A breezy follow-up to a movie-set meet-cute goes down smoothly but with little narrative development or conflict.
Leavy presents a sequel to her novel The Location Shoot (2023) that follows the continuing relationship of an unlikely couple: A-list movie star Finn Forrester and writer and philosopher Ella Sinclair.
That first installment ended with a surprise proposal at the Cannes Film Festival, and this one concerns itself with Finn and Ella’s happily ever after. The couple moves to Finn’s mansion in Los Angeles. There, Ella must get used to Finn’s lavish lifestyle, and Leavy ably brings the reader into this fantasy world: Ella receives a luxurious new wardrobe and makeover, as well as a beautiful, custom-made, French country-style office. She also befriends amiable household staff and throws dainty tea parties and sumptuous Moroccan-inspired feasts. Initially, Finn worries that Ella won’t feel at home in Hollywood, but she mostly enjoys just being with Finn, wherever they are. Gradually, she begins building her own circle of friends and working on a book about love and philosophy. The extremely low-conflict narrative follows Finn and Ella’s romance as they start building their life together—dealing with work-life balance, jealousy involving his love scenes, and the paparazzi. Their romance grows and they start a family. Overall, the book is a frothy, sunny read. However, it does not work well as a standalone novel. It opens with Finn and Ella madly in love, and this situation barely changes over the course of the story. Minor issues are usually resolved within a page or so, complete with treacly terms of endearment that the pair repeat again and again. Finn and Ella are an appealing couple, but their minor struggles won’t sustain many readers’ interest. Still, fans of TheLocation Shoot will be pleased to see the supporting characters return for a festive celebration, and Ella’s work as a philosopher does add deeper levels to the book’s examination of the nature of love.
A breezy follow-up to a movie-set meet-cute goes down smoothly but with little narrative development or conflict.Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2024
ISBN: 9781647427504
Page Count: 232
Publisher: She Writes Press
Review Posted Online: May 2, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.
After being released from prison, a young woman tries to reconnect with her 5-year-old daughter despite having killed the girl’s father.
Kenna didn’t even know she was pregnant until after she was sent to prison for murdering her boyfriend, Scotty. When her baby girl, Diem, was born, she was forced to give custody to Scotty’s parents. Now that she’s been released, Kenna is intent on getting to know her daughter, but Scotty’s parents won’t give her a chance to tell them what really happened the night their son died. Instead, they file a restraining order preventing Kenna from so much as introducing herself to Diem. Handsome, self-assured Ledger, who was Scotty’s best friend, is another key adult in Diem’s life. He’s helping her grandparents raise her, and he too blames Kenna for Scotty’s death. Even so, there’s something about her that haunts him. Kenna feels the pull, too, and seems to be seeking Ledger out despite his judgmental behavior. As Ledger gets to know Kenna and acknowledges his attraction to her, he begins to wonder if maybe he and Scotty’s parents have judged her unfairly. Even so, Ledger is afraid that if he surrenders to his feelings, Scotty’s parents will kick him out of Diem’s life. As Kenna and Ledger continue to mourn for Scotty, they also grieve the future they cannot have with each other. Told alternatively from Kenna’s and Ledger’s perspectives, the story explores the myriad ways in which snap judgments based on partial information can derail people’s lives. Built on a foundation of death and grief, this story has an undercurrent of sadness. As usual, however, the author has created compelling characters who are magnetic and sympathetic enough to pull readers in. In addition to grief, the novel also deftly explores complex issues such as guilt, self-doubt, redemption, and forgiveness.
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.Pub Date: Jan. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5420-2560-7
Page Count: 335
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
If you like your romance the darker the better, this one is for you.
A young mother returns to the gothic manor of her childhood to dust off the family secrets and face her old flame.
Maven Blackthorn hasn’t been home since her mom died under suspicious circumstances 12 years ago, but the death of her grandmother, Lorinda, forces her return to Solstice, Vermont. Maven’s daughter, Beatrix, has never seen where her mother grew up, but she quickly learns the Blackthorns have a reputation for witchcraft, largely fueled by a centuries-long feud with the powerful Croft family, whose heir apparent, Ronan, was Maven’s forbidden teenage love and “worst nightmare.” Maven hopes to bid farewell to her grandmother and visit with her aunts without running into Ronan, but he proves hard to avoid. Maven’s hatred for Ronan runs deep and she believes the feeling is mutual. From Ronan’s perspective, it’s clear their painful unraveling was full of misunderstandings. When Lorinda’s body goes missing from the funeral home, Maven is forced to accept Ronan’s help in discovering what happened. While Maven dives into her family history and the many unfortunate events befalling Blackthorn women, Ronan is forever in her ear, seducing her back to him. The push and pull of their romance feels immature, which isn’t helped by the first-person present narration. At times, it’s easy to forget Maven and Ronan aren’t still teenagers, until the erotica is punched up a thousand percent in the final third. Controlling lines from Ronan like “Don’t test my patience, woman” might read better if his perspective were explored more, though fans of Geissinger’s dark erotica, including Brutal Vows (2025), may not be fazed. Maven’s perspective dominates, and though her investigation into family lore and increasing paranoia are the most compelling arc, the million and one ways in which she threatens Ronan with physical violence—“What I really want to do is tie you to a tree, disembowel you with my bare hands, feed your guts to the wolves, and cut off your head”—is a bit one-note. Trigger warnings abound.
If you like your romance the darker the better, this one is for you.Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781250379139
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Bramble Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2025
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