An engaging and spicy romance that targets sports fans but with a well-developed arc suitable for aficionados of YA love...
In a small Minnesota town where life centers on hockey, a past trauma binds two childhood friends together, eventually leading to a close relationship in this YA novel.
Tate Tanley finds his identity in Juniper Falls defined by his father’s legacy. Keith Tanley led the high school hockey team to the 1994 state championship, and no matter how good Tate is in his own right, he is always measured against his dad. But everyone in town who reveres his father doesn’t realize he is a violent drunk who once broke Tate’s arm. There was only one witness, Claire O’Connor, Tate’s older sister’s best friend. Claire and Tate have kept the secret for over a year; she left town to pursue her dream of studying performance at Northwestern University, and he finished high school. But Claire returns to town when her father, Davin, becomes severely ill and he needs help running the family business (“the coolest hockey bar in the state of Minnesota, famous for the walleye horseshoe”). When the two friends meet again, Tate is no longer the awkward kid brother (“When did Tate Tanley get such a deep voice? And when did he start rescuing girls from drunk creepers in bars?” Claire muses). And Claire now seems within Tate’s reach. They’re both battling personal demons, but maybe together they can confront adversity and become stronger than if they stayed apart. Cross (Chasing Truth, 2016, etc.) has an extensive background in the world of sports that shows in her depictions of the town’s reverence for hockey, a team’s dedication, and the complex rules that govern college recruitment of athletes. But the book’s biggest strength is also its greatest weakness: readers who are not hockey lovers will experience periods of boredom when entire chapters focus on a game. But fans of YA romance should find the sweet and sexy courtship between Tate and Claire appealing as they move beyond their shared childhoods to see each other as maturing adults and potential objects of love and desire. Their relationship path is exceedingly realistic, fraught with the tensions of abuse and illness, rather than just another superficial liaison.
An engaging and spicy romance that targets sports fans but with a well-developed arc suitable for aficionados of YA love stories.Pub Date: Feb. 28, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-63375-655-7
Page Count: 300
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A soapy ending that will satisfy returning fans.
A young woman faces difficult decisions in the final volume of Argentinian author Ron’s trilogy.
This uncredited translation of a text originally published in 2021 opens a week after the events of Tell Me in Secret (2026). Julian, who deceived, stalked, and sexually assaulted Kami, has disappeared and is yet to be held accountable for his actions. Kami’s lust for Thiago has intensified even though she’s still dating his brother, Taylor, deepening her feelings of guilt and shame. The brothers, who are hardly speaking to each other, are so focused on keeping Kami safe from Julian that they cross the line from protective to overbearing and controlling. Taylor, already jealous of the closeness between Kami and Thiago, has his suspicions confirmed when one of Kami’s friends waspishly reveals her conflicted feelings. Raging and upset, Taylor lashes out physically at Thiago and breaks up with Kami. Thiago and Kami naturally grow closer; he reassures her that “there’s nothing wrong with loving” and that she wouldn’t be in this predicament if she “didn’t have so much love to give.” Then, devastating events change the trio’s lives forever. Although this entry features some improvements in character development (when it comes to Thiago, in particular) the one-note antagonists with their uninteresting melodramatics come across as absurd, undermining the impact of darker plot twists. Still, the resolution effectively wraps up this mediocre series. Central characters read white.
A soapy ending that will satisfy returning fans. (publisher’s note, content warning) (Romance. 16-18)Pub Date: May 5, 2026
ISBN: 9781464234330
Page Count: 350
Publisher: Bloom Books
Review Posted Online: April 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
A thrilling romance that could use more even pacing.
For the second time in her life, Leo must choose between her family and true love.
Nineteen-year-old Princess Leonie Kolburg’s royal family is bankrupt. In order to salvage the fortune they accrued before humans fled the frozen Earth 170 years ago, Leonie’s father is forcing her to participate in the Valg Season, an elaborate set of matchmaking events held to facilitate the marriages of rich and royal teens. Leo grudgingly joins in even though she has other ideas: She’s invented a water filtration system that, if patented, could provide a steady income—that is if Leo’s calculating Aunt Freja, the Captain of the ship hosting the festivities, stops blocking her at every turn. Just as Leo is about to give up hope, her long-lost love, Elliot, suddenly appears onboard three years after Leo’s family forced her to break off their engagement. Donne (Brightly Burning, 2018) returns to space, this time examining the fascinatingly twisted world of the rich and famous. Leo and her peers are nuanced, deeply felt, and diverse in terms of sexuality but not race, which may be a function of the realities of wealth and power. The plot is fast paced although somewhat uneven: Most of the action resolves in the last quarter of the book, which makes the resolutions to drawn-out conflicts feel rushed.
A thrilling romance that could use more even pacing. (Science fiction. 16-adult)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-328-94894-6
Page Count: 400
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2019
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