A bit fluffy but entertaining at times.
In this period romance, a young woman with a soiled reputation enters into a marriage of convenience.
In 19th-century London, Lady Jacqueline lives with the stigma of her mother’s death during childbirth. Her possessive father, Lord John Edwards, bitterly resents her, often insulting Jacqueline while drunk and then lavishing her with gifts. She fears she’ll never be free despite the attentions of childhood friend Henry Gates. Douglas “Devil” Radcliffe, proprietor of the infamous house of vice known as Purgatory, needs Lord John’s vote to ensure that the local inhabitants stay where they are, rather than being displaced to Devil’s Acre, an area he more or less rules. The plan is to kidnap Jacqueline, ensuring her safe return once the lord complies. Devil imprudently relies on a vicious man named Carver, who seizes an opportunity for brutality during the snatch. After Lord John’s vote is favorably cast, Jacqueline returns home, a virtual prisoner, marked as a ruined woman and shunned by society. Even loyal Henry abandons her. But then Devil proposes a solution to Jacqueline that might benefit them both. The novel hinges on that tired chestnut of female rescue, carrying it off with more aplomb than many. Ladies’ garments are torn more than once, but this is hardly a bodice-ripper. Happily, each of the characters has his or her own flair, including Henry, the unfortunate soul besotted with childhood friend Jacqueline. Characters exhibit clear growth, especially Lord Edwards, whose harsh persona may mask intolerable grief. Brutality is not to be taken lightly, of course, yet the recipient here of such ignominies seems eager to get on with life. At critical junctures, the plot doesn’t tally; for instance, would a man said to be as astute as Devil undertake such a risky mission? This handsome, long-haired man seems a tad dim, conveniently forgetting his business acumen if the story requires it.
A bit fluffy but entertaining at times.Pub Date: July 9, 2013
ISBN: 978-1490303963
Page Count: 304
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Aug. 12, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
BOOK TO SCREEN
Sink your teeth into this delightful paranormal romance with a modern twist.
A vampire and an Alpha werewolf enter into a marriage of convenience in order to ease tensions between their species.
As the only daughter of a prominent Vampyre councilman, Misery Lark has grown accustomed to playing the role that’s demanded of her—and now, her father is ordering her to be part of yet another truce agreement. In an effort to maintain goodwill between the Vampyres and their longtime nemeses the Weres, Misery must wed their Alpha, Lowe Moreland. But it turns out that Misery has her own motivations for agreeing to this political marriage, including finding answers about what happened to her best friend, who went missing after setting up a meeting in Were territory. Isolated from her kind and surrounded on all sides by the enemy after the wedding, Misery refuses to let herself forget about her real mission. It doesn’t matter that Lowe is one of the most confounding and intense people she’s ever met, or that the connection building between them doesn’t feel like one born entirely of convenience. There’s also the possibility that Lowe may already have a Were mate of his own, but in spite of their biological differences, they may turn out to be the missing piece in each other’s lives. While this is Hazelwood’s first paranormal romance, and the book does lean on some hallmark tropes of the genre, the contemporary setting lends itself to the author’s trademark humor and makes the political plot more easily digestible. Misery and Lowe’s slow-burn romance is appealing enough that readers will readily devour every moment between them and hunger to return to them whenever the story diverts from their scenes together.
Sink your teeth into this delightful paranormal romance with a modern twist.Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9780593550403
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2023
PERSPECTIVES
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