A sentimental, slow-paced morality tale with a few sheep and lots of flowers.
A young man quits his marketing job at a London publishing company and rents a cottage in the English countryside in this gentle family saga by the prolific Willett (Seven Days in Summer, 2017, etc.).
Tim claims he's taking a sabbatical, but in fact, he's been diagnosed with a rare degenerative disease. Uncertain about his future and nursing a secret passion for his co-worker Mattie, he takes her up on an offer to move into a cottage on an estate where her family lives in the country west of Exeter. A second cottage is occupied by Mattie's sister, Charlotte, who's fretting that her naval officer husband Andy's expected promotion may take the couple, their young son, Oliver, and their lovable dog, Wooster, to Washington. A third cottage is home to William, Andy's father, and his cousin Kat, a former ballet dancer. William is separated from his unfaithful architect wife, Fiona, who wants to rent Tim's cottage. The property's gracious converted farmhouse, Brockscombe, has one occupant: Francis Courtney, a retired MP and widower in his 80s, who's somehow related to William and Kat. Francis tells Tim about his long-ago extramarital affair and illegitimate son, Maxie. Tim and Francis share a love of poetry. Tim and Mattie share a picnic followed by sex. Mattie, Charlotte, William, Kat and Fiona drive to and from the cottages thinking about conversations they've had. The point of view shifts with jarring frequency and no discernible difference in voice. Kat's love interest—Jerry or Jeremy, depending on which woman he's with—is torn between free-spirited Kat and traditional Sandra. A tidy ending affirms traditional old-fashioned values.
A sentimental, slow-paced morality tale with a few sheep and lots of flowers.Pub Date: Dec. 4, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-250-17741-4
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Dunne/St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: Sept. 17, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2018
Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of...
Hoover’s (November 9, 2015, etc.) latest tackles the difficult subject of domestic violence with romantic tenderness and emotional heft.
At first glance, the couple is edgy but cute: Lily Bloom runs a flower shop for people who hate flowers; Ryle Kincaid is a surgeon who says he never wants to get married or have kids. They meet on a rooftop in Boston on the night Ryle loses a patient and Lily attends her abusive father’s funeral. The provocative opening takes a dark turn when Lily receives a warning about Ryle’s intentions from his sister, who becomes Lily’s employee and close friend. Lily swears she’ll never end up in another abusive home, but when Ryle starts to show all the same warning signs that her mother ignored, Lily learns just how hard it is to say goodbye. When Ryle is not in the throes of a jealous rage, his redeeming qualities return, and Lily can justify his behavior: “I think we needed what happened on the stairwell to happen so that I would know his past and we’d be able to work on it together,” she tells herself. Lily marries Ryle hoping the good will outweigh the bad, and the mother-daughter dynamics evolve beautifully as Lily reflects on her childhood with fresh eyes. Diary entries fancifully addressed to TV host Ellen DeGeneres serve as flashbacks to Lily’s teenage years, when she met her first love, Atlas Corrigan, a homeless boy she found squatting in a neighbor’s house. When Atlas turns up in Boston, now a successful chef, he begs Lily to leave Ryle. Despite the better option right in front of her, an unexpected complication forces Lily to cut ties with Atlas, confront Ryle, and try to end the cycle of abuse before it’s too late. The relationships are portrayed with compassion and honesty, and the author’s note at the end that explains Hoover’s personal connection to the subject matter is a must-read.
Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of the survivors.Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5011-1036-8
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
A little slower-paced than the typical Roberts romantic mystery (Black Hills, 2009, etc.) but every bit as steamy. It may...
A dog trainer and a wood craftsman dance around love and danger in the Pacific Northwest.
Fiona Bristow is the only victim who got away from serial killer George Perry. Now a copycat, inspired and perhaps guided by the jailed Perry, is on her trail. After Perry murdered her fiancé, Fiona rebuilt her life as a dog trainer and search-and-rescue expert on lovely Orcas Island. She’s recently met talented woodworker Simon Doyle and his misbehaving puppy Jaws, and her dormant love life is about to revive as she and the reluctant Simon slowly build a complicated relationship. Though she’s done her best to overcome her fears and make herself whole again, this new series of killings, with herself as the ultimate target, can’t help but strain her nerves. As the police and FBI track the killer, a persistent reporter makes Fiona’s life more difficult by printing information about her life and location. Through it all, Fiona keeps working. As she continues to go on rescue missions with a team that may soon include Simon and Jaws, her friends help to keep her balanced. But ultimately it will be the trust she has built up with Simon and the talents of her dogs that will change her life forever.
A little slower-paced than the typical Roberts romantic mystery (Black Hills, 2009, etc.) but every bit as steamy. It may well add dog lovers to her legion of fans.Pub Date: July 7, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-399-15657-1
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: March 6, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2010
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