A light, enjoyable romp through time.
A lonely doctor conjures up a famous lover in Rea’s time-traveling romance.
Dr. Elizabeth Hillman has an obsession with the past. She immerses herself in the 12-volume memoir of the legendary Italian lover Giacomo Casanova in an attempt to escape her memories of devastating breakups and a stressful job as an ER doc. In the wake of a tragic death, Lizzy escapes from Chicago to modern-day Venice for some needed time off. Somehow, her tears manage to summon Casanova through the centuries, and he appears on her hotel rooftop in 2016. What follows is an entertaining—and often steamy—update for the infamous lover boy. Casanova seems to take the trappings of modern society in stride. Lizzy helps him update his wardrobe, arranges for a thorough teeth cleaning, and doses him with a course of antibiotics to clear up any lingering STDs. Casanova lives up to his reputation, offering Lizzy comfort and support while seducing any female within sight. Despite her best efforts, she finds herself falling for Casanova’s smooth moves, sharp intellect, and, eventually, amazing talents in the bedroom. Though Casanova might not be able to stay, he teaches Lizzy a thing or two about life and love. Rea offers a small spin on the popular time-travel trope by bringing the past to the very near future. The narrative is full of the practical—and often humorous—problems that arise when one meets an 18th-century libertine; his predilection for young girls, for example, was more acceptable in the 18th century than in the 21st. In addition, Rea sprinkles bits of well-researched history amid the romantic tension, working in specific details from Casanova’s life, such as his appreciation of intelligent women. A trip to Paris provides some of the most satisfying parts of the book. Casanova reminiscences on the Paris of old are entertaining, and the city provides a satisfying romantic conclusion after all of the flirtation. Though falling in love with an infamous playboy may be ill-advised, Rea makes it seem like a wonderful idea.
A light, enjoyable romp through time.Pub Date: June 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-63152-056-3
Page Count: -
Publisher: She Writes Press
Review Posted Online: Nov. 24, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of...
Hoover’s (November 9, 2015, etc.) latest tackles the difficult subject of domestic violence with romantic tenderness and emotional heft.
At first glance, the couple is edgy but cute: Lily Bloom runs a flower shop for people who hate flowers; Ryle Kincaid is a surgeon who says he never wants to get married or have kids. They meet on a rooftop in Boston on the night Ryle loses a patient and Lily attends her abusive father’s funeral. The provocative opening takes a dark turn when Lily receives a warning about Ryle’s intentions from his sister, who becomes Lily’s employee and close friend. Lily swears she’ll never end up in another abusive home, but when Ryle starts to show all the same warning signs that her mother ignored, Lily learns just how hard it is to say goodbye. When Ryle is not in the throes of a jealous rage, his redeeming qualities return, and Lily can justify his behavior: “I think we needed what happened on the stairwell to happen so that I would know his past and we’d be able to work on it together,” she tells herself. Lily marries Ryle hoping the good will outweigh the bad, and the mother-daughter dynamics evolve beautifully as Lily reflects on her childhood with fresh eyes. Diary entries fancifully addressed to TV host Ellen DeGeneres serve as flashbacks to Lily’s teenage years, when she met her first love, Atlas Corrigan, a homeless boy she found squatting in a neighbor’s house. When Atlas turns up in Boston, now a successful chef, he begs Lily to leave Ryle. Despite the better option right in front of her, an unexpected complication forces Lily to cut ties with Atlas, confront Ryle, and try to end the cycle of abuse before it’s too late. The relationships are portrayed with compassion and honesty, and the author’s note at the end that explains Hoover’s personal connection to the subject matter is a must-read.
Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of the survivors.Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5011-1036-8
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.
Eleven years ago, he broke her heart. But he doesn’t know why she never forgave him.
Toggling between past and present, two love stories unfold simultaneously. In the first, Macy Sorensen meets and falls in love with the boy next door, Elliot Petropoulos, in the closet of her dad’s vacation home, where they hide out to discuss their favorite books. In the second, Macy is working as a doctor and engaged to a single father, and she hasn’t spoken to Elliot since their breakup. But a chance encounter forces her to confront the truth: what happened to make Macy stop speaking to Elliot? Ultimately, they’re separated not by time or physical remoteness but by emotional distance—Elliot and Macy always kept their relationship casual because they went to different schools. And as a teen, Macy has more to worry about than which girl Elliot is taking to the prom. After losing her mother at a young age, Macy is navigating her teenage years without a female role model, relying on the time-stamped notes her mother left in her father’s care for guidance. In the present day, Macy’s father is dead as well. She throws herself into her work and rarely comes up for air, not even to plan her upcoming wedding. Since Macy is still living with her fiance while grappling with her feelings for Elliot, the flashbacks offer steamy moments, tender revelations, and sweetly awkward confessions while Macy makes peace with her past and decides her future.
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.Pub Date: April 10, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5011-2801-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018
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