A seriously sexy romance that delivers on genre expectations while also feeling fresh and energetic.
A career-oriented woman who relishes her freedom meets her match in an attractive ski instructor with a haunted past in Blackhall’s romance novel.
In this third installment of the Bristol Park series, New York City resident Stacy Barclay heads off for a much-needed getaway with her two best friends to a cozy ski resort in Abbeydon, a few hours outside the city. As the senior analyst for a financial firm, Stacy desperately needs to unwind, having just learned that she hadn’t received a much-deserved promotion (“What was worse, the guy who did had a less impressive portfolio and less experience”). When she meets the resort’s ski instructor, Luke Tverberg, sparks immediately fly and the two begin a sexually charged game of cat-and-mouse. It turns out that Luke has enjoyed frequent dalliances with guests over his years of nomadic seasonal living, but currently he’s celibate, and has been so for over a year. He also has a tragedy in his past: His girlfriend, Becca, was killed during a carjacking 10 years ago, just a few days before Christmas. Ever since, Luke avoids commitment—and the holidays—as much as he possibly can. But his connection with Stacy proves to be something special, even as they both tell each other (and themselves) that they want to keep things strictly physical: “Stacy was different. He’d felt it the moment they met, and every interaction they’d had since.” When Luke finally makes a move toward something more serious, Stacy’s feeling that she must choose between her job and romantic happiness threatens everything they have.
In chapters told from alternating third-personviewpoints, readers get an inside look at both main characters’ inner lives. Stacy’s dedication to proving herself in an “old boys’ network” will be relatable to many readers, and Luke’s tale of teenage heartbreak tackles grief in a surprisingly meaningful way. Blackhall also makes sure to hit the high notes that romance fans expect: Engaging sexual tension, a cozy wintry backdrop, and protagonists who resist love until they can’t. Smooth prose and naturalistic dialogue make this a breezy read, and the characters are well-developed throughout. Even the side players get brief moments to shine, as when Luke’s gay brother, Erik, navigates the tricky world of small-town dating. Blackhall’s characters also display a healthy attitude toward sex with casual references to vibrators, testing for sexually transmitted diseases, and condoms. One of the most swoon-worthy comments comes from Luke’s insistence on clear sexual communication: “I take consent very seriously, and your comfort even more so.” The sex scenes themselves are frequent, explicit, and passionate. A few elements feel repetitive, including references to Luke’s sexually charged growling and occasional other phrases (“he wanted, no he needed more”; “She wanted, no, she needed more”; “She wanted, no, she needed it harder”). Still, Blackhall manages to craft a racy romantic novel that also weaves in serious themes—a classic story that’s also perfectly modern.
A seriously sexy romance that delivers on genre expectations while also feeling fresh and energetic.Pub Date: Nov. 14, 2023
ISBN: 9781802505825
Page Count: 324
Publisher: Totally Bound Publishing
Review Posted Online: Nov. 16, 2023
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
Sink your teeth into this delightful paranormal romance with a modern twist.
A vampire and an Alpha werewolf enter into a marriage of convenience in order to ease tensions between their species.
As the only daughter of a prominent Vampyre councilman, Misery Lark has grown accustomed to playing the role that’s demanded of her—and now, her father is ordering her to be part of yet another truce agreement. In an effort to maintain goodwill between the Vampyres and their longtime nemeses the Weres, Misery must wed their Alpha, Lowe Moreland. But it turns out that Misery has her own motivations for agreeing to this political marriage, including finding answers about what happened to her best friend, who went missing after setting up a meeting in Were territory. Isolated from her kind and surrounded on all sides by the enemy after the wedding, Misery refuses to let herself forget about her real mission. It doesn’t matter that Lowe is one of the most confounding and intense people she’s ever met, or that the connection building between them doesn’t feel like one born entirely of convenience. There’s also the possibility that Lowe may already have a Were mate of his own, but in spite of their biological differences, they may turn out to be the missing piece in each other’s lives. While this is Hazelwood’s first paranormal romance, and the book does lean on some hallmark tropes of the genre, the contemporary setting lends itself to the author’s trademark humor and makes the political plot more easily digestible. Misery and Lowe’s slow-burn romance is appealing enough that readers will readily devour every moment between them and hunger to return to them whenever the story diverts from their scenes together.
Sink your teeth into this delightful paranormal romance with a modern twist.Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9780593550403
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2023
PERSPECTIVES
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