A lack of tension and too-perfect leads mar a well-written romance with a nicely developed cast of secondary characters.
A fashion designer and a textile manufacturer get swept up in a fake engagement on the eve of her big debut.
The second book in Alexander’s (Tempo of Love, 2017, etc.) Brothers of Theta Delta Theta series is set in Raleigh, North Carolina, where fashion designer Alexis Devers is about to launch her debut clothing line. At 30, she’s confident and refreshingly unconcerned with finding a man, but when she meets her brother’s college friend Bryan James at a step show, she can’t help her attraction. It just so happens that Bryan is the chief marketing officer of Royal Textiles, a family-owned manufacturer of clothing and leather goods, and the attraction is mutual. Bryan’s domineering father wants him to prove his value by signing a big new account, or he’ll give control to Bryan’s sleazy car salesman cousin, and Alexis’ line seems a perfect fit. Inexplicably, Alexis’ business partner decides to garner pre–fashion show publicity by telling the press about the designer’s nonexistent handsome new fiance, and a deal is born: Bryan will get Alexis' business and play the role of her fiance. While the fake engagement is a beloved romance trope, this one generates no tension, as both characters are unfailingly honest and caring and don’t seem to mind the fact that self-interested motives brought them together. As Bryan puts it, "The fact that we're attracted to each other will only add to the realism of this little game we're playing." The pile-on of convenient circumstances detracts from the plot. Subplots including Bryan’s devotion to a mentoring program for at-risk youth and Alexis’ successful attempt to extract her sorority sister from an abusive relationship burnish their characters but add little excitement.
A lack of tension and too-perfect leads mar a well-written romance with a nicely developed cast of secondary characters.Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-4701-0
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2017
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
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.
Eleven years ago, he broke her heart. But he doesn’t know why she never forgave him.
Toggling between past and present, two love stories unfold simultaneously. In the first, Macy Sorensen meets and falls in love with the boy next door, Elliot Petropoulos, in the closet of her dad’s vacation home, where they hide out to discuss their favorite books. In the second, Macy is working as a doctor and engaged to a single father, and she hasn’t spoken to Elliot since their breakup. But a chance encounter forces her to confront the truth: what happened to make Macy stop speaking to Elliot? Ultimately, they’re separated not by time or physical remoteness but by emotional distance—Elliot and Macy always kept their relationship casual because they went to different schools. And as a teen, Macy has more to worry about than which girl Elliot is taking to the prom. After losing her mother at a young age, Macy is navigating her teenage years without a female role model, relying on the time-stamped notes her mother left in her father’s care for guidance. In the present day, Macy’s father is dead as well. She throws herself into her work and rarely comes up for air, not even to plan her upcoming wedding. Since Macy is still living with her fiance while grappling with her feelings for Elliot, the flashbacks offer steamy moments, tender revelations, and sweetly awkward confessions while Macy makes peace with her past and decides her future.
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.Pub Date: April 10, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5011-2801-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018
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