A feral and fearsome romance that works for its happy ending.
A werewolf trapped in his human form must fight against an encroaching madness and his attraction to a human woman.
Elijah Sorensson, the Alpha of the 9th Echelon, has been away from his Pack’s homeland for 30 years, and the time away from the wild is beginning to take its toll. His boss at the New York City law firm founded by the Pack to represent its interests suffered from the same affliction, forced to adapt a more human form in order to push the Pack’s agenda. It led him to a deadly car accident in his rush to get back to his territory. Elijah fears the same thing happening to him, and the presence of Thea Villalobos only puts his sanity in further jeopardy. Thea is in need of legal counsel; Elijah is instructed to take her case pro bono as a favor to a former client. Thea is an environmental conservation officer, and the smell of nature, prey, and the outdoors clings to her. It’s really no wonder Elijah feels such a sudden attraction, but his Pack is reeling from a recent betrayal, and humans are enemy No. 1. The romance is more of a battle of willpower for Elijah. Of course he shouldn’t sleep with a client, but there are several other, more dangerous reasons why Thea should be off-limits. There’s an emptiness to Elijah. He’s been kept from something that brings him solace for decades, and it’s turning him into a caged animal. It’s sexy and it’s frightening, a heady combination. Thea and her work are a siren song for Elijah, and the details that go into Thea’s occupation and legal issues are surprisingly interesting. Vale (The Last Wolf, 2018) imbues grittiness into Thea and Elijah’s cautious romance, with life and death often hanging in the balance. But while Elijah works as the wonderfully tumultuous (and only) narrator, Thea’s characterization could have used some equal insight.
A feral and fearsome romance that works for its happy ending.Pub Date: Aug. 7, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4926-6190-0
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Review Posted Online: June 17, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an...
True love flares between two people, but they find that circumstances always impede it.
On a winter day in London, Laurie spots Jack from her bus home and he sparks a feeling in her so deep that she spends the next year searching for him. Her roommate and best friend, Sarah, is the perfect wing-woman but ultimately—and unknowingly—ends the search by finding Jack and falling for him herself. Laurie’s hasty decision not to tell Sarah is the second painful missed opportunity (after not getting off the bus), but Sarah’s happiness is so important to Laurie that she dedicates ample energy into retraining her heart not to love Jack. Laurie is misguided, but her effort and loyalty spring from a true heart, and she considers her project mostly successful. Perhaps she would have total success, but the fact of the matter is that Jack feels the same deep connection to Laurie. His reasons for not acting on them are less admirable: He likes Sarah and she’s the total package; why would he give that up just because every time he and Laurie have enough time together (and just enough alcohol) they nearly fall into each other’s arms? Laurie finally begins to move on, creating a mostly satisfying life for herself, whereas Jack’s inability to be genuine tortures him and turns him into an ever bigger jerk. Patriarchy—it hurts men, too! There’s no question where the book is going, but the pacing is just right, the tone warm, and the characters sympathetic, even when making dumb decisions.
Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an emotional, satisfying read.Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-525-57468-2
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: July 30, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
Entertaining and unpredictable; Reid makes a compelling argument for happiness in every life.
Reid’s latest (After I Do, 2014, etc.) explores two parallel universes in which a young woman hopes to find her soul mate and change her life for the better.
After ending an affair with a married man, Hannah Martin is reunited with her high school sweetheart, Ethan, at a bar in Los Angeles. Should she go home with her friends and catch up with him later, or should they stay out and have another drink? It doesn’t seem like either decision would have earth-shattering consequences, but Reid has a knack for finding skeletons in unexpected closets. Two vastly different scenarios play out in alternating chapters: in one, Hannah and Ethan reconnect as if no time has passed; in the other, Hannah lands in the hospital alone after a freak accident that marks the first of many surprising plot twists. Hannah’s best friend, Gabby, believes in soul mates, and though Hannah has trouble making decisions—even when picking a snack from a vending machine—she and Gabby discover how their belief systems can alter their world as much as their choices. “Believing in fate is like living on cruise control,” Hannah says. What follows is a thoughtful analysis of free will versus fate in which Hannah finds that disasters can bring unexpected blessings, blessings can bring unexpected disasters, and that most people are willing to bring Hannah her favorite cinnamon rolls. “Because even when it looks like she’s made a terrible mistake,” Hannah’s mother observes, “things will always work out for Hannah.” The larger question becomes whether Hannah’s choices will ultimately affect her happiness—and it’s one that’s answered on a hopeful note as Hannah tries to do the right thing in every situation she faces.
Entertaining and unpredictable; Reid makes a compelling argument for happiness in every life.Pub Date: July 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4767-7688-0
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Washington Square/Pocket
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
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