A diverse and career-centric Regency that will please devoted readers of the genre.
In Regency London, a bonesetter fixes a viscount’s arm—and then his heart.
Hanna Zaydan has spent her entire life working toward a career as a bonesetter. She’s successfully avoided her mother's attempts to marry her off to a fellow member of London’s Arab community and has managed not to draw too much attention from the local medical community, which sees her as a charlatan. By chance, however, she draws the attention of Thomas Ellis, Viscount Griffin, and is suddenly all too visible. Griff is a reluctant nobleman; much of the ton believes he was responsible for his parents’ deaths, and he depends on family friend Dr. Norman Pratt to stay connected with society. Dr. Pratt believes Hanna is a quack, but Griff continues to visit her because he believes she may be connected to his parents’ murders. When she heals a war injury that causes Griff incredible pain no traditional doctor has been able to cure, he realizes there’s more to her than he assumed. He continues his visits, and they fall for each other. There are any number of reasons they can’t be together: They’re from different classes and cultures, and Hanna’s career isn’t compatible with expectations for the future Lady Griffin. But though Griff is nearly engaged to another woman and a trial led by Dr. Pratt threatens to oust Hanna from London entirely, the two continue to see each other with great longing. The second entry in Quincy’s Clandestine Affairs series incorporates some touches of suspense, but at heart it's a classic Regency romance. What sets it apart is Hanna, a strongly written heroine who embodies a community and a career that aren’t often seen in the subgenre. Her romance with Griff is sweet and a little spicy, but the story really comes to life when she struggles with her hopes for her career, trying to figure out if she can keep the work to which she is devoted and also somehow keep Griff. The story stands alone, but those who enjoyed the unique perspective of Her Night With the Duke (2020) will appreciate this one as well.
A diverse and career-centric Regency that will please devoted readers of the genre.Pub Date: July 27, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-298681-8
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Avon/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A charming love story that absolutely radiates warmth.
A single mom winds up fake dating an incredibly wealthy man in her hometown.
Dolly Brick is back in her hometown of Whitfield, Rhode Island, for the summer to help her dad and disabled brother manage their house and family business. As a 39-year-old single mother with multiple jobs—which now include working at the Brick Fish House—Dolly is always busy. When her mom left their family years ago, Dolly took over caring for her siblings and father and never really stopped. When she runs into Stewart Whitfield after making a shrimp delivery to his family’s mansion, she doesn’t think they could be more different. She’s had to figure out how to do everything by herself, and he can’t even change a tire. That’s why Stewart’s proposal that she pretend to be his girlfriend feels so unbelievable—but it comes with a hefty check that she desperately needs for home repairs. So she becomes the fake girlfriend of Stewart Whitfield (as in, the Whitfields her town is named after; his real fiancée just dumped him and it’s a bad time for him to be single) and experiences what it’s like to walk into fancy buildings through the front door instead of the service entrance. More than the boats and helicopter and expensive dinners, though, Dolly is impressed by what a kind man Stewart is—and how it feels to let someone else take care of her for a change. Soon, their relationship starts to feel more real than fake. Monaghan creates an impossibly winning story with a charming, lovable heroine. Dolly is capable, hardworking, and will do anything for the people she loves. She and Stewart both possess real flaws, and while their relationship begins with one of the most beloved rom-com tropes, their challenges feel like realistic adult obstacles rather than easily solved miscommunications. It’s also refreshing that, even though Dolly must learn to allow other people to help her, she never views her caretaking responsibilities as burdens. She deeply loves her family, and that love carries through the entire story.
A charming love story that absolutely radiates warmth.Pub Date: May 26, 2026
ISBN: 9780593853979
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2026
SEEN & HEARD
PERSPECTIVES
A deliciously dramatic look at how one woman’s past influences her future.
A happily engaged woman is pulled back to her hometown—and her first love—when tragedy strikes.
Billie Wright is living her dream, running a thriving fertility clinic in New York City and engaged to a wonderful trauma surgeon named Dean. Her happily-ever-after meant giving up her life in Wisconsin, where she left behind many friends as well as her high school sweetheart, Mick. Although they’d been deeply in love, when Billie’s ambition pulled her away from home and toward the city, Mick couldn’t handle either the distance or her busy schedule. Billie has finally moved on from that heartbreak—but then she receives a phone call from Mick, the first communication between them in years. Her best friend, Erin, died in a car accident, leaving behind an 11-year-old daughter, Phoebe. Now Billie must return home to help sort Erin’s affairs and provide some kind of comfort to Phoebe while grieving the loss of her best friend. Of course, being back home also means being in close contact with Mick. Their feelings for each other may not have ever gone away, and their proximity leads to big decisions for Billie. Can she ever reconcile her current life in Manhattan with her past in Wisconsin? And which one will be her future? Giffin knows how to do drama, and she ratchets up the stakes with every page as she continues to reveal new obstacles for Billie. The ending wraps up quite neatly, but the nostalgia-filled ride is full of twists and turns that will keep readers flipping the pages.
A deliciously dramatic look at how one woman’s past influences her future.Pub Date: July 7, 2026
ISBN: 9780593600320
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: April 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
SEEN & HEARD
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