Byrne's sexy scoundrels and complex heroines deliver, as always.
Gavin St. James earned his wicked reputation as a womanizer. Samantha Masters stumbled into hers as an outlaw and murderer. Will fate and mistaken identity allow them to redeem one another?
Samantha didn't know she was marrying a thief when she and Bennett Masters tied the knot and she incidentally joined his gang. Robbery is one thing, but when Bennett tries to murder a woman who saw his face during a train robbery, Sam shoots him dead. The woman she saved, Alison Ross, left Scotland years ago and was raised by her mother and wealthy stepfather in San Francisco. She was on her way to be married when she encountered the Masters Gang, and she offers Sam an escape to her family's estate, Erradale, in Scotland. But the catch is that Sam must impersonate Alison. Alison has no desire to return to Scotland, but her estate has been declared abandoned and is about to be sold to Gavin, a member of the Mackenzie family, whose patriarch was responsible for her own father's death—and she's sworn never to sell to a Mackenzie. Since she was a child when she left Scotland, no one will know that Sam is an imposter. Gavin doesn't want to buy Erradale to please his father—he bears his own scars, and not just physical ones. After being tossed out a window and hearing his mother beaten so badly she was blinded, Gavin has spent his life trying not to be his father's son. Buying Erradale will allow him the means to emancipate himself from his clan. When Sam discovers that she's pregnant with her late husband's child and Erradale is attacked by Bennett Masters’ brothers, she suddenly needs Gavin as much as he needs her land. A marriage of convenience is struck between them, which allows their attraction to grow and evolve. There's a lot to love about this awesome book—a foulmouthed heroine who takes no guff, an unexpectedly gentle hero who has to handle his baggage to be with the woman he loves, a pair of gay farmhands whose banter is as charming as it is hilarious, and some seriously hot sex.
Byrne's sexy scoundrels and complex heroines deliver, as always.Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-250-12254-4
Page Count: 416
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: Aug. 21, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an...
True love flares between two people, but they find that circumstances always impede it.
On a winter day in London, Laurie spots Jack from her bus home and he sparks a feeling in her so deep that she spends the next year searching for him. Her roommate and best friend, Sarah, is the perfect wing-woman but ultimately—and unknowingly—ends the search by finding Jack and falling for him herself. Laurie’s hasty decision not to tell Sarah is the second painful missed opportunity (after not getting off the bus), but Sarah’s happiness is so important to Laurie that she dedicates ample energy into retraining her heart not to love Jack. Laurie is misguided, but her effort and loyalty spring from a true heart, and she considers her project mostly successful. Perhaps she would have total success, but the fact of the matter is that Jack feels the same deep connection to Laurie. His reasons for not acting on them are less admirable: He likes Sarah and she’s the total package; why would he give that up just because every time he and Laurie have enough time together (and just enough alcohol) they nearly fall into each other’s arms? Laurie finally begins to move on, creating a mostly satisfying life for herself, whereas Jack’s inability to be genuine tortures him and turns him into an ever bigger jerk. Patriarchy—it hurts men, too! There’s no question where the book is going, but the pacing is just right, the tone warm, and the characters sympathetic, even when making dumb decisions.
Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an emotional, satisfying read.Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-525-57468-2
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: July 30, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
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
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