A steamy debut that delivers a fun, if occasionally frustrating, second-chance romance.
A chance encounter in a Las Vegas emergency room leads to a second chance at love in Synclair’s romance novel.
At 38, Eden Stuart still hasn’t settled down; she’s the only one among her college girlfriends yet to get married and move out to suburbia. When they invite her on a trip to Las Vegas, she jumps at the opportunity to let loose with her old friends. Upon arriving, she’s horrified to learn that their husbands are there, too (“Who ordered the Ken dolls?”). Eden resigns herself to being the eternal fifth wheel, but after several days of indulging her friends, she plans a solo visit to the Vegas Arts District—until she trips and breaks her foot. At the emergency room, Eden’s rotten luck continues when she bumps into none other than Luke Kostoros, her straitlaced, awkward friend from freshman year of college (only now, he’s hot and covered in tattoos). Unable to travel due to her broken foot, Eden is stuck in Vegas until the injury heals, and so she gladly accepts when Luke invites her to stay with him for the next six weeks. Sparks fly as the couple grow closer in this undeniably sexy romance, and Eden wonders if she’s finally ready to put down roots—first, the couple will have to get past everything that’s happened in the intervening 20 years. Told via alternating perspectives, Synclair’s debut offers a fun, intimate second-chance romance between an interracial couple (Eden is Black, Luke is white) that grapples with real-world issues like racism and grief. Eden and Luke are endearingly relatable as they navigate the complexities of their growing relationship, but the secondary characters seem less fleshed-out. While readers may grow frustrated by the repetitive fights rooted in miscommunication and a plot that takes one step forward to take two steps back, they’re sure to root for Eden and Luke in this spicy, emotionally grounded narrative that ultimately delivers a satisfying payoff.
A steamy debut that delivers a fun, if occasionally frustrating, second-chance romance.Pub Date: July 28, 2026
ISBN: 97819597430507
Page Count: 322
Publisher: Pen & Leaf
Review Posted Online: May 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
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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