She’s a woman with a tool belt and a dream. He’s the grumpy bartender who falls head over heels. Darcy Belle is full of contradictions. At twenty-four, she’s the beach town’s best carpenter with plans to launch her own custom furniture store online. The only thing she loves more than furniture is irritating the grumpy bartender at her weekly all-female bowling team practice. And when said grump agrees to let her flex her skills by renovating his loft? Life just took a turn for joy, folks. Anthony Hall has lived a life of consistency and hard work. Owner and bartender at Hall’s Balls, he’s every bit the town grump people think he is. It’s not until Darcy Belle barrels into his life at full tilt, all luscious curves with power tools to boot, that he understands he’s got more to give. A lot more. Forced to see each other almost daily, Darcy and Anthony slowly realize there’s more to their arguments than meet the eye, despite their seventeen-year age difference. But age is just a number, until years of hurt reveal that Darcy isn’t the one who needs to grow up. Late to Love is an age gap grumpy-sunshine romcom where he falls first with a guaranteed happily ever after. Valerie Pepper writes steamy romantic comedies about small towns. She's an incurable optimist and a firm believer in the girl getting the guy, or the guy getting the girl, or the girl getting the girl, or the guy getting the guy, or basically any way it needs to happen to make a real-life happily ever after, even if it takes more than one try. When she's not writing, you can find her reading, hiking, listening to whatever music suits her mood, and hanging out with her family. She's fascinated with the idea of a capsule wardrobe, but loves clothes and shoes and boots far too much to make a real go of it. She's currently living out her own happily ever after in Birmingham, Alabama with her family and maaaaaybe too many shoes.