An enjoyable country-Western love story best suited for fans of second chances.
A widowed mom inherits a run-down ranch and develops complicated feelings for the man who helps fix up the property.
James’ novel opens with Hope Roberts’ new ranch hand quitting. He’s received a better offer of employment from a wealthier ranch owner. Much to her mortification, the young cowboy reveals his reasons for leaving within earshot of Dr. Dean Stanton, the incredibly handsome and wealthy physician who happens to be the son of the man who hired Hope’s employee. Not only that, but Dean is also the doctor who treated Hope’s now-deceased husband, Brian, who had cancer. Ever since Brian’s death, there’s been tension between Hope and Dean. Much to her surprise, Dean offers to fill in as the new hand around the house, but Hope is adamantly opposed. Given Dean’s duties as a physician, his responsibilities for his own rural home, and their icy relationship, it just doesn’t make sense. Even so, Dean seems to think his assistance is the best solution (“There’s no way you’ll find a more qualified cowboy than me”). He convinces her to let him complete one home improvement, and before she knows it, he’s turning the entire property around and winning over both Hope and her young daughter, Sadie. Hope refuses to acknowledge the feelings she begins to develop for him, worrying instead about all the reasons she thinks they could never be together, no matter how hard Dean tries to convince her otherwise. Told alternately from Hope’s and Dean’s perspectives, the opposing narratives slowly reveal the protagonists’ complicated personal histories and the obstacles they face in pursuing their own happiness. A seemingly lighthearted read with much attention centered on the characters’ physical attraction to each other, the novel also tackles weightier topics like mortality, parental responsibilities, grief, and guilt. Chock-full of details about ranch living and the endless work required for maintaining remote rural residences, the story remains focused throughout on the push and pull between the two main characters. Despite the tale’s formulaic and predictable trajectory, readers will enjoy accompanying Hope and Dean on their heartwarming journey.
An enjoyable country-Western love story best suited for fans of second chances.Pub Date: Dec. 27, 2022
ISBN: 978-1649373120
Page Count: 364
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Review Posted Online: Nov. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
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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