An intriguing, inspirational, but sometimes uneven abduction tale.
In this second installment of a Christian romantic suspense series, a secret society’s unholy crusade hits close to home for an entrepreneur when the group kidnaps his sister.
The wealth and connections of Gavin Garrison, who runs a bodyguard service, and his brother, Grayson, make them prime candidates to join the Continental Alliance, a centuries-old secret society/cult. The group’s members aim “to undermine women’s rights and put women back into what they deemed was their proper place.” They do this by kidnapping women from wealthy families and forcing them into unwanted marriages. Mason Kennedy, the Alliance’s leader, ups the ante by abducting the Garrison brothers’ sister, Cate, whom Gavin was visiting while on vacation. Gavin’s investigation reunites him with park ranger Samantha Rollins, whom he met in Kay’s series launch, Grave Pursuits(2023). Samantha is haunted by the mysterious disappearance of her uncle. The cold case heats up when Gavin and Samantha discover a link between her uncle and the secret society. That makes Samantha a legacy, and Mason invites her to join the group. She declines. “It’s cute how you actually thought I was leaving you a choice in the matter,” Mason tells her before she, too, is taken. “Turning us down isn’t an option.” Gavin and Grayson commit to joining the society to give them an in to locate Cate and Samantha. “It’s us against the Alliance,” Grayson proclaims. “Let’s find a way to bring Mason Kennedy’s world crashing down around him before he tears down ours.” This second volume of Kay’s Pennsylvania Parks Series sometimes strains credulity. But readers who keep the faith will be rewarded with clear, reassuring testaments to God’s love in trying circumstances that would challenge even the most devout. Samantha herself had “turned her back on the God who saved her, but He kept reaching out to her. All she had to do was take hold of His hand…He didn’t promise a trouble-free life, but He promised to be with her through the suffering.” Yet the growing relationship between Gavin and Samantha will win no points from readers who favor fiercely independent female characters. While Samantha proclaims she can take care of herself, “secretly, she relished his desire to protect her. It made her feel safe.” Still, fans of the author and this Christian series will find their literary prayers answered.
An intriguing, inspirational, but sometimes uneven abduction tale.Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2023
ISBN: 9781950240388
Page Count: 287
Publisher: Faith Writes Publishing
Review Posted Online: Jan. 30, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A warm and winning "When Harry Met Sally…" update that hits all the perfect notes.
A travel writer has one last shot at reconnecting with the best friend she just might be in love with.
Poppy and Alex couldn't be more different. She loves wearing bright colors while he prefers khakis and a T-shirt. She likes just about everything while he’s a bit more discerning. And yet, their opposites-attract friendship works because they love each other…in a totally platonic way. Probably. Even though they have their own separate lives (Poppy lives in New York City and is a travel writer with a popular Instagram account; Alex is a high school teacher in their tiny Ohio hometown), they still manage to get together each summer for one fabulous vacation. They grow closer every year, but Poppy doesn’t let herself linger on her feelings for Alex—she doesn’t want to ruin their friendship or the way she can be fully herself with him. They continue to date other people, even bringing their serious partners on their summer vacations…but then, after a falling-out, they stop speaking. When Poppy finds herself facing a serious bout of ennui, unhappy with her glamorous job and the life she’s been dreaming of forever, she thinks back to the last time she was truly happy: her last vacation with Alex. And so, though they haven’t spoken in two years, she asks him to take another vacation with her. She’s determined to bridge the gap that’s formed between them and become best friends again, but to do that, she’ll have to be honest with Alex—and herself—about her true feelings. In chapters that jump around in time, Henry shows readers the progression (and dissolution) of Poppy and Alex’s friendship. Their slow-burn love story hits on beloved romance tropes (such as there unexpectedly being only one bed on the reconciliation trip Poppy plans) while still feeling entirely fresh. Henry’s biggest strength is in the sparkling, often laugh-out-loud-funny dialogue, particularly the banter-filled conversations between Poppy and Alex. But there’s depth to the story, too—Poppy’s feeling of dissatisfaction with a life that should be making her happy as well as her unresolved feelings toward the difficult parts of her childhood make her a sympathetic and relatable character. The end result is a story that pays homage to classic romantic comedies while having a point of view all its own.
A warm and winning "When Harry Met Sally…" update that hits all the perfect notes.Pub Date: May 11, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-9848-0675-8
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: March 2, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
PERSPECTIVES
Fresh and upbeat, though not without flaws.
An earnest grad student and a faculty member with a bit of a jerkish reputation concoct a fake dating scheme in this nerdy, STEM-filled contemporary romance.
Olive Smith and professor Adam Carlsen first met in the bathroom of Adam's lab. Olive wore expired contact lenses, reducing her eyes to temporary tears, while Adam just needed to dispose of a solution. It's a memory that only one of them has held onto. Now, nearly three years later, Olive is fully committed to her research in pancreatic cancer at Stanford University's biology department. As a faculty member, Adam's reputation precedes him, since he's made many students cry or drop their programs entirely with his bluntness. When Olive needs her best friend, Anh, to think she's dating someone so Anh will feel more comfortable getting involved with Olive's barely-an-ex, Jeremy, she impulsively kisses Adam, who happens to be standing there when Anh walks by. But rumors start to spread, and the one-time kiss morphs into a fake relationship, especially as Adam sees there's a benefit for him. The university is withholding funds for Adam's research out of fear that he'll leave for a better position elsewhere. If he puts down more roots by getting involved with someone, his research funds could be released at the next budgeting meeting in about a month's time. After setting a few ground rules, Adam and Olive agree that come the end of September, they'll part ways, having gotten what they need from their arrangement. Hazelwood has a keen understanding of romance tropes and puts them to good use—in addition to fake dating, Olive and Adam are an opposites-attract pairing with their sunny and grumpy personalities—but there are a couple of weaknesses in this debut novel. Hazelwood manages to sidestep a lot of the complicated power dynamics of a student-faculty romance by putting Olive and Adam in different departments, but the impetus for their fake relationship has much higher stakes for Adam. Olive does reap the benefits of dating a faculty member, but in the end, she's still the one seemingly punished or taunted by her colleagues; readers may have been hoping for a more subversive twist. For a first novel, there's plenty of shine here, with clear signs that Hazelwood feels completely comfortable with happily-ever-afters.
Fresh and upbeat, though not without flaws.Pub Date: Sept. 14, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-33682-3
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
PERSPECTIVES
BOOK TO SCREEN
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