A major overhaul would be needed for this rerelease to appeal to modern romance readers.
A tech executive finds herself involved in high-stakes geopolitical espionage—and involved with a newly crowned king—in this rereleased novel by Abrams writing as Montgomery.
Sparks fly when A.J. Grayson meets Damon Toca at her cousin Adam’s wedding; she wonders if she’ll ever see the cryptic art gallerist again, and holds onto the suit jacket he left behind at the reception. When Damon ascends to the throne of Jafir, a fictional island nation that’s proving pivotal in negotiations for a peace deal between the African-Arab Alliance and Israel, A.J. wonders how much of the intense flirtation they shared was real. When she finds out that Adam and his bride, Raleigh, are spies working with an extra-governmental group called the International Security Agency, her sense of betrayal skyrockets. Now, the ISA needs help from A.J., who’s the creator of an artificial intelligence algorithm that only she knows how to use. The upcoming peace talks would make the perfect target for terrorists wanting to maintain instability in the Middle East, and A.J.’s technology could be the key to preparing for a variety of disastrous scenarios. All they need is for A.J. to travel to Jafir and act as a consultant for six weeks, which would reunite her with Damon and put her in several types of danger. This novel was originally published in 2002 and it feels outdated in several ways, AI aside. “Fiery heroine meets domineering hero” was very much the trend in early 2000s romances, but watching Damon dole out barbed insults toward A.J., invade her personal space, and apologize with physical affection doesn’t play well anymore. Needless to say, the situation in the Middle East has also changed dramatically since the novel was written. Formerly out of print, this romantic thriller might have the ability to reach a new audience for Montgomery, but there’s a reason many romance fans look fondly at their books from this era but opt not to revisit them.
A major overhaul would be needed for this rerelease to appeal to modern romance readers.Pub Date: Jan. 21, 2025
ISBN: 9780593439456
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024
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
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
