A spirited, sexy tale from a promising new author of contemporary romance.
A rekindled connection becomes tested when lovers turn into business rivals in this debut novel.
For Leila Amis, a position at Kane & Madison Realty in Miami is the opportunity of a lifetime. Driven and ambitious, she dreamed from the time she was a child of leaving her hometown of Naples, Florida, for a major city like Miami. She never expects her new job to be anything more than a steppingstone until she meets her boss. Nicolas Adrian is a top associate at Kane & Madison with a reputation as a shark in both his professional and personal lives. Nicolas is impressed with Leila’s savvy and real estate acumen, and a mutual attraction flares between them, but they vow to keep their relationship strictly professional. Everything changes when Nicolas accepts a job transfer to New York and plans to leave Miami in eight weeks. Unable to deny her feelings, Leila proposes an eight-week, no-strings-attached fling. When Nicolas tries to turn their affair into something more substantial, Leila disappears from his life, leaving him devastated. A year later, he returns to Miami, determined to see Leila. They establish a business connection, but personal pressures and professional rivalries may keep them from what they desire. Gonzalez’s tale is a sleek and entertaining contemporary romance that offers vibrant settings, appealing characters, and a sexy and nuanced love story. The engaging narrative opens with Leila and Nicolas’ reunion and then traces the development of their relationship from colleagues to lovers. In less deft hands, this structure could be awkward; but the transitions from past to present are smooth, and the opening scenes effectively establish Leila and Nicolas’ romantic spark. Leila is a likable heroine who overcame childhood tragedy to build a career in real estate. She is complemented by Nicolas, a top realtor who never thought he would fall in love until he met Leila. Setting plays a key role in the story, and Gonzalez successfully captures the milieu of the high-end Miami real estate market, from glamorous open houses to exacting clients.
A spirited, sexy tale from a promising new author of contemporary romance.Pub Date: March 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-335-21660-1
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Harlequin Kimani Romance
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an...
True love flares between two people, but they find that circumstances always impede it.
On a winter day in London, Laurie spots Jack from her bus home and he sparks a feeling in her so deep that she spends the next year searching for him. Her roommate and best friend, Sarah, is the perfect wing-woman but ultimately—and unknowingly—ends the search by finding Jack and falling for him herself. Laurie’s hasty decision not to tell Sarah is the second painful missed opportunity (after not getting off the bus), but Sarah’s happiness is so important to Laurie that she dedicates ample energy into retraining her heart not to love Jack. Laurie is misguided, but her effort and loyalty spring from a true heart, and she considers her project mostly successful. Perhaps she would have total success, but the fact of the matter is that Jack feels the same deep connection to Laurie. His reasons for not acting on them are less admirable: He likes Sarah and she’s the total package; why would he give that up just because every time he and Laurie have enough time together (and just enough alcohol) they nearly fall into each other’s arms? Laurie finally begins to move on, creating a mostly satisfying life for herself, whereas Jack’s inability to be genuine tortures him and turns him into an ever bigger jerk. Patriarchy—it hurts men, too! There’s no question where the book is going, but the pacing is just right, the tone warm, and the characters sympathetic, even when making dumb decisions.
Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an emotional, satisfying read.Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-525-57468-2
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: July 30, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.
Eleven years ago, he broke her heart. But he doesn’t know why she never forgave him.
Toggling between past and present, two love stories unfold simultaneously. In the first, Macy Sorensen meets and falls in love with the boy next door, Elliot Petropoulos, in the closet of her dad’s vacation home, where they hide out to discuss their favorite books. In the second, Macy is working as a doctor and engaged to a single father, and she hasn’t spoken to Elliot since their breakup. But a chance encounter forces her to confront the truth: what happened to make Macy stop speaking to Elliot? Ultimately, they’re separated not by time or physical remoteness but by emotional distance—Elliot and Macy always kept their relationship casual because they went to different schools. And as a teen, Macy has more to worry about than which girl Elliot is taking to the prom. After losing her mother at a young age, Macy is navigating her teenage years without a female role model, relying on the time-stamped notes her mother left in her father’s care for guidance. In the present day, Macy’s father is dead as well. She throws herself into her work and rarely comes up for air, not even to plan her upcoming wedding. Since Macy is still living with her fiance while grappling with her feelings for Elliot, the flashbacks offer steamy moments, tender revelations, and sweetly awkward confessions while Macy makes peace with her past and decides her future.
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.Pub Date: April 10, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5011-2801-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018
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