An enjoyable start to an exciting new series and a new direction for historical romance.
A politician’s daughter finds love across the ocean.
It’s 1863, and the Luna sisters are on the run. Mexico is under attack by Napoleon III, and their prominent political family has sent them to England for safety. Though their father expects all three to be discreet while there, their uncle asks them instead to be visible and charming, hoping that enjoying the company of three “goodwill ambassadors” at ball after ball will inspire the queen’s government, presently neutral, to take Mexico's side against the French. This soon brings oldest sister Ana María into contact with an unusual Member of Parliament: Mr. Gideon Fox. The grandson of a woman who'd been enslaved in South Carolina before escaping to England on a packet ship, Gideon is focused on outlawing all remaining loopholes that allow British subjects to profit from the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Though they are immediately drawn to each other, the obeisant Ana María is already promised to one of her father’s political allies, so they try to maintain a professional distance. But as the season brings them together again and again, they finally give in to their attraction just before sudden danger necessitates what seems like a marriage of convenience (that both are secretly pleased to enter), though their well-planned futures may be overturned as a result. De la Rosa launches a thrillingly different series based on the historical fact that a number of Mexicans immigrated to England in the middle of the 19th century, centering two unusual perspectives on the overwhelmingly White world of Victorian London society. Because Ana María and Gideon have had to be more mature than most socialites, their emotional explorations are careful even when things get spicy. As a result, the story's conflict primarily derives from external events, but the couple's chemistry is undeniable—and makes for compelling reading. The other triumph of the story is the development of the sisterly love among the Luna women, who in the first chapter are at odds but by the last are very close to one another; readers will look forward to the next installments, focusing on Isabel and Gabriela.
An enjoyable start to an exciting new series and a new direction for historical romance.Pub Date: April 4, 2023
ISBN: 9780593440889
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Jan. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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 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
SEEN & HEARD
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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