Light paranormal fare that takes care to be tolerant and kind.
A bisexual pastry chef who's a virgin at 32 finds happily-ever-after with a witch who uses her magical powers to repair toaster ovens and other small appliances.
Not all American witches live in Salem, Massachusetts. Four hundred years ago, a pragmatic bunch moved west to Illinois to avoid execution and live polite Midwestern lives among the "mundanes," Aguirre's term for muggles. Danica Waterhouse, a modern-day descendant, co-owns a repair shop called Fix-It Witches, where she and her cousin Clementine use their technomancer powers to repair malfunctioning machines. She and Clem have made a pact to always stick together and never be sidetracked by love; their ultraconservative grandmother has told them that if they ever marry a mundane, they'll lose their magical powers, and the pool of genetically correct male witches (found on Bindr, the witchy version of Tindr) is thin on the ground. Danica and Clem plan to have children with magic sperm from the "witch-only sperm bank" and find family with the wonderful members of their coven (aka their book club). Then into her shop walks Titus Winnaker, owner of Sugar Daddy's bake shop, for help repairing a broken oven. Titus has been unnaturally unlucky in love (hint, hint); his last girlfriend married a biologist studying puffins in Iceland. Danica and Titus are jolted by the strength of their mutual attraction but also fearful: he because he might screw up another relationship and never, ever have sex, she because she's been taught that witch-mundane marriages are forbidden. Aguirre keeps the tone light and fun, punctuated by passionately detailed sex. (After mutual orgasms: " ‘I should have told you before,’ he said breathlessly. ‘My [STD] test results, I have them.’ ") The family, the friends, and even the tough witch hunter (more in the next volume about him) check all the rom-com boxes. Though the resolution of the family issues is predictable and a bit tedious, it's fun to know that witches can handle their birth control magically.
Light paranormal fare that takes care to be tolerant and kind.Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-72824-016-9
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2021
Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.
The sequel to It Ends With Us (2016) shows the aftermath of domestic violence through the eyes of a single mother.
Lily Bloom is still running a flower shop; her abusive ex-husband, Ryle Kincaid, is still a surgeon. But now they’re co-parenting a daughter, Emerson, who's almost a year old. Lily won’t send Emerson to her father’s house overnight until she’s old enough to talk—“So she can tell me if something happens”—but she doesn’t want to fight for full custody lest it become an expensive legal drama or, worse, a physical fight. When Lily runs into Atlas Corrigan, a childhood friend who also came from an abusive family, she hopes their friendship can blossom into love. (For new readers, their history unfolds in heartfelt diary entries that Lily addresses to Finding Nemo star Ellen DeGeneres as she considers how Atlas was a calming presence during her turbulent childhood.) Atlas, who is single and running a restaurant, feels the same way. But even though she’s divorced, Lily isn’t exactly free. Behind Ryle’s veneer of civility are his jealousy and resentment. Lily has to plan her dates carefully to avoid a confrontation. Meanwhile, Atlas’ mother returns with shocking news. In between, Lily and Atlas steal away for romantic moments that are even sweeter for their authenticity as Lily struggles with child care, breastfeeding, and running a business while trying to find time for herself.
Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.Pub Date: Oct. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-668-00122-6
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
Deeply moving and emotional.
A hockey player falls in love with his tutor.
Matt “Freddy” Fredderic is the life of the party at Waterfell University. He’s a starter on the hockey team and can have any girl on campus—but he’s also in danger of failing out if he can’t improve his grades in math and biology. His ADHD, dyslexia, and dyscalculia make him eligible for university tutoring services, and Ro Shariff is his newly assigned tutor. Ro had a crush on Freddy freshman year but convinced herself that she’s over it now, in her senior year. She’s been in an on-again, off-again relationship with a guy named Tyler for the past two years, but he’s manipulative, borderline abusive, and probably cheating on her. Ro is desperate for love and affection and still suffers from bouts of intense homesickness. She and Freddy develop a tentative friendship even though they couldn’t be more different on the surface—he’s a popular, gregarious athlete to her quiet, introverted academic. Ro sees beyond Freddy’s persona as a dumb jock, while he recognizes that she feels lonely and like an outsider. When Freddy swoops in to rescue Ro after an ugly disagreement with Tyler, the two admit that their feelings for each other are more romantic than friendly. Corinne’s second novel is an emotional powerhouse. Ro and Freddy share everything with each other: fears of not being good enough for their friends, details of their harmful previous romantic relationships, and the deep feelings of grief related to illness and loss of parents. They have to learn to trust themselves and each other in the midst of the pressures that come with transitioning from college to adulthood. Their evolution from friends to lovers is a classic slow burn, and it makes for an angsty and deeply affecting read.
Deeply moving and emotional.Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781668068489
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
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