A romance barbed with wit and humor.
An American becomes entranced by a Romanian figure skater in this novel of intersecting lives and Cold War hostilities.
As soon as he finishes his military service, Miles Nelson decides to enjoy the scenery: “After my Army hitch, I became European tumbleweed.” In Prague, he meets Matt, another expat and an adventurous hippie, and the two of them enjoy sampling Czech beer together. When Matt convinces Miles they should crash the Olympics in nearby Innsbruck, Austria, Miles has his first encounter with Simone Albescu, a Romanian figure skater who captures his attention. Simone is good but clearly not the best. As Miles puts it, “Her leaps were low-altitude demonstrations of power, but her moves were exceedingly graceful and polished.” He goes on: “To say that I found her attractive would be a lie, but there was a quality of intelligence and determination that earned my instant admiration.” Improbably, she later introduces herself to him and vigorously shakes his hand. Only later does Miles realize Simone is staging a small rebellion against her authoritarian overlords, who wish to control her every move. Miles and Simone next meet in Chicago, where Miles, working for a posh hotel, is able to assist her when her coach defects to the U.S, escaping their assigned Romanian security handlers. Their lives go on: Miles ends up in Cedar Falls, Iowa, where he falls for a woman named Ellen Good but can’t figure out why he holds back from her. Of course, it’s because of the figure skater, who reenters his life after her own defection. As Simone struggles to find a life beyond skating, and away from her Romanian family and home, Miles finds yet another opportunity to help her—and to make a bid for her affections.
The writing is engaging, guided by Miles’ intelligent and sharp-edged humor. His eloquent voice gives the novel plenty of sentence-level pleasures. Williams has an impressive eye for descriptions and analogies, which stud the narrative like well-cut gems. His powers grant Miles a voice adept at describing people and places. Of Ohio, Miles notes: “Ohio is, alas, Ohio. It is an unsatisfactory mix between corporate and agricultural America.” Of his military career, Miles states: “I shot up the ranks like a Fourth-of-July rocket” and then “slammed into the apathy wall.” He describes a shocked character whose “eyes changed color,” and he notes how Ellen “injected little jests into the conversation.” Ellen is a puzzling piece in the book, a charming presence Miles loves and takes for granted. “I fell in love with her instantly,” he confesses, but he does all he can to ensure they drift apart. When he finally admits to himself that he’s loved Simone for years, his hesitance makes more sense. Occasionally, Williams strains too hard for an erudite tone, giving the prose a grating and inhuman stiffness: “I was never morose, but felicity never found me there” is how Miles explains his unease with Chicago. Similarly, Miles’ wiseacre routine and penchant for drollery grow a little tiresome; fortunately, Williams gives him redeeming moments of sincerity. “It’s you I want,” he says to Simone. “I’ve loved you for years.”
A romance barbed with wit and humor.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 978-1-951886-60-8
Page Count: 276
Publisher: Book Vine Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Have tissues ready as you read this. A small package will do.
A love story about a life of second chances.
In Nassau, in the Bahamas, casino detective Vincent LaPorta grills Alfie Logan, who’d come up a winner three times in a row at the roulette table and walked away with $2 million. “How did you do it?” asks the detective. Alfie calmly denies cheating. You wired all the money to a Gianna Rule, LaPorta says. Why? To explain, Alfie produces a composition book with the words “For the Boss, to Be Read Upon My Death” written on the cover. Read this for answers, Alfie suggests, calling it a love story. His mother had passed along to him a strange trait: He can say “Twice!” and go back to a specific time and place to have a do-over. But it only works once for any particular moment, and then he must live with the new consequences. He can only do this for himself and can’t prevent anyone from dying. Alfie regularly uses his power—failing to impress a girl the first time, he finds out more about her, goes back in time, and presto! She likes him. The premise is of course not credible—LaPorta doesn’t buy it either—but it’s intriguing. Most people would probably love to go back and unsay something. The story’s focus is on Alfie’s love for Gianna and whether it’s requited, unrequited, or both. In any case, he’s obsessed with her. He’s a good man, though, an intelligent person with ordinary human failings and a solid moral compass. Albom writes in a warm, easy style that transports the reader to a world of second chances and what-ifs, where spirituality lies close to the surface but never intrudes on the story. Though a cynic will call it sappy, anyone who is sick to their core from the daily news will enjoy this escape from reality.
Have tissues ready as you read this. A small package will do.Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780062406682
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.
After being released from prison, a young woman tries to reconnect with her 5-year-old daughter despite having killed the girl’s father.
Kenna didn’t even know she was pregnant until after she was sent to prison for murdering her boyfriend, Scotty. When her baby girl, Diem, was born, she was forced to give custody to Scotty’s parents. Now that she’s been released, Kenna is intent on getting to know her daughter, but Scotty’s parents won’t give her a chance to tell them what really happened the night their son died. Instead, they file a restraining order preventing Kenna from so much as introducing herself to Diem. Handsome, self-assured Ledger, who was Scotty’s best friend, is another key adult in Diem’s life. He’s helping her grandparents raise her, and he too blames Kenna for Scotty’s death. Even so, there’s something about her that haunts him. Kenna feels the pull, too, and seems to be seeking Ledger out despite his judgmental behavior. As Ledger gets to know Kenna and acknowledges his attraction to her, he begins to wonder if maybe he and Scotty’s parents have judged her unfairly. Even so, Ledger is afraid that if he surrenders to his feelings, Scotty’s parents will kick him out of Diem’s life. As Kenna and Ledger continue to mourn for Scotty, they also grieve the future they cannot have with each other. Told alternatively from Kenna’s and Ledger’s perspectives, the story explores the myriad ways in which snap judgments based on partial information can derail people’s lives. Built on a foundation of death and grief, this story has an undercurrent of sadness. As usual, however, the author has created compelling characters who are magnetic and sympathetic enough to pull readers in. In addition to grief, the novel also deftly explores complex issues such as guilt, self-doubt, redemption, and forgiveness.
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.Pub Date: Jan. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5420-2560-7
Page Count: 335
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
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