A fun contemporary love story that’s a bit too long.
In this opposites-attract romance, an ex-con and an entrepreneur find sizzling chemistry and much more.
Marley Masters is a beautiful, single woman with a past full of toxic men, both father figures and exes. But thanks to a genius business idea—Pink Sweets, a chain of coffee stands with attractive, scantily clad baristas, Marley among them—she has her own home in Seattle and a kind neighbor, Alice, with a beautiful garden (“Her yard was her pride, and that rose garden, her joy”). When Marley is tending to the garden while Alice is in the hospital, she encounters Joe Kaine, a muscle-bound biker with an attitude. It turns out that he is Alice’s beloved nephew and beneficiary—she has died and left Joe her home, so he is now Marley’s new neighbor. Though Joe’s recently out of prison, he and Marley bond over their grief and kick off a red-hot sexual affair. But Marley’s reluctant to jump into a relationship with yet another bad boy who will break her heart and leave. Meanwhile, both Marley and Joe may be in over their heads. Local sleazebag and strip-club owner Johan Harper has his eyes on Marley’s business, not to mention the entrepreneur herself, and Joe discovers that his sweet aunt might have had some secrets of her own when he finds a cache of valuable, stolen jewelry among her belongings. Can Marley and Joe make their relationship work despite the increasingly dangerous surroundings? In this series opener, Daniels alternates Marley’s and Joe’s perspectives, making for a well-rounded narrative that’s also extremely sexy, as the protagonists find themselves in bed more often than not. Marley is stubborn and guarded, but readers will gradually learn she has reasons for both, and the friendships and career she’s built for herself are as admirable as her sassy demeanor. Though Joe is often endearing, taking in an ugly rescue dog named Ginger and talking about how much his aunt meant to him, he also has recurring jealousy issues and frequently doesn’t hear the word nowhen it comes to seducing Marley. In addition, the book is lengthier than it should be for the first installment of a series.
A fun contemporary love story that’s a bit too long.Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2022
ISBN: 979-8986631608
Page Count: 374
Publisher: Kiss Me Dizzy Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A charming love story that absolutely radiates warmth.
A single mom winds up fake dating an incredibly wealthy man in her hometown.
Dolly Brick is back in her hometown of Whitfield, Rhode Island, for the summer to help her dad and disabled brother manage their house and family business. As a 39-year-old single mother with multiple jobs—which now include working at the Brick Fish House—Dolly is always busy. When her mom left their family years ago, Dolly took over caring for her siblings and father and never really stopped. When she runs into Stewart Whitfield after making a shrimp delivery to his family’s mansion, she doesn’t think they could be more different. She’s had to figure out how to do everything by herself, and he can’t even change a tire. That’s why Stewart’s proposal that she pretend to be his girlfriend feels so unbelievable—but it comes with a hefty check that she desperately needs for home repairs. So she becomes the fake girlfriend of Stewart Whitfield (as in, the Whitfields her town is named after; his real fiancée just dumped him and it’s a bad time for him to be single) and experiences what it’s like to walk into fancy buildings through the front door instead of the service entrance. More than the boats and helicopter and expensive dinners, though, Dolly is impressed by what a kind man Stewart is—and how it feels to let someone else take care of her for a change. Soon, their relationship starts to feel more real than fake. Monaghan creates an impossibly winning story with a charming, lovable heroine. Dolly is capable, hardworking, and will do anything for the people she loves. She and Stewart both possess real flaws, and while their relationship begins with one of the most beloved rom-com tropes, their challenges feel like realistic adult obstacles rather than easily solved miscommunications. It’s also refreshing that, even though Dolly must learn to allow other people to help her, she never views her caretaking responsibilities as burdens. She deeply loves her family, and that love carries through the entire story.
A charming love story that absolutely radiates warmth.Pub Date: May 26, 2026
ISBN: 9780593853979
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2026
SEEN & HEARD
PERSPECTIVES
A deliciously dramatic look at how one woman’s past influences her future.
A happily engaged woman is pulled back to her hometown—and her first love—when tragedy strikes.
Billie Wright is living her dream, running a thriving fertility clinic in New York City and engaged to a wonderful trauma surgeon named Dean. Her happily-ever-after meant giving up her life in Wisconsin, where she left behind many friends as well as her high school sweetheart, Mick. Although they’d been deeply in love, when Billie’s ambition pulled her away from home and toward the city, Mick couldn’t handle either the distance or her busy schedule. Billie has finally moved on from that heartbreak—but then she receives a phone call from Mick, the first communication between them in years. Her best friend, Erin, died in a car accident, leaving behind an 11-year-old daughter, Phoebe. Now Billie must return home to help sort Erin’s affairs and provide some kind of comfort to Phoebe while grieving the loss of her best friend. Of course, being back home also means being in close contact with Mick. Their feelings for each other may not have ever gone away, and their proximity leads to big decisions for Billie. Can she ever reconcile her current life in Manhattan with her past in Wisconsin? And which one will be her future? Giffin knows how to do drama, and she ratchets up the stakes with every page as she continues to reveal new obstacles for Billie. The ending wraps up quite neatly, but the nostalgia-filled ride is full of twists and turns that will keep readers flipping the pages.
A deliciously dramatic look at how one woman’s past influences her future.Pub Date: July 7, 2026
ISBN: 9780593600320
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: April 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
SEEN & HEARD
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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