Mandatory Release
Drew is nursing a broken heart (the reasons why are left tantalizingly undisclosed until the end) and isn’t particularly thrilled with her life circumstances. She’s moved back home to not only live with her parents but also start a new job as a special education teacher in the same facility in which her mother works, the local prison. Graham, a social worker at the prison, had a big crush on Drew in high school but never acted on it. When Drew returns to their hometown, he finds himself drawn to her once more, but something is holding him back—the fact that he’s in a wheelchair, having been permanently injured in a car accident. They rekindle their friendship while navigating their own messy dating lives (Drew’s attracted to a guard who is ten years her junior; Graham doesn’t tell his blind dates he’s in a wheelchair until they meet in person), against the fascinating backdrop of a medium-security prison (Riley taught in a prison herself.) This funny, realistic look at modern love is perfect for women’s fiction fans. --Rebecca Vnuk