A hot summer romance with Christian themes, titillating realism and a guilty conscience.
Though Francine’s debut novel may not be as controversial as Fifty Shades of Grey (2012), it nonetheless comes with a warning of adult language and explicit sex scenes. Fortunately, the realistic language and swift-paced dialogue are strengths in this otherwise stock romance. Kendall Smith, a sweet, 20-something, “leggy blonde” who’s also a Christian, has been a widow for several years. She misses her husband deeply but manages to keep busy with friends and church activities in close-knit Key West. She’s dated some men, but none of them pique her interest, so she concentrates on her love of the sea and her small business, which takes tourists on catamaran outings to coral reefs. Then David Bryce—a “bad boy” who looks like a gorgeous pirate—moves in next door for the summer, and Kendall’s neat, tidy world is turned upside down, as the forbidden fruit of lust tempts her Christian morals. Much skin tingling and deep breathing ensue, with Kendall both disgusted by and sexually attracted to the man she thinks could also be a drug dealer. In fact, David Bryce, whose real name is Bryce Tejidor, is working undercover to infiltrate the Mezaluno drug cartel, and he vowed to never get close to any woman, except on a superficial level. The author builds sexual tension by sprinkling in awkward situations that bring the two closer together; e.g., Kendall chases her rowdy cat into Bryce’s yard, and it claws his hand when he gently catches it. While leggy blondes, hot guys who look like pirates—and Kendall’s wisecracking island friend Mari—can be clichés, acting on human sexual desire is an interesting twist to the often squeaky-clean Christian writing genre. However, this book is definitely a morality tale—and a love story—as Kendall tells Bryce she can never have unmarried sex again, even as she continues to grapple with desire versus faith. The plot doesn’t lose its steady pace after the steamy bedroom scene, since a secondary storyline emerges when Bryce and Kendall encounter danger from the drug cartel, which keeps the pages turning.
Christian romance fans who don’t mind some R-rated language and a lovemaking scene will find satisfying lessons in faith.Pub Date: April 12, 2012
ISBN: 978-1470069346
Page Count: 398
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Jan. 25, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Categories: GENERAL ROMANCE | ROMANCE
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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. 23, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018
Categories: GENERAL ROMANCE | ROMANCE | FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP | CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
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An unlucky woman finally gets lucky in love on an all-expenses-paid trip to Hawaii.
From getting her hand stuck in a claw machine at age 6 to losing her job, Olive Torres has never felt that luck was on her side. But her fortune changes when she scores a free vacation after her identical twin sister and new brother-in-law get food poisoning at their wedding buffet and are too sick to go on their honeymoon. The only catch is that she’ll have to share the honeymoon suite with her least favorite person—Ethan Thomas, the brother of the groom. To make matters worse, Olive’s new boss and Ethan’s ex-girlfriend show up in Hawaii, forcing them both to pretend to be newlyweds so they don’t blow their cover, as their all-inclusive vacation package is nontransferable and in her sister’s name. Plus, Ethan really wants to save face in front of his ex. The story is told almost exclusively from Olive’s point of view, filtering all communication through her cynical lens until Ethan can win her over (and finally have his say in the epilogue). To get to the happily-ever-after, Ethan doesn’t have to prove to Olive that he can be a better man, only that he was never the jerk she thought he was—for instance, when she thought he was judging her for eating cheese curds, maybe he was actually thinking of asking her out. Blending witty banter with healthy adult communication, the fake newlyweds have real chemistry as they talk it out over snorkeling trips, couples massages, and a few too many tropical drinks to get to the truth—that they’re crazy about each other.
Heartfelt and funny, this enemies-to-lovers romance shows that the best things in life are all-inclusive and nontransferable as well as free.Pub Date: May 14, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5011-2803-5
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2019
Categories: GENERAL ROMANCE | ROMANCE
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