A sharp and funny look at an unhappy woman’s quest to manifest a better life.
An investment banking analyst dreams of becoming a yoga teacher, but that’s easier said than done.
Allegra hates her job. That’s not saying much, since everyone at Anderson Shaw, the most prestigious investment bank on Wall Street, hates their job. It involves pulling constant all-nighters, doing busy work at a moment’s notice, and working such long hours that a steady stream of caffeine is the only way to survive. But Allegra has a secret: Unlike her co-workers, she doesn’t dream of moving up the banking ladder and making a seven-figure salary. Allegra’s passion is yoga, and as soon as she gets her yearly bonus, she plans to quit Anderson Shaw, take a yoga training program, and become a teacher. The only problem is that her job is killing her. After one impulsive night away from the office leads to unknowingly sleeping with her new boss, Allegra’s at rock bottom—stressed, unhappy, and in awful physical shape from sitting hunched over a computer all day. That’s when she runs into her idol, an Instagram yogi named Skylar Smith. Skylar wants to help Allegra break out of her terrible job and into the world of yoga, but some of Skylar’s suggestions (such as fasting for 48 hours) actually create major problems for Allegra at work. Eventually, Allegra starts to realize that she doesn’t fully trust Skylar’s intentions, and she might just have to take more drastic action to get her life back on track. Debut author Henry has a background in both investment banking and yoga, and she imbues the story with believable and horrific details that perfectly illustrate how cutthroat and all-consuming the world of banking is (employees having seizures after working too long without sleep or passing out after overdosing on caffeine pills). Allegra’s work life is an endless stream of misery, but, luckily, on the page it’s much more entertaining due to her profane inner monologue that points out the ridiculousness she encounters in both the banking and yoga worlds.
A sharp and funny look at an unhappy woman’s quest to manifest a better life.Pub Date: July 9, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-982114-53-4
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
Another romance winner for Shalvis.
After helping her recover from a devastating accident, physical therapist AJ Colten rejected Darcy Stone’s romantic overture; now he needs her help acquiring grants for his program, placing both their hearts in danger.
Dedicated wanderer and travel journalist Darcy is sidelined—and lucky to be alive—after icy roads and an aggressive driver forced her car into a tree. Now, nearly a year after the accident, she’s relatively healthy and mobile but not hale enough to return to her globe-trotting career. While disappointed, she’s grateful to be alive and honest enough to admit that without AJ’s help, she’d still be in a wheelchair. Weighing her next steps, Darcy is doing a couple of part-time jobs to help pay the bills and fund her passion project of adopting former service dogs and pairing them with emotionally vulnerable patients, but it's nowhere near the income she made as a journalist. When AJ has the opportunity to meet a potential donor for his pro bono therapy work, he arranges to have a client travel with him to Boise, but the man backs out at the last second. Darcy reluctantly agrees to step in, since her relationship with AJ is tricky. First, he's her brother's best friend; second, she has a mad attraction to him; third, she works for him at his clinic; and fourth, she threw herself at him during her rehabilitation and he rejected her, pushing all of her inadequacy buttons. But she also feels grateful and obligated to him and knows this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. AJ isn't thrilled that Darcy is his best hope for funding since he has a ton of reasons to keep her at arm's length, reasons that become less compelling as they endure a snowbound weekend and a pretend love affair. Shalvis' newest Animal Magnetism title leverages emotional conflict and sexual tension into a satisfying romance, while physically and emotionally wounded Darcy learns lessons of love and acceptance that readers will cheer for.
Another romance winner for Shalvis.Pub Date: April 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-425-27018-9
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Feb. 4, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2015
Don’t let the cover fool you: This romance is as steamy as it is self-empowering.
A young woman fakes a romantic relationship with her brother’s best friend in order to show her family she’s worthy of respect.
At 23, Georgie Castle is a proud business owner, but she hates that her family refuses to treat her like a responsible adult. When an injury tanks his baseball career, Travis Ford returns to their Long Island hometown. He mopes, drinks, and licks his wounds, but Georgie is determined to keep him from hiding. She has been in love with Travis for years but assumed she’d be forever stuck in the friend zone. Both of them are shocked at the now undeniable chemistry between them, and for Travis those feelings are accompanied by confusing and overpowering possessiveness. When Travis realizes his womanizing reputation (his nickname, "Two Bats," hints at his prowess both on the field and in the bedroom) might prevent him from landing a coveted job as a broadcast announcer, Georgie suggests a mutually beneficial fake relationship. Georgie will make him look like a responsible boyfriend, and Travis will prove to her family that she’s all grown up. Bailey (Runaway Girl, 2018, etc.) populates the novel with a lovable cast of meddling secondary characters who help and hinder Georgie and Travis. A charming subplot describes how Georgie and her friends create the Just Us League, which is dedicated to helping women reach their goals. The club having captured something in the zeitgeist, soon every woman in town clambers to be a member, and Georgie wryly tells Travis, “You should all be seriously alarmed how many women showed up.” The sexual relationship between Travis and Georgie is sizzling, but the emotional journey from fake relationship to true love is just as compelling.
Don’t let the cover fool you: This romance is as steamy as it is self-empowering.Pub Date: June 11, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-06-287283-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Avon/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 17, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
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