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OVERDUE

The plot waffles between coming-of-age and romance, and as a result does neither particularly well.

A 29-year-old librarian in a small North Carolina town creates a new life for herself.

Ingrid Dahl has been dating her boyfriend, Cory, for 11 years, ever since their first week of college. When Ingrid’s younger sister announces her engagement after only two years of dating, Ingrid and Cory realize that their relationship has become stale, and on January 1, they agree to take a break and try dating other people. Ingrid immediately assumes she’ll have the opportunity to date her longtime co-worker and friend Macon Nowakowski. When Ingrid clumsily makes her move, Macon’s horrified refusal puts their friendship on ice and an embarrassed Ingrid can’t figure out how to fix it. Her one-month break with Cory stretches into three and Ingrid throws herself into the joys and humiliations of modern romance: creating app profiles, dating and sleeping with other men, and accidentally breaking a nice man’s heart. Eventually, the breakup with Cory becomes permanent. For the first time, Ingrid is on her own and able to make her own choices about where she wants to live and work. Ingrid’s relationship with Macon remains chilly and distant until she helps him during a personal emergency. Over the next several months, they rebuild their friendship and eventually find love, all while Ingrid opens her own bookstore, coyly named Bildungsroman. Perkins’ first adult novel is billed as a slow-burn romance while reading like a coming-of-age story, but for a character three decades into her life. Readers might not buy that Ingrid’s lackluster life skills can be blamed on her relationship with Cory, nor will they believe that underdeveloped, milquetoast Macon is the love of her life.

The plot waffles between coming-of-age and romance, and as a result does neither particularly well.

Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2025

ISBN: 9781250313461

Page Count: 416

Publisher: Saturday Books

Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2025

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WHAT FURY BRINGS

A book about revenge that’s more punishing than purposeful.

A woman from a matriarchal society kidnaps a prince from a neighboring kingdom, planning to force him into marriage.

Five hundred years ago, the wife of the abusive king of Amarra prayed to her goddess for mercy; in return, the goddess granted every woman in the country the ability to rule over men. Amarra’s queens have governed with vengeance ever since, creating a fiercely violent matriarchy. Now, 21-year-old Olerra Corasene, a gifted military strategist and powerful general, is competing with her cunning and devious cousin, Glenaerys, to be the next queen. Since Glen is trying to secure the throne by currying favor with the wealthy nobles, Olerra decides on a different tactic, the time-honored Amarran tradition of kidnapping a husband. Her target is a good-looking younger prince from the neighboring country of Brutus, but she accidentally and unknowingly nabs Sanos, the king’s eldest son and heir to the throne. She drags Sanos back to Amarra, where he’s treated with all the contempt for men that is normal in her society: He’s dressed as a sexual plaything, forced to shave his beard and body hair, leashed and restrained for bad behavior. Olerra can’t understand Sanos’ objections to this treatment, and the ensuing power struggle makes up most of the plot. Marketed as romantasy, Levenseller’s first adult novel falls flat as both romance and fantasy. There is little connection or chemistry between Olerra and Sanos, and since both are more caricature than character, neither experiences the kind of growth that creates challenging or interesting romantic relationships. In addition, the worldbuilding is paper thin. Amarra is a world built on reverse misogyny, but the motifs, imagery, and scenes often read more like a brainstormed list (a penis guillotine!) than a fully realized attempt to say something meaningful about women’s rage.

A book about revenge that’s more punishing than purposeful.

Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2025

ISBN: 9781250379375

Page Count: 368

Publisher: FEIWEL

Review Posted Online: July 4, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2025

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PITCHER PERFECT

Bailey hits it out of the park with her latest spicy romance.

Two ambitious athletes plus one fake-dating arrangement—what could go wrong?

Though it’s only his first season for the Boston Bearcats hockey team, Robbie Corrigan has a well-established reputation as a playboy. He’s got major skills on the ice, and he’s also much more likely to love ’em and leave ’em than he is to build any long, meaningful relationships. Naturally, he’s just met the one woman who seems completely resistant to his charm: Skylar Page, a Boston University softball pitcher. When they meet over a friendly Saturday morning baseball game, Robbie instantly makes a poor impression by bragging to his teammates about his latest conquest within Skylar’s hearing. He thinks she’s gorgeous, though, and when he sets his sights on her, he’s surprised that she doesn’t seem to know it. Despite her initial distaste for Robbie, Skylar grudgingly confesses that she could use his help. If they pretend to date, maybe her current crush—her brother’s best friend—will finally sit up and take notice of her in a romantic way. The timing is less than ideal, since Robbie will have to team up with Skylar in the Page family’s latest wilderness competition, but it turns out that Robbie’s willingness to play fake boyfriend stems from some very real feelings. He wants to prove to her that he’s a changed man, and redeeming himself in her eyes starts with making sure she knows that she can really trust him. The latest addition to Bailey’s Big Shots series is a sexy, feel-good romance brimming over with the author’s trademark humor and dirty talk. While Skylar and Robbie’s dynamic doesn’t quite reach the level of enemies-to-lovers—he’s so head-over-heels for her that there’s no room for any real mean-spiritedness—their playful snark doubles as a welcome dash of foreplay in the lead-up to some seriously steamy scenes. Robbie’s efforts to show Skylar that he’s turned over a new leaf also result in some of the book’s best moments, emphasizing his commitment to becoming the type of man he knows she deserves.

Bailey hits it out of the park with her latest spicy romance.

Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2025

ISBN: 9780063380837

Page Count: 336

Publisher: Avon/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025

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