Though breathlessly chaste and sprinkled with clichés, this novel will satisfy the romantic who longs for a world of...
A medieval romance with a supernatural slant.
As a nobleman’s adopted daughter, Isabel should be wearing beautiful dresses and spending her days embroidering and learning music and languages, not sleeping in the stables and wearing men’s muddy clothing and sword fighting and falling in love with Mathew, a thief-turned–dashing stable boy. But in the days of knights, kings and ladies, Isabel is a free-spirited, unconventional young woman. When her adopted father and his friend Sir John Scotch agree that Isabel’s independence must be nipped in the bud, they send Mathew away, forcing Isabel to decide whether she wants to submit or rebel. Her decision is complicated by the arrival of charming James, who has been sent by Sir John to look after her. As James attempts to gain her trust, Isabel finds that her feelings for him have begun to rival the love she has for Mathew. But she also suspects that there’s something strange about James—his power over her, for one, seems almost supernatural, and there’s something in his eyes that suggests a sinister knowledge outside of reality. When James reveals that he has been hired by Sir John to turn Isabel against her adoptive father, it becomes clear that James, too, has discovered that his calculations have their limits when faced with Isabel’s beauty and magnetism. Compromised in his mission, James must depart, leaving Isabel even more torn between her desires. Mathew’s return leads to further emotional confusion, as even more suitors vie for Isabel’s affections—some going so far as to make unearthly bargains to get what they want, throwing the kingdom into chaos. Author Schoeman adds a clever twist to the classic medieval romance, not only enhancing the plot but tapping into a contemporary hunger for the supernatural. The writing can be overwrought and often plodding—“Isabel gasped with the crushing of her heart from being turned away”—yet Schoeman moves the story along through unpredictable shifts and surprising intricacies.
Though breathlessly chaste and sprinkled with clichés, this novel will satisfy the romantic who longs for a world of chivalry and sorcery.Pub Date: Nov. 23, 2013
ISBN: 978-1491715147
Page Count: 406
Publisher: iUniverse
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Haphazard and undemanding.
A sports agent’s first official client is the man she dumped years ago in college.
After two years of hard work as an underling, Nora Mackenzie is finally being promoted to full-time sports agent. She’s worked hard, kept quiet, and allowed men in the office to call her Mac—a nickname she hates—all to show she’s a team player and “one of the guys.” Unfortunately, her boss instructs her to sign Derek Pender, a football player coming off an injury, who happens to be the man she heartlessly dumped in their senior year of college. Derek signs with her for revenge, seeing it as his opportunity to pay Nora back for callously breaking his heart eight years earlier. He insists she be at his beck and call: answering his emails, running his errands, cooking dinner for his dates. He also refuses to let her explain why she broke up with him without warning or explanation. Nora feels she has no choice but to acquiesce to Derek’s humiliating demands, since she’s worked too hard to let him ruin her dream job. She hopes he’ll thaw and they might become friends, but Derek’s bad behavior is designed to hide the fact that he’s still in love with her. Nora’s characterization is uneven, veering between anger at how she’s treated in the male-dominated field to immature bickering and bantering with Derek. Although Adams likely meant for Derek and Nora’s interactions to have an enemies-to-lovers vibe, the characters instead seem juvenile and stuck in the past. The novel is fueled by a string of tropes—second chance romance! married in Vegas! only one bed!—each randomly deployed to keep the book going despite thin characterization and wan plotting.
Haphazard and undemanding.Pub Date: April 2, 2024
ISBN: 9780593723678
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Dell
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.
The sequel to It Ends With Us (2016) shows the aftermath of domestic violence through the eyes of a single mother.
Lily Bloom is still running a flower shop; her abusive ex-husband, Ryle Kincaid, is still a surgeon. But now they’re co-parenting a daughter, Emerson, who's almost a year old. Lily won’t send Emerson to her father’s house overnight until she’s old enough to talk—“So she can tell me if something happens”—but she doesn’t want to fight for full custody lest it become an expensive legal drama or, worse, a physical fight. When Lily runs into Atlas Corrigan, a childhood friend who also came from an abusive family, she hopes their friendship can blossom into love. (For new readers, their history unfolds in heartfelt diary entries that Lily addresses to Finding Nemo star Ellen DeGeneres as she considers how Atlas was a calming presence during her turbulent childhood.) Atlas, who is single and running a restaurant, feels the same way. But even though she’s divorced, Lily isn’t exactly free. Behind Ryle’s veneer of civility are his jealousy and resentment. Lily has to plan her dates carefully to avoid a confrontation. Meanwhile, Atlas’ mother returns with shocking news. In between, Lily and Atlas steal away for romantic moments that are even sweeter for their authenticity as Lily struggles with child care, breastfeeding, and running a business while trying to find time for herself.
Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.Pub Date: Oct. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-668-00122-6
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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