An entertaining romance that dwells on mutual accommodation as much as mind-blowing sex.
An intense sexual relationship is tested by compatibility issues and coronavirus restrictions in Moore’s fretful romance series-starter.
While covering a technology convention, journalist Dash Hall at first thinks that the “MiO” gadget he’s fondling is a video game controller; he’s flummoxed when Penny Maxwell, MiO’s attractive CEO and lead engineer, informs him that it’s actually a sex toy designed “to create a blended orgasmic experience” for women. Dash and Penny bump into each other that night at a bar, and soon, by following Penny’s no-nonsense instructions, Dash learns the hands-on version of the blended orgasm technique and provides her with shattering climaxes. Alas, the Covid-19 pandemic lands them in home quarantine, but Dash breaks it to move from San Francisco to Penny’s Los Angeles apartment to nurse her through a bad case of the virus. More orgasms ensue and Penny invites the preternaturally sensitive and supportive Dash into her bed on a permanent basis. But strains start to emerge as Covid lockdowns disrupt the financing and supply chain that Penny needs to keep her company going. Further stressing her out is Dash’s chaotic housekeeping—a product of his ADHD—that makes a seemingly permanent mess of her kitchen and laundry. The mounting pressures lead to a blow-up and break-up that Penny and Dash regret but don’t know how to repair. This first installment of Moore’s Love in the Quarantime series paints a colorful portrait of Covid-era relationships by evoking the ambient anxiety and problems of claustrophobic work-from-home arrangements. Moore’s prose is lively and full of racy banter (“If you want clearheaded, I need more coffee, a bra, and at least ten feet of distance from your dick”), and the sex scenes are exuberant. However, the author’s determination to demonstrate proper communication sometimes results in dialogue that sounds like a sex-ed tutorial: “My G-spot is about two knuckles in….Go slow with these two fingers until you feel a spongy walnut.” Overall, Penny and Dash are flawed but endearing lovebirds whom readers will root for.
An entertaining romance that dwells on mutual accommodation as much as mind-blowing sex.Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-950345-06-9
Page Count: 414
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
