A soap-operatic thriller that strains credulity at every turn.
A surgeon attempts to avenge one lost sister while reuniting with another in Ossenelli’s suspense novel.
In the three weeks since his foster sister Tess went missing, surgeon and military-trained sharpshooter Evan Kaufman has been an emotional wreck. Ever since they were children, Evan has been Tess’ protector, especially after Tess’ twin sister disappeared after a house fire when they were children—an event for which Evan blames himself. Based on the panicked voicemail she left Evan, police think Tess might be the latest victim of a local serial killer, but Evan suspects that their abusive old foster father, who recently moved to the area, might be to blame. Frustrated by the police’s lack of progress, Even hires a private investigator to see what he can dig up. Then, two things happen that completely upend Evan’s world: The cops find Tess, dead, and the private investigator finds her twin sister, Penny, alive. Evan will do whatever he can to get his revenge on the man who killed Tess, and the opportunity to learn the culprit’s identity comes in the form of an unexpected offer from a shadowy criminal organization interested in trading information for Evan’s medical services. Meanwhile, Penny—or Laci Daniels, as she’s now known—has no memory of Evan or of the fire that led to their separation. When a serious health condition puts her under Evan’s care, he must decide if his quest for violent revenge is worth ruining the chance to have Penny back in his life. Ossenelli relates Evan’s story in direct, urgent prose: “I remembered that helpless feeling, as I flew to her room with the red lights flashing, the horror I felt watching her heart stop, the fear that consumed me as I fought to revive her lifeless body. Just thinking about it now made it difficult to breathe.” The author certainly takes big swings, but the plot is so contrived, and Evan is so unrelievedly melodramatic, that the reader struggles to make it through the novel’s 400-page length.
A soap-operatic thriller that strains credulity at every turn.Pub Date: Sept. 28, 2021
ISBN: 9798485941123
Page Count: 409
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Dec. 8, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A powerfully strong romance for readers who like their love stories full of torment and passion.
Best friends confront feelings for each other when they take a honeymoon trip together.
Francesca Gardiner and George Saint James have always been best friends—just like Jo and Laurie from Little Women, which they both love. Frankie has a big, complicated family and George was the boy next door who’d moved in with his eccentric grandmother. Their friendship survived childhood, awkward teenage years, and living together as young adults without ever venturing into the romantic—well, except for one kiss, but they don’t talk about that. When Frankie gets engaged to an older professor named Nate, George isn’t happy and a huge fight ensues. Despite his misgivings, George shows up to be her best man, but Nate leaves Frankie right before the wedding with only a cryptic letter. Devastated, Frankie goes to a friend’s house to recuperate, but her honeymoon is already planned and paid for—so she decides to travel to Tofino, a picturesque town on the coast of Vancouver Island, with George taking Nate’s place. Frankie wants to fix her friendship with George, but now that they’re in a romantic suite in a beautiful location, things are more complicated than ever. She’d always thought a relationship would be a bad idea, but she’s slowly beginning to realize they’ll never be able to go back to being kids. Maybe the only way forward involves forging a new kind of relationship. Fortune, the author of romances like This Summer Will Be Different (2024), returns with another love story full of longing and intense angst. The many allusions to Little Women are charming, and Frankie is a delightfully headstrong, feisty character. She and George have explosive chemistry, and Fortune manages to make the “will-they-or-won’t-they” nature of their relationship feel like life-or-death stakes.
A powerfully strong romance for readers who like their love stories full of torment and passion.Pub Date: May 5, 2026
ISBN: 9780593953242
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2026
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
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