Readers will cheer on this likeable hero and the dog that chooses her.
In Medlock’s novel, a romance is aided by a remarkable dog.
Lucinda Flynn, a newly minted Ph.D. graduate from Cornell specializing in architectural styles of the Colonial era, is the new caretaker of Rakeshill, a large New York estate near the Hudson River in upstate New York. While unpacking her belongings in the caretaker’s cottage, a large husky scratches on the door, comes in, and makes himself at home. She names him Rakeshill after the estate—Rake, for short. Rake is well trained, with an uncanny ability to understand what is going on; he even performs tasks like warming soup for her when she is sick. Through Rake, Lucinda connects with people in the area, including Max, a veterinarian at a clinic in nearby Gardiner; Ellen, another dog owner new to the area; and Jacob, a new vet at the Gardiner clinic whose “weird combination of muscled strongman, caring veterinarian, and broadly educated foreigner” she finds attractive. Sam Rakeshill, the entitled heir to the estate, shares her interest in the history of Rakeshill—which she is researching for a book that she hopes will jumpstart her academic career—but he raises both Lucinda and Rake’s suspicions. Lucinda’s anxiety and OCD tendencies threaten to upend her relationships and block her writing progress, but Rake’s extraordinary abilities help her cope. As her research unearths clues about Rake’s background and breeding, Lucinda learns to trust her heart…and her dog. In Lucinda, Medlock has created a smart, fully rounded hero dealing with major issues and holding her own. Class and wealth distinctions are illustrated deftly in scenes of Lucinda’s interactions with her own family and the wealthy Rakeshills. Chapters written from Rake’s point of view add an unusual perspective and depth of character to the story: “Rake went over and sniffed the vet for some time. Jacob stood very still, allowing, perhaps even understanding the reason for, this perusal. It was all very good. Rake perceived courage and…steadiness.” This satisfying read will appeal to those who enjoyed Talia Hibbert’s Brown Sisters books.
Readers will cheer on this likeable hero and the dog that chooses her.Pub Date: Dec. 9, 2024
ISBN: 9798893410686
Page Count: 260
Publisher: Dorrance Publishing Co.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 24, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.
A lifetime’s worth of letters combine to portray a singular character.
Sybil Van Antwerp, a cantankerous but exceedingly well-mannered septuagenarian, is the titular correspondent in Evans’ debut novel. Sybil has retired from a beloved job as chief clerk to a judge with whom she had previously been in private legal practice. She is the divorced mother of two living adult children and one who died when he was 8. She is a reader of novels, a gardener, and a keen observer of human nature. But the most distinguishing thing about Sybil is her lifelong practice of letter writing. As advancing vision problems threaten Sybil’s carefully constructed way of life—in which letters take the place of personal contact and engagement—she must reckon with unaddressed issues from her past that threaten the house of cards (letters, really) she has built around herself. Sybil’s relationships are gradually revealed in the series of letters sent to and received from, among others, her brother, sister-in-law, children, former work associates, and, intriguingly, literary icons including Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry. Perhaps most affecting is the series of missives Sybil writes but never mails to a shadowy figure from her past. Thoughtful musings on the value and immortal quality of letters and the written word populate one of Sybil’s notes to a young correspondent while other messages are laugh-out-loud funny, tinged with her characteristic blunt tartness. Evans has created a brusque and quirky yet endearing main character with no shortage of opinions and advice for others but who fails to excavate the knotty difficulties of her own life. As Sybil grows into a delayed self-awareness, her letters serve as a chronicle of fitful growth.
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780593798430
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
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
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
