A vivid escape that's perfect for romantic thrill-seekers.
Former sweethearts team up to find potential treasure in the Utah wilderness—but the only thing more treacherous than the hunt might be their feelings for each other.
At the age of 19, Lily Wilder thought she had her future all figured out. She’d take over the ranch owned by her treasure-hunting father, the infamous Duke Wilder, and live there with her boyfriend, Leo Grady. But when Leo left unexpectedly and Duke sold the ranch, Lily’s dreams went up in smoke. Now it’s 10 years later, Duke is long dead, and all Lily has left of him is his journal full of maps and mysterious clues. She makes ends meet by using his maps to lead tourists on expeditions through the Utah desert. She dreams of buying back her childhood ranch, but she’s flat broke and miserable at her monotonous job. That is, until Leo shows up on a guys’ trip with his friends, ready to get on a horse and find some treasure. Seeing Leo is the last thing Lily wants, but when their routine trip goes shockingly wrong, Leo and Lily will have to work together if they want to figure out Duke’s last clue—and survive. Fans of Lauren, the writing duo known for their delightful rom-coms, may be surprised by this shift into the world of adventure romance. It should be a pleasant surprise, though, given that the story is fast-paced, exciting, and still full of that classic Lauren swoon (in between the danger, occasional violence, and plot twists). Lily and Leo’s romance is plenty steamy (there’s a scene where they’re forced to share a sleeping bag), but the real star is the landscape, which is described in sweltering, dusty detail.
A vivid escape that's perfect for romantic thrill-seekers.Pub Date: May 17, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-9821-7340-1
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 25, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet and sparkling adult debut.
A romance ghostwriter who’s lost her motivation after a breakup is haunted by the spirit of her newly departed editor in this whimsical paranormal romance.
Florence Day doesn't believe in love or happily-ever-afters any longer. Unfortunately, she’s also the ghostwriter for a prominent romance novelist and is currently trying to finish her fourth and final contracted book. The deadline for her latest manuscript has already been pushed back several times, and her new editor, Benji Andor, isn’t allowing for any leeway. Florence can also see ghosts, an ability that’s made quite a name for her in her hometown but also partly contributed to the devastating end of her previous relationship. On the eve of her deadline, Florence finds her life upended by both an unexpected kiss with her editor and the sudden death of her beloved father. Returning home comes with its own set of baggage, though Florence holds out hope that her father’s ghost will appear for one last goodbye. She’s shocked, however, when the spirit that visits her isn’t her father but Ben Andor, mysteriously dead only a day after she’d met him. Now Florence must not only navigate her grief and fulfill her dad's last wishes, she must also contend with Ben’s confused ghost following her around until they can correct his unfinished business. The zippy banter between Florence and nearly everyone she meets keeps things moving at a sprightly clip. Every interaction is a delight, and getting to know the cast of characters in Florence’s orbit adds excitement to the book. The romance takes a bit longer to build, though, and flits in and out of focus. Florence and Ben share such chemistry that it’s a shame readers are often left waiting for them to interact. The ghostly element is fun and fresh, adding slightly higher stakes to Florence and Ben's happily-ever-after.
A sweet and sparkling adult debut.Pub Date: July 5, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-33648-9
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: May 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2022
SEEN & HEARD
A treat for fans of Rowell and of realistic romance.
True love waits.
In high school, Cary, Shiloh, and Mikey were a tightknit trio of quirky kids. Cary and Shiloh loved each other deeply but could never admit it, even to themselves. When they reconnect in their 30s thanks to Mikey, lots of things have changed, and some have not. Cary is still in the Navy—his high school ROTC training and destiny to leave Omaha was something Shiloh hated in high school. He’s stationed in California and spends months at sea. Shiloh is still in Omaha. She has two wonderful children and a jerk of an ex-husband and hasn’t done anything with her life that she thought she would. Both of them are smart, clever, misanthropic, and stubborn. They are also, along with the omniscient narrative voice and tertiary characters, very funny. Rowell does longing like nobody’s business. She pits epic love against relatable, painful foibles. Cary and Shiloh want each other palpably, but they get hung up on little details, feel shame, project, overthink. They struggle mightily to believe they’re lovable. And they aren’t rolling in privilege, having many practical limitations besides her kids and his career: Shiloh has no family other than her mom and can’t afford to travel; Cary has a mother in poor health and a lot of family that can’t help. Just as the things that keep Shiloh and Cary apart are rooted in real-life problems, the things that might bring them together are quotidian and harder to accomplish than any grand gesture: Hope. Communication. Grief and trust. Chapters that dip back in time play to Rowell’s strength writing the confused passions of teenagers and show just how long these two have been absolutely gone for each other. Readers will be desperate to see them work it out.
A treat for fans of Rowell and of realistic romance.Pub Date: July 23, 2024
ISBN: 9780063380196
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
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