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THE PACT

Going along with the current trend, second-tier romancer Norman (The Key to Susanna, 1996, etc.) has added mystery to her politely competent brand of ladies' fiction. Norman's theme: A friend in need is a friend indeed. Three teenagers make a pact after their parents are killed in a helicopter crash in England on July 4, 1976. Just like a real family, they will never abandon one another in desperate times, no matter what. The first to find herself in dire straits is Annie Aldrich Thomas, who marries and attempts to become a perfect wife and mother in a small English village. Burdened with responsibilities, she begins to take Valium, eventually becoming an addict. Her friends help her kick the drug while she's holed up in a Swiss apartment with a gorgeous Swiss-Italian doctor. The second troubled buddy is Jamie Arias, the rich and handsome descendant of an aristocratic Spanish family. Jamie, the brilliant head of an ad agency, makes a bad marriage to the beautiful Carrie, who makes his life miserable and then threatens to expose Annie's addiction. With what seems an unlimited amount of money, Annie and the third friend, Olivia Segal, plot to humiliate Carrie by involving her in an advertising scam. Finally, Olivia also calls on her friends when she discovers that she's being stalked by a dangerous man in black. Olivia has discovered letters and a diary kept by her father that implicate Jamie's dead uncle Juan Luis in a plot to steal an important art collection from a Jewish family living in Nazi Germany. Though Juan Luis had promised to help the family escape, he had betrayed them. His crimes may even have led to the murder of the trio's parents. Jamie and Olivia eventually fall in love, and, of course, the three friends outwit the stalker. While Norman may not scintillate, she's learned to shape a plot (and drop expensive brand names) with increasing self-assurance.

Pub Date: June 10, 1997

ISBN: 0-525-94256-4

Page Count: 432

Publisher: Dutton

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1997

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IT ENDS WITH US

Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of...

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Hoover’s (November 9, 2015, etc.) latest tackles the difficult subject of domestic violence with romantic tenderness and emotional heft.

At first glance, the couple is edgy but cute: Lily Bloom runs a flower shop for people who hate flowers; Ryle Kincaid is a surgeon who says he never wants to get married or have kids. They meet on a rooftop in Boston on the night Ryle loses a patient and Lily attends her abusive father’s funeral. The provocative opening takes a dark turn when Lily receives a warning about Ryle’s intentions from his sister, who becomes Lily’s employee and close friend. Lily swears she’ll never end up in another abusive home, but when Ryle starts to show all the same warning signs that her mother ignored, Lily learns just how hard it is to say goodbye. When Ryle is not in the throes of a jealous rage, his redeeming qualities return, and Lily can justify his behavior: “I think we needed what happened on the stairwell to happen so that I would know his past and we’d be able to work on it together,” she tells herself. Lily marries Ryle hoping the good will outweigh the bad, and the mother-daughter dynamics evolve beautifully as Lily reflects on her childhood with fresh eyes. Diary entries fancifully addressed to TV host Ellen DeGeneres serve as flashbacks to Lily’s teenage years, when she met her first love, Atlas Corrigan, a homeless boy she found squatting in a neighbor’s house. When Atlas turns up in Boston, now a successful chef, he begs Lily to leave Ryle. Despite the better option right in front of her, an unexpected complication forces Lily to cut ties with Atlas, confront Ryle, and try to end the cycle of abuse before it’s too late. The relationships are portrayed with compassion and honesty, and the author’s note at the end that explains Hoover’s personal connection to the subject matter is a must-read.

Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of the survivors.

Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-5011-1036-8

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Atria

Review Posted Online: May 30, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016

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THE IDEA OF YOU

A fascinating, thought-provoking, genre-bending romantic read.

When Solène Marchand takes her 12-year-old daughter to a concert by the hottest boy band on the planet, she doesn't expect to fall in love with one of the singers.

Middle-aged art gallery owner Solène hasn’t dated since her divorce, but when her ex-husband buys their daughter and a group of her friends tickets to Vegas and a backstage concert experience, then backs out at the last minute, she steps in as escort. The five guys in the wildly popular English boy band August Moon appeal to women of all ages, but Hayes, the brains behind the group’s success, flirts with Solène at the concert meet and greet, invites them to a party after the show, then pursues her once she gets back to Los Angeles. He’s only 20 and he’s incredibly famous; his attention is flattering and heady. The two fall into an affair that’s supposed to be light and easy, but before long they can’t ignore their intense emotional attachment. Solène is hesitant to tell her daughter, but when she procrastinates, Isabelle learns about it through an online tabloid, which damages their relationship and leaves Solène open to censure from her ex. Then, once the affair goes viral, she experiences the darker side of Hayes’ fan base. What started out as a jaunty adventure turns into an emotionally fraught journey, and Solène must decide what she’s willing to risk for her happiness and what she won’t risk for her daughter’s. Actress Lee, who appeared in Fifty Shades Darker, debuts with a beautifully written novel that explores sex, love, romance, and fantasy in moving, insightful ways while also examining a woman’s struggle with aging and sexism, with a nod at the tension between celebrity and privacy.

A fascinating, thought-provoking, genre-bending romantic read.

Pub Date: June 13, 2017

ISBN: 978-1-250-12590-3

Page Count: 384

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Review Posted Online: April 3, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2017

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