Strong characterization bolsters this profound, romantic tale.
In this novel, a woman hoping for a new start in a small American town struggles with alcoholism and catches the attention of two handsome admirers.
After drinking precipitates the loss of her fashion editor job, Grey Dalton ditches her cheating husband and New York City penthouse. She heads south to her new cabin in Berry Springs—a fixer-upper she bought online. She also uses this move as an opportunity to give up booze for good. Before Grey is settled in, gorgeous hotel/resort owner Lucas Covington knocks on her door. He wants her property, but is the date he asks her on only business? There’s another hunky guy in town: local mechanic Declan Montgomery. Grey finds herself drawn to him despite Declan’s tendency to mansplain and the rumor that he killed a girl when he was merely 11 years old. Meanwhile, Grey discovers old letters in her home from an anonymous writer who is clearly mentally disturbed. She sees parallels to her own life, including her alcoholic mother, the likely root of her addiction. As Grey fights her inner turmoil, she may have room in her new life for one of these potential suitors. Well-developed characters propel McKinney’s insightful novel. Lucas and Declan are charming but not without their faults; for example, both are sometimes condescending. But as the story progresses, Grey naturally gravitates toward the man whose better traits prevail. Still, the protagonist shines brightest. Guilt burdens her; she often blames herself for her drinking as well as a miscarriage and her failed marriage. The author memorably describes Grey’s perpetual torment: “I tossed back my shot, goose bumps forming on my skin as the burn slid down my throat…I inhaled deeply, inwardly cringing at the tingle on my tongue.” The letters, though unnerving, provide only a modicum of mystery. They’re not a narrative focus until the end, in a turn most readers will predict.
Strong characterization bolsters this profound, romantic tale.Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-7358681-0-3
Page Count: 447
Publisher: HH Tisevich, LLC
Review Posted Online: April 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Haphazard and undemanding.
A sports agent’s first official client is the man she dumped years ago in college.
After two years of hard work as an underling, Nora Mackenzie is finally being promoted to full-time sports agent. She’s worked hard, kept quiet, and allowed men in the office to call her Mac—a nickname she hates—all to show she’s a team player and “one of the guys.” Unfortunately, her boss instructs her to sign Derek Pender, a football player coming off an injury, who happens to be the man she heartlessly dumped in their senior year of college. Derek signs with her for revenge, seeing it as his opportunity to pay Nora back for callously breaking his heart eight years earlier. He insists she be at his beck and call: answering his emails, running his errands, cooking dinner for his dates. He also refuses to let her explain why she broke up with him without warning or explanation. Nora feels she has no choice but to acquiesce to Derek’s humiliating demands, since she’s worked too hard to let him ruin her dream job. She hopes he’ll thaw and they might become friends, but Derek’s bad behavior is designed to hide the fact that he’s still in love with her. Nora’s characterization is uneven, veering between anger at how she’s treated in the male-dominated field to immature bickering and bantering with Derek. Although Adams likely meant for Derek and Nora’s interactions to have an enemies-to-lovers vibe, the characters instead seem juvenile and stuck in the past. The novel is fueled by a string of tropes—second chance romance! married in Vegas! only one bed!—each randomly deployed to keep the book going despite thin characterization and wan plotting.
Haphazard and undemanding.Pub Date: April 2, 2024
ISBN: 9780593723678
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Dell
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.
The sequel to It Ends With Us (2016) shows the aftermath of domestic violence through the eyes of a single mother.
Lily Bloom is still running a flower shop; her abusive ex-husband, Ryle Kincaid, is still a surgeon. But now they’re co-parenting a daughter, Emerson, who's almost a year old. Lily won’t send Emerson to her father’s house overnight until she’s old enough to talk—“So she can tell me if something happens”—but she doesn’t want to fight for full custody lest it become an expensive legal drama or, worse, a physical fight. When Lily runs into Atlas Corrigan, a childhood friend who also came from an abusive family, she hopes their friendship can blossom into love. (For new readers, their history unfolds in heartfelt diary entries that Lily addresses to Finding Nemo star Ellen DeGeneres as she considers how Atlas was a calming presence during her turbulent childhood.) Atlas, who is single and running a restaurant, feels the same way. But even though she’s divorced, Lily isn’t exactly free. Behind Ryle’s veneer of civility are his jealousy and resentment. Lily has to plan her dates carefully to avoid a confrontation. Meanwhile, Atlas’ mother returns with shocking news. In between, Lily and Atlas steal away for romantic moments that are even sweeter for their authenticity as Lily struggles with child care, breastfeeding, and running a business while trying to find time for herself.
Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.Pub Date: Oct. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-668-00122-6
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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