Provides all the genre pleasures that romance fans demand with some fantasy flair.
This first installment of a romance series introduces an angelic, otherworldly hero.
Desperate to escape a life bound to a man she doesn’t want, Trinity travels through a portal from her world to Earth. Temporarily blind, almost naked, and with no memory of who she is or where she’s from, she lands in the middle of a street in a Minnesota town. The stranger who rescues her turns out to be a young artist named Jayden. After bringing Trinity to the studio that also serves as his apartment, he does his best to care for this young woman, who is as much a mystery to herself as she is to him—and she’s quite a mystery. Cars, cellphones, french fries, almost everything, it seems, is new to her (“This thing Jayden called a shower was the most amazing contraption ever”). She wears a gold bracelet that she cannot explain. She burns her hand because she doesn’t know that she shouldn’t touch a hot saucepan, but her blisters heal almost instantly. She speaks English, but she doesn’t understand slang or metaphorical speech—nor does she know the meaning of the word girlfriend. She does know that Jayden makes her feel things she’s never experienced before. And when she finally kisses him, wings unfurl from her shoulder blades. Jayden feels the same intense connection that Trinity does, and only a moment passes before his shock turns into delight. They will learn more about who Trinity is and where she’s from, but this knowledge will only come as danger gets closer to her. It appears that the would-be mate she fled wants her back—and that she’s not the only person from her world to travel to Earth. The resulting drama is fast-paced and enjoyable, and the ending is emotionally satisfying. But there are a few weak points in Rush’s vibrant story. Jayden has a girlfriend who is cartoonishly nasty and inconsistently portrayed. She is fiercely jealous and determined to hang onto her man but also easily dispatched. And there doesn’t seem to be any logic to which earthly phenomena are familiar to Trinity and which aren’t. For example, she’s never seen a refrigerator before, but she knows what to do with a toothbrush and toothpaste.
Provides all the genre pleasures that romance fans demand with some fantasy flair.Pub Date: Oct. 12, 2022
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 230
Publisher: FHL Press
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A wallowing, emotionally wrenching family drama that leaves little time for romance.
Two people with bad luck in relationships find each other through a popular Reddit thread.
Emma Grant and her best friend, Maddy, are travel nurses, working at hospitals for three-month stints while they see the country. Just a few weeks before they’re set to move to Hawaii, Emma reads a popular “Am I the Asshole” Reddit thread from a Minnesota man who thinks he’s cursed—women he dates find their soulmates after breaking up with him, and the latest one found true love with his best friend! Emma has had a similar experience, which inspires her to DM the man and commiserate. She’s delighted by her witty, lively interactions with software engineer Justin Dahl, and is intrigued when he suggests that if they date each other, maybe they’ll each find their soulmate afterward. Emma upends the Hawaii plan and convinces Maddy to move to Minneapolis for the summer so she can meet Justin in person. The overly complex setup brings Emma and Justin together and the two hit it off, with Justin immediately falling head over heels for Emma. Jimenez then pivots to creating romantic roadblocks and melodramatic subplots centering on each character’s family of origin. Justin’s mother is about to serve six years in prison for embezzlement, which means Justin must move back home to care for his three much younger siblings. Emma was traumatized by her own mother for much of her childhood, left to fend for herself and eventually abandoned in the foster system. When her mother shows up in Minnesota, Emma must face her traumatic childhood and admit that she has prioritized her mother’s well-being over her own. There is little time devoted to Emma’s painful efforts to heal herself enough to accept Justin’s love, which leaves the novel feeling unsatisfying.
A wallowing, emotionally wrenching family drama that leaves little time for romance.Pub Date: April 2, 2024
ISBN: 9781538704431
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Forever
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
Henry fans, rejoice: This is her best yet.
A recently dumped librarian finds herself fake dating her polar opposite.
When Daphne Vincent’s fiance, Peter, dumps her, she’s shocked—but the worst part is that he’s leaving her for his gorgeous best friend, Petra, the woman he’d always told Daphne not to worry about. Now Daphne has to move out of Peter’s home and restart her life in the small Michigan town where she’d moved to be with him. Salvation comes in the form of Miles Nowak, Petra’s ex—he has a tiny spare room in his apartment, and he understands what it’s like to wallow in heartbreak. Daphne feels lucky to have her dream job as a children’s librarian, but other than that, she feels adrift and friendless in Waning Bay—and then she and Miles get invitations to Peter and Petra’s wedding. In a momentary lapse of judgment, Daphne not only says she’ll attend the wedding, but tells Peter she’s dating Miles. It would be the perfect way to show Peter and Petra that they’ve moved on…if only it were true. In the grand tradition of fake-dating romances, Daphne and Miles pretend to be in love, getting to know each other while having various adventures and misadventures. Daphne quickly learns that although she’d dismissed Miles as a pothead with a lack of direction, he’s actually a good time—and a loyal friend. But Daphne knows she needs to get out of Waning Bay, so this fake relationship can’t lead anywhere…can it? Reliable bestseller Henry has written another surefire hit that manages to be dramatic, sexy, and fun. Miles and Daphne have chemistry that leaps off the page, and their will-they-or-won’t-they energy propels the story to its satisfying conclusion. Daphne is an immensely likable character, one whose past realistically informs her current relationships. The world of Waning Bay is charmingly quirky, and Daphne’s co-workers at the library are endearing. As always, Henry’s biggest strength is the sharp, often hilarious dialogue that makes the story a joy to read.
Henry fans, rejoice: This is her best yet.Pub Date: April 23, 2024
ISBN: 9780593441282
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
PERSPECTIVES
BOOK TO SCREEN
SEEN & HEARD
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