A well-crafted romance for fans of the smash hit Red, White & Royal Blue (2019).
Two young men fall in love on a road trip to Las Vegas for a gaming convention.
Conrad Stewart and Alden Roth’s rivalry has made them the stars of a gaming vlog about a card game called Odyssey. When the local game shop owner who runs the vlog announces he has procured a set of complimentary entries for his players at the national Odyssey convention in Las Vegas, Conrad and Alden each have their own reasons for wanting to win. Alden is socially awkward and feels adrift after failing to get into medical school, and turning into a Odyssey pro would provide much-needed structure to his life; Conrad has been disowned by his family after they find out he’s gay, and winning the tournament would give him the financial security to provide for himself and finish college. Due to a series of unfortunate mishaps, Conrad and Alden end up together on the road trip to Las Vegas for the convention. As they travel thousands of miles cross-country, they work together to navigate a series of minor mishaps and challenges. Once they learn to look past their knee-jerk dislike of each other, they realize that they are a pretty good team. Their romance is sweet and slow, with the more experienced Conrad showing Alden the joys of falling in love. Their romance has the classic hallmarks of the new-adult subgenre, with both of the main characters learning to face the challenges of the adult world while resisting family pressures and expectations. The tight pacing, interesting conflict, and careful characterization make this a great bridge for readers looking to make the jump from YA to adult romance.
A well-crafted romance for fans of the smash hit Red, White & Royal Blue (2019).Pub Date: June 2, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-72820-029-3
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Review Posted Online: April 12, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2020
A melodramatic family saga with a side of romance.
A divorced couple finds love again.
Yasmen and Josiah Wade have been divorced for two years. They met in college, and after marrying, they opened a successful restaurant in Atlanta and started a family. Their seemingly rock-solid marriage went off course after two tragic losses: Josiah’s beloved aunt died, and their much-desired third child was stillborn. Yasmen suffered from brutal, agonizing depression, and, unable to cope with their grief and sadness, the two agreed to a divorce. Now, Yasmen and Josiah co-parent and manage their business, and both are trying to move on with their lives. The catalyst for change is when Josiah starts dating again. Yasmen is surprised to find feelings she thought were long dead rising up to the surface—attraction, possessiveness, and love. What if their divorce was a mistake? The novel is stuffed full of melodrama and angst as Yasmen and Josiah care for their kids, decide if they should expand the business, and explore their wholly unexpected reconnection. Notably, the book shows the benefits of therapy for both children and adults. Josiah resisted therapy after the loss of their baby but now agrees to see a therapist as a model for his son who has been struggling at school. Josiah’s willingness to finally talk about his feelings allows the couple to open up about the end of their marriage, paving the way for a new future together. Colleen Hoover fans looking for a dramatic emotional journey starring people in their 30s will find what they are looking for here.
A melodramatic family saga with a side of romance.Pub Date: Nov. 15, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5387-0679-4
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Forever
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2022
A satisfying crime novel with a side order of romance.
A TV producer and a detective try to stop a strange pattern of young women disappearing.
In “Auclair, Loooziana,” disillusioned detective John Bowie reluctantly meets in a bar with Beth Collins, producer for the true crime show Crisis Point. She needs to interview him about the disastrous case of the missing Crissy Mellin, but he refuses. The teenager disappeared three years ago on the night of a blood moon and hasn’t been found, but a suspect hanged himself in jail after signing a confession. Case closed, says John’s boss. But John is convinced that their prisoner could not have been guilty, and he’s deeply upset at his failure. “The Mellin case messed up your life,” Beth tells him. She persuades John that Crissy’s disappearance is the latest of a series that happen on the night of a blood moon, the colloquial term for a total lunar eclipse. “It’s going to happen again,” she predicts. And wouldn’t you know, another blood moon is coming in four days. Tick, tick, tick. Beth’s boss at Crisis Point insists on airing an update on the case, but Beth knows the show is going to get it wrong, and its reputation will be ruined. Meanwhile, there’s an electric sexual tension between Beth and John that the author toys with nicely—do they, or don’t they? The answer plays out in detail more than once. The characters are fun if easy to pigeonhole: the detective angry at his failure, the honest (and beautiful) outsider eager to do her job but susceptible to love, the hero’s corrupt (to say the least) boss, and the ogre who carries out said boss’s dirtiest deeds. Even John’s dog, Mutt, plays a small but vital role. When John found him, he’d been “a flea-bitten hide wrapped around a skeleton that whimpered.” Little plot devices are easy to spot, like the phone that rings at a crucial moment, or the handgun that John places in Beth’s hand for her protection. Does Chekhov’s guideline apply here? The romantic angle leavens the dark theme, and readers will have plenty of incentives to turn the pages.
A satisfying crime novel with a side order of romance.Pub Date: March 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781538742983
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
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