A sweet installment in a heartfelt romance series.
A rancher bonds with his long-lost son and the teen’s guardian in this contemporary romance.
On a snowy night, Chicago veterinary student Janie Adams drives into Wishing River, Montana, on a mission: find local bar owner Aiden Rivers and introduce him to the boy who is most likely his 15-year-old son. Janie’s not the mother—that would be her spoiled older sister, Maxi. Maxi left baby Will in her sister’s care when Janie was just 18 years old. Janie is now grappling with serious debt and hoping an introduction to the son he never knew he had will prompt Aiden to help provide for Will. Aiden is shocked: He hasn’t thought about Maxi since their brief fling left him with a scar from her then-boyfriend. Aiden had no idea Will existed—or his stubborn, beautiful guardian. Aiden connects with both Will and Janie, introducing them to the joys of Wishing River, the horses the bar owner is rescuing on his own ranch, and his vibrant group of friends. Janie, a devoted mother to Will since she was barely out of high school, finds work at a local veterinary clinic and, eventually, comfort in Aiden’s arms, but she knows she will have to return to Chicago sooner or later. Over the next few weeks, Aiden, Janie, and Will form a tentative yet loving family—but what will happen when real life comes knocking on the door? In this third installment of her Wishing River series, James offers a warm, engaging story from both Janie’s and Aiden’s points of view as the two bond over their love of animals and Will, a thoughtful and realistically written teenage character. The author deftly depicts Aiden wrestling with the idea of fatherhood in light of his own sad childhood with an abusive dad who quashed his son’s teenage dreams of studying veterinary medicine. The Montana town of the series title exudes charm, from a diner with original paintings, courtesy of Lainey from James’ novel The Trouble With Cowboys (2019), to a host of rescue animals.
A sweet installment in a heartfelt romance series.Pub Date: March 9, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-68281-567-0
Page Count: 364
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Haphazard and undemanding.
A sports agent’s first official client is the man she dumped years ago in college.
After two years of hard work as an underling, Nora Mackenzie is finally being promoted to full-time sports agent. She’s worked hard, kept quiet, and allowed men in the office to call her Mac—a nickname she hates—all to show she’s a team player and “one of the guys.” Unfortunately, her boss instructs her to sign Derek Pender, a football player coming off an injury, who happens to be the man she heartlessly dumped in their senior year of college. Derek signs with her for revenge, seeing it as his opportunity to pay Nora back for callously breaking his heart eight years earlier. He insists she be at his beck and call: answering his emails, running his errands, cooking dinner for his dates. He also refuses to let her explain why she broke up with him without warning or explanation. Nora feels she has no choice but to acquiesce to Derek’s humiliating demands, since she’s worked too hard to let him ruin her dream job. She hopes he’ll thaw and they might become friends, but Derek’s bad behavior is designed to hide the fact that he’s still in love with her. Nora’s characterization is uneven, veering between anger at how she’s treated in the male-dominated field to immature bickering and bantering with Derek. Although Adams likely meant for Derek and Nora’s interactions to have an enemies-to-lovers vibe, the characters instead seem juvenile and stuck in the past. The novel is fueled by a string of tropes—second chance romance! married in Vegas! only one bed!—each randomly deployed to keep the book going despite thin characterization and wan plotting.
Haphazard and undemanding.Pub Date: April 2, 2024
ISBN: 9780593723678
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Dell
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.
The sequel to It Ends With Us (2016) shows the aftermath of domestic violence through the eyes of a single mother.
Lily Bloom is still running a flower shop; her abusive ex-husband, Ryle Kincaid, is still a surgeon. But now they’re co-parenting a daughter, Emerson, who's almost a year old. Lily won’t send Emerson to her father’s house overnight until she’s old enough to talk—“So she can tell me if something happens”—but she doesn’t want to fight for full custody lest it become an expensive legal drama or, worse, a physical fight. When Lily runs into Atlas Corrigan, a childhood friend who also came from an abusive family, she hopes their friendship can blossom into love. (For new readers, their history unfolds in heartfelt diary entries that Lily addresses to Finding Nemo star Ellen DeGeneres as she considers how Atlas was a calming presence during her turbulent childhood.) Atlas, who is single and running a restaurant, feels the same way. But even though she’s divorced, Lily isn’t exactly free. Behind Ryle’s veneer of civility are his jealousy and resentment. Lily has to plan her dates carefully to avoid a confrontation. Meanwhile, Atlas’ mother returns with shocking news. In between, Lily and Atlas steal away for romantic moments that are even sweeter for their authenticity as Lily struggles with child care, breastfeeding, and running a business while trying to find time for herself.
Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.Pub Date: Oct. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-668-00122-6
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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