A wonderfully charming rom-com that’s perfect for book lovers.
An editor travels to Ireland to help an author write the last installment of her father’s fantasy series.
When bestselling author Frank Sheridan died, he left behind legions of fans and a series that wasn’t quite finished. He also left behind a daughter, Ciara Sheridan, who lives alone in what was her father’s dream house. Ciara once had her own writing dreams and published several crime novels under a pseudonym, but she left the writing world altogether when her identity was revealed. Because her father’s wish was for her to finish his beloved Ravian series—and because she desperately needs the money to keep up the now slightly rundown family home—she agrees to take on the final volume. But writing the book means truly saying goodbye to her dad, and facing the scrutiny of his devoted (and occasionally obnoxious) fans. When she stops communicating with her New York City publishing house, they send editor Sam Avery to coastal Ireland to help her write what will surely be their biggest hit in years. Sam isn’t just an editor, though—he’s also Frank Sheridan’s biggest admirer and has an encyclopedic knowledge of the series. Ciara has no interest in working with a Ravian fanboy (Sam even has a Ravian tattoo), and she’s worried her writing won’t live up to her dad’s legacy. Sam is more than just a fan, though—he’s also a great editor who truly cares about producing a top-notch book, and Ciara slowly warms to him and begins writing. They both want the book to be the best it can be, but will they be able to reconcile their very different lives and write their own love story—especially if Ciara’s involvement becomes more public? Walsh creates a fully believable world with a fantasy series that seems real—Frank Sheridan’s readers bring to mind the devotion of Game of Thrones fans. Ciara’s small town in Ireland provides a perfectly cozy setting, and Sam and Ciara have delightful chemistry as they’re forced to work together and share a house.
A wonderfully charming rom-com that’s perfect for book lovers.Pub Date: March 10, 2026
ISBN: 9798217043781
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: Dec. 9, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2026
A powerfully strong romance for readers who like their love stories full of torment and passion.
Best friends confront feelings for each other when they take a honeymoon trip together.
Francesca Gardiner and George Saint James have always been best friends—just like Jo and Laurie from Little Women, which they both love. Frankie has a big, complicated family and George was the boy next door who’d moved in with his eccentric grandmother. Their friendship survived childhood, awkward teenage years, and living together as young adults without ever venturing into the romantic—well, except for one kiss, but they don’t talk about that. When Frankie gets engaged to an older professor named Nate, George isn’t happy and a huge fight ensues. Despite his misgivings, George shows up to be her best man, but Nate leaves Frankie right before the wedding with only a cryptic letter. Devastated, Frankie goes to a friend’s house to recuperate, but her honeymoon is already planned and paid for—so she decides to travel to Tofino, a picturesque town on the coast of Vancouver Island, with George taking Nate’s place. Frankie wants to fix her friendship with George, but now that they’re in a romantic suite in a beautiful location, things are more complicated than ever. She’d always thought a relationship would be a bad idea, but she’s slowly beginning to realize they’ll never be able to go back to being kids. Maybe the only way forward involves forging a new kind of relationship. Fortune, the author of romances like This Summer Will Be Different (2024), returns with another love story full of longing and intense angst. The many allusions to Little Women are charming, and Frankie is a delightfully headstrong, feisty character. She and George have explosive chemistry, and Fortune manages to make the “will-they-or-won’t-they” nature of their relationship feel like life-or-death stakes.
A powerfully strong romance for readers who like their love stories full of torment and passion.Pub Date: May 5, 2026
ISBN: 9780593953242
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A cleverly titled, cozy SF romance that marks Thorne as a writer to watch.
After purchasing a dilapidated, century-old starship called the Destitute, Torian Razner discovers that the moss covering it is, in fact, a deeply sarcastic sentient computer with abandonment issues.
Torian’s sister, Celise, is dying. Determined to save her life by getting her to a distant planet with air she can breathe, Torian ignores her former captain Amelia Perrosk’s warning that it’s an impossible task (along with any romantic feelings she might have for Amelia). Using the only ionite bars she has to her name, Torian purchases an ancient, moss-covered alien starship that appears to be on its last legs, so to speak. She hardly expected the moss to be a sentient computer or for it to hold a century-old grudge against its former alien captain. Moss quickly proves itself to be acerbic, intelligent, and rightly angry after being having been left behind for 100 years by its former captain. The two form a reluctant and surprising alliance, Torian proving to Moss that not all captains are “dog-turd fungus,” and they both gradually evolve into the best versions of themselves, human or otherwise. It’s obvious from the early pages that Thorne has crafted a story tailored to fans of Becky Chambers’ Monk & Robot series and Martha Wells’ Murderbot Diaries. Falling somewhere between the two, this is a delightful mashup of romance, found family, and a touch of violence as Moss grapples with its feelings about its former captain and the unexpected kindness that Torian shows. Sweet without being overly saccharine, it’s a book for readers who want the adventure that comes with the vastness of outer space without its harsher realities.
A cleverly titled, cozy SF romance that marks Thorne as a writer to watch.Pub Date: July 7, 2026
ISBN: 9781250414144
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Bramble Books
Review Posted Online: April 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
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