A multi-layered mystery with (mostly) rounded characters. (Paranormal romance. 12 & up)
Haven Moore and Iain Morrow's Italian escape (The Eternal Ones, 2010) is cut short when a crisis pulls them back to New York City and into the orbit of the Ouroboros Society.
While Iain had been taking Haven to historic sites to jar memories of the past lives she shared with him and her best friend Beau Decker, Beau makes some discoveries of his own courtesy of a hot guy on Facebook claiming to be his soulmate. But shortly after flying up to New York to visit his mystery man, Beau disappears, leaving only a cryptic text message for Haven. Despite the risk that Adam Rosier might find her—and learn that Iain is still alive—Haven and Iain hop a plane to the city so they can search for Beau. Incidental characters from the first novel are used to optimum advantage as a host of related subplots support the novel's tension. Adam transitions from blanket evil into a richer character and true enigma, even as ancient enemies of his secretly move against him. Haven finds herself needing him—and needing to get close to him—putting both her and Iain in difficult positions. The previous novel's witty narrative voice only returns for the last act of the story, slightly undermining the story line with the most at stake in a quick wrap-up.
A multi-layered mystery with (mostly) rounded characters. (Paranormal romance. 12 & up)Pub Date: Aug. 9, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59514-323-5
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: July 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2011
A light and entertaining plot-driven romance.
A Connecticut girl and her best friend devise a series of plans in order to achieve their goals: following a dream and winning back an ex.
Eighteen-year-old Audrey Barbour has a Master Plan: attend Blue Ridge Glass School in North Carolina and someday turn her Etsy shop, Golightly Glass, into a thriving business. But her uber-wealthy parents insist that she instead follow in their footsteps and go to business school. So Audrey decides to go find the tuition money she needs with help from her best friend, Henry Chen. Henry needs a favor, too: He hopes that fake dating Audrey will help him win back his ex-girlfriend, and he points out to a reluctant Audrey that this could make her crush, Griffin, notice her. While Audrey’s parents vacation in France for three weeks, the pair rent out the Barbour mansion on the Long Island Sound. Soon romantic chemistry grows alongside their business partnership. Despite the pair’s great preparation and an abundance of secondary characters with connections and talents to help pull off their increasingly ambitious ideas, plans go awry, leaving Audrey and Henry scrambling and second-guessing their choices. The pacing is even, but the characters often take a back seat to the whirlwind of activity that drives the plot, with the emphasis falling on each person’s practical skills and their role in keeping the action moving over their emotional bonds. Audrey is white, and Henry’s surname cues him as Chinese American.
A light and entertaining plot-driven romance. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: March 31, 2026
ISBN: 9780593904794
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Delacorte Romance
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A character-focused entry that will satisfy fans.
Romantic complications between a trained killer and one of her captors drive this sequel to Watch Me (2025).
Appealing to readers who prefer their romantic dramas to be light on action and heavy on long passages of banter, bitter sibling arguments, and tortured reflections, Mafi continues the tale of Rosabelle Wolff, the flaxen-haired assassin from the dystopic Reestablishment, and magnetic, “impossibly stunning” James Anderson, her nemesis-turned-lover who’s still trying to take down the regime. Now desperate to accomplish several secret missions, Rosa easily escapes from one of The New Republic’s prisons, where she was left in the series opener, and, dressed in “a little kid’s cat onesie,” eludes all pursuers except for James, who can seemingly find her at will. Enigmatic Rosa responds unpredictably to many human contacts—including with violence, temporary death (one of her abilities), or a sudden panic attack. Along with the central pair of rivals and lovers, James’ older brother, Aaron, shares the narration. Bestseller Mafi tucks in several subplots, including, notably, a cameo from Juliette Ferrars, the protagonist of the original Shatter Me series, who’s undergoing a scarily difficult pregnancy. Amid the slowly simmering rising action, the author delivers a revelation and a twist that set up a potential series climax. Some ethnic diversity is present in the supporting cast.
A character-focused entry that will satisfy fans. (Dystopian. 14-adult)Pub Date: April 7, 2026
ISBN: 9780063419056
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Storytide/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: April 7, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2026
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