An affecting series opener with an intriguing setting.
A widow seduces the owner of a gaming hell to save her sister-in-law.
After Heloise Marlow’s husband died, she joined the Wimpole Street Widows Society, a group of women who appear to live together just for mutual support—but who secretly hone eccentric skills like lock-picking, fencing, and using disguises in order to help clients who have been wronged. When Heloise learns that her sister-in-law is in danger, having been cheated into gambling away her employer’s prized jewels, the Widows take on her case. To gain access to hidden areas of the gaming hell to search for the jewels, Heloise decides to seduce the owner, the imposing Ethan Sinclaire. Ethan prides himself on his establishment’s flawless reputation, so when rumors of shady business practices begin swirling, he’s determined to get to the bottom of it. He doesn’t fully trust anyone, not even his business partners, since his brother blindsided him a few years ago. When he meets Heloise, he senses something suspicious about her but can’t help but be intrigued, anyway. Secrets become harder for both of them to maintain as they begin to truly fall for each other, but revealing them requires trust and vulnerability. This series kickoff introduces an enticing cast of characters that readers will be eager to follow to their own love stories. The non-ballroom setting and leads with rough upbringings are a refreshing alternative to most Regency London–set stories. The secrets and planned heist lead to some entertaining action, but the story is mostly driven by the internal growth of the main couple. Though their initial attraction feels too instant and out of character, once their love deepens, it’s touching and captivating as they open their hearts, heal past wounds, and learn to trust and accept companionship.
An affecting series opener with an intriguing setting.Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025
ISBN: 9781538769119
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Forever
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A romance that could have used significant rethinking.
Childhood friends, almost-sweethearts, a misunderstanding, and a funeral.
Blair Lang and Declan Renshaw were best friends who went on one date before a disagreement and an accident sent them in different directions after high school. Now Blair is back from college to be with her great-aunt Lottie, who’s dying, and to support her single mother in small-town Seabrook, California. Finding a job at a coffee shop puts her in the path of her former boyfriend, since he turns out to be its owner. Can the two get past their mistakes? The novel uses the popular second-chance romance trope, but Pham fails to energize it through interesting characters. Blair’s grief over her great-aunt’s death and her plan to help her mother are overshadowed by internal monologues about her feelings, the way her friends aren’t paying attention to her, and the novel she plans to write. Declan’s distinguishing characteristic, besides being a former high school quarterback, is his skill at building birdhouses. Unsurprisingly, the couple doesn’t have much chemistry; when they embrace, their “bodies meld like…memory foam.” The wooden characters, unusual word choices (“conglomerate of pedestrians,” “litany of plants”), and odd turns of phrase (“tension melting from his eyebrows like butter melting in a warm pan”) are almost enough to obscure the lack of plot development. What passes for stakes is easily defused when Blair comes into an inheritance that saves her from working as a consultant at Ernst & Young in New York—so she can write a romance novel.
A romance that could have used significant rethinking.Pub Date: March 3, 2026
ISBN: 9781668095188
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2026
Light on plot and heavy on bolstering traditional gender norms as the ultimate goal for both men and women.
A Seattle woman meets a Chicago businessman as she flies home from a visit to a friend, and her small act of kindness blossoms into more.
Maisy Gallagher is barely making ends meet. With her father’s unexpected death a few years earlier, she dropped out of nursing school to help out in the family’s jewelry store, working with her uncle. Her older brother, Sean, also moved back home so he and Maisy could help their mother and their 10-year-old brother, Patrick. When Maisy offers a ride to a rude businessman who sat next to her on the plane, she’s just operating on the kindness her grandmother instilled in her. That businessman, Chase Furst, turns out to be an incredibly wealthy banker; he’s flown into Seattle to make funeral arrangements for his mother, to whom he hasn’t spoken in years. Sparks fly in this gentle and predictable romance that leans heavily on long-distance and class-divide tropes. As with many of the author’s books, Christianity and the characters’ reliance on God’s will—as they wait and see what happens next—play a large part, as do traditional gender roles where women cook, clean, and only work in paying jobs until they have children at home to take care of. The author does offer a lighter touch when it comes to the painful ways alcoholism can destroy family relationships, with an understanding of the regret that can weigh on every family member.
Light on plot and heavy on bolstering traditional gender norms as the ultimate goal for both men and women.Pub Date: April 28, 2026
ISBN: 9798217091676
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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