title: What You Won't Do for Love
author: Coakley-Thompson, Wendy
description: Change can be good--even when the events that lead up to it seem pretty bad. But as the characters in Wendy Coakley-Thompson's powerful new novel discover, a painful past may be the ticket to a fabulous future, if you can just hang on during the twists and turns in the road...
  A failed engagement and a partnership in a new e-learning firm have led thirty-six-year-old Chaney Braxton from New York to Washington, D.C. Orphaned as a child, and now betrayed by her fiance, Chaney's through dealing with things that die, leave--or wilt. In fact, she's got a new mantra: No plants, no pets, no men. Needless to say, the last thing she wants is a dog-sitting gig. But that doesn't stop her flaky middle sister from leaving her yellow Lab, Tony, in Chaney's care while she runs off on her latest fling. Who knew Tony would turn out to be an unwitting matchmaker?
  
  When Chaney meets half black, half Korean veterinarian Devin Rhym, she can't help being impressed with his knowledge and his soothing demeanor--not to mention his exotic good looks. At the same time, Chaney doesn't see herself taking on a twenty-eight-year-old "tadpole." She reminds herself that there are other, more age-appropriate fish in the sea. Or so she thinks...
  
  Devin may be young, but he's got an old soul, thanks to his father, K.L., an imposing lawyer and ex-Marine Corps colonel. K.L. can't forgive Devin for going his own way and not following in his footsteps. Never mind that his dad's womanizing drove Devin's mother away long ago. Father and son barely know each other now. But Devin knows one thing: real men can be gentle, loving, and faithful. That's where Chaney comes in--if Devin can convince her that age doesn't matter.
  
  As Chaney and Devin embark on a relationship, other areas of their lives start to unravel. From family drama, career trouble, and some heartwrenching losses--to an unplanned surprise neither had bargained for--the unlikely lovers are forced to find solutions while finding each other. In the process, they may just find themselves.