The hero switches roles between father and lover in this lackluster venture.
From Spencer, another single-word–titled, sexually explicit romance, this one with a 30-something earl and a feisty teenage heroine.
Godric Fleming, a boilerplate rake, is about to kidnap and compromise the wife of Gabriel Marlington, who he believes has caused the death of his entire family (nine of them). Gabe's sister Eva and her best friend, James, turn the tables and kidnap the earl instead. War hero Godric, 36, wakes up in a carriage with the 19-year-old heroine, “barely out of the schoolroom,” and in a show of force, turns the tables and regains the upper hand. Since Eva has now been compromised by spending multiple unchaperoned days with him, society dictates they will have to wed. Eva doesn’t want to marry; she wants to breed horses. Godric blames himself for the brutal deaths of his wife and child during the Napoleonic wars, and in the ongoing romance trend, he resolutely refuses to father a child: copulation yes, babies no. Thrown together on the road to Scotland for quick nuptials and often compelled to be inside a carriage or an inn, since it never seems to stop raining, they find their mutual lust growing. Spencer describes sex in educationally anatomical detail. Like her stepmother, the wise Mia, Eva clearly believes that young women should know what will give them pleasure. Eva’s father, the marquess, catches up with the happily deflowered Eva and tells her she need not marry if she doesn't want to. It’s her choice. Godric, who believes he can never give her the love and children she deserves, lies and says he doesn't want to wed Eva because her mother was mad and madness may run in the family. Then, as she works at her father’s home breeding horses, Eva finds that she too is breeding.
The hero switches roles between father and lover in this lackluster venture.Pub Date: June 29, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-4967-3285-9
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Kensington
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2021
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 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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