A promising start to an intriguing new historical romance series.
A lady escapes a dangerous betrothal and discovers a new life elsewhere in London.
Like many women of her time, Lady Charlotte Lovett is informed about her engagement, rather than given a choice in the matter, though it’s unusual that her mother waited to tell her until they’re at the fitting for a gown for her betrothal ball. Upon realizing her parents have matched her with an unnerving and possibly murderous heir to a dukedom, she runs away, still wearing her gown. In a panic, she turns to the only person she can think of to help her—Hannah Wick, an estranged cousin who owns a coffeehouse—and thus makes the jump from the constrained world of the aristocracy into a much more interesting side of London. Once ensconced in Hannah’s coffeehouse, Charlotte encounters a man she doesn’t expect: Dr. Matthew Talbot, best friend of her beloved twin brother, Alexander, but also the younger brother of her erstwhile fiance. He has been secretly besotted with her for years, though so traumatized by abuse from his family that he believes himself far beneath her. The first in a new series from Marsh will thrill fans of smart, complex historical romances as long as they don’t mind a story liberally speckled with humorous moments, including repeated interludes centering on a rather vulgar parrot. Though Marsh admits, in an author’s note, to taking some liberties with historical details, the story is grounded in the less glamorous elements of the era, including England’s involvement in the slave trade, the role of kidnapping in indentured servitude, and the “beautiful, caged bird” status of privileged women. Though occasionally bogged down by cliche, this is ultimately a well-plotted and enjoyable story that will be in good company on a growing list of historical romances that explore life in London beyond the fancy dresses and masquerade balls.
A promising start to an intriguing new historical romance series.Pub Date: March 5, 2024
ISBN: 9781538739693
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Forever
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Light on plot and heavy on bolstering traditional gender norms as the ultimate goal for both men and women.
A Seattle woman meets a Chicago businessman as she flies home from a visit to a friend, and her small act of kindness blossoms into more.
Maisy Gallagher is barely making ends meet. With her father’s unexpected death a few years earlier, she dropped out of nursing school to help out in the family’s jewelry store, working with her uncle. Her older brother, Sean, also moved back home so he and Maisy could help their mother and their 10-year-old brother, Patrick. When Maisy offers a ride to a rude businessman who sat next to her on the plane, she’s just operating on the kindness her grandmother instilled in her. That businessman, Chase Furst, turns out to be an incredibly wealthy banker; he’s flown into Seattle to make funeral arrangements for his mother, to whom he hasn’t spoken in years. Sparks fly in this gentle and predictable romance that leans heavily on long-distance and class-divide tropes. As with many of the author’s books, Christianity and the characters’ reliance on God’s will—as they wait and see what happens next—play a large part, as do traditional gender roles where women cook, clean, and only work in paying jobs until they have children at home to take care of. The author does offer a lighter touch when it comes to the painful ways alcoholism can destroy family relationships, with an understanding of the regret that can weigh on every family member.
Light on plot and heavy on bolstering traditional gender norms as the ultimate goal for both men and women.Pub Date: April 28, 2026
ISBN: 9798217091676
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2026
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: March 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
