A tense and tender historical romance that may be the strongest and yet most flawed of the Grand Palace on the Thames books.
The runaway French fiancee of an English diplomat is followed to England by a recently freed spy with his own agenda.
Having fled the man she was engaged to marry, young Lady Aurelie Capet finds her way to the Grand Palace on the Thames boardinghouse and manages to fake her way into becoming a temporary lodger under the name Mary Gallagher. Anxious to head to Boston and her only surviving family, she is only waiting to liquidate some assets for the trip when Christian Hawkes crashes into the dockside inn, bleeding from a knife wound. The motley inhabitants rally to his aid, mistaking him for an expected new guest. But it is Aurelie, posing as the widowed Mrs. Gallagher, who volunteers to watch over the feverish man, realizing that her recent misfortune has shown her how tough she is in dire straits. From then on, the tension ratchets up, both from the couple’s magnetic sexual and emotional attraction and the reader’s awareness of his real mission—finding her—and his chameleonlike skills. As always, Long’s style, with its evocative phrases, casts a spell. She is also deft at weaving the protagonists closer to each other while building a sense of dread: How will the knot be unraveled, and will the truth of their past entanglements with the same man lance old poisons or infect their budding love? But the normally nimble writer missteps in forcing a conversation about Aurelie’s flight after the third-act breakup, worsening the black moment through a choice that is inexplicable and unnecessary and potentially hurts the hero’s heroic status. The eventual resolution involving the villain is somewhat hollow as well, because it makes Aurelie’s recent past a tool to serve the hero’s character arc. The familiar members and new guests of the boardinghouse provide needed comfort even as the new couple add a frisson of excitement and uncertainty.
A tense and tender historical romance that may be the strongest and yet most flawed of the Grand Palace on the Thames books.Pub Date: June 28, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-06-304510-1
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Avon/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: April 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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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