Aguirre enlarges the usual romance world to include respecting and honoring those who are different from us.
In Aguirre's second book about the Midwestern coven of St. Claire, Clementine Odette Waterhouse is part owner of Fix-It Witches, the shop where magic powers repair small appliances.
Clementine carries the world on her shoulders. When her family is in trouble, they come to Clem. Her mother was abused and deserted by her husband and cries on Clem’s shoulder. Her father, now on his fourth wife, won’t stop calling Clem even though she’s blocked him on her smartphone. (Apparently witches still have to block.) And her cousin Danica, her partner at Fix-It Witches, who’s in out-of-control love with a mundane (witch-speak for Muggles), has carelessly allowed her powers to spike, and a witch hunter has picked up the vibe and traveled to St. Claire on his vintage Ducati motorcycle. After an emergency coven meeting, Clem announces: “No worries. I'll handle him.” As all romance readers know, handling the tall, dark, rugged British stranger with the beard-stubbled face is a losing proposition. Gavin Rhys was bred to hunt witches by a cruel dad who caned and starved him. He would like to stop hunting, but the “order” won't allow it. He longs for a place to call home and an ongoing relationship and is pretty much an easy mark for Clem, the foxy, funny, sex-talking young woman he meets at a town bar. They start to date: She takes him to a petting farm; he makes her lunch. Aguirre is always healthfully correct: Gavin makes sure to tell Clem the lunch isn’t gluten- or nut-free, and before sex, they both get tested for STDs and show each other the test results. Clem is softening by the minute and gives Gavin a mouse he names Benson and carries with him everywhere. Great sex and growing affection do not diminish the fact that a hunter is endangering her coven. He's a real threat. When a gang of violent witch “enforcers” arrive, the coven unites to cast a spell to get rid of them. Aguirre shows how strong these women are together and details the shapes and colors of their intricate spells. Meanwhile, Gavin makes contact with the grandfather he hasn’t seen for 20 years, who gives him some surprising information that helps him pursue a relationship with Clem.
Aguirre enlarges the usual romance world to include respecting and honoring those who are different from us.Pub Date: April 5, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-72824-019-0
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2022
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
Slow and plodding.
A young woman with a magical ability to harness light discovers she is royalty.
Talasyn is a foot soldier for her homeland of Sardovia, which has been under attack for the past decade by the powerful and evil Night Empire, a conflict known as the Hurricane Wars. Talasyn is an orphan with no knowledge of her family, but she assumes they might be the source of her rare, magical Lightweaving talent. During a battle with the forces of the Night Empire, Talasyn spars with Prince Alaric, a fierce warrior who is the son and heir to the Night Emperor. Talasyn is sent on a covert mission into Nenavar, a nearby matriarchy that has remained neutral during the Hurricane Wars, to try to access a Light Sever which could hone and refine her magic. Instead, she discovers she is the heir to their royal throne; she and her mother, now presumed dead, disappeared under mysterious circumstances when she was a year old. Alaric follows her into Nenavar, and they discover his magical ability to cast darkness and shadows produces shocking results when mixed with her Lightweaving. A few weeks later, the Night Empire defeats Sardovia and ends the Hurricane Wars, and the novel transitions to a tedious, slow-moving story of court intrigue and diplomacy. A group of Sardovian soldiers and refugees seek asylum in Nenavar, but Talasyn’s grandmother agrees to protect them only if Talasyn agrees to join the royal court and marry Alaric. The politics surrounding the impending wedding is the primary plot for the rest of the novel, and it’s a slog. The glacially slow pacing only serves to highlight the confusing world building and underdeveloped characters. It’s unclear why Alaric and Talasyn are attracted to each other, and their tentative romance is just as stuck in a rut as the plot.
Slow and plodding.Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2023
ISBN: 9780063277274
Page Count: 480
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2023
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