Strong characters help to make up for diminishing suspense as a heroine stands up to wickedness in a logging town.
A woman with a special ability comes face to face with both potential romance and unmitigated evil in this suspenseful erotic novel.
In the latest book from Decker (945 Cedar Avenue, 2018, etc.), Etta Freeman knows who a person is at first sight. When the 25-year-old was a teen, a vehicular accident nearly killed her and left her with the ability to see others’ energies as glowing auras. She, however, deems this a curse; some auras are so vile that she can feel their energy, which practically debilitates her. In Merrit, the small American logging town where she bartends, she’s found such a man—a logger whose lack of an “energetic pulse” is a sure sign he’s pure malevolence. Etta feels a responsibility to rid the world of this fiendish man before he causes the terrible harm she’s certain he will do, and she devises a plan that sends her to Dallas Perricone, who stays at the same motel where Etta lives. Sure, he’s a drug dealer, but he’s also ruggedly sexy. Will Etta’s dealings with him put her at risk of harm not just from the man who lacks an “energetic pulse” but from Dallas? Decker’s taut novel boasts an appealing, complex protagonist. Etta had suffered leering and much worse from her mom’s depraved boyfriends, and she now takes online classes to be a child psychologist. The story she narrates simmers with tension, trailing a prologue that promises a forthcoming, terrifyingly violent scene. Once the book catches up, the latter half centers more on romance, and suspense dwindles. Nevertheless, the author delivers quite a few delectable, sexually explicit moments, as a genuine emotional connection develops. While Dallas is a memorable romantic interest, Etta’s besties steal the show—curvy Moxie rakes in money with her X-rated webcam, while Tobias runs the motel’s front desk when not sitting by the pool with his friends.
Strong characters help to make up for diminishing suspense as a heroine stands up to wickedness in a logging town.Pub Date: June 27, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-9993334-9-5
Page Count: 241
Publisher: Camden Publishing
Review Posted Online: Aug. 14, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A smart, steamy romance.
Tomforde’s sports romance pairs boardroom power plays with dugout drama.
As the youngest and only female owner of a Major League Baseball team, Reese Remington is used to pressure. Even though Reese is the granddaughter of the Windy City Warriors’ former owner, the men around her still question her position; she’ll “most likely have to work twice as hard and make [the] club’s success twice as noticeable to have any hope of being viewed as the right person to operate this team.” It doesn’t help that the franchise is bleeding money, the result of her grandfather’s hands-off approach in the years before his retirement. Reese must use her razor-sharp intelligence and fierce business sense to not only prove herself in a role in which the public is eager to see her fail, but also to make unpopular financial decisions to get the team out of the red. Enter Emmett Montgomery, a former All-Star turned field manager whose priorities lie firmly with people rather than profit. A man devoted to his team and his adopted child, Emmett has long since closed the door on romance, despite gentle nudging from his loved ones. His empathetic team-first mentality puts him immediately at odds with Reese’s pragmatic agenda, and with his contract up at the end of the year, Emmett worries he’ll be on the chopping block if he speaks out too much. Told from the perspectives of the leads, the novel gives equal page time to Reese and Emmett. Their concerns––the scrutiny Reese must endure as a woman in a male-dominated industry, and Emmett’s worries over his contract renewal––are tangible and add a sense of urgency to their every decision. While the novel includes some unavoidable exposition dumps to orient readers, it more than compensates by establishing clear stakes and a sense of momentum from the outset. The narrative successfully introduces credible barriers to the romance, which largely follows recognizable genre beats. The baseball setting is also used effectively, with the season-long arc mirroring the couple’s romantic and professional journeys.
A smart, steamy romance.Pub Date: March 3, 2026
ISBN: 9781649379795
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Review Posted Online: Feb. 13, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A warm and winning "When Harry Met Sally…" update that hits all the perfect notes.
A travel writer has one last shot at reconnecting with the best friend she just might be in love with.
Poppy and Alex couldn't be more different. She loves wearing bright colors while he prefers khakis and a T-shirt. She likes just about everything while he’s a bit more discerning. And yet, their opposites-attract friendship works because they love each other…in a totally platonic way. Probably. Even though they have their own separate lives (Poppy lives in New York City and is a travel writer with a popular Instagram account; Alex is a high school teacher in their tiny Ohio hometown), they still manage to get together each summer for one fabulous vacation. They grow closer every year, but Poppy doesn’t let herself linger on her feelings for Alex—she doesn’t want to ruin their friendship or the way she can be fully herself with him. They continue to date other people, even bringing their serious partners on their summer vacations…but then, after a falling-out, they stop speaking. When Poppy finds herself facing a serious bout of ennui, unhappy with her glamorous job and the life she’s been dreaming of forever, she thinks back to the last time she was truly happy: her last vacation with Alex. And so, though they haven’t spoken in two years, she asks him to take another vacation with her. She’s determined to bridge the gap that’s formed between them and become best friends again, but to do that, she’ll have to be honest with Alex—and herself—about her true feelings. In chapters that jump around in time, Henry shows readers the progression (and dissolution) of Poppy and Alex’s friendship. Their slow-burn love story hits on beloved romance tropes (such as there unexpectedly being only one bed on the reconciliation trip Poppy plans) while still feeling entirely fresh. Henry’s biggest strength is in the sparkling, often laugh-out-loud-funny dialogue, particularly the banter-filled conversations between Poppy and Alex. But there’s depth to the story, too—Poppy’s feeling of dissatisfaction with a life that should be making her happy as well as her unresolved feelings toward the difficult parts of her childhood make her a sympathetic and relatable character. The end result is a story that pays homage to classic romantic comedies while having a point of view all its own.
A warm and winning "When Harry Met Sally…" update that hits all the perfect notes.Pub Date: May 11, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-9848-0675-8
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: March 2, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
PERSPECTIVES
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
