Too shallow to be shocking.
A young woman on the run from an abusive family falls in love with Lucifer.
The Originals are seven fallen angels, each representing one of the Seven Deadly Sins, who were cast out of heaven. Now Lucifer and his six siblings run New York, and Lucifer—pride—is the most elusive, despite being the CEO of Apollyon, a multinational conglomerate. Charlotte Bellefleur has recently escaped her fundamentalist Christian family in Topeka, Kansas, and fled to New York, landing an internship in the public relations department of Apollyon. When a body is found murdered in a club owned by one of the Originals, gossip and speculation targets Lucifer as the murderer. Apollyon’s PR wing has just begun to quell the rumors when someone breaks into Charlotte’s office and sends a private document she wrote about the situation to the press. Lucifer forces Charlotte into a fake engagement to distract the press and the two engage in a torrid affair. Meanwhile, Charlotte is receiving threatening text messages that she fears are coming from the family she left behind in Kansas. The start of a new series, Ballenger’s novel is a mishmash of tired romance tropes and archetypes. Lucifer reads as an immortal Christian Grey, a bland bad boy complete with a sex-dungeon playroom. He finds the prim, mousy Charlotte fascinating because she’s one of the few people who will stand up to him, and even though he can read the dark thoughts in most human minds, Charlotte’s is mysteriously closed to him. The ostentatious lifestyles of the Originals are valorized as more honest than the evil excesses of the fundamentalist church led by Charlotte’s father, while Lucifer is just a sad guy with a daddy complex looking for love.
Too shallow to be shocking.Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9781662528873
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Review Posted Online: March 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
This captivating, deeply emotional, and incredibly sexy romance is a balm for the soul.
A blossoming romance infringes on a successful businesswoman's professional aspirations, making her reevaluate her priorities.
At an exclusive party, talent manager Hendrix Barry has an instant connection with billionaire tech mogul Maverick Bell. When he learns that she’s navigating her mother’s Alzheimer's diagnosis, he relates to what she’s going through, having had similar experiences with his grandfather. Maverick makes Hendrix feel seen and understood like no one else, but he’s the recent ex-boyfriend of a woman Hendrix is going into business with as she works toward her goal of executive producing a television show. She tries to set boundaries that would keep him as a friend despite their obvious mutual attraction, but when he expresses interest in her venture capital fund focusing on Black women–led businesses, it leads to spending more time together, and the lines of friendship, business, and pleasure become tangled and blurred. Ryan excels at crafting thoughtful, mature characters who have to manage complicated situations with care and grace. Maverick’s dogged pursuit of Hendrix and the delicious ways he woos her using his wealth and persistence frame him as a determined, headstrong hero. Paired with a weaker heroine, he could have been overbearing, but Hendrix is his perfect match, equally as strong-willed and tenacious. They bring out each other’s softer, more vulnerable sides as well, and both have compassionate hearts. The spicy romance is the core of this satisfying story, but the novel doesn’t shy away from—and is made richer for the inclusion of—hardships like caring for an aging parent and confronting racism in the world of business. The tale also highlights the importance of community and the value of supportive, platonic love through the wonderful cast of side characters.
This captivating, deeply emotional, and incredibly sexy romance is a balm for the soul.Pub Date: May 13, 2025
ISBN: 9781538706855
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Forever
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
A wallowing, emotionally wrenching family drama that leaves little time for romance.
Two people with bad luck in relationships find each other through a popular Reddit thread.
Emma Grant and her best friend, Maddy, are travel nurses, working at hospitals for three-month stints while they see the country. Just a few weeks before they’re set to move to Hawaii, Emma reads a popular “Am I the Asshole” Reddit thread from a Minnesota man who thinks he’s cursed—women he dates find their soulmates after breaking up with him, and the latest one found true love with his best friend! Emma has had a similar experience, which inspires her to DM the man and commiserate. She’s delighted by her witty, lively interactions with software engineer Justin Dahl, and is intrigued when he suggests that if they date each other, maybe they’ll each find their soulmate afterward. Emma upends the Hawaii plan and convinces Maddy to move to Minneapolis for the summer so she can meet Justin in person. The overly complex setup brings Emma and Justin together and the two hit it off, with Justin immediately falling head over heels for Emma. Jimenez then pivots to creating romantic roadblocks and melodramatic subplots centering on each character’s family of origin. Justin’s mother is about to serve six years in prison for embezzlement, which means Justin must move back home to care for his three much younger siblings. Emma was traumatized by her own mother for much of her childhood, left to fend for herself and eventually abandoned in the foster system. When her mother shows up in Minnesota, Emma must face her traumatic childhood and admit that she has prioritized her mother’s well-being over her own. There is little time devoted to Emma’s painful efforts to heal herself enough to accept Justin’s love, which leaves the novel feeling unsatisfying.
A wallowing, emotionally wrenching family drama that leaves little time for romance.Pub Date: April 2, 2024
ISBN: 9781538704431
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Forever
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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