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
Light on plot and heavy on bolstering traditional gender norms as the ultimate goal for both men and women.
A Seattle woman meets a Chicago businessman as she flies home from a visit to a friend, and her small act of kindness blossoms into more.
Maisy Gallagher is barely making ends meet. With her father’s unexpected death a few years earlier, she dropped out of nursing school to help out in the family’s jewelry store, working with her uncle. Her older brother, Sean, also moved back home so he and Maisy could help their mother and their 10-year-old brother, Patrick. When Maisy offers a ride to a rude businessman who sat next to her on the plane, she’s just operating on the kindness her grandmother instilled in her. That businessman, Chase Furst, turns out to be an incredibly wealthy banker; he’s flown into Seattle to make funeral arrangements for his mother, to whom he hasn’t spoken in years. Sparks fly in this gentle and predictable romance that leans heavily on long-distance and class-divide tropes. As with many of the author’s books, Christianity and the characters’ reliance on God’s will—as they wait and see what happens next—play a large part, as do traditional gender roles where women cook, clean, and only work in paying jobs until they have children at home to take care of. The author does offer a lighter touch when it comes to the painful ways alcoholism can destroy family relationships, with an understanding of the regret that can weigh on every family member.
Light on plot and heavy on bolstering traditional gender norms as the ultimate goal for both men and women.Pub Date: April 28, 2026
ISBN: 9798217091676
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2026
© 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.
