A familiar story made fresh by engaging relationships, emotional depth, and strong writing.
When a guarded witch meets her fated soulmate, she must choose between keeping her walls up or risking everything for love in Shae’s supernatural romance.
After losing her father as a child and watching her mother slowly unravel, Laura Hollis decided early on that love was a risk she couldn’t take. In the years since, she’s carefully curated an image—all bright clothes and sharp edges—and developed a firm belief that she’s better off not getting too close to anyone. Her equanimity is shattered by her mother’s disappearance at the hands of the warlock who killed her father (the world of the novel resembles our own, but contains hidden magic). Enter Ash Cedar, an Earth witch with lumberjack vibes, sunshine energy, and the patience of a saint (“The warmth of his body is overwhelming, making me want to lean in and soak it up like a cat in the sun”). Ash is everything Laura doesn’t want to want: He’s gentle, persistent, and, unfortunately, her soulmate. The bond they share is hard to ignore, but Laura does everything she can to resist it. Her plan to avoid Ash is complicated by her grandmother’s request that Laura help man her booth in the local witch’s market. Ash is a regular there, advertising his family’s business, and Laura finds herself drawn further into his orbit. Their growing connection becomes more than just romantic; it challenges her sense of identity and the beliefs she’s clung to for years. As Laura’s fire powers lead her to a stunning revelation, she has to choose between keeping her walls up or taking the terrifying leap into love and vulnerability. This novel, the second installment in the author’s Pruitt Witches series, offers a heartfelt blend of emotional growth and slow-burn romance between characters who feel layered and sincere. While the plot follows familiar beats, the story’s charm lies in the warmth of the relationships and the quiet power of the storytelling. Laura’s transformation from an aloof “golden child” to a woman learning to trust her own strength is at times frustrating and ultimately deeply satisfying.
A familiar story made fresh by engaging relationships, emotional depth, and strong writing.Pub Date: July 8, 2025
ISBN: 9798987132852
Page Count: 308
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Sept. 4, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.
After being released from prison, a young woman tries to reconnect with her 5-year-old daughter despite having killed the girl’s father.
Kenna didn’t even know she was pregnant until after she was sent to prison for murdering her boyfriend, Scotty. When her baby girl, Diem, was born, she was forced to give custody to Scotty’s parents. Now that she’s been released, Kenna is intent on getting to know her daughter, but Scotty’s parents won’t give her a chance to tell them what really happened the night their son died. Instead, they file a restraining order preventing Kenna from so much as introducing herself to Diem. Handsome, self-assured Ledger, who was Scotty’s best friend, is another key adult in Diem’s life. He’s helping her grandparents raise her, and he too blames Kenna for Scotty’s death. Even so, there’s something about her that haunts him. Kenna feels the pull, too, and seems to be seeking Ledger out despite his judgmental behavior. As Ledger gets to know Kenna and acknowledges his attraction to her, he begins to wonder if maybe he and Scotty’s parents have judged her unfairly. Even so, Ledger is afraid that if he surrenders to his feelings, Scotty’s parents will kick him out of Diem’s life. As Kenna and Ledger continue to mourn for Scotty, they also grieve the future they cannot have with each other. Told alternatively from Kenna’s and Ledger’s perspectives, the story explores the myriad ways in which snap judgments based on partial information can derail people’s lives. Built on a foundation of death and grief, this story has an undercurrent of sadness. As usual, however, the author has created compelling characters who are magnetic and sympathetic enough to pull readers in. In addition to grief, the novel also deftly explores complex issues such as guilt, self-doubt, redemption, and forgiveness.
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.Pub Date: Jan. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5420-2560-7
Page Count: 335
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
If you like your romance the darker the better, this one is for you.
A young mother returns to the gothic manor of her childhood to dust off the family secrets and face her old flame.
Maven Blackthorn hasn’t been home since her mom died under suspicious circumstances 12 years ago, but the death of her grandmother, Lorinda, forces her return to Solstice, Vermont. Maven’s daughter, Beatrix, has never seen where her mother grew up, but she quickly learns the Blackthorns have a reputation for witchcraft, largely fueled by a centuries-long feud with the powerful Croft family, whose heir apparent, Ronan, was Maven’s forbidden teenage love and “worst nightmare.” Maven hopes to bid farewell to her grandmother and visit with her aunts without running into Ronan, but he proves hard to avoid. Maven’s hatred for Ronan runs deep and she believes the feeling is mutual. From Ronan’s perspective, it’s clear their painful unraveling was full of misunderstandings. When Lorinda’s body goes missing from the funeral home, Maven is forced to accept Ronan’s help in discovering what happened. While Maven dives into her family history and the many unfortunate events befalling Blackthorn women, Ronan is forever in her ear, seducing her back to him. The push and pull of their romance feels immature, which isn’t helped by the first-person present narration. At times, it’s easy to forget Maven and Ronan aren’t still teenagers, until the erotica is punched up a thousand percent in the final third. Controlling lines from Ronan like “Don’t test my patience, woman” might read better if his perspective were explored more, though fans of Geissinger’s dark erotica, including Brutal Vows (2025), may not be fazed. Maven’s perspective dominates, and though her investigation into family lore and increasing paranoia are the most compelling arc, the million and one ways in which she threatens Ronan with physical violence—“What I really want to do is tie you to a tree, disembowel you with my bare hands, feed your guts to the wolves, and cut off your head”—is a bit one-note. Trigger warnings abound.
If you like your romance the darker the better, this one is for you.Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781250379139
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Bramble Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2025
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