Fans of rom-coms by the likes of Emily Henry, Helen Hoang and Rebecca Serle will find familiar satisfaction in Love Buzz (Harper Perennial, $17.99), the debut novel of Phoenix writer Neely Tubati Alexander. Like those best-selling scribes, Tubati Alexander mingles romance with career concerns, friend and family issues, and personal growth for a tale that’s as moving as it is steamy. Love Buzz starts with a Mardi Gras meet-cute in a Bourbon Street bar between our heroine, Serena Khan, and the mysterious Julian – both Seattleites visiting New Orleans. After a sizzling exchange, they’re abruptly separated, and Serena is haunted by what might have been. Will she find Julian again? And what will happen to her carefully plotted life along the way?
