An engaging, sexy love story with chills, humor, and supernatural intrigue.
In this paranormal romance series starter, a tattoo artist finds love and deadly danger in the dark world of the fae.
A red-eyed serpent is loose in the Flourish and Dots Tattoo Parlor in Miami, and it looks remarkably like a design that tattoo artist Talia Kestenbaum just etched on the rear end of her last customer: “I had just witnessed a man get attacked by his own butt cobra.” Could the special ink she had used, which belonged to her sexy, enigmatic employer Zayn, have anything to do with it? In this lively novel, her investigation yields a cascade of revelations that will forever alter what Talia thought she knew of reality. After learning that Zayn is actually a mythological creature known as an incubus, he accompanies her through the treacherous shidden supernatural realm of the fae. However, he struggles to protect Talia, who turns out be a magnet for banshees, vampires, skin-melting plants, and a one-eyed giant, among other beings. When the time comes, will Talia be able to overcome her fears to save Zayn, whom she’s come to love? Rener, whose past fantasy works include The Lightning Conjurer series and The Girl Who Talks to Ashes (2020), delivers the first book in her four-volume Gilded Blood series. Readers can expect ambitious and entertaining worldbuilding, which successfully melds aspects of present-day American life with tattoos that are runes of power, blood types that correspond to types of magic, decidedly unfriendly creatures from folk tales and horror stories, and a mystery that involves a ruthless fae king. Feisty protagonist Talia is a familiar character type, but the references to her Jewish heritage give the story added dimension, and her relationship with her family is complex. Her mother’s phone calls at inopportune times are consistently humorous, which helps to balance the darker elements of the plot; so does the author’s colorful rendering of Zayn’s parrot familiar as an evolving personality with hidden depths. A surprise twist and unfinished fae business provide an effective setup for the next volume, Jinxed (2022).
An engaging, sexy love story with chills, humor, and supernatural intrigue.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 9798423761783
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: June 2, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.
The sequel to It Ends With Us (2016) shows the aftermath of domestic violence through the eyes of a single mother.
Lily Bloom is still running a flower shop; her abusive ex-husband, Ryle Kincaid, is still a surgeon. But now they’re co-parenting a daughter, Emerson, who's almost a year old. Lily won’t send Emerson to her father’s house overnight until she’s old enough to talk—“So she can tell me if something happens”—but she doesn’t want to fight for full custody lest it become an expensive legal drama or, worse, a physical fight. When Lily runs into Atlas Corrigan, a childhood friend who also came from an abusive family, she hopes their friendship can blossom into love. (For new readers, their history unfolds in heartfelt diary entries that Lily addresses to Finding Nemo star Ellen DeGeneres as she considers how Atlas was a calming presence during her turbulent childhood.) Atlas, who is single and running a restaurant, feels the same way. But even though she’s divorced, Lily isn’t exactly free. Behind Ryle’s veneer of civility are his jealousy and resentment. Lily has to plan her dates carefully to avoid a confrontation. Meanwhile, Atlas’ mother returns with shocking news. In between, Lily and Atlas steal away for romantic moments that are even sweeter for their authenticity as Lily struggles with child care, breastfeeding, and running a business while trying to find time for herself.
Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.Pub Date: Oct. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-668-00122-6
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of...
Hoover’s (November 9, 2015, etc.) latest tackles the difficult subject of domestic violence with romantic tenderness and emotional heft.
At first glance, the couple is edgy but cute: Lily Bloom runs a flower shop for people who hate flowers; Ryle Kincaid is a surgeon who says he never wants to get married or have kids. They meet on a rooftop in Boston on the night Ryle loses a patient and Lily attends her abusive father’s funeral. The provocative opening takes a dark turn when Lily receives a warning about Ryle’s intentions from his sister, who becomes Lily’s employee and close friend. Lily swears she’ll never end up in another abusive home, but when Ryle starts to show all the same warning signs that her mother ignored, Lily learns just how hard it is to say goodbye. When Ryle is not in the throes of a jealous rage, his redeeming qualities return, and Lily can justify his behavior: “I think we needed what happened on the stairwell to happen so that I would know his past and we’d be able to work on it together,” she tells herself. Lily marries Ryle hoping the good will outweigh the bad, and the mother-daughter dynamics evolve beautifully as Lily reflects on her childhood with fresh eyes. Diary entries fancifully addressed to TV host Ellen DeGeneres serve as flashbacks to Lily’s teenage years, when she met her first love, Atlas Corrigan, a homeless boy she found squatting in a neighbor’s house. When Atlas turns up in Boston, now a successful chef, he begs Lily to leave Ryle. Despite the better option right in front of her, an unexpected complication forces Lily to cut ties with Atlas, confront Ryle, and try to end the cycle of abuse before it’s too late. The relationships are portrayed with compassion and honesty, and the author’s note at the end that explains Hoover’s personal connection to the subject matter is a must-read.
Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of the survivors.Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5011-1036-8
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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