An entertaining, thought-provoking addition to this captivating series.
A Gilded Age heiress returns home after her disastrous marriage just in time to save her family’s failing department store from the clutches of her first love, who’s become Manhattan’s premier retailer and has sworn to ruin her family yet still makes her heart pound.
Sixteen years ago, 20-year-old Beatrice Goodwin walked away from the boy she loved—“Wes Dalton, a mere associate department manager at Goodwin’s Emporium, the department store her family owned”—to marry an English duke, which turned out to be a disaster. When she returns, Goodwin’s is a pale shadow of its former glory, thanks to her brother’s mismanagement, while the store across the street, Dalton’s, is the reigning retail palace, a success fueled by her first love’s business sense and a desire for revenge against the family who made him feel less than. Beatrice maneuvers her brother out of the picture, then proceeds to turn Goodwin’s around, creating a destination store for women. Meanwhile, Dalton and Beatrice enter into a secretive “rivals by day, lovers by night” relationship. However, as their emotional and professional stakes rise, Beatrice’s success and moxie make her the target of a menacing enemy, threatening her and the store, and the couple must face what their true feelings are for each other. Rodale continues her Gilded Age Girls Club with another empowered heroine getting things done and the dashing hero who loves her exactly the way she is, though it takes him a while to realize it. The romance has texture and intensity, including a peek into Beatrice’s mother’s backstory that adds depth to the characters’ journeys, and the book’s generally lighthearted tone is tempered by historically accurate details reflective of the backlash aspiring women often faced.
An entertaining, thought-provoking addition to this captivating series.Pub Date: March 31, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-283884-1
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Avon/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Dec. 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
McFarlane has created a very funny, very romantic story with deep emotional impact.
A jilted British attorney gets more than she bargained for when she agrees to a fauxmance with the office playboy.
Laurie Watkinson has a corporate law job she loves, dear friends, and Dan, her dependable live-in boyfriend who works in the same firm. When Dan sits her down one evening, Laurie expects anything but to hear him say he's moving out; and then to hear soon after that he has a new girlfriend. Hoping for a bit of revenge, newly single Laurie agrees to pose as “Phony Goddess” to “Greek God” Jamie Carter, her new colleague and a known “soulless womanizer.” Jamie is gorgeous and charming but needs to appear settled to secure a promotion, and he thinks earning the affection of Laurie, the firm’s “golden girl,” is the surest route. Jamie and Laurie are attracted to one another, make each other laugh, and, they learn, have childhood trauma in common. Jamie is a classic playboy felled by love who’s written endearingly and convincingly: “I scoffed at the idea anyone could make you see your life through new eyes and I’m so, so glad to be wrong.” Laurie’s intelligence and acerbic wit—especially as they relate to navigating English society as a woman of color—are strengths that can obscure uncomfortable feelings. Thanks to a selfish, absentee father, an unconventional mother, and, she now realizes, a partner who never encouraged her to grow as a person, Laurie puts her own desires last. Giving the novel an expanded palette beyond the romance, Laurie’s friendship with Jamie is just one of several changes in behavior and attitude that help her to regain a sense of her own agency and importance. McFarlane’s gift is writing romantic comedy that depicts a recognizable world—in this case, the culturally diverse world of young professionals in Manchester, England—without dimming the luster of shining moments of humor, love, and connection.
McFarlane has created a very funny, very romantic story with deep emotional impact.Pub Date: March 24, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-295850-1
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Dec. 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2020
A perfect blend of smart, heart-wrenching, and fun.
Two years after the tragic death of her fiance, an artist begins to heal thanks to a rock star and his dog.
Sloan Monroe is on her way to the grave of her late fiance, who was killed by a drunk driver, when she nearly hits a dog who dashed into the road. When she stops to check on him, he jumps into her car through the sunroof, and when she doesn't hear from his owner after calling the number on his collar, she decides to keep him. Jason Larsen, the dog's owner, is backpacking off the grid in Australia, and when he finally gets Sloan's voicemails nearly two weeks later, he calls her and is astonished to discover that she's had Tucker, his dog, for so long; his quasi-girlfriend was supposed to be watching Tucker but it turns out she had basically abandoned him. Since he’s still in Australia for a few weeks, Jason arranges for Sloan to keep Tucker, and through it all they text and talk and plant the seeds for a friendship, if not more. Sloan is slow and wary, even before she discovers that Jason is a musician on the cusp of star status. Still, she’s charmed by his patience and talent, and when he returns to LA, she quickly falls in love with him, his dog, and his family. Just as they’re admitting to deep feelings, he’s embarking on a long musical tour and wants her with him. It’s a grind, which she isn’t expecting, and the relationship is at odds with his label’s publicity plans, which are complicated. Plus, it keeps Sloan from pursuing her art, which she wants to explore again. Following her exceptional debut (The Friend Zone, 2019), author Jimenez has written Sloan’s story with elegant, compassionate success, showcasing a romance that navigates deep grief and healing while exploring the unexpected stressors placed on a celebrity relationship. Fans of The Friend Zone will be happy to see Kristen and Josh as Sloan’s main support system and will be touched by Jimenez’s note in the acknowledgements about her inspiration for the book.
A perfect blend of smart, heart-wrenching, and fun.Pub Date: April 14, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5387-1564-2
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Forever
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
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