An interesting melodramatic setup is undermined by the characters’ disappointing and head-scratching choices.
When a wealthy African-American businessman is accused of trying to kill his troublemaking half brother, it throws his family off balance as they try to prove his innocence and save their company.
Evan Murdoch is thrown in jail on attempted murder charges even though it’s obvious his half brother, Dante Turner, is lying as to who tried to kill him. As Evan waits for bail, Dante tries to coerce Evan’s fiancee, Leila, into having sex with him by telling her he’ll drop the charges if she does. Thankfully Leila doesn’t go too far, realizing he just wants to hurt Evan. Meanwhile, Evan’s sister, Paulette, is concerned that her son may not be her husband’s, and their brother Terrence is engaged to C. J., a newspaper reporter. Evan’s soon-to-be ex-wife, Charisse, continues to vie for his attention. So when she has information that will likely exonerate him, it sends Leila into a jealous fit. Paulette finds the perfect nanny, and Terrence gets a surprise on his doorstep that may drive C. J. away. Talented author Ellis continues the soap-operatic lives of the Murdoch family (Lust & Loyalty, 2017, etc.) to mixed results. As Evan notes, “Unrest and upheaval were painful and consistent realities for the Murdochs. They couldn’t get away from it!” Except that the Murdoch characters, who are ostensibly good, intelligent people, do and say the exact wrong thing at every possible turn. And Dante, who’s a jerk but is supposed to at least be smart, evidently isn’t. Background checks? Communication? Fidelity? Not in the Murdoch repertoire. Kicking out your teen daughter who's dealing drugs? Not seeking treatment when you’re clearly hooked on oxy? Obviously not in Dante’s toolbox. Furthermore, much of the dramatic tension blows up and dissipates almost immediately, so it feels like we’re careening from strife to tumult without buildup or character growth.
An interesting melodramatic setup is undermined by the characters’ disappointing and head-scratching choices.Pub Date: Nov. 28, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4967-0881-6
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Dafina/Kensington
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2017
A thoughtful and pensive tale with intelligent characters and a satisfying romance.
A promise to his best friend leads an Army serviceman to a family in need and a chance at true love in this novel.
Beckett Gentry is surprised when his Army buddy Ryan MacKenzie gives him a letter from Ryan’s sister, Ella. Abandoned by his mother, Beckett grew up in a series of foster homes. He is wary of attachments until he reads Ella’s letter. A single mother, Ella lives with her twins, Maisie and Colt, at Solitude, the resort she operates in Telluride, Colorado. They begin a correspondence, although Beckett can only identify himself by his call sign, Chaos. After Ryan’s death during a mission, Beckett travels to Telluride as his friend had requested. He bonds with the twins while falling deeply in love with Ella. Reluctant to reveal details of Ryan’s death and risk causing her pain, Beckett declines to disclose to Ella that he is Chaos. Maisie needs treatment for neuroblastoma, and Beckett formally adopts the twins as a sign of his commitment to support Ella and her children. He and Ella pursue a romance, but when an insurance investigator questions the adoption, Beckett is faced with revealing the truth about the letters and Ryan’s death, risking losing the family he loves. Yarros’ (Wilder, 2016, etc.) novel is a deeply felt and emotionally nuanced contemporary romance bolstered by well-drawn characters and strong, confident storytelling. Beckett and Ella are sympathetic protagonists whose past experiences leave them cautious when it comes to love. Beckett never knew the security of a stable home life. Ella impulsively married her high school boyfriend, but the marriage ended when he discovered she was pregnant. The author is especially adept at developing the characters through subtle but significant details, like Beckett’s aversion to swearing. Beckett and Ella’s romance unfolds slowly in chapters that alternate between their first-person viewpoints. The letters they exchanged are pivotal to their connection, and almost every chapter opens with one. Yarros’ writing is crisp and sharp, with passages that are poetic without being florid. For example, in a letter to Beckett, Ella writes of motherhood: “But I’m not the center of their universe. I’m more like their gravity.” While the love story is the book’s focus, the subplot involving Maisie’s illness is equally well-developed, and the link between Beckett and the twins is heartfelt and sincere.
A thoughtful and pensive tale with intelligent characters and a satisfying romance.Pub Date: Feb. 26, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-64063-533-3
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Review Posted Online: Jan. 2, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Hannah, after eight paperbacks, abandons her successful time-travelers for a hardcover life of kitchen-sink romance. Everyone must have got the Olympic Peninsula memo for this spring because, as of this reading, authors Hannah, Nora Roberts, and JoAnn Ross have all placed their newest romances in or near the Quinault rain forest. Here, 40ish Annie Colwater, returns to Washington State after her husband, high-powered Los Angeles lawyer Blake, tells her he’s found another (younger) woman and wants a divorce. Although a Stanford graduate, Annie has known only a life of perfect wifedom: matching Blake’s ties to his suits and cooking meals from Gourmet magazine. What is she to do with her shattered life? Well, she returns to dad’s house in the small town of Mystic, cuts off all her hair (for a different look), and goes to work as a nanny for lawman Nick Delacroix, whose wife has committed suicide, whose young daughter Izzy refuses to speak, and who himself has descended into despair and alcoholism. Annie spruces up Nick’s home on Mystic Lake and sends “Izzy-bear” back into speech mode. And, after Nick begins attending AA meetings, she and he become lovers. Still, when Annie learns that she’s pregnant not with Nick’s but with Blake’s child, she heads back to her empty life in the Malibu Colony. The baby arrives prematurely, and mean-spirited Blake doesn’t even stick around to support his wife. At this point, it’s perfectly clear to Annie—and the reader—that she’s justified in taking her newborn daughter and driving back north. Hannah’s characters indulge in so many stages of the weeps, from glassy eyes to flat-out sobs, that tear ducts are almost bound to stay dry. (First printing of 100,000; first serial to Good Housekeeping; Literary Guild/Doubleday book club selections)
Pub Date: March 31, 1999
ISBN: 0-609-60249-7
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1999
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