A tedious 400-plus-page plot summary of the GhostWalker series is barren soil for a romance plot.
A woman who has been in hiding for years is discovered by the man genetically engineered to be her mate.
Camellia Mist grew up in the clutches of evil scientist Peter Whitney, a man who experimented on humans in an attempt to create a race of supersoldiers. The men he experimented on became GhostWalkers, while the girls he kidnapped were engineered to be their perfect mates. Jonas Harper was part of the first group of GhostWalkers, and now he and the remaining members of their team have created a fortress to keep themselves safe from further experimentation. On a hike near their compound, he senses a compelling presence and tracks it through the forest to Camellia’s solitary fortress. Years earlier, when Camellia and the other women escaped from Whitney’s clutches, she was betrayed by one of her closest friends in the process. Determined never to trust again, Camellia hid away and focused on harnessing the incredible talents she gained in Whitney’s experiments: She can communicate with the entire ecosystem of plants in the forest and can channel the healing properties of the rare flower called the Middlemist Red Camellia. Jonas and Camellia can’t resist the powerful compulsion to be together even though they realize that Whitney engineered their connection. This is Feehan’s 18th book in the GhostWalker series, and nearly half of the book is pure exposition of previous storylines and characters in the form of Camellia and Jonas talking to each other. They talk face to face, talk telepathically, and finally she teaches him to talk to the plants. Their romance is a fait accompli with little tension or spark, and the external forces threatening the GhostWalkers are conveniently put on hold until Camellia and Jonas run out of things to talk about and have to go fight a battle.
A tedious 400-plus-page plot summary of the GhostWalker series is barren soil for a romance plot.Pub Date: March 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-43908-1
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Dec. 14, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 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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