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INCENSE AND SENSIBILITY

Warmth and humor leaven an emotionally intense romance.

An ambitious politician is forced to examine his past when trauma sends him to a scrupulously honest yoga instructor for help.

Indian American gubernatorial candidate Yash Raje is in the throes of a closely contested campaign in California when a rally is derailed by bigotry and violence. Yash escapes relatively unscathed, but when he learns that Abdul, his bodyguard and friend, continues to battle for his life in the hospital, he is too numb and shaken to resume work. Since he clearly needs help, his family recommends yoga therapist and stress management coach India Dashwood. But meeting each other is bound to be painful for India and Yash: After a night of deeply personal and intense exchanges a decade ago, their fledgling relationship ended abruptly. Although India has a lot on her plate, her natural generosity and Yash's obvious plight mean that she cannot turn him away. As India gently prods him into reconciling with a traumatic past, Yash begins to see his present with sharp clarity. But he must make some hard decisions before he can create the future he has envisioned. The third installment in Dev's series of modern-day Jane Austen adaptations revolving around the Rajes, an aristocratic Indian family, is a riff on Sense and Sensibility. Yash and India are consistently endearing in their commitment to creating an egalitarian and empathetic world: India is steadily compassionate but refuses to be a pushover while Yash's burning ambition has not charred his emotional core. Dev demonstrates a sharp understanding of privilege as she tackles the issues of racism and social justice. But this acuity renders her erasure of caste politics, especially as she references Hindu mythology, especially stark.

Warmth and humor leaven an emotionally intense romance.

Pub Date: July 6, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-06-305180-5

Page Count: 400

Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 18, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2021

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IT STARTS WITH US

Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.

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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

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THE THINGS WE LEAVE UNFINISHED

A charming dual-timeline romance about learning from past mistakes.

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In Yarros’ latest romance novel, a young woman hires a handsome but infuriating writer to complete her late great-grandmother’s half-finished book.

After her marriage to a Hollywood producer ends in high-profile divorce, 28-year-old Georgia Stanton returns to her childhood home in Colorado. When she arrives at the house where she was raised by her great-grandma—the famous romance author Scarlett Stanton—she finds her mother, Ava, lying in wait. Georgia is in possession of the only unfinished manuscript that her deceased relative left behind, and her own mom wants her to sell the rights so they can get some cash. Georgia succumbs to the pressure and enters a deal in which another author will finish the book’s second half. The manuscript tells Scarlett’s life story, including how she found, and lost, her one true love. Georgia feels strongly that the finished novel must reflect the true events of Scarlett’s life, as difficult as they may have been. Unfortunately, the publishers hire Noah Harrison, a stubborn writer at the height of his career, who has his own fictional vision for the novel’s ending. As Noah and Georgia butt heads, each of them researches Scarlett’s history in England during World War II. As they learn more about Scarlett and Jameson Stanton, the fighter pilot she loved, Georgia and Noah must navigate their own increasingly complicated relationship. With two equally engrossing storylines, this book will draw in even seasoned romance readers. As the story jumps between past and present, the author also alternates present-day perspectives between Georgia and Noah, moving deftly between her characters’ distinct voices. The relationships are well developed, and the love that Scarlett felt for Jameson is especially palpable. Along with the sweetly romantic themes, the book explores several heftier topics, including personal ambition, grief, family discord, and self-esteem. The story has a few digressions that do little to advance the plot, but the main characters are sufficiently engrossing that readers will want to stick with them to the end.

A charming dual-timeline romance about learning from past mistakes.

Pub Date: Feb. 23, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-68281-566-3

Page Count: 400

Publisher: Entangled: Amara

Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2021

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