A wonderfully charming rom-com that’s perfect for book lovers.
An editor travels to Ireland to help an author write the last installment of her father’s fantasy series.
When bestselling author Frank Sheridan died, he left behind legions of fans and a series that wasn’t quite finished. He also left behind a daughter, Ciara Sheridan, who lives alone in what was her father’s dream house. Ciara once had her own writing dreams and published several crime novels under a pseudonym, but she left the writing world altogether when her identity was revealed. Because her father’s wish was for her to finish his beloved Ravian series—and because she desperately needs the money to keep up the now slightly rundown family home—she agrees to take on the final volume. But writing the book means truly saying goodbye to her dad, and facing the scrutiny of his devoted (and occasionally obnoxious) fans. When she stops communicating with her New York City publishing house, they send editor Sam Avery to coastal Ireland to help her write what will surely be their biggest hit in years. Sam isn’t just an editor, though—he’s also Frank Sheridan’s biggest admirer and has an encyclopedic knowledge of the series. Ciara has no interest in working with a Ravian fanboy (Sam even has a Ravian tattoo), and she’s worried her writing won’t live up to her dad’s legacy. Sam is more than just a fan, though—he’s also a great editor who truly cares about producing a top-notch book, and Ciara slowly warms to him and begins writing. They both want the book to be the best it can be, but will they be able to reconcile their very different lives and write their own love story—especially if Ciara’s involvement becomes more public? Walsh creates a fully believable world with a fantasy series that seems real—Frank Sheridan’s readers bring to mind the devotion of Game of Thrones fans. Ciara’s small town in Ireland provides a perfectly cozy setting, and Sam and Ciara have delightful chemistry as they’re forced to work together and share a house.
A wonderfully charming rom-com that’s perfect for book lovers.Pub Date: March 10, 2026
ISBN: 9798217043781
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: Dec. 9, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 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
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
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