Some elements of this story work beautifully, but the romance at the center feels uninspired.
An amnesiac woman is rescued by an earl dealing with his own inner turmoil.
Jasper Maycott never expected to be the Earl of Belhaven, but when his parents and older brother died, the responsibility fell to him, including caring for three sisters and two remaining brothers. On his way to visit the graves of his deceased loved ones one wintry day, he discovers an injured, unconscious woman on his grounds. As he rushes her to his estate, she briefly wakes and exclaims, “Don’t let them get me.” When she comes to again, she has no memory of who she is, but they agree to call her Jane. Jasper vows to care for Jane and get her back to health, even if he is suspicious and wonders if this is the ruse of a fortune hunter. Jane is flummoxed by what she can and can’t remember, but as she convalesces, she develops bonds with the Maycott siblings, although stern Jasper’s hot and cold behavior confuses her nearly as much as her memory loss. Jasper was set on never falling in love again, but he’s captivated by the willful woman. Until she can discover her truth, though, danger lurks and every action feels like a risk. Theriault’s adult debut features lovable characters but suffers from repetitive writing that slows the pace and impedes consistent character growth. Jane’s strong spirit and the mystery of her identity make her a compelling heroine, but the romance feels fairly instantaneous and shallow for much of the book. The depiction of grief is emotionally richer. Even though this romance isn’t entirely successful, Jasper’s siblings are a charming, interesting bunch who could each easily carry their own love stories in the future.
Some elements of this story work beautifully, but the romance at the center feels uninspired.Pub Date: Jan. 28, 2025
ISBN: 9781649377449
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
A surprisingly sensual sports romance.
A collegiate diver and swimmer secretly pursue kink together, and risk falling in love along the way.
Scarlett Vandermeer is struggling. Despite a successful recovery from the injury that almost ended her Stanford diving career, she hasn’t been able to get her head together, and it’s affecting her performance. Plus, she’s trying to stay focused on getting into medical school. A relationship would be out of the question. By comparison, Lukas Blomqvist is a swimming idol, a record-breaker who wins medals as easily as breathing, and Scarlett has long been convinced he would never look in her direction—until one fateful night when a mutual friend lets slip that they have something unexpected in common: Scarlett likes to be submissive in the bedroom, while Lukas prefers to take a dominant approach. Now, they both know a big secret about each other, and it’s something neither of them can stop thinking about. It’s Lukas who suggests they have a fling—purely physical, just to take the edge off, so Scarlett can get out of her own head and stop overthinking her dives. Initially, their arrangement is easy to stick to, but the more time they spend together, the more Scarlett starts to realize that what she feels for Lukas is more than physical attraction. Complicating the situation is the fact that Scarlett’s friend Penelope Ross used to go out with Lukas, and the longer Scarlett keeps mum about her true feelings for him, the more difficult it is to keep the situation hidden from another person she really cares about. While Scarlett and Lukas’ relationship does begin as a physical one, their deeper psychological connection takes a little too long to emerge amid all the other storylines, resulting in a somewhat rushed resolution. However, Hazelwood’s latest is proof of the depth and maturity that has emerged in her writing over the years, and it highlights her embrace of sexier, more emotional elements than were present in her original STEMinist rom-coms.
A surprisingly sensual sports romance.Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9780593641057
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2025
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
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