An effortlessly elegant slow-burn romance.
A silver-haired equestrienne and a disabled artist navigate the expectations of Victorian society while falling in love.
Stella Hobhouse is accustomed to standing out for all the wrong reasons, thanks to the gray hair she’s had since she was 16. Now, at 22, she’s beginning to wonder if she’s destined for spinsterhood, since her love of horseback riding and independent nature haven’t exactly made her a desirable marriage candidate. Trapped at a friend’s house party over the holidays, Stella has resigned herself to being a wallflower—until she runs into a handsome stranger in a wheelchair. The thing is, Teddy Hayes isn’t exactly a stranger. Stella met him once before, when their paths crossed at a museum in London, and the charming artist now makes her the same proposition he did then: He’d like to paint her. As far as Teddy is concerned, Stella is not only the most striking subject he’s ever encountered, but the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen. Convincing her to pose is an entirely selfish request, one that Stella initially meets with resistance. As an unmarried woman, it would hardly be appropriate for her to sit for Teddy, especially if it means they’ll be alone. But Teddy isn’t so easily deterred; he’s adopted a new philosophy of life following the bout of scarlet fever that put him in a wheelchair, and he sees little reason not to pursue what he wants. As Stella navigates her increasing level of interest in Teddy while trying to avoid her clergyman brother’s efforts to marry her off, and Teddy attempts to convince Stella that she’s lovely enough to be his muse, they both realize they could be of use to each other—by way of a marriage of convenience. The fourth chapter in Matthews’ Belles of London series is a charming conclusion, bringing back many fan-favorite characters from previous installments to support the main romance. The stakes may be high when Stella and Teddy are forced to consider marrying each other for mutual benefit, but the angst level isn’t, and their journey to falling in love is as sweet as it is satisfying.
An effortlessly elegant slow-burn romance.Pub Date: Nov. 19, 2024
ISBN: 9780593639276
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2024
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
BOOK TO SCREEN
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
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