Readers who enjoy detailed worldbuilding and secondary character development will like this story. Those who prefer a faster...
In this Southern contemporary, a surly NYPD narcotics detective hides away in small-town Georgia after an investigation ends badly, only to find himself reluctantly drawn to his florist neighbor.
Austin (The Best Laid Wedding Plans, 2015, etc.) brings an entire cast of quirky characters to life in the second installment of her Magnolia Brides series. The run-down house Sam DeLuca inherited from his great-aunt in Misty Bottoms, Georgia, offers the perfect excuse for him to lie low while he recuperates from a gunshot wound, until his neighbor Cricket O’Malley bangs on his front door and accuses him of trespassing. Cricket is also new in town. But unlike Sam, she plans to put down roots, starting with the opening of her shop, the Enchanted Florist. Still tormented by his last case and knowing he will ultimately return to New York, Sam struggles against his growing feelings for Cricket and his affection for the eccentric residents of Misty Bottoms. And Cricket knows she would be better off finding someone else. But while the story’s premise offers the potential for an exciting emotional conflict, the plot frequently gets bogged down by subplots involving a large cast of secondary characters whose purpose in the story is not always clear. The book includes everything from a lovable stray dog to a charming eccentric with a rusty truck. Austin is clearly attempting to make readers fall in love with the fictional town where the series takes place, but, unfortunately, all the extra details come at the expense of Sam and Cricket’s story. Readers may find themselves feeling more impatient than charmed.
Readers who enjoy detailed worldbuilding and secondary character development will like this story. Those who prefer a faster pace and more focus on the main characters should skip it.Pub Date: May 3, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4926-1800-3
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Review Posted Online: April 12, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
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
Heartfelt and funny, this enemies-to-lovers romance shows that the best things in life are all-inclusive and nontransferable...
An unlucky woman finally gets lucky in love on an all-expenses-paid trip to Hawaii.
From getting her hand stuck in a claw machine at age 6 to losing her job, Olive Torres has never felt that luck was on her side. But her fortune changes when she scores a free vacation after her identical twin sister and new brother-in-law get food poisoning at their wedding buffet and are too sick to go on their honeymoon. The only catch is that she’ll have to share the honeymoon suite with her least favorite person—Ethan Thomas, the brother of the groom. To make matters worse, Olive’s new boss and Ethan’s ex-girlfriend show up in Hawaii, forcing them both to pretend to be newlyweds so they don’t blow their cover, as their all-inclusive vacation package is nontransferable and in her sister’s name. Plus, Ethan really wants to save face in front of his ex. The story is told almost exclusively from Olive’s point of view, filtering all communication through her cynical lens until Ethan can win her over (and finally have his say in the epilogue). To get to the happily-ever-after, Ethan doesn’t have to prove to Olive that he can be a better man, only that he was never the jerk she thought he was—for instance, when she thought he was judging her for eating cheese curds, maybe he was actually thinking of asking her out. Blending witty banter with healthy adult communication, the fake newlyweds have real chemistry as they talk it out over snorkeling trips, couples massages, and a few too many tropical drinks to get to the truth—that they’re crazy about each other.
Heartfelt and funny, this enemies-to-lovers romance shows that the best things in life are all-inclusive and nontransferable as well as free.Pub Date: May 14, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5011-2803-5
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 2, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2019
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