Book Review: "Emergency Contact" by Lauren Layne and Anthony Ledonne

It's Christmas in New York, a time almost everyone loves. Except Katherine, an exceptionally ambitious attorney, who is hoping this will be the year all of her hard work comes to fruition and she'll be made a partner. Trying to dodge the tourists clogging the streets, she winds up sustaining a concussion and getting rushed to the hospital.

But that's not the worst part, as when she wakes up in the hospital she discovers that she never updated her emergency contact information, so her ex-husband Tom gets the call. And as much as the end of their marriage was rancorous, Tom is a good guy, and wants to be sure that Katherine is okay. When the doctors say she can't be left alone for 48 hours, and needs help dealing with a wound in her back, the only solution is that she must travel with Tom to his family's home in Chicago for Christmas. While Katherine misses Tom's family (and they miss her), the last thing she wants is to be stuck with him, especially when she learns he's planning to propose to his girlfriend on Christmas Eve, which is a family tradition.

Wouldn't you know it, though? Tom and Katherine confront obstacle after obstacle trying to get from New York to Chicago. Everything that can go wrong will, and Katherine is desperate to be available in case her boss calls to promote her to partner. While tensions run high as the two replay old arguments that led to their divorce, Katherine tries to be as helpful as possible in helping Tom get home in time to propose. But of course, the more time they spend together, the more their old feelings for one another ignite. What's more possible: a second chance at love, or a completely fresh start?

Lauren Layne has become an auto-buy author for me, and I love the way she balances romance, humor, and banter, and she creates really memorable characters. In Emergency Contact, she teamed up with her real-life husband (and high school sweetheart), comedian Anthony Ledonne, and the end result was definitely both "rom" and "com." Can't wait for her next book!