Another smart, entertaining historical romance from Jenkins.
The final installment in the RITA-winning author’s Old West trilogy (Forbidden, 2016; Breathless, 2017).
Regan Carmichael gets her first good look at the man she’s supposed to marry moments after she puts a bullet in him. She can’t help but notice that he’s quite handsome—and distinctly unamused. As far as Dr. Colton Lee is concerned, this unorthodox introduction does not bode well. All he’d wanted in a mail-order bride was a quiet, cultured woman to raise his daughter, Anna. His advertisement said nothing about requiring a woman who could handle a rifle. Clashing personalities is an essential genre trope, of course, but Jenkins makes her hero and heroine vivid, nuanced creations. Regan has lovely manners and a sophisticated wardrobe, but she knows how to muck out a stall—not to mention how to hold her own with the stern, proud, withdrawn Colton. Colt isn’t just a man who’s still in mourning after six years; he’s also a doctor who blames himself for his failure to save his wife. There’s plenty of small-town intrigue and family drama to move the story along. And Regan and Colton enjoy a very satisfying sex life from their first night together. This series is notable for depicting African-American love in a subgenre best known for its unfortunate depictions of Native Americans when it comes to characters of color. Throughout the narrative, Jenkins provides details that remind the reader that her main characters are not white. There are references to “Colored newspapers” and the black regiments in the Civil War. Regan studied at Oberlin, and Colton got his medical degree at Howard—two important institutions in the history of African-American higher education. When he reminisces about traveling to Washington, D.C., from the Wyoming Territory, Colton remembers seeing black people working in a diverse array of jobs and even running their own businesses. Race is not a central facet of the story, but it’s not invisible, either.
Another smart, entertaining historical romance from Jenkins.Pub Date: Jan. 30, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-238904-6
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Avon/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Nov. 12, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2017
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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