with Adam. We quickly find out that Adam and Janae knew each other in high school and had a slight rivalry. Despite that, nothing ever romantic happened between them back then. 

Now that they’re older and Adam is settled back in town, he’s looking to shoot his shot with Janae. Of course, life gets in the way of that as Janae is looking to figure herself out. In addition, Adam is currently the interim superintendent for James’ school and he recently cut funding for the arts program. 

Despite all of that, it’s clear the chemistry between Janae and Adam never faded. While it took some time for the two to figure out their feelings, they were hot for each other from the start. It was so satisfying once these two finally got together but their relationship isn’t without its hiccups. 

From Adam’s strained relationship with his father and Janae’s strained one with her mother, it makes for some internal and external conflicts. While I enjoyed the romance and how the story played out, the third-act conflict felt a little bit immature. Either way, Janae Sanders’ Second Chance was a fun one and has me excited for the next book in the series.