A charming romance of seemingly mismatched partners rendered with wit and heart.
A Boston businessman and the operator of a horse rescue farm in North Carolina clash and connect in Dodd’s romance novel.
In Mimosa, North Carolina, Boston real estate developer Gideon West hangs on for dear life as a “marauding mustang,” which his local contacts suggested he ride to inspect some land, bucks wildly out of control. A mocking red-haired woman appears, saves him by grabbing the reins, and leaves without revealing her name. Gideon soon learns that she is Everest Kennedy, the daughter of Mimosa’s mayor, who operates Second Chance Farms, which takes in neglected and abused horses.Everest is looking to expand her operations, and Gideon’s interest in the area is particularly worrying to her. Visiting her father to learn more about the situation, Everest runs into Gideon again, kicking off a series of interactions that progress from wary banter (particularly on Everest’s part) to full-blown mutual attraction. Everest agrees to a short-term dating relationship, initially to keep abreast of Gideon’s plans and to fend off her friends’ urging that she get a life outside of work. The couple’s relationship moves to the next level when Gideon whisks Everest off to Boston and his amazing condo. She then faces a new crisis; Everest could never leave Mimosa, and she can’t imagine Gideon giving up his luxurious city lifestyle. Gideon becomes obsessed with an ill-fated grand gesture intended to prove his love before his business partners propose a wonderful solution.
The author unspools this tale in fast-moving short chapters that alternate between Gideon’s and Everest’s perspectives, yielding often amusing results; Everest, intoxicated by Gideon’s cologne when socializing with him in a bar, notes to herself, “I needed either to switch seats or learn how to breathe through my skin like a frog.” Gideon, used to swaggering about in tuxedos at Boston social events, wonders how “I had become the guy who, in a span of less than twelve hours, had been thoroughly emasculated by a runaway horse, shot beer out of his nose in public, and was now covered from the knees down in a different horse’s nose vomit.” The rescue and care of horses are key narrative elements, beautifully rendered in several touching and dramatic scenes that also become occasions for Everest and Gideon to further bond with and appreciate each other. The progression to love made by these very different people is presented believably, with each character’s epiphanies about their true feelings teased out in part by commentary from the colorful cohort of insightful secondary characters, including Everest’s best friend, Cammie Givens; her father, Mayor Jackson Kennedy; and Leroy, her second-in-command at the farm.Gideon’s transformation from a rather cocky eligible bachelor to gesture-making supplicant is a particularly sweet and engaging aspect of this story; even his partners, introduced as frat-boy types, reveal themselves to be surprisingly wise and loving as they help him to find happiness. Dodd also has fun with romance conventions (Gideon’s grand gesture being the chief example), which the story both follows and regards with a wink.
A charming romance of seemingly mismatched partners rendered with wit and heart.Pub Date: May 16, 2023
ISBN: 9798986288048
Page Count: 334
Publisher: Sugar Beaver Books, LLC
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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
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
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