Eva Mercy has made a name for herself --- literally. Growing up as Genevieve Mercier, she spent her childhood and teenage years at the whims of her beautiful and charismatic but seriously undependable mother, who cashed in her beauty and charm like currency while dating an unending string of unreliable men. After graduating from high school, Genevieve reinvented herself as Eva Mercy. Within a couple of short years, she had a publishing deal, a husband, a baby daughter named Audre…and then an ex-husband. Now she’s a bestselling author of erotic fantasies and the single mom of a pretty cool tween. And even when she’s suffering from chronic debilitating migraines, she’s never looked back.

"SEVEN DAYS IN JUNE is a big-hearted, romantic and frequently funny novel that also has moments of pathos and pain --- perhaps the ideal book to pick up if you’re looking for the love story of 2021."

Or at least that’s what she tells herself. Lately, Eva has been thinking more and more about her family history, about the legacy left to her by her mother and previous generations of Mercier women. She might even want to write about them, but that’s challenging when her editor (and her zillions of fans) are clamoring for the next book in her bestselling series.

As for another part of Eva’s past, she’d rather just forget it, even though the tattooed “S” on her arm (and the sexy vampire character in her series) reminds her of him every day. Ever since the unbelievable week they spent together when both were teenagers ended in near-tragedy and abandonment, Eva has tried to forget about Shane Hall. And even though they now both work in the same industry, she’s been largely successful at avoiding him. That is, until Eva’s editor convinces her to fill in on a panel with several other Black authors --- one of whom is Shane Hall. Shane, who in recent years has sobered up and stayed away from the drugs that ruined his youth, is the author of several award-winning literary novels --- all centering on a girl who bears a great deal of resemblance to what Eva (or Genevieve) was like in her youth.

When the two of them start to debate on the panel, sparks fly --- and not just the intellectual kind. Mature, sober and open to new beginnings, might Shane and Eva have a shot at a second chance? Eva can’t quite allow herself to fully trust him, and Shane has never really known what it means to be part of a family or a real relationship. If Eva lets him back into her life and allows him to get to know Audre, too, is she opening them both up to heartbreak?

The whole time I was reading SEVEN DAYS IN JUNE, I couldn’t stop thinking about what a fabulous movie or television program it would make. So I was excited to learn that it indeed will be developed as a limited-run TV series. Eva and Shane’s romance is epic and larger than life, but their characters are convincing and well grounded. It’s easy to imagine readers (and soon viewers) growing emotionally invested in their well-being. Author Tia Williams is also very good at developing secondary characters, especially Eva’s mother and daughter, and the young man whose mentorship by Shane becomes bittersweet. Audre, in particular, is a likable and winning young teen. Perhaps Williams, who also writes YA novels, would consider having her star in a book of her own.

Whether or not that happens, SEVEN DAYS IN JUNE is a big-hearted, romantic and frequently funny novel that also has moments of pathos and pain --- perhaps the ideal book to pick up if you’re looking for the love story of 2021.