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 powerfully strong romance for readers who like their love stories full of torment and passion.
Best friends confront feelings for each other when they take a honeymoon trip together.
Francesca Gardiner and George Saint James have always been best friends—just like Jo and Laurie from Little Women, which they both love. Frankie has a big, complicated family and George was the boy next door who’d moved in with his eccentric grandmother. Their friendship survived childhood, awkward teenage years, and living together as young adults without ever venturing into the romantic—well, except for one kiss, but they don’t talk about that. When Frankie gets engaged to an older professor named Nate, George isn’t happy and a huge fight ensues. Despite his misgivings, George shows up to be her best man, but Nate leaves Frankie right before the wedding with only a cryptic letter. Devastated, Frankie goes to a friend’s house to recuperate, but her honeymoon is already planned and paid for—so she decides to travel to Tofino, a picturesque town on the coast of Vancouver Island, with George taking Nate’s place. Frankie wants to fix her friendship with George, but now that they’re in a romantic suite in a beautiful location, things are more complicated than ever. She’d always thought a relationship would be a bad idea, but she’s slowly beginning to realize they’ll never be able to go back to being kids. Maybe the only way forward involves forging a new kind of relationship. Fortune, the author of romances like This Summer Will Be Different (2024), returns with another love story full of longing and intense angst. The many allusions to Little Women are charming, and Frankie is a delightfully headstrong, feisty character. She and George have explosive chemistry, and Fortune manages to make the “will-they-or-won’t-they” nature of their relationship feel like life-or-death stakes.
A powerfully strong romance for readers who like their love stories full of torment and passion.Pub Date: May 5, 2026
ISBN: 9780593953242
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A fun, positively frothy friends-to-lovers romance.
While on her sister’s wedding cruise, a woman enlists her childhood best friend for help as she attempts to woo her longtime crush.
JoJo Burton is bad at love. After she leaves her terrible fiancé, Pearce Richmond, at the altar, she’s convinced she might never settle down. But during her sister’s wedding, which is being held on an eight-day cruise to the Bahamas and Cozumel, she and her family concoct a plan that will help her seduce her recently divorced childhood crush, Finn Turner. The two of them once shared a blindfolded kiss that might have ruined JoJo for all other men, and she’s never forgotten it. But then JoJo’s best friend, Cooper Watts, shows up. Cooper and JoJo were inseparable as children but didn’t talk for years after she got engaged to Pearce. She doesn’t know why he suddenly disappeared on her, but it doesn’t matter—he’s here now, and she needs him to help her get Finn to reenact that long-ago kiss. But after she and Cooper share a cabin, get thrown together for every wedding week activity, and even engage in the classic friendly flirting meant to make another man jealous, JoJo starts to realize that Finn might not be the man she’s been waiting for, after all. Center keeps things light, focusing on humor even when the subject matter veers into family drama. JoJo and Cooper find themselves caught up in the sort of tropes that are catnip for romance fans—he takes care of her when she has a sunburn, for instance, and they participate in a slow-dance contest. As Center reveals in an author’s note at the beginning, “Spoiler: This book will end well.” The destination may not be a surprise, but the journey is a delight.
A fun, positively frothy friends-to-lovers romance.Pub Date: May 19, 2026
ISBN: 9781250408051
Page Count: 336
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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