A sexy, science-filled, and surprising romance full of warmth and wit.
A DNA–based dating company matches a harried single mom with the company’s gruff founder—but can their real relationship measure up to their statistics?
Jessica Davis isn’t interested in dating. She’s a busy single mom who’s raising her beloved daughter, Juno, with her grandparents (who also raised Jess since her addict mother wasn’t exactly a reliable presence). Between her job in statistics, helping Juno with school projects, and bailing her mom out whenever she gets into trouble, Jess’ plate is full enough. But one day, when she and her romance-novelist BFF, Fizzy, are working at a coffee shop, they start up a conversation with a grumpy regular they refer to as Americano (based on his drink order). It turns out he’s Dr. River Peña, the founder of a new matchmaking company, GeneticAlly, that matches users based on their DNA. When Jess capitulates to Fizzy by giving the company a spit sample, she finds out she has 98% compatibility with River, a man she already can’t stand, and she’s not interested in exploring anything. But between losing a big client and giving her mom another loan, Jess needs money, and GeneticAlly offers to pay her to date him. As Jess begins to get to know the real River, she starts to wonder if the data might be right. Lauren, the author duo behind The Honey-Don’t List (2020) and countless other rom-coms, not only introduce a fascinating and unique premise, but flawlessly execute it with their trademark humor and charm. Jess is a believable and sympathetic heroine—it’s easy to see why she’s skeptical of GeneticAlly’s promises but still willing to give it a try. And although River starts out a bit unlikable, his irritable facade conceals hidden depths and passions. As their relationship proceeds, each encounter ratchets up the sexual tension and the emotional stakes, creating a love story that keeps the pages flying. Although the romance is stellar, some of the most enjoyable scenes in the book take place between the other people in Jess’ life: her precocious daughter, her hilarious and irreverent best friend, and her sweet, dependable grandparents. Readers won’t want to leave these characters or this world.
A sexy, science-filled, and surprising romance full of warmth and wit.Pub Date: May 18, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-9821-2396-3
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
A compelling romance worth reading again, or for the first time.
A former bully and his childhood victim meet again.
Ever since Alfie Bell went south to London, he’s not felt quite comfortable “oop north” in South Shields. In fact, he doesn’t really feel comfortable anywhere, despite his career successes. Though closeted when he left, he’s now out to his friends and family, but still struggles to accept himself in many ways, and can’t shake the uncomfortable feeling that he no longer fits in anywhere. When he’s home for a wedding, his discomfort drives him to a small bar where he meets a stranger, Fen, who is antagonistic but still wants to go back to Alfie’s hotel for a one-night stand. It’s not until after their encounter that Alfie realizes he actually does know Fen—they went to school together and, back when Alfie was in the closet, he was one of the boys who’d bullied Fen mercilessly for years. Now, Fen says he just wanted to see “the school bully demonstrating what a good little cocksucker he’s grown into.” The revelation shocks Alfie out of the life he’s settled into, and he finds himself leaving his important job and friends in London to drive his fancy sports car back home and try to apologize so he can see Fen again. Despite his understandable reservations, Fen has always daydreamed about Alfie and is curious enough to see whether he’s actually changed, so they begin spending much more time together, leading to some scorching-hot moments as well as many complicated emotions for both to work through. This is the fourth volume in Hall’s series of Spires stories, but it can be read as a standalone. Though this is a rerelease of a book Hall self-published in 2018, fans will be thrilled to revisit Fen and Alfie’s story, especially as Hall has annotated it throughout, sharing thoughts about the Northeast England setting, his intentions while writing the book (and how he reflects on them now), and how to write a Geordie accent. Though it’s likely not for readers who don’t care for former-bully-to-lover stories, any others looking for a steamy, emotionally driven contemporary romance will be delighted.
A compelling romance worth reading again, or for the first time.Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2024
ISBN: 9781728251325
Page Count: 512
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2024
A fun romp in which everything feels more interesting than the romance.
In Dade’s first paranormal romance, two neighbors fight to stay alive as they hunt for answers during a zombie outbreak.
Set in a world where people have adjusted to the presence of zombies and supernatural beings, Eden Brandstrup has always assumed her neighbor Chad fell into the category of a hot space case. He’s pleasant to look at, but might not be a prime candidate for intellectual conversation. When a zombie appears in her yard, determined to make the oblivious Chad its next meal, Edie vows to save him. After having lost her parents to zombies 20 years earlier, she won’t allow another person close to her to suffer the same fate. However, the normally mild-mannered Chad drops the goofy personality and morphs into the stoic, prickly Gaston “Max” Boucher, a lethal vampire. He’s hidden his true identity from Edie, but it’s hard to keep up the ruse when threatened by a pack of zombies. As the two escape to shelter and notify the authorities, Edie barely has time to explore Max’s secrets as they discover that these zombies are only the start of a world-ending conspiracy. This is the classic romance formula in which a surly, protective hero spends most of his time intercepting the reckless heroine, who seems to have more courage than sense. For a zombie story, it’s quite light, with only a smattering of blood and guts. The couple’s banter and the slapstick scenarios sometimes border on cringe-worthy, such as when they try to defend themselves against a zombie attack with a burrito. Max and Edie’s growing contingent of allies is a bright spot—the book is filled with brilliantly quirky characters seemingly fated to star in subsequent books—and the mystery at the heart of the story keeps the momentum going. This over-the-top reading experience resembles a fever dream that works mostly if you employ the principle of “yes, and…” thinking.
A fun romp in which everything feels more interesting than the romance.Pub Date: Aug. 5, 2025
ISBN: 9780593818206
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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