A fun, fast-paced Victorian romance between equals.
A Scottish laird falls for the least suitable woman in the ton.
Murdoch, the Earl of Cragmore, doesn’t want to be in London. He’s only there because he promised his sister to give his orphaned niece, Emily, a proper debut, but she doesn’t want him involved and causes a row in the street. That leads to an interruption from the house they’re arguing in front of, in the form of Lady Drusilla Courtenay. Drusilla, a happy spinster whom society perceives as “charmingly eccentric rather than merely odd,” has a penchant for interfering. She yanks them into her house and coaxes their story out of them, eventually deciding to take them under her roof to begin the transformation that young Emily and the taciturn “Scottish oaf” Murdoch both need to fit in with London society for the Season. Drusilla and Murdoch are physically drawn to each other immediately, and as Drusilla is a woman who always likes to have a paramour nearby, there are no impediments as they slowly intensify their connection. Drusilla has sworn never to fall in love again after a bad experience long ago, and Murdoch prefers a quiet, rural life with his sheep, so both expect their affair to last no longer than the Season—until Murdoch realizes he’s hopelessly in love with her. The second volume in Frampton’s Heirs & Spares series introduces Drusilla as the sister of Diantha from The Devil’s Charm, but this story is at a far enough remove that it reads as a standalone. Much like the first book, however, the story is graced with a signature strong-minded Frampton heroine and packed with charming banter and steamy scenes, in this case mostly driven by Drusilla’s discovery that she prefers to be told what to do in the bedroom. The strongest element of the book is the depth of emotional connection that develops between the leads, leading to a satisfying ending in more ways than one.
A fun, fast-paced Victorian romance between equals.Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025
ISBN: 9780063389250
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Avon/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A charming love story that absolutely radiates warmth.
A single mom winds up fake dating an incredibly wealthy man in her hometown.
Dolly Brick is back in her hometown of Whitfield, Rhode Island, for the summer to help her dad and disabled brother manage their house and family business. As a 39-year-old single mother with multiple jobs—which now include working at the Brick Fish House—Dolly is always busy. When her mom left their family years ago, Dolly took over caring for her siblings and father and never really stopped. When she runs into Stewart Whitfield after making a shrimp delivery to his family’s mansion, she doesn’t think they could be more different. She’s had to figure out how to do everything by herself, and he can’t even change a tire. That’s why Stewart’s proposal that she pretend to be his girlfriend feels so unbelievable—but it comes with a hefty check that she desperately needs for home repairs. So she becomes the fake girlfriend of Stewart Whitfield (as in, the Whitfields her town is named after; his real fiancée just dumped him and it’s a bad time for him to be single) and experiences what it’s like to walk into fancy buildings through the front door instead of the service entrance. More than the boats and helicopter and expensive dinners, though, Dolly is impressed by what a kind man Stewart is—and how it feels to let someone else take care of her for a change. Soon, their relationship starts to feel more real than fake. Monaghan creates an impossibly winning story with a charming, lovable heroine. Dolly is capable, hardworking, and will do anything for the people she loves. She and Stewart both possess real flaws, and while their relationship begins with one of the most beloved rom-com tropes, their challenges feel like realistic adult obstacles rather than easily solved miscommunications. It’s also refreshing that, even though Dolly must learn to allow other people to help her, she never views her caretaking responsibilities as burdens. She deeply loves her family, and that love carries through the entire story.
A charming love story that absolutely radiates warmth.Pub Date: May 26, 2026
ISBN: 9780593853979
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2026
SEEN & HEARD
A powerfully strong romance for readers who like their love stories full of torment and passion.
Best friends confront feelings for each other when they take a honeymoon trip together.
Francesca Gardiner and George Saint James have always been best friends—just like Jo and Laurie from Little Women, which they both love. Frankie has a big, complicated family and George was the boy next door who’d moved in with his eccentric grandmother. Their friendship survived childhood, awkward teenage years, and living together as young adults without ever venturing into the romantic—well, except for one kiss, but they don’t talk about that. When Frankie gets engaged to an older professor named Nate, George isn’t happy and a huge fight ensues. Despite his misgivings, George shows up to be her best man, but Nate leaves Frankie right before the wedding with only a cryptic letter. Devastated, Frankie goes to a friend’s house to recuperate, but her honeymoon is already planned and paid for—so she decides to travel to Tofino, a picturesque town on the coast of Vancouver Island, with George taking Nate’s place. Frankie wants to fix her friendship with George, but now that they’re in a romantic suite in a beautiful location, things are more complicated than ever. She’d always thought a relationship would be a bad idea, but she’s slowly beginning to realize they’ll never be able to go back to being kids. Maybe the only way forward involves forging a new kind of relationship. Fortune, the author of romances like This Summer Will Be Different (2024), returns with another love story full of longing and intense angst. The many allusions to Little Women are charming, and Frankie is a delightfully headstrong, feisty character. She and George have explosive chemistry, and Fortune manages to make the “will-they-or-won’t-they” nature of their relationship feel like life-or-death stakes.
A powerfully strong romance for readers who like their love stories full of torment and passion.Pub Date: May 5, 2026
ISBN: 9780593953242
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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