An enjoyable country-Western love story best suited for fans of second chances.
A widowed mom inherits a run-down ranch and develops complicated feelings for the man who helps fix up the property.
James’ novel opens with Hope Roberts’ new ranch hand quitting. He’s received a better offer of employment from a wealthier ranch owner. Much to her mortification, the young cowboy reveals his reasons for leaving within earshot of Dr. Dean Stanton, the incredibly handsome and wealthy physician who happens to be the son of the man who hired Hope’s employee. Not only that, but Dean is also the doctor who treated Hope’s now-deceased husband, Brian, who had cancer. Ever since Brian’s death, there’s been tension between Hope and Dean. Much to her surprise, Dean offers to fill in as the new hand around the house, but Hope is adamantly opposed. Given Dean’s duties as a physician, his responsibilities for his own rural home, and their icy relationship, it just doesn’t make sense. Even so, Dean seems to think his assistance is the best solution (“There’s no way you’ll find a more qualified cowboy than me”). He convinces her to let him complete one home improvement, and before she knows it, he’s turning the entire property around and winning over both Hope and her young daughter, Sadie. Hope refuses to acknowledge the feelings she begins to develop for him, worrying instead about all the reasons she thinks they could never be together, no matter how hard Dean tries to convince her otherwise. Told alternately from Hope’s and Dean’s perspectives, the opposing narratives slowly reveal the protagonists’ complicated personal histories and the obstacles they face in pursuing their own happiness. A seemingly lighthearted read with much attention centered on the characters’ physical attraction to each other, the novel also tackles weightier topics like mortality, parental responsibilities, grief, and guilt. Chock-full of details about ranch living and the endless work required for maintaining remote rural residences, the story remains focused throughout on the push and pull between the two main characters. Despite the tale’s formulaic and predictable trajectory, readers will enjoy accompanying Hope and Dean on their heartwarming journey.
An enjoyable country-Western love story best suited for fans of second chances.Pub Date: Dec. 27, 2022
ISBN: 978-1649373120
Page Count: 364
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Review Posted Online: Nov. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A warm and winning "When Harry Met Sally…" update that hits all the perfect notes.
A travel writer has one last shot at reconnecting with the best friend she just might be in love with.
Poppy and Alex couldn't be more different. She loves wearing bright colors while he prefers khakis and a T-shirt. She likes just about everything while he’s a bit more discerning. And yet, their opposites-attract friendship works because they love each other…in a totally platonic way. Probably. Even though they have their own separate lives (Poppy lives in New York City and is a travel writer with a popular Instagram account; Alex is a high school teacher in their tiny Ohio hometown), they still manage to get together each summer for one fabulous vacation. They grow closer every year, but Poppy doesn’t let herself linger on her feelings for Alex—she doesn’t want to ruin their friendship or the way she can be fully herself with him. They continue to date other people, even bringing their serious partners on their summer vacations…but then, after a falling-out, they stop speaking. When Poppy finds herself facing a serious bout of ennui, unhappy with her glamorous job and the life she’s been dreaming of forever, she thinks back to the last time she was truly happy: her last vacation with Alex. And so, though they haven’t spoken in two years, she asks him to take another vacation with her. She’s determined to bridge the gap that’s formed between them and become best friends again, but to do that, she’ll have to be honest with Alex—and herself—about her true feelings. In chapters that jump around in time, Henry shows readers the progression (and dissolution) of Poppy and Alex’s friendship. Their slow-burn love story hits on beloved romance tropes (such as there unexpectedly being only one bed on the reconciliation trip Poppy plans) while still feeling entirely fresh. Henry’s biggest strength is in the sparkling, often laugh-out-loud-funny dialogue, particularly the banter-filled conversations between Poppy and Alex. But there’s depth to the story, too—Poppy’s feeling of dissatisfaction with a life that should be making her happy as well as her unresolved feelings toward the difficult parts of her childhood make her a sympathetic and relatable character. The end result is a story that pays homage to classic romantic comedies while having a point of view all its own.
A warm and winning "When Harry Met Sally…" update that hits all the perfect notes.Pub Date: May 11, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-9848-0675-8
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: March 2, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
PERSPECTIVES
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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