A satisfying, Gothic-flavored rescue fantasy.
A disfigured man is drawn to a woman working under duress in a New Orleans bordello in Smith’s post–Civil War dark romance novel.
Philippe Renault, who has “an ultra-thin, round, black leather patch that lay flat and flush over the apple of his left cheek,” is being shown his options in a New Orleans bordello circa 1870. He spots a dark-haired beauty seemingly about to pitch herself down the stairs. The madam warns him that this woman, named Lilah, is “very disagreeable.” Undeterred, Renault requests Lilah, with whom he feels an affinity since she has the “same vanquished, hopeless look” that he had during the time when he was kidnapped by Romani people and made to perform as a circus freak due to his congenitally scarred face. Renault takes Lilah home to his nearby manor. When Lilah has a traumatic response to his rose petal–strewn bed, he refrains from pursuing a sexual encounter. Renault and Lilah (or Diana, as he later comes to know her) intellectually connect over books in his library. The novel proceeds to detail Lilah and Renault’s growing mutual attraction and the eventual revelations of Lilah’s dark secrets. After a physical consummation of their love, Renault realizes that “It wouldn’t surprise him if the next time he looked in the mirror, he saw Diana’s face instead of his own.” Attempting to save Lilah/Diana from her miserable circumstances, Renault takes actions that, in his mind, mark him as forever damned. The author has crafted an atmospheric, intense amalgam of The Phantom of the Opera and Beauty and the Beast. Smith gracefully handles the alternating mood and tone required for the masked Renault and Lilah to bond over books as well as engage in carnality. While Smith has the couple endure travails that are at times unbelievably nightmarish, these elements are also typical of the dark romance genre, and the back-to-earth conclusion is a particularly satisfying relief and catharsis after the drama and angst that preceded it.
A satisfying, Gothic-flavored rescue fantasy.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 215
Publisher: Manuscript
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Fresh and upbeat, though not without flaws.
An earnest grad student and a faculty member with a bit of a jerkish reputation concoct a fake dating scheme in this nerdy, STEM-filled contemporary romance.
Olive Smith and professor Adam Carlsen first met in the bathroom of Adam's lab. Olive wore expired contact lenses, reducing her eyes to temporary tears, while Adam just needed to dispose of a solution. It's a memory that only one of them has held onto. Now, nearly three years later, Olive is fully committed to her research in pancreatic cancer at Stanford University's biology department. As a faculty member, Adam's reputation precedes him, since he's made many students cry or drop their programs entirely with his bluntness. When Olive needs her best friend, Anh, to think she's dating someone so Anh will feel more comfortable getting involved with Olive's barely-an-ex, Jeremy, she impulsively kisses Adam, who happens to be standing there when Anh walks by. But rumors start to spread, and the one-time kiss morphs into a fake relationship, especially as Adam sees there's a benefit for him. The university is withholding funds for Adam's research out of fear that he'll leave for a better position elsewhere. If he puts down more roots by getting involved with someone, his research funds could be released at the next budgeting meeting in about a month's time. After setting a few ground rules, Adam and Olive agree that come the end of September, they'll part ways, having gotten what they need from their arrangement. Hazelwood has a keen understanding of romance tropes and puts them to good use—in addition to fake dating, Olive and Adam are an opposites-attract pairing with their sunny and grumpy personalities—but there are a couple of weaknesses in this debut novel. Hazelwood manages to sidestep a lot of the complicated power dynamics of a student-faculty romance by putting Olive and Adam in different departments, but the impetus for their fake relationship has much higher stakes for Adam. Olive does reap the benefits of dating a faculty member, but in the end, she's still the one seemingly punished or taunted by her colleagues; readers may have been hoping for a more subversive twist. For a first novel, there's plenty of shine here, with clear signs that Hazelwood feels completely comfortable with happily-ever-afters.
Fresh and upbeat, though not without flaws.Pub Date: Sept. 14, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-33682-3
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
PERSPECTIVES
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
Reads like an easy Saturday morning.
A gruff musician and a lively puppeteer join forces to revive a beloved children’s show.
Beverly Lark is a 1970s-style entertainer. With Farrah Fawcett hair and a penchant for bell-bottoms, you might think she’d stepped right out of an old TV show—and in a way, she has. Beverly carries on her grandfather’s legacy by lending her voice to TV’s beloved fuzzy blue puppet, Bernie Bird. But with budget cuts to her nonprofit variety show, Beverly desperately needs to find a way to revive her career and Bernie’s popularity. Rock star Griffin Harvey is Beverly’s complete opposite—where she brings laughter to a room, his music is often overshadowed by his brusque, brooding personality. Since Griffin secretly received custody of his 2-year-old daughter, Ava, he wants nothing more than to stay out of the spotlight, but his management is pushing for a new album and an international tour. Yet the only songs Griffin can eke out are songs for Ava...songs for kids who like Bernie Bird. Then, when Beverly and Bernie appear on a late-night talk show with Grammy nominee Griffin Harvey, everyone’s talking about their chemistry. Hoping to cure his writer’s block and help revitalize her career, Griffin and Beverly agree to work together to create new Bernie content. Holed away in Beverly’s cozy Elk Grove, North Carolina, hometown, it’s easy for them to forget they come from completely different worlds. Will the magic between them stay long after the song is over? Olivia’s latest romance is a testament to the friendly, pleasant worlds she creates, including a quirky cast of characters from Beverly’s family and a sweet single-father storyline. Fans of grumpy/sunshine tropes will devour Griffin and Beverly’s slow-burn relationship like Elk Grove’s famous pancakes, and will feel that every longing glance or touch is well earned.
Reads like an easy Saturday morning.Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2026
ISBN: 9798217187102
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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