A suspenseful and colorful gay Regency romance.
A newly rich Englishman is introduced to the ton by a fake French count.
Titus Pilcrow is happy with his simple life as an “oil and colourman”—he makes paints and is well-regarded for it. That changes when he makes a delivery to the wealthy Miss Whitecross, one of his best customers. After a suspicious accident, she’s on her deathbed, and proposes they marry immediately so Titus can be her heir. As he’s in a difficult financial position, he agrees. After Miss Whitecross dies, it’s not long before people begin grasping for a piece of Titus’ fortune. Most are just selfish and pushy, but one new acquaintance, the Comte de La Motte, has an intriguing story. He was Miss Whitecross’ fiancé before Titus was, but even though he lost out on her fortune, he seems content to simply help Titus become accustomed to his new station. Unbeknownst to Titus, though, the Comte is neither French nor nobility. He is actually Nico, a con artist of sorts, albeit a kind one, desperate to help his cousin pay off her underworld debts. As Nico introduces Titus to London’s finest merchants and helps him figure out his new social status, an attraction develops, and after it tips into physical intimacy, feelings of love follow. But with Nico’s identity still a secret, among other obstacles, such a dream may be out of reach. Charles has been a consistently excellent writer of queer historical romance for years, and this one more than meets her own high standards. Titus and Nico’s relationship is both sweet and steamy—and it’s well-balanced against a darker subplot that adds intrigue. The real-world historical details are especially interesting, including the Affair of the Diamond Necklace—a key incident in Marie Antoinette’s downfall—as an important plot point, as well as several fascinating glimpses into how paints, pigments, and poisons were derived and used in that era. A dramatic ending will leave readers satisfied.
A suspenseful and colorful gay Regency romance.Pub Date: April 28, 2026
ISBN: 9781250395917
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Bramble Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
A romance that could have used significant rethinking.
Childhood friends, almost-sweethearts, a misunderstanding, and a funeral.
Blair Lang and Declan Renshaw were best friends who went on one date before a disagreement and an accident sent them in different directions after high school. Now Blair is back from college to be with her great-aunt Lottie, who’s dying, and to support her single mother in small-town Seabrook, California. Finding a job at a coffee shop puts her in the path of her former boyfriend, since he turns out to be its owner. Can the two get past their mistakes? The novel uses the popular second-chance romance trope, but Pham fails to energize it through interesting characters. Blair’s grief over her great-aunt’s death and her plan to help her mother are overshadowed by internal monologues about her feelings, the way her friends aren’t paying attention to her, and the novel she plans to write. Declan’s distinguishing characteristic, besides being a former high school quarterback, is his skill at building birdhouses. Unsurprisingly, the couple doesn’t have much chemistry; when they embrace, their “bodies meld like…memory foam.” The wooden characters, unusual word choices (“conglomerate of pedestrians,” “litany of plants”), and odd turns of phrase (“tension melting from his eyebrows like butter melting in a warm pan”) are almost enough to obscure the lack of plot development. What passes for stakes is easily defused when Blair comes into an inheritance that saves her from working as a consultant at Ernst & Young in New York—so she can write a romance novel.
A romance that could have used significant rethinking.Pub Date: March 3, 2026
ISBN: 9781668095188
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2026
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.
After being released from prison, a young woman tries to reconnect with her 5-year-old daughter despite having killed the girl’s father.
Kenna didn’t even know she was pregnant until after she was sent to prison for murdering her boyfriend, Scotty. When her baby girl, Diem, was born, she was forced to give custody to Scotty’s parents. Now that she’s been released, Kenna is intent on getting to know her daughter, but Scotty’s parents won’t give her a chance to tell them what really happened the night their son died. Instead, they file a restraining order preventing Kenna from so much as introducing herself to Diem. Handsome, self-assured Ledger, who was Scotty’s best friend, is another key adult in Diem’s life. He’s helping her grandparents raise her, and he too blames Kenna for Scotty’s death. Even so, there’s something about her that haunts him. Kenna feels the pull, too, and seems to be seeking Ledger out despite his judgmental behavior. As Ledger gets to know Kenna and acknowledges his attraction to her, he begins to wonder if maybe he and Scotty’s parents have judged her unfairly. Even so, Ledger is afraid that if he surrenders to his feelings, Scotty’s parents will kick him out of Diem’s life. As Kenna and Ledger continue to mourn for Scotty, they also grieve the future they cannot have with each other. Told alternatively from Kenna’s and Ledger’s perspectives, the story explores the myriad ways in which snap judgments based on partial information can derail people’s lives. Built on a foundation of death and grief, this story has an undercurrent of sadness. As usual, however, the author has created compelling characters who are magnetic and sympathetic enough to pull readers in. In addition to grief, the novel also deftly explores complex issues such as guilt, self-doubt, redemption, and forgiveness.
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.Pub Date: Jan. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5420-2560-7
Page Count: 335
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021
SEEN & HEARD
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