Light paranormal fare that takes care to be tolerant and kind.
A bisexual pastry chef who's a virgin at 32 finds happily-ever-after with a witch who uses her magical powers to repair toaster ovens and other small appliances.
Not all American witches live in Salem, Massachusetts. Four hundred years ago, a pragmatic bunch moved west to Illinois to avoid execution and live polite Midwestern lives among the "mundanes," Aguirre's term for muggles. Danica Waterhouse, a modern-day descendant, co-owns a repair shop called Fix-It Witches, where she and her cousin Clementine use their technomancer powers to repair malfunctioning machines. She and Clem have made a pact to always stick together and never be sidetracked by love; their ultraconservative grandmother has told them that if they ever marry a mundane, they'll lose their magical powers, and the pool of genetically correct male witches (found on Bindr, the witchy version of Tindr) is thin on the ground. Danica and Clem plan to have children with magic sperm from the "witch-only sperm bank" and find family with the wonderful members of their coven (aka their book club). Then into her shop walks Titus Winnaker, owner of Sugar Daddy's bake shop, for help repairing a broken oven. Titus has been unnaturally unlucky in love (hint, hint); his last girlfriend married a biologist studying puffins in Iceland. Danica and Titus are jolted by the strength of their mutual attraction but also fearful: he because he might screw up another relationship and never, ever have sex, she because she's been taught that witch-mundane marriages are forbidden. Aguirre keeps the tone light and fun, punctuated by passionately detailed sex. (After mutual orgasms: " ‘I should have told you before,’ he said breathlessly. ‘My [STD] test results, I have them.’ ") The family, the friends, and even the tough witch hunter (more in the next volume about him) check all the rom-com boxes. Though the resolution of the family issues is predictable and a bit tedious, it's fun to know that witches can handle their birth control magically.
Light paranormal fare that takes care to be tolerant and kind.Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-72824-016-9
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2021
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
This slightly smutty monster romance feels more like a spectacle than a deliberately paced story.
A woman travels to Scotland to unravel her late father’s past and meets a grumpy Scotsman with his own secrets.
Keyanna MacKay was brought up by a single father who was always tight-lipped about his upbringing, so when he dies, she’s left with no family. Key decides that learning about his life before he left Scotland would be a good way of keeping his memory close and perhaps connecting with long-lost relatives. She discovers a grandmother and other extended family in Scotland, but they’re hardly welcoming. “I know who you are....And you shouldn’t have come,” are the first words her grandmother says to her. Lachlan Greer has little patience for the American he’s already written off as clueless. When he witnesses Key’s snubbing by her family members, his grumpy demeanor gives way to begrudging pity, and he starts helping her navigate the local community and try to build a bridge to her grandmother. At first, this book seems to be a contemporary romance with light magical undertones involving a family’s mysterious curse, but it quickly devolves into a monster romance heavy on shock value. While monster romance can be fun, it doesn’t work here. Key and Lachlan’s chemistry is bumpy, and the pace of their relationship as they go from disastrous first impressions to a happily ever after is all over the place. Ferguson tries to combine too many elements—including a grumpy-meets-sunshine pairing, a mystery with sensitive family dynamics, and the complicated logistics of falling in love with a cryptid—leaving several threads not fully resolved. The setting is the most positive element, with Scotland’s lush greenery providing the perfect whimsical background for hunting down long-buried family secrets.
This slightly smutty monster romance feels more like a spectacle than a deliberately paced story.Pub Date: Dec. 3, 2024
ISBN: 9780593816851
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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