A darkly fun romance that will make readers question what they think they know about reality television.
A struggling author gets in way over her head when she becomes a contestant on a dating show.
Jacqueline Matthis has never been good at love…not even when she’s the one writing the story. Her career as a romance novelist stalled out after her series got canceled, but she has the perfect plan to increase book sales: Become a contestant on a Bachelor-esque reality show called the 1. She doesn’t have to win the show, or the heart of the bachelor himself, Marcus Bellamy—she just needs to get enough airtime and attention to convince people to buy her books. But right before the show starts, Jac makes the mistake of having a one-night stand with a handsome stranger who ends up being Henry, a producer on the 1. She feels an undeniable pull to Henry, but she can’t tell if he actually cares for her or is simply manipulating her to get good TV. And then there’s Marcus, who inexplicably thinks Jac is amazing, even if the other women on the show hate her for her brutal honesty and refusal to play the game. Jac finds herself cast as the villain of the season, and she doesn’t know if she can trust Henry, Marcus, or anyone on the show. There’s no shortage of romance novels about reality TV, but Devore’s adult debut stands out by focusing on Jac’s sometimes caustic nature and her genuine cynicism about love—her writing career is flailing because she didn’t understand the cardinal rule of romance novels: The characters have to end up together. Jac is a deeply human character who wants to be loved even as she keeps making mistakes. Devore keeps the stakes high, and a few twists make the story feel almost as propulsive as a thriller.
A darkly fun romance that will make readers question what they think they know about reality television.Pub Date: July 2, 2024
ISBN: 9780063337602
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Avon/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: April 20, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2024
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
Two hot people confronting their trauma, making passionate love, and solving violent crimes! ’Nuff said.
A heartbroken man lusts after his therapist while seeking revenge on a drug kingpin and his enforcer.
Mitch Haskell’s wife, Angela, died two years ago of an apparent suicide, but Mitch has always believed the scene was staged. Certainly, she would never have willingly left their young son, Andrew, behind. Consumed with a thirst for vengeance, Mitch—a former Marine and undercover agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration and currently a police detective—is struggling with alcohol dependency and uncontrolled rage. Andrew is living with his in-laws, who are making not-so-subtle suggestions that they might apply for permanent guardianship if Mitch can’t get it together. So his boss and best friend, John Bowie, mandates that he go into therapy, which puts him in the path of sexy Dr. Dylan Reede. Within a few days, Mitch makes a connection between two new murders and the death of his former partner; finds a big clue that points to the truth about Angela’s death; goes undercover as a homeless man; takes on a vicious drug cartel; and obnoxiously bullies Dylan with a charm offensive that leads them inevitably to bed. While Mitch seems to lean into the stereotype of the ex-soldier/cop with deeply buried trauma who believes that the ends justify the means—at least in law enforcement—Dylan offers the strength and sweetness to help him start breaking down his walls, allowing herself to be vulnerable in turn. Is passionate sex enough to ground a relationship and a family for the long term? For these characters, and the breakneck speed of this thriller, it’s as good a foundation as any.
Two hot people confronting their trauma, making passionate love, and solving violent crimes! ’Nuff said.Pub Date: March 17, 2026
ISBN: 9781538743027
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Review Posted Online: Dec. 11, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2026
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