Not stellar, but it gets the job done.
A New York cabbie has an uncharacteristic sexual encounter with a wealthy client, leading her on an unexpected erotic journey that might end in an out-of-the-box happily-ever-after.
Stefani "Stevie" Trivoli is used to men trying to pick her up, but she’s never been tempted to actually let them until the day billionaire Reid Jacobs winds up in her cab. Within hours, they’ve had sizzling sex up against a wall in a dark alley, he’s invited her to accompany him to an elegant business event, and he’s taken her back to his apartment. It’s clear Stevie is not a typical cabbie, but she’s reluctant to talk about her past and defiant when Reid tries to lure her into a better job. Reid and Stevie both claim to want a no-strings-attached affair but are bemused by their explosive chemistry and a strange, inexplicable connection they share. When Reid’s best friend and business partner, Dylan, shows up, he and Stevie discover their own blazing attraction, and the three of them wind up in bed together. Rather than shaking Stevie and Reid's emotional connection, their experimentation strengthens it, and the couple becomes a happy threesome. When they all go out of town together and confront some emotional baggage from Stevie’s past, the men's support helps her heal, and she decides that perhaps Reid is the partner she’s been waiting for and love may be within her reach, with Dylan as a sexual sidekick. However, just as she’s ready to confess her true feelings, life gets in the way, and she’s not sure how to trust what’s real. Erotic romance author Carew offers up a sizzling fantasy that includes light bondage, ménage, and lots of graphic sex as well as a plot nod to vintage romance film An Affair to Remember. Carew writes a steamy sex scene and sets up a billionaire fantasy that will likely satisfy existing fans, but simplistic storytelling, unexplored plot threads, and the need for a high-level suspension of belief may leave some readers unsatisfied.
Not stellar, but it gets the job done.Pub Date: April 4, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-250-11668-0
Page Count: 304
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Review Posted Online: March 6, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2017
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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