A charming small-town romance with minimal drama.
In this novel, a notorious flirt reconnects with his teenage crush—now all grown up.
When Callie Carmichael returns to her beloved hometown of Windsong, California, after volunteering in Africa, she finds her family’s house under construction and no one in sight. For Callie, this is more of the same: Since childhood, she’s felt like an outsider with her parents, who constantly fight and make up, and her older sister, who works full time with them in the family construction business. Callie finds out that her family is away assisting hurricane victims and she has nowhere to stay—until her best friend, Nova Owens, offers a solution. Nova’s brother, Hunter, was bitten by a black widow spider at the Owens ranch and needs supervision for a couple of weeks. His cottage has a couch with Callie’s name on it. Callie has crushed on Hunter since the two were adolescents, but as an adult, she has no idea that he feels the same. For his part, Hunter’s reputation as a commitment-phobic charmer reaches far and wide, but lately, watching his siblings marry and have children has the former playboy longing to settle down—possibly with his lovely new housemate. Can a custom-made wedding suit change everything? And what about Hunter and Callie’s rivalry to be Windsong’s very first ambassador, an official who will “keep our town’s unique and interesting attributes alive and well”? This second installment of Bielman’s Windsong series features appearances from the rest of the beloved Owens family, including everyone’s favorite mother Mary Rose, adorable 8-year-old pipsqueak Jenna, and gruff but loving Maverick, now preparing for his own nuptials to town doctor Kennedy. Hunter and Callie’s chemistry is off the charts, as evidenced by several sizzling encounters. Hunter is also extremely supportive when Callie, a wedding dress designer gaining career traction, sets up shop in Windsong. But aside from a minor scuffle near the end, the couple’s journey is relatively obstacle-free, which could work if not for the many conflicts set up—former crushes now living together; a player who can’t settle down; the couple competing for the same prestigious position in town—that end up going nowhere.
A charming small-town romance with minimal drama.Pub Date: Oct. 25, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-64937-278-9
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A romance that could have used significant rethinking.
Childhood friends, almost-sweethearts, a misunderstanding, and a funeral.
Blair Lang and Declan Renshaw were best friends who went on one date before a disagreement and an accident sent them in different directions after high school. Now Blair is back from college to be with her great-aunt Lottie, who’s dying, and to support her single mother in small-town Seabrook, California. Finding a job at a coffee shop puts her in the path of her former boyfriend, since he turns out to be its owner. Can the two get past their mistakes? The novel uses the popular second-chance romance trope, but Pham fails to energize it through interesting characters. Blair’s grief over her great-aunt’s death and her plan to help her mother are overshadowed by internal monologues about her feelings, the way her friends aren’t paying attention to her, and the novel she plans to write. Declan’s distinguishing characteristic, besides being a former high school quarterback, is his skill at building birdhouses. Unsurprisingly, the couple doesn’t have much chemistry; when they embrace, their “bodies meld like…memory foam.” The wooden characters, unusual word choices (“conglomerate of pedestrians,” “litany of plants”), and odd turns of phrase (“tension melting from his eyebrows like butter melting in a warm pan”) are almost enough to obscure the lack of plot development. What passes for stakes is easily defused when Blair comes into an inheritance that saves her from working as a consultant at Ernst & Young in New York—so she can write a romance novel.
A romance that could have used significant rethinking.Pub Date: March 3, 2026
ISBN: 9781668095188
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2026
Two hot people confronting their trauma, making passionate love, and solving violent crimes! ’Nuff said.
A heartbroken man lusts after his therapist while seeking revenge on a drug kingpin and his enforcer.
Mitch Haskell’s wife, Angela, died two years ago of an apparent suicide, but Mitch has always believed the scene was staged. Certainly, she would never have willingly left their young son, Andrew, behind. Consumed with a thirst for vengeance, Mitch—a former Marine and undercover agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration and currently a police detective—is struggling with alcohol dependency and uncontrolled rage. Andrew is living with his in-laws, who are making not-so-subtle suggestions that they might apply for permanent guardianship if Mitch can’t get it together. So his boss and best friend, John Bowie, mandates that he go into therapy, which puts him in the path of sexy Dr. Dylan Reede. Within a few days, Mitch makes a connection between two new murders and the death of his former partner; finds a big clue that points to the truth about Angela’s death; goes undercover as a homeless man; takes on a vicious drug cartel; and obnoxiously bullies Dylan with a charm offensive that leads them inevitably to bed. While Mitch seems to lean into the stereotype of the ex-soldier/cop with deeply buried trauma who believes that the ends justify the means—at least in law enforcement—Dylan offers the strength and sweetness to help him start breaking down his walls, allowing herself to be vulnerable in turn. Is passionate sex enough to ground a relationship and a family for the long term? For these characters, and the breakneck speed of this thriller, it’s as good a foundation as any.
Two hot people confronting their trauma, making passionate love, and solving violent crimes! ’Nuff said.Pub Date: March 17, 2026
ISBN: 9781538743027
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Review Posted Online: Dec. 11, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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