In Smoak’s (Temptation, 2015, etc.) novel, a suburban woman follows her mysterious husband’s strict rules until a handsome neighbor gives her reason to escape.
Adeline Bell is the 30-year-old spouse of an enigmatic, unnamed man who’s only home on weekends. During the week, she’s free to do as she pleases—as long as she doesn’t spend too much time outside of the house and continues to take her medication, per her husband’s directives. The monotony of her days is momentarily lifted once a week when she jogs by a handsome gardener, who mows the same lawn at the same time, every Thursday morning. Everything changes one day when she accidentally trips in front of him, and they finally meet. His name is Ben Jones, and he’s eager to help her when it’s clear that she’s sprained her ankle. They soon engage in a hesitant yet passionate relationship, and he eventually finds out about her husband and the dark, secretive life that he and Adeline keep. Ben discovers that Adeline’s spouse is rarely around, that he emotionally and physically abuses her when he is, and that they both keep many secrets. Ben and Adeline devise a plan to catch her husband in the act of hurting her, so that they can turn him in to the police, she can file for divorce, and the new couple can pursue their relationship in peace. But Ben slowly finds that the situation is more complicated than he thought. Readers will be immediately drawn to Adeline, a smart, convincing protagonist; they’ll likely root for her from the start and hope she finds a better life for herself—one that includes the incredibly likable Ben. The unexpected twists and turns that follow seem to lead Adeline further and further away from this possibility, though, and the ending leaves both her (and readers) in a place that’s unimaginable at the start. A number of minor plot points are confusing, including a restaurant confrontation, some unexplained notes, and a memory lapse. But overall, Smoak has written a dark, twisted thriller that’s ultimately a satisfying page-turner.
An often exhilarating read for those who love uncovering the dark secrets of suburbia.Pub Date: Feb. 12, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-985450-06-6
Page Count: 344
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: April 9, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Categories: ROMANCE
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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 31, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
Categories: GENERAL ROMANCE | ROMANCE | CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
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An unlucky woman finally gets lucky in love on an all-expenses-paid trip to Hawaii.
From getting her hand stuck in a claw machine at age 6 to losing her job, Olive Torres has never felt that luck was on her side. But her fortune changes when she scores a free vacation after her identical twin sister and new brother-in-law get food poisoning at their wedding buffet and are too sick to go on their honeymoon. The only catch is that she’ll have to share the honeymoon suite with her least favorite person—Ethan Thomas, the brother of the groom. To make matters worse, Olive’s new boss and Ethan’s ex-girlfriend show up in Hawaii, forcing them both to pretend to be newlyweds so they don’t blow their cover, as their all-inclusive vacation package is nontransferable and in her sister’s name. Plus, Ethan really wants to save face in front of his ex. The story is told almost exclusively from Olive’s point of view, filtering all communication through her cynical lens until Ethan can win her over (and finally have his say in the epilogue). To get to the happily-ever-after, Ethan doesn’t have to prove to Olive that he can be a better man, only that he was never the jerk she thought he was—for instance, when she thought he was judging her for eating cheese curds, maybe he was actually thinking of asking her out. Blending witty banter with healthy adult communication, the fake newlyweds have real chemistry as they talk it out over snorkeling trips, couples massages, and a few too many tropical drinks to get to the truth—that they’re crazy about each other.
Heartfelt and funny, this enemies-to-lovers romance shows that the best things in life are all-inclusive and nontransferable as well as free.Pub Date: May 14, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5011-2803-5
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2019
Categories: GENERAL ROMANCE | ROMANCE
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