A steamy book in which nuanced friendships are as central as the romance between two star-crossed lovers.
A moonlighting television actor and a local handyman hook up one drunken night. Will the forces of celebrity, gossip, and their respective pasts get in the way of what could be a beautiful relationship?
The headline reads “Hollywood Playboy Bryan Hart Caught Streaking in Banker’s Shoals!" Bryan, known as Ryan Hertzog to his friends and family, is trying (and failing) to stay out of the news following his best friend Ali's drunken driving accident and subsequent stint in rehab. He wasn't actually streaking—he was sneaking out of Trey Donovan's house after a drunken hookup, chased by a big dog. Part of his plan to stay out of the press involves Ryan doing summer stock for free at his cousin Caro's theater company in his North Carolina hometown. Flying below the radar is all well and good, but his cousin's partner, Mason, has known Ryan since they were young and has declared the cast and crew strictly off limits for potential romantic and sexual liaisons. Not a problem…until Trey turns out to be the set builder for the theater. Ryan isn't the only one with baggage, though. Trey is still dealing with anxiety and PTSD from his abusive ex-husband, who's in prison for trying to murder him. He buries himself in work and avoids the garage that still houses a lot of his ex's belongings. Falling for Ryan means allowing himself to be vulnerable again. It's appropriate that the theater is called Shakespeare by the Sea because, just as in many plays by the Bard, there are several other stories happening alongside the main plotline. The theater isn't doing well financially, and Caro isn't willing to exploit Ryan's fame to sell tickets. Ali is returning from rehab, anxious about whether her boyfriend (whose house Ryan is staying at) will still love her sober and pregnant.
A steamy book in which nuanced friendships are as central as the romance between two star-crossed lovers.Pub Date: May 15, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-62649-569-2
Page Count: 239
Publisher: Riptide
Review Posted Online: March 11, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2017
Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an...
True love flares between two people, but they find that circumstances always impede it.
On a winter day in London, Laurie spots Jack from her bus home and he sparks a feeling in her so deep that she spends the next year searching for him. Her roommate and best friend, Sarah, is the perfect wing-woman but ultimately—and unknowingly—ends the search by finding Jack and falling for him herself. Laurie’s hasty decision not to tell Sarah is the second painful missed opportunity (after not getting off the bus), but Sarah’s happiness is so important to Laurie that she dedicates ample energy into retraining her heart not to love Jack. Laurie is misguided, but her effort and loyalty spring from a true heart, and she considers her project mostly successful. Perhaps she would have total success, but the fact of the matter is that Jack feels the same deep connection to Laurie. His reasons for not acting on them are less admirable: He likes Sarah and she’s the total package; why would he give that up just because every time he and Laurie have enough time together (and just enough alcohol) they nearly fall into each other’s arms? Laurie finally begins to move on, creating a mostly satisfying life for herself, whereas Jack’s inability to be genuine tortures him and turns him into an ever bigger jerk. Patriarchy—it hurts men, too! There’s no question where the book is going, but the pacing is just right, the tone warm, and the characters sympathetic, even when making dumb decisions.
Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an emotional, satisfying read.Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-525-57468-2
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: July 30, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.
Eleven years ago, he broke her heart. But he doesn’t know why she never forgave him.
Toggling between past and present, two love stories unfold simultaneously. In the first, Macy Sorensen meets and falls in love with the boy next door, Elliot Petropoulos, in the closet of her dad’s vacation home, where they hide out to discuss their favorite books. In the second, Macy is working as a doctor and engaged to a single father, and she hasn’t spoken to Elliot since their breakup. But a chance encounter forces her to confront the truth: what happened to make Macy stop speaking to Elliot? Ultimately, they’re separated not by time or physical remoteness but by emotional distance—Elliot and Macy always kept their relationship casual because they went to different schools. And as a teen, Macy has more to worry about than which girl Elliot is taking to the prom. After losing her mother at a young age, Macy is navigating her teenage years without a female role model, relying on the time-stamped notes her mother left in her father’s care for guidance. In the present day, Macy’s father is dead as well. She throws herself into her work and rarely comes up for air, not even to plan her upcoming wedding. Since Macy is still living with her fiance while grappling with her feelings for Elliot, the flashbacks offer steamy moments, tender revelations, and sweetly awkward confessions while Macy makes peace with her past and decides her future.
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.Pub Date: April 10, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5011-2801-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018
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