A strong Regency debut from a promising new author.
A headstrong lady and an imposing lord are matched against their will.
Lady Anna Reston doesn’t want to be at her best friend Charlotte’s party—she’d rather be out in the stables or riding one of her beloved horses. She’s shy and certain that people see her as “plain to look at and prickly to deal with,” and especially wants to avoid being overawed by Charlotte’s attractive and haughty older brother, Julian Aveton, Earl Ramsey. The party goes from intimidating to tragic, though, when her grandfather dies in the middle of it. And one week later, when his will is read, she learns that she’s in line to inherit the unentailed portion of his estate—but only if she marries Julian in the next six months. Anna is terribly hurt that her grandfather chose not to leave her the estate outright, but Julian assumes it’s a setup engineered by Anna, and says he will refuse to go through with it. Once home, his mother and sister convince him he’s mistaken, and when he goes back to apologize to Anna, a slow back-and-forth begins between the two. Their attraction grows, but the connection is derailed by a series of misunderstandings. Unsure whether she even wants to inherit her grandfather’s estate but terrified of losing her horses, Anna splits her attention and devotes just as much time to a gambling scheme with Charlotte that might afford them both some financial independence, which leads them toward a daring venture that may change everyone’s lives forever. Griffiths’ debut is a delightful and witty slow burn with enough complexity to celebrate friendship as well as romance, and loaded with ample details about horse racing to boot. Some readers may chafe at Julian’s more chauvinistic impulses, but he’s an excellent (if slightly simple), starchy hero who’s not afraid to admit when he’s wrong, and is well paired with the lively Anna. Although Anna is a fairly contemporary heroine, and the story features several steamy encounters, the book has a pleasingly old-school feel, and readers will finish with the hope that one or more of the well-drawn supporting characters will star in future volumes.
A strong Regency debut from a promising new author.Pub Date: March 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781668052945
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025
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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