A sparkling launch to a promising new Regency series set at a woman-run library.
An American duke tangles with an erotic bookseller disguised as a proper English lady.
Though he was born and raised in New Orleans, Peter Kent has unexpectedly become the Duke of Stanhope. He’s enjoyed getting a chance to lecture his new peers in the House of Lords about the urgent necessity of abolishing slavery in all British colonies, but he still longs for his old life. When he learns that his father had two unacknowledged illegitimate children—12-year-old Lu and 10-year-old Freddie—he sees a chance to use his new authority for something positive, but he’s told that if he wants to become their legal guardian, it would help to be married to an “impeccable” lady. Enter Lady Selina Ravenscroft—not to marry, but to be his matchmaker. She can’t possibly marry him, no matter how attractive she finds him, because her secrets would ruin his reputation even further. First, she’s the secret power behind Belvoir’s Library, “the most popular circulating library in England.” And as if a lady earning money from trade isn’t bad enough, Belvoir’s has a popular underground business putting out seditious and salacious publications, including those included in the Venus catalog, a ladies-only collection with a “combination of radical philosophy, erotic memoirs, and titillating novels.” Unfortunately, Selina’s attempts at matchmaking fail when she and Peter, their burgeoning attraction getting the better of them, are caught in an indiscreet moment. Though their hasty marriage gets off to a steamy start, Selina’s secrets are suddenly on the verge of being made public, and their coupling might need to end as quickly as it began. Using wit and a bookish, rom-com sensibility, Vasti has built a charming new Regency series around Belvoir’s Library. And spicy, too—though Selina’s a virgin when she marries Peter, she’s also an erotica fangirl, and all their intimate scenes would be right at home in Belvoir’s Venus catalog. Though the plot is uneven in places, the genuine humor and solid character development will keep readers turning the pages.
A sparkling launch to a promising new Regency series set at a woman-run library.Pub Date: July 23, 2024
ISBN: 9781250910943
Page Count: 352
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
A thoughtful and pensive tale with intelligent characters and a satisfying romance.
A promise to his best friend leads an Army serviceman to a family in need and a chance at true love in this novel.
Beckett Gentry is surprised when his Army buddy Ryan MacKenzie gives him a letter from Ryan’s sister, Ella. Abandoned by his mother, Beckett grew up in a series of foster homes. He is wary of attachments until he reads Ella’s letter. A single mother, Ella lives with her twins, Maisie and Colt, at Solitude, the resort she operates in Telluride, Colorado. They begin a correspondence, although Beckett can only identify himself by his call sign, Chaos. After Ryan’s death during a mission, Beckett travels to Telluride as his friend had requested. He bonds with the twins while falling deeply in love with Ella. Reluctant to reveal details of Ryan’s death and risk causing her pain, Beckett declines to disclose to Ella that he is Chaos. Maisie needs treatment for neuroblastoma, and Beckett formally adopts the twins as a sign of his commitment to support Ella and her children. He and Ella pursue a romance, but when an insurance investigator questions the adoption, Beckett is faced with revealing the truth about the letters and Ryan’s death, risking losing the family he loves. Yarros’ (Wilder, 2016, etc.) novel is a deeply felt and emotionally nuanced contemporary romance bolstered by well-drawn characters and strong, confident storytelling. Beckett and Ella are sympathetic protagonists whose past experiences leave them cautious when it comes to love. Beckett never knew the security of a stable home life. Ella impulsively married her high school boyfriend, but the marriage ended when he discovered she was pregnant. The author is especially adept at developing the characters through subtle but significant details, like Beckett’s aversion to swearing. Beckett and Ella’s romance unfolds slowly in chapters that alternate between their first-person viewpoints. The letters they exchanged are pivotal to their connection, and almost every chapter opens with one. Yarros’ writing is crisp and sharp, with passages that are poetic without being florid. For example, in a letter to Beckett, Ella writes of motherhood: “But I’m not the center of their universe. I’m more like their gravity.” While the love story is the book’s focus, the subplot involving Maisie’s illness is equally well-developed, and the link between Beckett and the twins is heartfelt and sincere.
A thoughtful and pensive tale with intelligent characters and a satisfying romance.Pub Date: Feb. 26, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-64063-533-3
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Review Posted Online: Jan. 2, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
The forbidden romance trope fails because the conflict is so pedestrian.
A professional hockey player has feelings for the one woman he can’t have: his soon-to-be stepsister.
Sig Gauthier loves his job playing defense for the Boston Bearcats, and he’s proved himself a real asset to the team. When this season ends, he will renegotiate his mediocre, low-paying contract, one he accepted while injured and desperate for any team to sign him. When his father asks him to come to dinner to meet his new girlfriend, Sig decides to go, since it’s only a few hours’ drive to Darien, Connecticut, and he’s curious. On the way, his ancient truck breaks down, and he pulls into a country club parking lot where he meets Chloe Clifford, the most beautiful, alluring woman he’s ever seen. Chloe dreams of accepting a seat as a harpist at a conservatory in Boston; however, her wealthy, controlling mother wants her to stay in Darien. That night at dinner, Sig is surprised to find Chloe there—and when they discover their parents are planning to marry each other, they realize they can only be friends themselves. Sig encourages Chloe to come with him to Boston, where he rents her an apartment despite it being a massive financial burden. Several months pass. They long for each other, but studiously ignore their incendiary sexual chemistry and remain friends. When the press realizes that Sig’s biggest fan is his soon-to-be-stepsister, his new general manager tells him he must choose between Chloe or re-signing with the team. Everything rests on the premise that two people who meet as adults would be entering into a taboo, forbidden relationship because their parents are about to marry. Although Bailey does her best to sell it, the pretext keeping her characters apart is thin and underdeveloped. Chloe and Sig are wild for each other from the second they meet, which negates any attempt to create tension or conflict.
The forbidden romance trope fails because the conflict is so pedestrian.Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9780063380783
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Avon/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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