A Victorian romance that will thrill readers who love to see a second chance.
A notorious spinster gets lucky, but not the way she expects.
Lady Kay Matheson is finally getting married. After two false starts, and many years as the subject of the gossip columns, she’s found a man who seems likely to make it all the way down the aisle with her: Wilson Rycroft, one of America’s richest men. She’s not in love with him, but he seems kind, and he has enough money to pay off her family’s growing pile of unpaid bills and allow her younger sister the debut she deserves. With the wedding only 10 weeks away, Kay goes to the florist at the Savoy hotel, but when she turns the corner to look for a gardenia, she’s shocked to see Devlin Sharpe, her first fiancé, now back in England after 14 years abroad. He’s also shopping for wedding flowers, and though they still loathe each other because of the way their engagement ended, they manage to be cordial. And because the London season is too small for them to avoid each other, their paths continue to cross, each time reminding them of the reasons that they wanted to elope in the first place, all those years ago—especially as they each start to see another side of their respective fiancés. But it’s not until they finally kiss, and see their lives change instantly as a result, that they have to confront the slow burn that’s been building back up between them. In the third installment of the Scandal at the Savoy series, the famous hotel once again plays a pivotal role in the story, and readers will be pleased to see the return of characters they’ve met in earlier volumes. Like the first two books, it’s a pleasure to read, with enjoyable characters, fun dialogue, and engaging historical detail. And, though it takes most of the book for Kay and Devlin to fully connect, once they do the spice level escalates quickly, leading to a slightly abrupt conclusion that is nonetheless satisfying, given all that the lovers have gone through to get there.
A Victorian romance that will thrill readers who love to see a second chance.Pub Date: July 29, 2025
ISBN: 9781538722664
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Forever
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
An extremely fun, fast-paced, and unusual addition to the marriage-in-trouble romance canon.
A marriage on the rocks gets a second chance—with a science-fiction twist.
Dr. Emery Martín is happily married to her husband Luca…mostly. She’s been madly in love with him since the moment they met, but in the three years they’ve been wed, she hasn’t been able to focus much on him. To the world—including Luca—Emery’s job involves developing medical-grade lasers. In reality, she works at a supersecret San Diego lab that’s engineering a compound to bring mammals back from the dead. Although Emery doesn’t want to admit it, she can tell that Luca feels pushed aside, but she believes so deeply in her work that she has a hard time leaving the lab. When Emery is late for dinner—yet again—on their anniversary, she rushes home only to see Luca get hit by a car. She has the secret compound in her car, and she knows she could get in major trouble if she uses it—but what’s she supposed to do, not save her husband’s life? The compound has only been tested on animals so far, and there’s no guarantee it will even work for humans. It does, though, and Luca comes back to life—with one small caveat. He can’t remember most things, including his marriage to Emery. After almost losing Luca, Emery is now grateful for what she has, and she’s determined to show him that she can be a better, more attentive partner. While Luca may not remember her, their magnetic chemistry is still there. This may be the do-over they needed to save their marriage—that is, if Emery can keep the life-reviving measures she took hidden from everyone around them, including nosy neighbors and her own company. Lauren—the pen name of the duo behind rom-coms like The Paradise Problem (2024)—has created a unique hook that feels genuinely refreshing. Emery and Luca’s unconventional second chance is emotionally compelling, and the slight thriller edge as Emery tries to cover up her actions keeps the pages turning.
An extremely fun, fast-paced, and unusual addition to the marriage-in-trouble romance canon.Pub Date: July 14, 2026
ISBN: 9781668017753
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: April 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
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
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