A well-crafted historical romance about dogs and the people who love them.
A not-so-old duke learns new tricks.
Elizabeth Dockering, Bitsy to her friends, may be the happiest woman in London. She’s the diamond of her second London Season, with multiple suitors, a full dance card, and at least another year until she’s on the shelf. But though Bitsy is adored, her rambunctious poodle, Galahad, causes problems everywhere he goes, and then Galahad leads her to meet the only person in London who isn’t immediately fond of her: Michael Bromley, Duke of Woriton. That might be because her poodle has dragged his aunt’s poodle, Lancelot, and thus also the duke, into the Serpentine, a lake in Hyde Park. Or it might be because he’s generally known to be a grumpy, eccentric man more interested in his scientific experiments than traditional pursuits for a duke. In any event, they couldn’t have less in common, but when first his aunt’s poodle and then Bitsy’s are stolen and held for ransom, they partner up to try to find their dogs and get them back. They are soon attracted to each other, and though they’re certain that they’re just too different for anything meaningful to occur, as the hunt for their dogs continues, they keep surprising each other and wondering about something more. Though this Regency rom-com does center around a pair of dognappings and a bit of suspense, it never gets dark—the story is far too sweet for that. Switching among several points of view creates additional depth and also allows Enoch to incorporate a charming B-plot romance set on the working-class side of town. Though it’s a relatively chaste tale, readers will believe in the straightforward attraction between Bitsy and Michael and enjoy the moments of levity throughout.
A well-crafted historical romance about dogs and the people who love them.Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2023
ISBN: 9781250842541
Page Count: 320
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023
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
A deep and moving portrayal of first love.
Two college students rekindle their relationship as they unravel the truth behind their breakup.
On the outside, college senior Bennett Reiner has it all. A goalie for Waterfell University’s hockey team, he lives with a group of friends in a luxurious off-campus house. He and his best friend, Rhys Koteskiy, have fathers who are retired hockey legends. But on the inside, he’s falling apart. Struggling with OCD, a shaky friendship with Rhys, and second thoughts about pursuing a future in hockey, the only thing keeping Bennett afloat is also the one thing breaking his heart: Paloma Blake. All dyed-hair and attitude, Paloma has built a bad reputation on the hockey scene since their relationship ended freshman year—but Bennett knows the real P. Underneath her promiscuous facade lies a scared and lonely girl running from a childhood of abuse. When they were together, it seemed like their romance was perfect, until Paloma broke it off without warning. Since then, Bennett has run to Paloma’s side whenever she needed him, whether she was drunk, lonely, or hurting, and now he’s determined to win her back. For Bennett, Paloma is his antidote, the cure for his compulsions; for Paloma, Bennett is her protector, her safe space. And though Paloma yearns to be with Bennett again, she’s not sure she’s willing to open old wounds and reveal the truth about her painful past. In the third installment of the Undone series, Corinne spotlights familiar characters as they navigate trauma, heartbreak, and first love. Bennett and Paloma’s relationship is raw and vulnerable, and their journey of relinquishing control is both necessary and inevitable. Their romance evolves as they open up to one another, and in return, the reader is rewarded with a love story that’s as lyrical, evocative, and emotional as poetry.
A deep and moving portrayal of first love.Pub Date: April 7, 2026
ISBN: 9781668219423
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: Dec. 26, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2026
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