Smooth, sophisticated, and sexy.
A Black British university student explores love and friendship on her radio show in this shining romance debut.
Loner Kikiola “Kiki” Banjo is perfectly content with her Switzerland-esque social status at Whitewell College. Uninterested in making any political or social waves, Kiki dedicates all her energy to “Brown Sugar,” her show on the college radio station. Her college, called “Blackwell” by the school’s Black caucus, is home to a number of cliques and queen bees, but Kiki prefers to stay behind the mic when dealing with any drama between Blackwellian babes and the guys she dubs “Wastemen” (“They waste our time. Waste our energy”). Armed with a sharp tongue and her producer/best friend, Aminah, Kiki hopes the show will land her a spot at New York University’s elite summer pop media program, but she needs a community component to really seal the deal. Enter hot transfer Malakai Korede, a film student and “fresh manna from heaven.” Despite his recent arrival, his more-than-good looks and charisma have already pitted the independent Blackwell women against each other, and even Kiki finds it difficult to withstand his effortless charm. After an impromptu make-out session spurs their unexpected friendship, Kiki and Malakai decide to combine forces and fake date to add to the credibility of “Brown Sugar” and provide audio for his romance documentary. Suddenly, the walls Kiki built around herself come tumbling down as her relationship with Malakai turns them into local celebrities, and she must come to terms with what it means to step out from the recording booth and actually be seen. Babalola’s debut novel is lyrical and sincere, her prose rhythmic: “My smile had had enough of being trapped and spilled out, wide and brazen and messy, dripping everywhere. It soaked through my clothes and into my skin.” Kiki is the epitome of cool; her dialogue oozes with confidence, and her biting wit rolls off her tongue with ease—leaving readers wishing they could play her clever disses on repeat like their favorite song.
Smooth, sophisticated, and sexy.Pub Date: July 19, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-06-314148-3
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: April 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
Typical Macomber holiday romantic fare: short and sweet and as much a part of the season for some readers as cookies and...
Chicago society-page columnist Carrie Slayton wants to find and interview reclusive author Finn Dalton to prove her credibility as a real journalist; she doesn’t expect to fall in love with him, jeopardizing both her heart and her career.
Carrie Slayton yearns to write meatier stories, and her editor offers her a challenge: find and interview best-selling, reclusive author Finn Dalton, and she can have her pick of assignments. Determined, Carrie makes real progress, tracking down his birth certificate, then his mother, then the man himself. Basically drop-shipped by an Alaskan bush pilot to his cabin’s doorstep, she is met by an angry author and an Arctic blizzard. Finn may be crotchety, but he’s not inhumane, and he can hardly leave her outside in the snow. As the two get to know each other, they realize they may have more in common than either expected, and despite their icy beginnings, they warm up to each other. After two snowbound days, Carrie heads back to Chicago and her job, but neither Carrie nor Finn is ready to say goodbye, and the two begin a long-distance romance. Meanwhile, despite enough material to write a story, Carrie buries the piece, believing Finn’s trust in her is more valuable than any article. The two are stuck on each other, but the people around them are more worried about their differences than their similarities, and they’ll either have to figure out a way to be together or end it completely. Set in snowy Alaska, Chicago and Seattle during the Christmas season, Macomber fulfills fans’ expectations with this romantic holiday confection. As with many Macomber books, the pace is relaxed, the story soft and fuzzy. Certain details miss the mark, and sometimes the story feels told more than shown, but the author will likely enthrall her usual audience with this quick, simple love story of two opposites attracting and struggling to make it work.
Typical Macomber holiday romantic fare: short and sweet and as much a part of the season for some readers as cookies and candy canes.Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-345-52889-6
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: July 6, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2013
Slow yet satisfying.
A woman inquiry agent seeks assistance from a ducal heir and winds up falling in love.
Formidable and imposing Abigail Abbott is in danger after a marquess requested she hand over some letters and she refused. She turns to clever Lord Stephen Wentworth, heir to the Duke of Walden, requesting he help fake her death so she can escape harm’s way. Stephen instead proposes a courtship of convenience. Because of his title, she would be protected with him as an ally. As they spend time together to ensure her safety, they reveal truths about their pasts, explore their physical desires for each other, and uncover more mysteries regarding the letters and the people interested in them. This installment in the Rogues to Riches series features familiar faces and Burrowes’ superb writing. Despite Abigail’s circumstances, the story has little conflict until some late twists amp up the drama. The pace is mostly unhurried, sometimes overly so. Abigail and Stephen genuinely like each other throughout the book, so the romance itself feels quite low stakes, even with their differences in station and morals—Abigail is an anti-violence lapsed Quaker while Stephen designs guns. Stephen uses canes to walk due to an injury in his youth, and this disability is deftly handled. Additionally, his candor regarding past trysts, with both women and men, is refreshing. Secrets and mysteries add some intrigue, but it’s the strength of the adept and captivating leads that carries the story.
Slow yet satisfying.Pub Date: April 13, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5387-5383-5
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Forever
Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2021
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