A satisfying sequel that offers a sexy, appealing contemporary romance.
In the latest installment of Hagen’s (Anything for You, 2018, etc.) Connor Family series, a wedding planner and a best man discover a surprising connection and a second chance at true love.
As the owner of a successful event planning business, 30-ish Lori Connor is accustomed to coordinating nuptials in high-pressure circumstances, but her latest assignment truly puts her skills to the test. Her clients, Matt and Amber, want a Valentine’s Day wedding, which gives Lori only four weeks to plan. Fortunately, finding a venue is easy, as 32-year-old Graham Frazier, Matt’s best man and the owner of the Los Angeles Lords soccer club, offers to let the couple hold the wedding on the grounds of his luxurious oceanfront home. Graham is sexy and charismatic but deeply skeptical about marriage, having been through a painful divorce. Despite his tumultuous romantic history, though, he finds himself drawn to Lori. She’s attracted to Graham, as well, but as the single mother of a 7-year-old son, Milo, she’s cautious when it comes to dating. When Lori and Graham’s romantic tension culminates in a night of passion, they realize that they’re falling in love; however, their happiness is tested when Milo’s father turns up. The latest entry in Hagen’s series showcases her knack for crafting engaging, second-time-around love stories. It follows a format similar to that of Anything for You, as chapters alternate between Graham's and Lori’s first-person perspectives. This approach is particularly effective when it explores each character’s joys and concerns regarding the burgeoning romance. Their connection forms the novel’s emotional center, but it’s tempered by their need to ensure that Milo adjusts well to the relationship. Hagen effectively balances the romance’s erotic elements with more practical concerns, and the subplot involving the sudden reappearance of Milo’s father offers surprising twists and turns. As with the previous installment, the rest of the members of the Connor clan figure prominently as supporting characters.
A satisfying sequel that offers a sexy, appealing contemporary romance.Pub Date: Aug. 14, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-63576-507-6
Page Count: 300
Publisher: EverAfter Romance
Review Posted Online: Aug. 24, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an...
True love flares between two people, but they find that circumstances always impede it.
On a winter day in London, Laurie spots Jack from her bus home and he sparks a feeling in her so deep that she spends the next year searching for him. Her roommate and best friend, Sarah, is the perfect wing-woman but ultimately—and unknowingly—ends the search by finding Jack and falling for him herself. Laurie’s hasty decision not to tell Sarah is the second painful missed opportunity (after not getting off the bus), but Sarah’s happiness is so important to Laurie that she dedicates ample energy into retraining her heart not to love Jack. Laurie is misguided, but her effort and loyalty spring from a true heart, and she considers her project mostly successful. Perhaps she would have total success, but the fact of the matter is that Jack feels the same deep connection to Laurie. His reasons for not acting on them are less admirable: He likes Sarah and she’s the total package; why would he give that up just because every time he and Laurie have enough time together (and just enough alcohol) they nearly fall into each other’s arms? Laurie finally begins to move on, creating a mostly satisfying life for herself, whereas Jack’s inability to be genuine tortures him and turns him into an ever bigger jerk. Patriarchy—it hurts men, too! There’s no question where the book is going, but the pacing is just right, the tone warm, and the characters sympathetic, even when making dumb decisions.
Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an emotional, satisfying read.Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-525-57468-2
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: July 30, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.
Eleven years ago, he broke her heart. But he doesn’t know why she never forgave him.
Toggling between past and present, two love stories unfold simultaneously. In the first, Macy Sorensen meets and falls in love with the boy next door, Elliot Petropoulos, in the closet of her dad’s vacation home, where they hide out to discuss their favorite books. In the second, Macy is working as a doctor and engaged to a single father, and she hasn’t spoken to Elliot since their breakup. But a chance encounter forces her to confront the truth: what happened to make Macy stop speaking to Elliot? Ultimately, they’re separated not by time or physical remoteness but by emotional distance—Elliot and Macy always kept their relationship casual because they went to different schools. And as a teen, Macy has more to worry about than which girl Elliot is taking to the prom. After losing her mother at a young age, Macy is navigating her teenage years without a female role model, relying on the time-stamped notes her mother left in her father’s care for guidance. In the present day, Macy’s father is dead as well. She throws herself into her work and rarely comes up for air, not even to plan her upcoming wedding. Since Macy is still living with her fiance while grappling with her feelings for Elliot, the flashbacks offer steamy moments, tender revelations, and sweetly awkward confessions while Macy makes peace with her past and decides her future.
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.Pub Date: April 10, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5011-2801-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018
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