A feel-good story perfect for those who enjoy sexy romantic comedy.
In Diggs’ novel, a TV writer returns to his hometown following his mother’s death and meets a man who makes him reevaluate his life.
Gabe Hartman uses a pen name for his job in Manhattan, where he writes scripts for one of star Aurora Helms’ last remaining televised soap operas. Keeping his identity secret is essential, since he gets all his ideas from gossip his mother shares about the goings-on in his tiny hometown of Concord Valley. Unfortunately, when Gabe’s mother dies unexpectedly, he loses not only the wellspring of ideas for the show he writes, but also the only person he truly loves. Having been burned in relationships in the past, Gabe meets men through a hookup app, but he’s not interested in actually dating any of them. Once he returns to Concord Valley and discovers that his mom had money trouble he’ll need to take care of, Gabe meets Owen Greene, the handsome young lawyer who knows just how to help. Gabe is so disarmed by Owen that he quickly begins second guessing his “no dating” policy, until he learns Owen is already married to another man. Although Owen assures Gabe that he’s in an open marriage, Gabe insists he wants no part of it. Problem is, he can’t stop bumping into Owen, and he also finds himself using their connection as fresh inspiration for the soap. Told in the third person, the book mostly follows Gabe, though the narrator does periodically jump into Owen’s head without warning. Concord Valley is the perfect Hallmark-style town, its quaint inhabitants and traditions bringing a real charm to the story. Although the book is longer than it needs to be, foodies will enjoy the abundance of romantic cooking scenes involving Gabe and Owen, as well as the lessons on gardening and farm-to-table dishes. Moreover, also included are a few R-rated sex scenes that serve to underscore the connection between the characters. Though some readers may find some plot points predictable, the witty banter and endearing characters keep the story feeling fresh.
A feel-good story perfect for those who enjoy sexy romantic comedy.Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2025
ISBN: 9781648908880
Page Count: 305
Publisher: NineStar Press
Review Posted Online: Oct. 17, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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: yesterday
A smart, steamy romance.
Tomforde’s sports romance pairs boardroom power plays with dugout drama.
As the youngest and only female owner of a Major League Baseball team, Reese Remington is used to pressure. Even though Reese is the granddaughter of the Windy City Warriors’ former owner, the men around her still question her position; she’ll “most likely have to work twice as hard and make [the] club’s success twice as noticeable to have any hope of being viewed as the right person to operate this team.” It doesn’t help that the franchise is bleeding money, the result of her grandfather’s hands-off approach in the years before his retirement. Reese must use her razor-sharp intelligence and fierce business sense to not only prove herself in a role in which the public is eager to see her fail, but also to make unpopular financial decisions to get the team out of the red. Enter Emmett Montgomery, a former All-Star turned field manager whose priorities lie firmly with people rather than profit. A man devoted to his team and his adopted child, Emmett has long since closed the door on romance, despite gentle nudging from his loved ones. His empathetic team-first mentality puts him immediately at odds with Reese’s pragmatic agenda, and with his contract up at the end of the year, Emmett worries he’ll be on the chopping block if he speaks out too much. Told from the perspectives of the leads, the novel gives equal page time to Reese and Emmett. Their concerns––the scrutiny Reese must endure as a woman in a male-dominated industry, and Emmett’s worries over his contract renewal––are tangible and add a sense of urgency to their every decision. While the novel includes some unavoidable exposition dumps to orient readers, it more than compensates by establishing clear stakes and a sense of momentum from the outset. The narrative successfully introduces credible barriers to the romance, which largely follows recognizable genre beats. The baseball setting is also used effectively, with the season-long arc mirroring the couple’s romantic and professional journeys.
A smart, steamy romance.Pub Date: March 3, 2026
ISBN: 9781649379795
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Review Posted Online: Feb. 13, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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