A feel-good romance about unexpected change, second chances, and seeing old relationships in new light.
A long-single young woman must battle her conscience when she develops romantic feelings for her sister’s hunky ex-husband.
Nyla, a dedicated nurse, daughter, and sister, has always been close to her family. She even stays friendly with her ex-brother-in-law, Leo, after he and her sister, Mandi, divorce. Nyla helps shuttle her nephew, Seth, between his parents’ homes, and she even stops by to check on Leo after he has dental surgery. Unfortunately, while doped up on painkillers, Leo confesses an enormous secret to her about Seth’s parentage. Nyla is a notoriously poor secret keeper, and when Leo sobers up, he begs her to protect Seth’s innocence by keeping mum about what she knows. Nyla finally agrees, but she and Leo keep running into each other at one family affair after another, and it grows increasingly difficult for Nyla to remain silent. As Leo tries to appeal to her conscience, Nyla realizes that she is developing feelings for him that are decidedly not sibling-y. They begin trading secretive looks and meeting in private to discuss strategy. Nyla finally realizes that the attraction is mutual, but she can’t imagine ever betraying her sister by pursuing a relationship with her ex-husband. Unfortunately, the longer she forces herself to stay away from Leo, the more she feels she is betraying herself instead. In close third-person narration, the perspective shifts between Nyla and Leo from chapter to chapter, allowing readers to taste the complicated thoughts swirling inside each character’s head. A larger portion of the story is dedicated to parsing family drama than is typical of Fenske, but it adds strength to a plot that would have otherwise felt flimsy. The close relationships among siblings, parents, and extended family are drawn in a manner that is both realistic and heartwarmingly enviable. With a healthy dose of slapstick humor and steamy sex scenes, the novel should satisfy most romance readers. While the plot points are largely predictable, the author renders them in such a way that the journey to the inevitable conclusion is still great fun.
A feel-good romance about unexpected change, second chances, and seeing old relationships in new light.Pub Date: Feb. 22, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-64937-030-3
Page Count: 364
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A charming love story that absolutely radiates warmth.
A single mom winds up fake dating an incredibly wealthy man in her hometown.
Dolly Brick is back in her hometown of Whitfield, Rhode Island, for the summer to help her dad and disabled brother manage their house and family business. As a 39-year-old single mother with multiple jobs—which now include working at the Brick Fish House—Dolly is always busy. When her mom left their family years ago, Dolly took over caring for her siblings and father and never really stopped. When she runs into Stewart Whitfield after making a shrimp delivery to his family’s mansion, she doesn’t think they could be more different. She’s had to figure out how to do everything by herself, and he can’t even change a tire. That’s why Stewart’s proposal that she pretend to be his girlfriend feels so unbelievable—but it comes with a hefty check that she desperately needs for home repairs. So she becomes the fake girlfriend of Stewart Whitfield (as in, the Whitfields her town is named after; his real fiancée just dumped him and it’s a bad time for him to be single) and experiences what it’s like to walk into fancy buildings through the front door instead of the service entrance. More than the boats and helicopter and expensive dinners, though, Dolly is impressed by what a kind man Stewart is—and how it feels to let someone else take care of her for a change. Soon, their relationship starts to feel more real than fake. Monaghan creates an impossibly winning story with a charming, lovable heroine. Dolly is capable, hardworking, and will do anything for the people she loves. She and Stewart both possess real flaws, and while their relationship begins with one of the most beloved rom-com tropes, their challenges feel like realistic adult obstacles rather than easily solved miscommunications. It’s also refreshing that, even though Dolly must learn to allow other people to help her, she never views her caretaking responsibilities as burdens. She deeply loves her family, and that love carries through the entire story.
A charming love story that absolutely radiates warmth.Pub Date: May 26, 2026
ISBN: 9780593853979
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2026
SEEN & HEARD
PERSPECTIVES
A deliciously dramatic look at how one woman’s past influences her future.
A happily engaged woman is pulled back to her hometown—and her first love—when tragedy strikes.
Billie Wright is living her dream, running a thriving fertility clinic in New York City and engaged to a wonderful trauma surgeon named Dean. Her happily-ever-after meant giving up her life in Wisconsin, where she left behind many friends as well as her high school sweetheart, Mick. Although they’d been deeply in love, when Billie’s ambition pulled her away from home and toward the city, Mick couldn’t handle either the distance or her busy schedule. Billie has finally moved on from that heartbreak—but then she receives a phone call from Mick, the first communication between them in years. Her best friend, Erin, died in a car accident, leaving behind an 11-year-old daughter, Phoebe. Now Billie must return home to help sort Erin’s affairs and provide some kind of comfort to Phoebe while grieving the loss of her best friend. Of course, being back home also means being in close contact with Mick. Their feelings for each other may not have ever gone away, and their proximity leads to big decisions for Billie. Can she ever reconcile her current life in Manhattan with her past in Wisconsin? And which one will be her future? Giffin knows how to do drama, and she ratchets up the stakes with every page as she continues to reveal new obstacles for Billie. The ending wraps up quite neatly, but the nostalgia-filled ride is full of twists and turns that will keep readers flipping the pages.
A deliciously dramatic look at how one woman’s past influences her future.Pub Date: July 7, 2026
ISBN: 9780593600320
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: April 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
SEEN & HEARD
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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