A half-baked plot with two lukewarm romances.
Cultural and societal differences challenge two women and their romantic interests in Victorian England.
Emma Brinkman Northcott never thought she’d leave her ranch in Colorado. When her new husband, Beranger Northcott, learns he’s the new Duke of Brightshire, he agrees to return to England with his American wife in tow. Charlotte Aldridge is a scullery maid at the Brightshire estate. Orphaned at a young age, she’s never had a chance to enjoy the finer things in life. As Emma settles into English life, she takes the young woman under her wing, oblivious to the rules of propriety. While Emma attempts to acclimate to British society as an outsider, Charlotte begins to fall in love with a man above her station. The two women form a lovely friendship. Charlotte helps Emma navigate the unspoken rules of being a duchess, and Emma encourages Charlotte’s growth into a confident young woman. There’s an intense focus on gossip and personal politics, so much so that neither romance is very strong. Fans of more traditional historical romances will find this straddles the line between historical fiction and romance given the lack of standard genre conventions. Though Emma’s and Charlotte’s individual storylines are given equal time, they aren’t equally as enjoyable. Charlotte is an admirable heroine; she wants to establish her own identity beyond being a maid. Emma’s sudden unconventional circumstance—an American who now holds the title of duchess—has potential but never becomes interesting enough to compete with Charlotte’s more tender storyline. Simply put, it’s fine. The lack of exciting romantic entanglements and engaging scenarios makes this a forgettable read, especially when compared with other historical romances.
A half-baked plot with two lukewarm romances.Pub Date: June 25, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5420-9167-1
Page Count: 348
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Review Posted Online: April 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2019
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
Heartfelt and funny, this enemies-to-lovers romance shows that the best things in life are all-inclusive and nontransferable...
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 2, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2019
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