A sprawling supernatural love story.
A rational woman finds herself linked to an otherworldly man in Gastreich’s supernatural romance novel.
Dr. Mayela Lehman has been experiencing strange visions featuring a dark, mysterious man. They feel like almost like memories, though they can’t be—perhaps the visions have something to do with the grief she still feels over the death of her husband. Mayela is an entomologist, and after a day of gathering native bee samples, she likes to stop by her friend Joni’s café for a cup of coffee and pin her finds. One day, while she’s impaling insects in her booth, a man walks into the café: “Standing in the doorway was the man from my hallucinations, a creature of the dark plains. Tall and slim, broad-shouldered, dark in aspect.” The man, Nathan de la Rosa, is much less sinister—and more handsome—in person. He reveals that he works in the renewable energy industry, and, after a short conversation, he asks Mayela out to dinner. Mayela is excited until she gets home and her mystically minded mother, Gabriela, tells her that Nathan is immortal and Mayela may be, too. Mayela thinks her mother’s crazy, but there’s certainly more to Nathan than meets the eye. He can help Mayela figure out the mysteries of her past, but what he wants in return may be more than Mayela is willing to give. The author’s prose imbues her fantasy world with sensuality, as here when Mayela and Nathan share their first kiss: “Until this moment, I hadn’t been sure he was real. Not when we walked arm in arm through the Art Fair, not when we hugged on the bridge, not when we held hands in the car. But now? Now I could taste the vivid, sensual pull of his lips, savor the lingering wine on his breath.” The story’s mythology is dense, and it takes a long time for readers to orient themselves in the world of the novel. Once things kick into gear, however, Gastreich throws enough complications in Mayela’s way to keep things entertaining.
A sprawling supernatural love story.Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2024
ISBN: 9781509253302
Page Count: 364
Publisher: Wild Rose Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of...
Hoover’s (November 9, 2015, etc.) latest tackles the difficult subject of domestic violence with romantic tenderness and emotional heft.
At first glance, the couple is edgy but cute: Lily Bloom runs a flower shop for people who hate flowers; Ryle Kincaid is a surgeon who says he never wants to get married or have kids. They meet on a rooftop in Boston on the night Ryle loses a patient and Lily attends her abusive father’s funeral. The provocative opening takes a dark turn when Lily receives a warning about Ryle’s intentions from his sister, who becomes Lily’s employee and close friend. Lily swears she’ll never end up in another abusive home, but when Ryle starts to show all the same warning signs that her mother ignored, Lily learns just how hard it is to say goodbye. When Ryle is not in the throes of a jealous rage, his redeeming qualities return, and Lily can justify his behavior: “I think we needed what happened on the stairwell to happen so that I would know his past and we’d be able to work on it together,” she tells herself. Lily marries Ryle hoping the good will outweigh the bad, and the mother-daughter dynamics evolve beautifully as Lily reflects on her childhood with fresh eyes. Diary entries fancifully addressed to TV host Ellen DeGeneres serve as flashbacks to Lily’s teenage years, when she met her first love, Atlas Corrigan, a homeless boy she found squatting in a neighbor’s house. When Atlas turns up in Boston, now a successful chef, he begs Lily to leave Ryle. Despite the better option right in front of her, an unexpected complication forces Lily to cut ties with Atlas, confront Ryle, and try to end the cycle of abuse before it’s too late. The relationships are portrayed with compassion and honesty, and the author’s note at the end that explains Hoover’s personal connection to the subject matter is a must-read.
Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of the survivors.Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5011-1036-8
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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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