A romance that highlights the way love can help people grow and become their best selves.
A midwife and a widower fall in love in Victorian London.
Rebecca Adler is well regarded in London’s Jewish community as a midwife and healer: She provides birth control, mixes tonics and medicines, and assists in childbirth. Coming from an Ashkenazi family, though, and having a brusque manner, she’s never felt entirely accepted in the community, where the Sephardim have the most power and esteem—none more so than the wealthy Berab family. Rebecca had a brief sexual encounter with the widowed Roger Berab the previous spring, and when Roger made it clear that it had been a mistake, Rebecca had no choice but to agree. Now, eight months later, Roger’s spoiled daughter accidentally burns down Rebecca’s house, and under Jewish law, he is expected to make the Adler family whole. Roger agrees to pay for the repairs and host Rebecca in his home until everything is fixed. When his wife was alive, Roger’s house was peaceful and calm, but things have devolved since then. His two children bicker and the governesses can’t control them—but Roger thinks his luck is about to change: In exchange for marrying the 19-year-old daughter of another powerful family, he will finally be able to secure a seat on the Commission of Delegates, which represents the entire Jewish community—a longtime goal. Grossman excels at building stories with both heart and chemistry. Once Rebecca moves into Roger’s house, their attraction is undeniable, so they agree to continue their affair until his betrothal contract is signed. Rebecca is a strong, self-assured character, but it’s Roger’s journey that is most poignant. Falling in love with Rebecca helps him reevaluate everything: his goals for the future, his relationships with his children, his ability to choose personal happiness over duty to the community. It’s a powerful exploration of the way people may have to let go of entrenched beliefs about themselves to find love.
A romance that highlights the way love can help people grow and become their best selves.Pub Date: June 30, 2026
ISBN: 9781538769867
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Forever
Review Posted Online: April 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extremely fun, fast-paced, and unusual addition to the marriage-in-trouble romance canon.
A marriage on the rocks gets a second chance—with a science-fiction twist.
Dr. Emery Martín is happily married to her husband Luca…mostly. She’s been madly in love with him since the moment they met, but in the three years they’ve been wed, she hasn’t been able to focus much on him. To the world—including Luca—Emery’s job involves developing medical-grade lasers. In reality, she works at a supersecret San Diego lab that’s engineering a compound to bring mammals back from the dead. Although Emery doesn’t want to admit it, she can tell that Luca feels pushed aside, but she believes so deeply in her work that she has a hard time leaving the lab. When Emery is late for dinner—yet again—on their anniversary, she rushes home only to see Luca get hit by a car. She has the secret compound in her car, and she knows she could get in major trouble if she uses it—but what’s she supposed to do, not save her husband’s life? The compound has only been tested on animals so far, and there’s no guarantee it will even work for humans. It does, though, and Luca comes back to life—with one small caveat. He can’t remember most things, including his marriage to Emery. After almost losing Luca, Emery is now grateful for what she has, and she’s determined to show him that she can be a better, more attentive partner. While Luca may not remember her, their magnetic chemistry is still there. This may be the do-over they needed to save their marriage—that is, if Emery can keep the life-reviving measures she took hidden from everyone around them, including nosy neighbors and her own company. Lauren—the pen name of the duo behind rom-coms like The Paradise Problem (2024)—has created a unique hook that feels genuinely refreshing. Emery and Luca’s unconventional second chance is emotionally compelling, and the slight thriller edge as Emery tries to cover up her actions keeps the pages turning.
An extremely fun, fast-paced, and unusual addition to the marriage-in-trouble romance canon.Pub Date: July 14, 2026
ISBN: 9781668017753
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: April 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
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
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