A fun and sexy romance that’s perfect for anyone who loves classic cinema.
A notorious Old Hollywood rogue must fake-date his new co-star to clean up his image—and perhaps change his womanizing ways in the process.
Flynn Banks doesn’t make any promises—every woman who dates him knows they’re getting a fun time, but not a long time. But this is 1938 Hollywood, and Flynn’s reputation has led to negative attention. The men at the Legion of Decency and the Hays Code office want Flynn to clean up his act if they’re going to approve his films, and his studio insists that means committing to one woman, his newcomer co-star, Liv De Lesseps—at least for a staged relationship. The only problem is that he’s already met Liv (real name Olivia Blount) and she’s not too fond of him. What Flynn doesn’t know is that Olivia nursed a huge crush on him when she was just a girl watching his swashbuckling pirate movies. She’d feel lucky to be paired up with the man of her Hollywood dreams if it weren’t for the fact that she now knows he’s a scoundrel with “an ego the size of the Empire State Building.” As Flynn and Olivia are photographed together at hot spots around town, though, their love affair starts to feel a lot less fake. Olivia realizes that Flynn is much more sensitive and sincere behind the scenes, and Flynn finds Olivia irresistible. She just might be the one to get him to settle down for good—if they can find their way around the myriad obstacles Hollywood and their own pasts put in their way. Lenker creates a world with all the glamour of the silver screen and the banter of a screwball comedy. Flynn and Olivia have sparkling chemistry that leads to a few steamy scenes that certainly wouldn’t fly with the Legion of Decency. Their love story features lots of period details and Easter eggs for film lovers—for example, Flynn takes his name from stars Errol Flynn and Douglas Fairbanks. Lenker also examines the darker side of Hollywood with a subplot involving Olivia’s sister and the dangerous situation she finds herself in while trying to become a dancer.
A fun and sexy romance that’s perfect for anyone who loves classic cinema.Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2025
ISBN: 9781728267944
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
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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