A light, leisurely novel with a wholesome love story.
A store owner falls in love with an auctioneer in this romance.
Kay didn’t intend to spend so much money at an auction, but she couldn’t stop listening to the voice of the handsome auctioneer, Gerald. If that wasn’t embarrassing enough, she managed to drop her expensive item, an oak door, right on her foot. Gerald volunteers to drive her to the urgent-care center. Despite the circumstances, Gerald and Kay have a fun night together, chatting about work and family. Kay is working hard to keep Vintage at Heart, her family’s struggling vintage clothing and furniture business, afloat. She was having some success by selling items via online auctions, but thanks to a new law, she can no longer do that without obtaining an auctioneer’s license. Lucky for her, a class is about to start that will help her do so—and Gerald happens to be helping to teach it. Unfortunately for Kay, the instruction is definitely not cheap, and she’s already having a hard time just keeping the lights on. She makes a deal with Gerald’s mentor, which gets her into the class, but how is she going to manage the store, her grandfather’s greedy girlfriend, the bills piling up, and her attraction to the man who’s now her teacher? Swan present a wholesome romance between two adults just trying to find their places in the world. The real selling point for this novel is the characterization, as both the main and secondary players feel true to life. Kay, in particular, is fully believable and relatable as a college dropout doing her best to get by without losing herself in the process. The book’s pace is rather slow, which may cause some readers to lose interest. Those that stick with it, though, will enjoy its pleasant, low-key story.
A light, leisurely novel with a wholesome love story.Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-73558-750-9
Page Count: 264
Publisher: Story Garden
Review Posted Online: Oct. 15, 2020
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
A solid contemporary with a balance of humor and lasting emotional beats.
In this contemporary romance, two emergency room doctors, both recovering from messy breakups, form a close, comforting friendship and perhaps something more.
Dr. Briana Ortiz has enough on her plate. She’s in the midst of finalizing her divorce, and her brother’s on a deadline to find a kidney donor. Now she has to worry that the new doctor, Jacob Maddox, is there to nab her promotion to chief of emergency medicine. Admittedly, Jacob—who has social anxiety—doesn't make the best first impression on Bri, telling her off for bumping into him in the hall. To make amends, he writes her a letter to explain himself and apologize, and the tension between them softens as their letters to each other keep coming. Bri realizes Jacob isn’t there to undermine her, and Jacob gets to see Bri’s more vulnerable side. When Jacob offers to be Bri’s brother’s kidney donor and Bri agrees to be Jacob’s pretend girlfriend for a wedding, it's easy to wonder what kept these two apart in the first place. The answer: not much. Of course, the two are carrying some heavy baggage from prior relationships, but it seems like a minor obstacle when compared to the genuine connection Jacob and Bri share. This is a cute, slow-burn romance with plenty of funny moments and emotional challenges, though the focus seems to be on the leads finally realizing what’s been in front of them all along through grand and sometimes unnecessary machinations. Did this need a fake dating subplot? Or epistolary flirting? Not really, but Jimenez manages to pepper these adorable tropes throughout without making them feel too gimmicky.
A solid contemporary with a balance of humor and lasting emotional beats.Pub Date: April 11, 2023
ISBN: 9781538704394
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Forever
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
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