An enjoyably lusty romance with good relationship development.
Two adults who suddenly lost their mothers strive for connection in this romance novel.
Since her mom died unexpectedly two years ago, 23-year-old Katie Williams has put college and her future dreams aside to work as a teller in a Portland, Maine, bank and take care of her half brother, 12-year-old Tyler, whose abusive father left years ago. It’s a dull, dreary life in their cramped apartment, but Katie sees no way to move beyond it. After his own mother’s death, 26-year-old Matt Stephens, a wealthy CEO of a computer software startup in Boston, comes to clean out her place, which happens to be one floor below Katie’s. When he and Katie run into each other—literally—their attraction is immediate. He’s drawn to her “delicate” prettiness and mane of dark-brown hair and she, to his tall, muscular form and “midnight blue” eyes. They start dating, and the sex is spectacular, but the path to love proves to be a rocky one. It turns out that both have something to hide; for Katie, it’s her long struggle with depression, while Matt keeps the fact that he’s rich under wraps, hoping to be loved for more than his money. When Tyler’s father threatens to seek custody, the couple’s secrets and true feelings come out. In her debut novel, Disano initially doesn’t go very deep into Matt and Katie’s instant attraction, instead summing it up unsatisfactorily with questions such as “What was it about him that flustered her so much?” However, the portrayal of the relationship strengthens as the story goes on, and although the two predictably manage to work out their differences, they do so with notable integrity and caring. The couple’s sex life is improbably superb from the get-go, but the scenes that depict it are well written, varied, and reveal some unexpected verve on mild-mannered Katie’s part: “Oh yeah. That’s going to leave a mark.”
An enjoyably lusty romance with good relationship development.Pub Date: Nov. 15, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-73776-120-4
Page Count: 216
Publisher: Disano Dreams
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A charming love story that absolutely radiates warmth.
A single mom winds up fake dating an incredibly wealthy man in her hometown.
Dolly Brick is back in her hometown of Whitfield, Rhode Island, for the summer to help her dad and disabled brother manage their house and family business. As a 39-year-old single mother with multiple jobs—which now include working at the Brick Fish House—Dolly is always busy. When her mom left their family years ago, Dolly took over caring for her siblings and father and never really stopped. When she runs into Stewart Whitfield after making a shrimp delivery to his family’s mansion, she doesn’t think they could be more different. She’s had to figure out how to do everything by herself, and he can’t even change a tire. That’s why Stewart’s proposal that she pretend to be his girlfriend feels so unbelievable—but it comes with a hefty check that she desperately needs for home repairs. So she becomes the fake girlfriend of Stewart Whitfield (as in, the Whitfields her town is named after; his real fiancée just dumped him and it’s a bad time for him to be single) and experiences what it’s like to walk into fancy buildings through the front door instead of the service entrance. More than the boats and helicopter and expensive dinners, though, Dolly is impressed by what a kind man Stewart is—and how it feels to let someone else take care of her for a change. Soon, their relationship starts to feel more real than fake. Monaghan creates an impossibly winning story with a charming, lovable heroine. Dolly is capable, hardworking, and will do anything for the people she loves. She and Stewart both possess real flaws, and while their relationship begins with one of the most beloved rom-com tropes, their challenges feel like realistic adult obstacles rather than easily solved miscommunications. It’s also refreshing that, even though Dolly must learn to allow other people to help her, she never views her caretaking responsibilities as burdens. She deeply loves her family, and that love carries through the entire story.
A charming love story that absolutely radiates warmth.Pub Date: May 26, 2026
ISBN: 9780593853979
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2026
SEEN & HEARD
A deliciously dramatic look at how one woman’s past influences her future.
A happily engaged woman is pulled back to her hometown—and her first love—when tragedy strikes.
Billie Wright is living her dream, running a thriving fertility clinic in New York City and engaged to a wonderful trauma surgeon named Dean. Her happily-ever-after meant giving up her life in Wisconsin, where she left behind many friends as well as her high school sweetheart, Mick. Although they’d been deeply in love, when Billie’s ambition pulled her away from home and toward the city, Mick couldn’t handle either the distance or her busy schedule. Billie has finally moved on from that heartbreak—but then she receives a phone call from Mick, the first communication between them in years. Her best friend, Erin, died in a car accident, leaving behind an 11-year-old daughter, Phoebe. Now Billie must return home to help sort Erin’s affairs and provide some kind of comfort to Phoebe while grieving the loss of her best friend. Of course, being back home also means being in close contact with Mick. Their feelings for each other may not have ever gone away, and their proximity leads to big decisions for Billie. Can she ever reconcile her current life in Manhattan with her past in Wisconsin? And which one will be her future? Giffin knows how to do drama, and she ratchets up the stakes with every page as she continues to reveal new obstacles for Billie. The ending wraps up quite neatly, but the nostalgia-filled ride is full of twists and turns that will keep readers flipping the pages.
A deliciously dramatic look at how one woman’s past influences her future.Pub Date: July 7, 2026
ISBN: 9780593600320
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: April 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
SEEN & HEARD
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