An accomplished, thoroughly winning debut.
A familiar Regency opposites-attract romance becomes something freshly seductive in the hands of a skilled newcomer.
After a decade in the army, shaken by the depravity of the Spanish battlefields and disabled by a gunshot wound to the leg, Oliver Rivington returns gratefully to the social order of Regency London and the cosseted life afforded him as the son of an earl. He doesn’t anticipate having to visit the offices of Jack Turner, a rough-and-ready fixer to whom his sister Charlotte paid 200 pounds for services Oliver shudders to imagine. Turner takes one look at the gorgeous nobleman and is reminded why he went into business in the first place: to help others get out from under the thumbs of men like Rivington. Raised in the slums of St. Giles, the son of criminals, Jack now uses his rather shady skill set for good. He’d like to send Rivington on his way, but the memory of stumbling upon the handsome blond in a rapturous embrace with another young fop gives him pause. "There were few enough men who shared Jack's preferences—let alone sons of earls—that he certainly wasn't likely to forget a single one." Realizing they must work together to help Charlotte out of her predicament, each utilizes tactics afforded to him by his social position. Watching Jack, who has a kind of Sherlock-ian cleverness, pursue his quarry is one of the unexpected delights of this intelligent novel. Sebastian deploys dialogue, especially the men's frequent disagreements, to great and often hilarious effect. When the sexual tension becomes too much to resist, the way forward is clouded by social disapproval, Oliver’s unreflective obedience to the law, and Jack’s distrust of both the nobility and his own heart. Sebastian turns in a solid suspense plot, but the impeccably constructed psychology is the winner, with its intricate layers of motives, desires, and fears.
An accomplished, thoroughly winning debut.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-0626-4248-6
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Avon/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an...
True love flares between two people, but they find that circumstances always impede it.
On a winter day in London, Laurie spots Jack from her bus home and he sparks a feeling in her so deep that she spends the next year searching for him. Her roommate and best friend, Sarah, is the perfect wing-woman but ultimately—and unknowingly—ends the search by finding Jack and falling for him herself. Laurie’s hasty decision not to tell Sarah is the second painful missed opportunity (after not getting off the bus), but Sarah’s happiness is so important to Laurie that she dedicates ample energy into retraining her heart not to love Jack. Laurie is misguided, but her effort and loyalty spring from a true heart, and she considers her project mostly successful. Perhaps she would have total success, but the fact of the matter is that Jack feels the same deep connection to Laurie. His reasons for not acting on them are less admirable: He likes Sarah and she’s the total package; why would he give that up just because every time he and Laurie have enough time together (and just enough alcohol) they nearly fall into each other’s arms? Laurie finally begins to move on, creating a mostly satisfying life for herself, whereas Jack’s inability to be genuine tortures him and turns him into an ever bigger jerk. Patriarchy—it hurts men, too! There’s no question where the book is going, but the pacing is just right, the tone warm, and the characters sympathetic, even when making dumb decisions.
Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an emotional, satisfying read.Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-525-57468-2
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: July 30, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.
Eleven years ago, he broke her heart. But he doesn’t know why she never forgave him.
Toggling between past and present, two love stories unfold simultaneously. In the first, Macy Sorensen meets and falls in love with the boy next door, Elliot Petropoulos, in the closet of her dad’s vacation home, where they hide out to discuss their favorite books. In the second, Macy is working as a doctor and engaged to a single father, and she hasn’t spoken to Elliot since their breakup. But a chance encounter forces her to confront the truth: what happened to make Macy stop speaking to Elliot? Ultimately, they’re separated not by time or physical remoteness but by emotional distance—Elliot and Macy always kept their relationship casual because they went to different schools. And as a teen, Macy has more to worry about than which girl Elliot is taking to the prom. After losing her mother at a young age, Macy is navigating her teenage years without a female role model, relying on the time-stamped notes her mother left in her father’s care for guidance. In the present day, Macy’s father is dead as well. She throws herself into her work and rarely comes up for air, not even to plan her upcoming wedding. Since Macy is still living with her fiance while grappling with her feelings for Elliot, the flashbacks offer steamy moments, tender revelations, and sweetly awkward confessions while Macy makes peace with her past and decides her future.
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.Pub Date: April 10, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5011-2801-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018
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