Light, breezy, and comforting as a block of fudge.
In Prettyman’s novel, a romance haltingly develops in the aftermath of a severe storm on the Gulf Coast.
After her mother’s death, Teddy (short for Theodora) leaves Houston to manage the deceased woman’s candy store in the small Gulf community of Bird Isle—but, like much of the island after the recent “storm of the century,” Sweet Somethings is now only a pile of rubble. Enter Jack, a “George Strait lookalike” and the owner of a chain of barbecue restaurants. He’s helpful but lonely; his wife, Angela, died five years ago. Jack’s interested in Teddy, but she isn’t looking for love. She has a boyfriend in Houston and a stray dog named Pickles for companionship. Teddy also has financial problems but doesn’t want pity or help. Teddy’s island friends—Walt, a surfer; café owner Dot; and Barb, who rehabilitates animals—are pro-Jack, but Teddy has trust issues. It doesn’t help that all of Jack’s food trucks are plastered with Angela’s name. As their relationship tenuously evolves, Teddy catches Jack in a lie that jeopardizes their intimacy. Throughout the narrative, Prettyman switches back and forth between the viewpoints of Jack and Teddy, with mixed results. Teddy embodies both turmoil and growth; overcoming excessive pride, she learns to provide help to others and accept help herself. Jack, however, doesn’t change or ever experience doubt about Teddy, making him a less compelling character. The book has the easy flow of a summer read and is full of humorous elements, like the overly laid-back Walt nearly becoming a gator’s meal, Jack’s country-boy colloquialisms, and a small-town populace that keeps track of Teddy’s every move. The story is light on tragedy; no casualties from the storm are mentioned, and the deaths of Teddy’s mother and Angela don’t receive in-depth treatment. Thorny issues get neatly resolved (a teen girl quickly accepts her newfound father), and nearly everyone ends up with someone to love, delivering that cozy feeling familiar to readers of the romance genre.
Light, breezy, and comforting as a block of fudge.Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2024
ISBN: 9781647427801
Page Count: 304
Publisher: She Writes Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A book about revenge that’s more punishing than purposeful.
A woman from a matriarchal society kidnaps a prince from a neighboring kingdom, planning to force him into marriage.
Five hundred years ago, the wife of the abusive king of Amarra prayed to her goddess for mercy; in return, the goddess granted every woman in the country the ability to rule over men. Amarra’s queens have governed with vengeance ever since, creating a fiercely violent matriarchy. Now, 21-year-old Olerra Corasene, a gifted military strategist and powerful general, is competing with her cunning and devious cousin, Glenaerys, to be the next queen. Since Glen is trying to secure the throne by currying favor with the wealthy nobles, Olerra decides on a different tactic, the time-honored Amarran tradition of kidnapping a husband. Her target is a good-looking younger prince from the neighboring country of Brutus, but she accidentally and unknowingly nabs Sanos, the king’s eldest son and heir to the throne. She drags Sanos back to Amarra, where he’s treated with all the contempt for men that is normal in her society: He’s dressed as a sexual plaything, forced to shave his beard and body hair, leashed and restrained for bad behavior. Olerra can’t understand Sanos’ objections to this treatment, and the ensuing power struggle makes up most of the plot. Marketed as romantasy, Levenseller’s first adult novel falls flat as both romance and fantasy. There is little connection or chemistry between Olerra and Sanos, and since both are more caricature than character, neither experiences the kind of growth that creates challenging or interesting romantic relationships. In addition, the worldbuilding is paper thin. Amarra is a world built on reverse misogyny, but the motifs, imagery, and scenes often read more like a brainstormed list (a penis guillotine!) than a fully realized attempt to say something meaningful about women’s rage.
A book about revenge that’s more punishing than purposeful.Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2025
ISBN: 9781250379375
Page Count: 368
Publisher: FEIWEL
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Bailey hits it out of the park with her latest spicy romance.
Two ambitious athletes plus one fake-dating arrangement—what could go wrong?
Though it’s only his first season for the Boston Bearcats hockey team, Robbie Corrigan has a well-established reputation as a playboy. He’s got major skills on the ice, and he’s also much more likely to love ’em and leave ’em than he is to build any long, meaningful relationships. Naturally, he’s just met the one woman who seems completely resistant to his charm: Skylar Page, a Boston University softball pitcher. When they meet over a friendly Saturday morning baseball game, Robbie instantly makes a poor impression by bragging to his teammates about his latest conquest within Skylar’s hearing. He thinks she’s gorgeous, though, and when he sets his sights on her, he’s surprised that she doesn’t seem to know it. Despite her initial distaste for Robbie, Skylar grudgingly confesses that she could use his help. If they pretend to date, maybe her current crush—her brother’s best friend—will finally sit up and take notice of her in a romantic way. The timing is less than ideal, since Robbie will have to team up with Skylar in the Page family’s latest wilderness competition, but it turns out that Robbie’s willingness to play fake boyfriend stems from some very real feelings. He wants to prove to her that he’s a changed man, and redeeming himself in her eyes starts with making sure she knows that she can really trust him. The latest addition to Bailey’s Big Shots series is a sexy, feel-good romance brimming over with the author’s trademark humor and dirty talk. While Skylar and Robbie’s dynamic doesn’t quite reach the level of enemies-to-lovers—he’s so head-over-heels for her that there’s no room for any real mean-spiritedness—their playful snark doubles as a welcome dash of foreplay in the lead-up to some seriously steamy scenes. Robbie’s efforts to show Skylar that he’s turned over a new leaf also result in some of the book’s best moments, emphasizing his commitment to becoming the type of man he knows she deserves.
Bailey hits it out of the park with her latest spicy romance.Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2025
ISBN: 9780063380837
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Avon/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
