A poignant and rewarding romance.
A woman looking to open her own bar seeks help from an unlikely ally.
Sheena Patrick’s father died when she was 18, leaving her to raise three younger sisters. She kept the family afloat for years by working as a waitress and bartender. Now 31, she’s an empty nester and is determined to make a life for herself. She dreams of opening a bar of her own with ax-throwing lanes. Denver King is head of one of the four powerful families keeping their small town of Pyrite Falls, Oregon, alive. Denver’s father was a criminal who swindled and terrorized people in their community and manipulated his own children. After his father’s death, Denver dedicated himself to righting his father’s wrongs by financially supporting his victims, including Sheena and her sisters. Now Sheena approaches Denver with a deal: She’ll give him a share of the profits from her bar in exchange for help with the startup costs. Denver offers her the use of a building on his ranch, arguing that it will lower the overall opening costs as well as being a boon for their town as the four families try to make it a tourist destination. Sheena accepts the offer, and as they work together to rehab the building, they find themselves in close contact. Sheena and Denver had adult fears and responsibilities thrust on them at a young age, and as a result developed similar defensive strategies. Both of them are prickly and emotionally closed off, but neither can deny their growing attraction. Rather than the easy layup of “opposites attract,” the novel shows two very similar people learning to trust each other as lovers and equals—a romance rarity that Yates makes look effortless. Despite their bitter and heartbreaking early adult years, Sheena and Denver’s affair teaches them both that they, too, are deserving of love.
A poignant and rewarding romance.Pub Date: Oct. 28, 2025
ISBN: 9781335652911
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Canary Street Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
An extremely fun, fast-paced, and unusual addition to the marriage-in-trouble romance canon.
A marriage on the rocks gets a second chance—with a science-fiction twist.
Dr. Emery Martín is happily married to her husband Luca…mostly. She’s been madly in love with him since the moment they met, but in the three years they’ve been wed, she hasn’t been able to focus much on him. To the world—including Luca—Emery’s job involves developing medical-grade lasers. In reality, she works at a supersecret San Diego lab that’s engineering a compound to bring mammals back from the dead. Although Emery doesn’t want to admit it, she can tell that Luca feels pushed aside, but she believes so deeply in her work that she has a hard time leaving the lab. When Emery is late for dinner—yet again—on their anniversary, she rushes home only to see Luca get hit by a car. She has the secret compound in her car, and she knows she could get in major trouble if she uses it—but what’s she supposed to do, not save her husband’s life? The compound has only been tested on animals so far, and there’s no guarantee it will even work for humans. It does, though, and Luca comes back to life—with one small caveat. He can’t remember most things, including his marriage to Emery. After almost losing Luca, Emery is now grateful for what she has, and she’s determined to show him that she can be a better, more attentive partner. While Luca may not remember her, their magnetic chemistry is still there. This may be the do-over they needed to save their marriage—that is, if Emery can keep the life-reviving measures she took hidden from everyone around them, including nosy neighbors and her own company. Lauren—the pen name of the duo behind rom-coms like The Paradise Problem (2024)—has created a unique hook that feels genuinely refreshing. Emery and Luca’s unconventional second chance is emotionally compelling, and the slight thriller edge as Emery tries to cover up her actions keeps the pages turning.
An extremely fun, fast-paced, and unusual addition to the marriage-in-trouble romance canon.Pub Date: July 14, 2026
ISBN: 9781668017753
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: April 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
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
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