A charming romance with a likable lead.
A city girl goes back to her rural home in Roscoe’s small-town contemporary romance.
Chicago therapist Cora gets a call from Mississippi telling her that her father, whom she is not close to, is in the hospital, and the doctors think he has Alzheimer’s. She reluctantly flies to her hometown of Taloowa. The first thing she does when she arrives is meet her friend Coop at a bar, where they encounter Jensen Mabry, Cora’s old crush. A few days after her arrival, Cora learns that her father purchased the Sweet Shrub Inn and she will inherit it. An anonymous buyer has offered a great price for it, but the offer is contingent on renovations being completed, renovations Cora’s father is no longer capable of doing. Jensen agrees to help her finish the renovations, which means Cora will be splitting her time between Chicago and Taloowa for a few months. Cora once confessed her feelings to Jensen, and he turned her down. But he seems ready for something now. And though Cora had good reasons for leaving Taloowa, she is finding it comforting. As she falls for Jensen and lets the Sweet Shrub Inn charm her during its renovation, she has to think about what she wants more—her career in Chicago or a life running an inn, possibly with Jensen, back home in Taloowa. The book’s chatty tone (“I give her a genuine smile because she is oblivious to the fact that she is on the arm of a total douchebag”) enhances an already fun, lively storyline. Taloowa has a lot of great small-town appeal, and Cora’s difficulties with her father keep the novel grounded in reality. The only real flaws here are that there isn’t much suspense about which path Cora will choose, and the final conflict feels a little manufactured. But these are mere quibbles about a sweet, heartfelt, and very cute tale.
A charming romance with a likable lead.Pub Date: Nov. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-63988-096-6
Page Count: 312
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.
After being released from prison, a young woman tries to reconnect with her 5-year-old daughter despite having killed the girl’s father.
Kenna didn’t even know she was pregnant until after she was sent to prison for murdering her boyfriend, Scotty. When her baby girl, Diem, was born, she was forced to give custody to Scotty’s parents. Now that she’s been released, Kenna is intent on getting to know her daughter, but Scotty’s parents won’t give her a chance to tell them what really happened the night their son died. Instead, they file a restraining order preventing Kenna from so much as introducing herself to Diem. Handsome, self-assured Ledger, who was Scotty’s best friend, is another key adult in Diem’s life. He’s helping her grandparents raise her, and he too blames Kenna for Scotty’s death. Even so, there’s something about her that haunts him. Kenna feels the pull, too, and seems to be seeking Ledger out despite his judgmental behavior. As Ledger gets to know Kenna and acknowledges his attraction to her, he begins to wonder if maybe he and Scotty’s parents have judged her unfairly. Even so, Ledger is afraid that if he surrenders to his feelings, Scotty’s parents will kick him out of Diem’s life. As Kenna and Ledger continue to mourn for Scotty, they also grieve the future they cannot have with each other. Told alternatively from Kenna’s and Ledger’s perspectives, the story explores the myriad ways in which snap judgments based on partial information can derail people’s lives. Built on a foundation of death and grief, this story has an undercurrent of sadness. As usual, however, the author has created compelling characters who are magnetic and sympathetic enough to pull readers in. In addition to grief, the novel also deftly explores complex issues such as guilt, self-doubt, redemption, and forgiveness.
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.Pub Date: Jan. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5420-2560-7
Page Count: 335
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
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