A quick, enjoyable romance that will satisfy the intended audience.
When Lily, an exiled Bostonian heiress, and Mason, a frontier journalist suffering major writer’s block, meet on her grandfather’s dinosaur dig, sparks fly and secrets are unearthed—but as mysteries unfold, Mason and Lily realize they may have to choose between love and truth.
Mason Donnelly was considered one of the best writers on the frontier, but he’s burned out and apathetic. When he makes his way to the Colorado excavation of Charles Highfill, a business magnate with an interest in paleontology, Mason isn’t really looking for a story. He just hopes to find a place to stay for a little while, and a tent on the site is as good as any. Welcomed, surprisingly, with open arms by Highfill and his right-hand man, Dickon, Mason settles into the dig community. He tries to ignore his attraction to the rich man’s granddaughter, Lily, as well as her lap-dog attitude toward Cecil St. John, the stuffy, condescending New England bones expert who is clearly the front-runner for Lily’s hand in marriage. Lily concocts a plan to make Cecil more aware of her by flirting with Mason, which backfires when Cecil still ignores her and she realizes her growing yet unwelcome attraction to Mason—a very unsuitable suitor. Meanwhile, Dickon discovers raw sapphires on the site, and Highfill orders his inner circle—consisting of Dickon, Lily and Cecil—to keep the find a secret, especially from Mason. Of course, the hint of a mystery sets off Mason’s journalistic instincts, and the stage is set for an investigation that will uncover long-buried family secrets, new crimes and scandals, and a scorching passion that just may burn Mason and Lily when the path to truth drives them apart. The novel, originally published as an e-book, offers a sensual, emotionally satisfying romance, smooth writing and dialogue, and a plot sophisticated enough to keep readers engaged and invested. A hint of intrigue adds tension, and a few unexpected twists deepen the complexity and texture of the plot.
A quick, enjoyable romance that will satisfy the intended audience.Pub Date: Nov. 27, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4516-9824-4
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Pocket
Review Posted Online: Sept. 29, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2012
Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an...
True love flares between two people, but they find that circumstances always impede it.
On a winter day in London, Laurie spots Jack from her bus home and he sparks a feeling in her so deep that she spends the next year searching for him. Her roommate and best friend, Sarah, is the perfect wing-woman but ultimately—and unknowingly—ends the search by finding Jack and falling for him herself. Laurie’s hasty decision not to tell Sarah is the second painful missed opportunity (after not getting off the bus), but Sarah’s happiness is so important to Laurie that she dedicates ample energy into retraining her heart not to love Jack. Laurie is misguided, but her effort and loyalty spring from a true heart, and she considers her project mostly successful. Perhaps she would have total success, but the fact of the matter is that Jack feels the same deep connection to Laurie. His reasons for not acting on them are less admirable: He likes Sarah and she’s the total package; why would he give that up just because every time he and Laurie have enough time together (and just enough alcohol) they nearly fall into each other’s arms? Laurie finally begins to move on, creating a mostly satisfying life for herself, whereas Jack’s inability to be genuine tortures him and turns him into an ever bigger jerk. Patriarchy—it hurts men, too! There’s no question where the book is going, but the pacing is just right, the tone warm, and the characters sympathetic, even when making dumb decisions.
Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an emotional, satisfying read.Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-525-57468-2
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: July 30, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
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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