A textured, intelligent plot yields a gratifying romance.
When Kate Walcott had nowhere to go, Georgette Lawson, an infamous courtesan, took Kate in, in exchange for taking care of her children and helping to write her memoirs. Now, Georgette’s past is catching up to her, mostly in the form of her first lover, Sir Colin Bocastle, and if Kate can sift through the abandonment, betrayals and murder, she may just find the love of her life.
After an employer assaults and disgraces Kate, she stumbles into the carriage and household of Mrs. Georgette Lawson, a courtesan who was abandoned 13 years ago by the rake who’d promised to marry her. Recently settled into the home of Mason Earling—Georgette’s most recent lover, who is out of town—the family is startled when they are attacked by disapproving villagers, then rescued by a take-charge individual who turns out to be Colin Bocastle, the fiance who betrayed her. Colin has spent the intervening years chasing down the man he believes murdered his father—Mason. Colin is determined to force a confession and enlists the aid of a skeptical Georgette and Kate. Waiting for Mason to return, Colin spends time in the household and falls for Kate, who is clearly the sun in whose light everyone thrives. He also discovers secrets about his past, Georgette’s torrid history and facts about his family’s business that shed some new light on his father’s murder. Having been an angry lone wolf for most of his adult life, he is stunned to learn that it’s not only Georgette who feels betrayed and that perhaps, with Kate’s help and guidance, the time has come to reconcile with loved ones and heal some deep wounds. Hunter’s newest Bocastle Affairs novel is a complex, layered historical romance with a subtle mystery that informs all of the characters in unexpected ways and creates internal and external conflicts that keep the pages turning and the reader engaged. The relatively large set of characters and the complicated plot are handled skillfully, tying up all the details in satisfying ways, while creating a believable, touching romance between a wounded hero and the perfect woman to save him.
A textured, intelligent plot yields a gratifying romance.Pub Date: March 5, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-451-41532-5
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Signet Select/NAL
Review Posted Online: April 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of...
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
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
A thoughtful and pensive tale with intelligent characters and a satisfying romance.
A promise to his best friend leads an Army serviceman to a family in need and a chance at true love in this novel.
Beckett Gentry is surprised when his Army buddy Ryan MacKenzie gives him a letter from Ryan’s sister, Ella. Abandoned by his mother, Beckett grew up in a series of foster homes. He is wary of attachments until he reads Ella’s letter. A single mother, Ella lives with her twins, Maisie and Colt, at Solitude, the resort she operates in Telluride, Colorado. They begin a correspondence, although Beckett can only identify himself by his call sign, Chaos. After Ryan’s death during a mission, Beckett travels to Telluride as his friend had requested. He bonds with the twins while falling deeply in love with Ella. Reluctant to reveal details of Ryan’s death and risk causing her pain, Beckett declines to disclose to Ella that he is Chaos. Maisie needs treatment for neuroblastoma, and Beckett formally adopts the twins as a sign of his commitment to support Ella and her children. He and Ella pursue a romance, but when an insurance investigator questions the adoption, Beckett is faced with revealing the truth about the letters and Ryan’s death, risking losing the family he loves. Yarros’ (Wilder, 2016, etc.) novel is a deeply felt and emotionally nuanced contemporary romance bolstered by well-drawn characters and strong, confident storytelling. Beckett and Ella are sympathetic protagonists whose past experiences leave them cautious when it comes to love. Beckett never knew the security of a stable home life. Ella impulsively married her high school boyfriend, but the marriage ended when he discovered she was pregnant. The author is especially adept at developing the characters through subtle but significant details, like Beckett’s aversion to swearing. Beckett and Ella’s romance unfolds slowly in chapters that alternate between their first-person viewpoints. The letters they exchanged are pivotal to their connection, and almost every chapter opens with one. Yarros’ writing is crisp and sharp, with passages that are poetic without being florid. For example, in a letter to Beckett, Ella writes of motherhood: “But I’m not the center of their universe. I’m more like their gravity.” While the love story is the book’s focus, the subplot involving Maisie’s illness is equally well-developed, and the link between Beckett and the twins is heartfelt and sincere.
A thoughtful and pensive tale with intelligent characters and a satisfying romance.Pub Date: Feb. 26, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-64063-533-3
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Review Posted Online: Jan. 2, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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