The interestingly prickly heroine's identity quest seems shoehorned into a romance with her caretaker friend.
Friends become lovers after years of friendzoning each other in this part–road trip, part-sitcom romance.
Bethany Lu is an artist in her 40s who’s beginning to make a name for herself. Nice guy Truman Erickson is an economics professor she’s known for decades. They live in the same New York City building, belonging to Bethany's wealthy money-manager father, and they're also tied together by memories of Cole, her dead brother, who was Truman's best friend. Her high school BFF Dawn is convinced Tru and Bethany, who goes by Lu, belong together. But Lu can't handle the idea of risking her safe friendship with him, treating him with bossy familiarity. Tru has his own guilt about Cole’s passing, which has made him wary of expressing his romantic feelings for Lu. So when Lu sees the news that Keanu Reeves, her celebrity crush, is getting married and decides to track him down to change his mind, Tru offers to help though he's exasperated with her obsession. On their trips around New York and to other parts of the country, they finally end up in bed, but they still manage to avoid even the most basic communication. As the novel is told in the first person from both characters' points of view, we know they both feel more than they show, but instead of making us root for them, these glimpses into their thoughts raise doubts about their potential for adult intimacy. Jackson aims for a lighthearted road-movie feel, but the pacing and tone are uneven, zipping from episodes of zaniness to immature tiffs and self-recrimination. The fanfic-based Reeves odyssey never recedes to the background, so a quirky device meant to create forced proximity between the lovers competes with the actual relationship.
The interestingly prickly heroine's identity quest seems shoehorned into a romance with her caretaker friend.Pub Date: Nov. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5387-0350-2
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Forever
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2021
Sink your teeth into this delightful paranormal romance with a modern twist.
A vampire and an Alpha werewolf enter into a marriage of convenience in order to ease tensions between their species.
As the only daughter of a prominent Vampyre councilman, Misery Lark has grown accustomed to playing the role that’s demanded of her—and now, her father is ordering her to be part of yet another truce agreement. In an effort to maintain goodwill between the Vampyres and their longtime nemeses the Weres, Misery must wed their Alpha, Lowe Moreland. But it turns out that Misery has her own motivations for agreeing to this political marriage, including finding answers about what happened to her best friend, who went missing after setting up a meeting in Were territory. Isolated from her kind and surrounded on all sides by the enemy after the wedding, Misery refuses to let herself forget about her real mission. It doesn’t matter that Lowe is one of the most confounding and intense people she’s ever met, or that the connection building between them doesn’t feel like one born entirely of convenience. There’s also the possibility that Lowe may already have a Were mate of his own, but in spite of their biological differences, they may turn out to be the missing piece in each other’s lives. While this is Hazelwood’s first paranormal romance, and the book does lean on some hallmark tropes of the genre, the contemporary setting lends itself to the author’s trademark humor and makes the political plot more easily digestible. Misery and Lowe’s slow-burn romance is appealing enough that readers will readily devour every moment between them and hunger to return to them whenever the story diverts from their scenes together.
Sink your teeth into this delightful paranormal romance with a modern twist.Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9780593550403
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2023
PERSPECTIVES
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
PERSPECTIVES
BOOK TO SCREEN
SEEN & HEARD
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