A well-developed romance-fantasy about determination, loyalty, and duty.
In Rose’s fantasy romance novel, a young woman sheds the constraints of her noble status to join a hunt for a malevolent creature.
As the daughter of the Comte de Grecy, 20-year-old Claris knows that her expected role in life is to marry a fellow noble, become the new Comtesse, and give birth to an heir. However, as a passionate practitioner of the impalement arts, Claris yearns to be like the blade-maidens in the neighboring country of Suevia: “fierce in battle and beholden to no man.” When a man named Brahim comes to her father’s estate with news of a demi-lich entering their domain, the opportunity to shake off her constraints presents itself. Demi-lichs are former mages who’ve traded their souls for immortality, spread death and destruction, and steal their victims’ souls. Demi-lichs only can only be killed by a specific type of blade thrown directly into one vulnerable spot. Claris, a highly skilled knife-thrower, successfully convinces her ill father to allow her to go. With her pet lynx Pepin by her side, Claris sets forth with Brahim and six garde from Grecy: Sigibert, Flore, Roul, Dalfin, Odo, and Torsten. However, the monstrous demi-lich isn’t her only challenge. Claris must prove herself to her male companions (and to herself), further hone her blade skills, and contend with marauders, faieries, goblins, and dangerous corpse crawlers. The growing, mutual attraction she and Torsten share may further complicate matters. Over the course of this novel, Rose weaves a compelling story that explores loyalty, duty, and love. The worldbuilding stands out, featuring well-developed magic systems and inspiration from global folklore. Although common romance-genre tropes (“She was glad to unburden her back as she removed her pack, but there was only one bed. A bed large enough to share….”) render some parts predictable, readers will appreciate the diversity of the characters, including LGBTQ+ characters Torsten and Odo, and disabled garde Dalfin.
A well-developed romance-fantasy about determination, loyalty, and duty.Pub Date: Jan. 27, 2026
ISBN: 9781764251501
Page Count: 380
Publisher: Rose Quill
Review Posted Online: Nov. 28, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
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
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