A playful and heartfelt romance that expertly grounds fantastical elements in a real-world love triangle.
In Steenblik’s novel, an unassuming man who finds himself in love with two very different people receives unexpected help from a supernatural being.
Twenty-seven-year-old Mark Williams leads a quiet life in New Jersey as an IT tech for Rutgers University. His life changes forever when he inadvertently rubs a bronze lamp and releases Eros, a Djinn who occasionally likes to dabble in mortal affairs. Mark and Eros set about sorting out Mark’s increasingly complicated romantic feelings toward his best friend, Elijah—a larger-than-life drag queen—and Viktoriya, a Ukrainian woman looking for a fresh start: “Viktoriya hadn’t just listened to the words I was saying. She heard me and saw what flowed beneath those words. The only other person who’d ever done that was Elijah—he always seemed to know what I was thinking and feeling…Would it be the same with Viktoriya if she became part of my life?” While Mark struggles with making everyone involved happy (possibly to the detriment of himself), he must also contend with a vicious real estate developer intent on taking the family apple orchard. Can Eros help Mark see that sometimes the answer to what the heart wants is not that complicated after all? This fun and frothy love story offers strong LGBTQ+ representation while simultaneously delving into the oft-misunderstood world of polyamory. Steenblik expertly tackles myriad issues of modern love—from the emotional complexities to the physical logistics—with a refreshing straightforwardness and a cheeky splash of the supernatural. While the real estate subplot feels unnecessary and a bit absurd (the agent is so one-dimensionally dastardly that he may as well be twirling a mustache), the novel’s magic really shines when it focuses on Mark’s emotional growth and his sexy (not graphic) love triangle with Elijah and Viktoriya. Steenblik has crafted an entertaining and poignant romance that celebrates love in whatever form it may take.
A playful and heartfelt romance that expertly grounds fantastical elements in a real-world love triangle.Pub Date: June 2, 2026
ISBN: 9798995363804
Page Count: 364
Publisher: Wasted Words
Review Posted Online: May 12, 2026
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 thoughtful and pensive tale with intelligent characters and a satisfying romance.
A promise to his best friend leads an Army serviceman to a family in need and a chance at true love in this novel.
Beckett Gentry is surprised when his Army buddy Ryan MacKenzie gives him a letter from Ryan’s sister, Ella. Abandoned by his mother, Beckett grew up in a series of foster homes. He is wary of attachments until he reads Ella’s letter. A single mother, Ella lives with her twins, Maisie and Colt, at Solitude, the resort she operates in Telluride, Colorado. They begin a correspondence, although Beckett can only identify himself by his call sign, Chaos. After Ryan’s death during a mission, Beckett travels to Telluride as his friend had requested. He bonds with the twins while falling deeply in love with Ella. Reluctant to reveal details of Ryan’s death and risk causing her pain, Beckett declines to disclose to Ella that he is Chaos. Maisie needs treatment for neuroblastoma, and Beckett formally adopts the twins as a sign of his commitment to support Ella and her children. He and Ella pursue a romance, but when an insurance investigator questions the adoption, Beckett is faced with revealing the truth about the letters and Ryan’s death, risking losing the family he loves. Yarros’ (Wilder, 2016, etc.) novel is a deeply felt and emotionally nuanced contemporary romance bolstered by well-drawn characters and strong, confident storytelling. Beckett and Ella are sympathetic protagonists whose past experiences leave them cautious when it comes to love. Beckett never knew the security of a stable home life. Ella impulsively married her high school boyfriend, but the marriage ended when he discovered she was pregnant. The author is especially adept at developing the characters through subtle but significant details, like Beckett’s aversion to swearing. Beckett and Ella’s romance unfolds slowly in chapters that alternate between their first-person viewpoints. The letters they exchanged are pivotal to their connection, and almost every chapter opens with one. Yarros’ writing is crisp and sharp, with passages that are poetic without being florid. For example, in a letter to Beckett, Ella writes of motherhood: “But I’m not the center of their universe. I’m more like their gravity.” While the love story is the book’s focus, the subplot involving Maisie’s illness is equally well-developed, and the link between Beckett and the twins is heartfelt and sincere.
A thoughtful and pensive tale with intelligent characters and a satisfying romance.Pub Date: Feb. 26, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-64063-533-3
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Review Posted Online: Jan. 2, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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