Engaging enough to keep Kate’s legions of fans happy.
The long-standing Fallen series continues with bad boy fallen angel Cam trying to win back his lost love from ancient Israel, entering into a deal with the devil to do it.
In 1,000 B.C.E. Cam and Lilith fell in love, but Cam broke Lilith’s heart. Now he learns something he has been unaware of for millennia: Lilith has been in Hell all this time. He meets with Lucifer, who shows him via endless snow globe–style worlds how Lilith has been in one Hell after the other for millennia. Cam accepts a deal: if he does not win Lilith’s heart in two weeks, he will become Lucifer’s slave for eternity. The difficulty is that Lilith hates Cam, so he will have to break through that hatred to turn things around. In her current Hell, Lilith lives in poverty and attends a horrible high school that runs seven days per week with no holidays and where she is bullied by students and teachers alike. Cam joins in as a new student and uses Lilith’s deep musical talent to try to win her love. However, Lucifer turns up in the form of Luc, a music promoter, to deceive Lilith into believing that Cam is untrustworthy. Nevertheless, Cam continues his efforts to win her over, despite the fact that Lucifer is aging him from a handsome boy into a dumpy, balding, unattractive guy. Will Lilith be able to see through Lucifer’s deceptions and regain the love she felt for Cam so long ago? It’s all pretty soapy, but Kate delivers for her fans, her snow-globe world plausible if not entirely original, and keeps suspense high enough to keep readers turning pages.
Engaging enough to keep Kate’s legions of fans happy. (Paranormal romance. 12-18)Pub Date: Nov. 10, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-385-74263-4
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Oct. 5, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2015
A compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters.
When star hockey player Alec Barczewski’s estranged childhood friend, Dani Collins, moves to town, they end up in a mutually beneficial fake-dating relationship that reignites old feelings.
Following her parents’ divorce, Dani and her mom move in with Dani’s hockey legend grandfather in Southview, Minnesota, where she spent a month every summer as a child and where her friendship with Alec grew. Between visits, the two were pen pals, but they eventually fell out of touch. Despite some tensions over their loss of friendship, the high school seniors reconnect. Desperate to get off Harvard’s waitlist, Dani needs another extracurricular activity, while Alec—whose reputation took a hit when a photo of him holding a bong appeared on social media—is eager to improve his tarnished image for NHL scouts. The pair strike a deal: They’ll fake date, making Alec look like a stable guy whose academically gifted girlfriend is related to hockey royalty, and in exchange, he’ll get Dani a team manager position that will catch the eye of Harvard’s admissions officers. Eventually, complicated feelings about their past, stressful family relationships, and their brewing romance boil over. Romance fans will love the deliciously tension-filled scenes between Alec and Dani, who are believable friends with heavy demands weighing on them. They feel like real teenagers, and readers will enjoy rooting for them as the well-paced story unfolds. Main characters present white.
A compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025
ISBN: 9781665921268
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
A promising premise that’s lacking in spice.
A fall romance with a New England backdrop.
Autumn leaves aren’t the only stunning thing to hit the town of Briar Glen—so has good-looking new boy Jack Harper, and Lucy Kane is enamored with both. Her new crush is the perfect thing to take her mind off the fact that Java Junction, part of a global chain, is opening across the street from Cup o’ Jo, Lucy’s mother’s coffee shop, where they take pride in baking everything from scratch and avoiding artificial ingredients. But there’s more than coincidence in the timing of the arrivals of both Jack and Java Junction: The Harper family moved to Briar Glen specifically to open this franchise location, which will bring competition that threatens Cup o’ Jo. This scenario has the makings of a perfect autumnal adversaries-to-lovers romance, but the writing lacks charm and chemistry. Jack seems to be completely enamored with Lucy, but her character isn’t sufficiently developed to warrant his attention. Lucy’s friends are continually supportive of her but have few distinguishing characteristics, and the story is weakened by confusing timelines and repetitive elements. The resolution relies upon successes that come too easily and do not feel earned. Major characters are cued white.
A promising premise that’s lacking in spice. (Romance. 12-16)Pub Date: Aug. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781339030753
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
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