A heartwarming, refreshingly nuanced take on the old fantasy standard of the road not taken.
A Christmas romance all about life’s lost chances.
In her latest novel, Baird introduces readers to ninth grade English teacher Paige Pierce, who’s caught up in organizational efforts to launch her “Paws and Read” literacy program. Paige is happy and upbeat, professionally dedicated, and seldom given to maudlin sentimentality when it comes to her single status. “I would be involved with someone, if the right person had come along,” she thinks. “But no one’s ever seemed just right and, after a few short months, each union’s fizzled.” When she’s being honest with herself, Paige is willing to admit this isn’t precisely true. One union seemed exactly right: her relationship with Dean Burton, two years her senior, who moved away from town and left her floundering. Nowadays, she tells herself that she prefers the single life. “Who needs kids and sleepless nights? A messy house…laundry? Not me, thankfully.” But when a celestial event known as “the Christmas Comet” seems to sweep her into an alternate reality in which she’s married to Dean and the mother of two little children, all those certainties start to wobble. “You’re living on the cusp of two realities,” she’s told by the novel’s requisite Mystery Character (here called “Mary Christmas”). “You’re trying to discern whether you’ve made the very best choices.” As a magic advent calendar seems to count down the days she can remain in Reality 2, Paige must decide what those very best choices are. Can she stay in this new world where she has the life she denied she ever wanted? Does she want to stay?
Baird takes the familiar old formula of It’s a Wonderful Life and plays with it in inventive ways. She avoids the overly simplistic gambit of portraying the life of Reality 1 as dreary or horrible in some way (although readers might not quite believe Paige’s own protestations about how great, great, great it is to be single). She likewise doesn’t insult her readers by giving Reality 2’s Paige a picture-perfect existence free of mess or headaches. Baird also offers a sensitive portrayal of Paige’s gradual fading of wariness about Reality 2. “After the initial bout of disorientation, I’ve found my way in the woods,” she thinks once her comfort grows. “And it’s not dark and scary here. It’s a happy and protected place.” Her husband, children, and dog make Reality 2 simply more fulfilling than her life in Reality 1, which adds dramatic intensity to her sense that whatever advent-calendar magic is giving her this wonderful life is inexorably running out. Once Paige shares her knowledge of these dual realities with Reality 2’s Dean, Baird broadens narrative opportunities to explore what really constitutes a happily-ever-after romance ending. And along the way, she deftly weaves in all the expected rewards of the genre; readers get to savor the sheer comfort of Paige’s love for Dean. “I relax against him and sigh, enjoying this special moment,” she thinks in one of many such moments. “I love sitting beside him and feeling his body warmth seep into mine.” Readers will universally know which Reality they’re rooting for.
A heartwarming, refreshingly nuanced take on the old fantasy standard of the road not taken.Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2025
ISBN: 9781942058496
Page Count: 356
Publisher: Winter Wedding Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.
After being released from prison, a young woman tries to reconnect with her 5-year-old daughter despite having killed the girl’s father.
Kenna didn’t even know she was pregnant until after she was sent to prison for murdering her boyfriend, Scotty. When her baby girl, Diem, was born, she was forced to give custody to Scotty’s parents. Now that she’s been released, Kenna is intent on getting to know her daughter, but Scotty’s parents won’t give her a chance to tell them what really happened the night their son died. Instead, they file a restraining order preventing Kenna from so much as introducing herself to Diem. Handsome, self-assured Ledger, who was Scotty’s best friend, is another key adult in Diem’s life. He’s helping her grandparents raise her, and he too blames Kenna for Scotty’s death. Even so, there’s something about her that haunts him. Kenna feels the pull, too, and seems to be seeking Ledger out despite his judgmental behavior. As Ledger gets to know Kenna and acknowledges his attraction to her, he begins to wonder if maybe he and Scotty’s parents have judged her unfairly. Even so, Ledger is afraid that if he surrenders to his feelings, Scotty’s parents will kick him out of Diem’s life. As Kenna and Ledger continue to mourn for Scotty, they also grieve the future they cannot have with each other. Told alternatively from Kenna’s and Ledger’s perspectives, the story explores the myriad ways in which snap judgments based on partial information can derail people’s lives. Built on a foundation of death and grief, this story has an undercurrent of sadness. As usual, however, the author has created compelling characters who are magnetic and sympathetic enough to pull readers in. In addition to grief, the novel also deftly explores complex issues such as guilt, self-doubt, redemption, and forgiveness.
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.Pub Date: Jan. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5420-2560-7
Page Count: 335
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
Henry fans, rejoice: This is her best yet.
A recently dumped librarian finds herself fake dating her polar opposite.
When Daphne Vincent’s fiance, Peter, dumps her, she’s shocked—but the worst part is that he’s leaving her for his gorgeous best friend, Petra, the woman he’d always told Daphne not to worry about. Now Daphne has to move out of Peter’s home and restart her life in the small Michigan town where she’d moved to be with him. Salvation comes in the form of Miles Nowak, Petra’s ex—he has a tiny spare room in his apartment, and he understands what it’s like to wallow in heartbreak. Daphne feels lucky to have her dream job as a children’s librarian, but other than that, she feels adrift and friendless in Waning Bay—and then she and Miles get invitations to Peter and Petra’s wedding. In a momentary lapse of judgment, Daphne not only says she’ll attend the wedding, but tells Peter she’s dating Miles. It would be the perfect way to show Peter and Petra that they’ve moved on…if only it were true. In the grand tradition of fake-dating romances, Daphne and Miles pretend to be in love, getting to know each other while having various adventures and misadventures. Daphne quickly learns that although she’d dismissed Miles as a pothead with a lack of direction, he’s actually a good time—and a loyal friend. But Daphne knows she needs to get out of Waning Bay, so this fake relationship can’t lead anywhere…can it? Reliable bestseller Henry has written another surefire hit that manages to be dramatic, sexy, and fun. Miles and Daphne have chemistry that leaps off the page, and their will-they-or-won’t-they energy propels the story to its satisfying conclusion. Daphne is an immensely likable character, one whose past realistically informs her current relationships. The world of Waning Bay is charmingly quirky, and Daphne’s co-workers at the library are endearing. As always, Henry’s biggest strength is the sharp, often hilarious dialogue that makes the story a joy to read.
Henry fans, rejoice: This is her best yet.Pub Date: April 23, 2024
ISBN: 9780593441282
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
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