A low-angst read that pushes the limits of a slow burn.
As the deadline approaches on a marriage of convenience, two people slowly begin to realize that faking it has started to feel like the real thing.
Almost five years ago, family friends Chris Puso and Eden Chan married under an agreement. They would fake a marriage until Chris’ inheritance from his late parents is paid out in five years, since it was stipulated in their wills that the money go to both him and his wife. Chris agreed to split the money 50-50. Eden could pursue her dream of being a full-time romance novelist and support her family, while he could use the funds to renovate and revitalize Heart Resort, a couples’ retreat he runs in North Carolina. For years, they’ve been able to keep their arrangement a secret, but with only months left until the agreed-upon time limit, cracks are beginning to show. Eden has hit a major writer’s block, waiting to return home to Austin to escape the distraction of her husband. Chris needs Eden to stay in North Carolina. With a rival resort causing problems and poaching contractors, he believes it’s important to be seen as a united front. And what better way to promote a couples’ resort than to be seen publicly as a happy husband and wife. Marcelo packs in the details with a rich setting and a welcoming cast of characters. For the better part of the novel, Chris and Eden seem more like friends, though there’s an occasional exploration of their attraction. They’ve lived together most of their marriage, supporting one another in pursuit of their ambitions. Combining the tropes of friends-to-lovers with marriage-of-convenience works for the most part, but sometimes the burn is painfully slow. Committing to a real relationship seems like a no-brainer for Chris and Eden, which may make readers wonder why it was treated like such a problem at all.
A low-angst read that pushes the limits of a slow burn.Pub Date: April 5, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5420-3414-2
Page Count: 333
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
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
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