A stunning Sapphic Victorian romance from an author to watch.
A debutante meets a new friend who becomes something more.
Miss Elizabeth Demeroven is ready for her first season. She’s been presented to Queen Victoria, she’s been strapped into her hoop skirts, and she’s off to find a husband, because she and her widowed mother will have nowhere to live if she doesn’t. At her first ball, where she’s cornered by a lecherous old nobleman, she’s quite grateful to be saved by Lady Guinevere Bertram and her widower father—both of whom are also technically on the market, though they can afford to avoid actual marriages. In Gwen, Beth has found a kindred spirit, and both are relieved to have a friend to help get them through the upcoming crush of balls and parties. Once the two discover that their parents were once sweet on each other, they hatch a plan to make them fall back in love; not only do they want to see their parents happy, but a marriage between them would also mean that neither of their daughters would have to get married. In the process, Gwen and Beth discover that they have strong feelings for each other, and before long, they act on them. Unfortunately, their parents won’t be trapped, which means that just as she’s discovered real love, Beth has to return to her original goal and accept a proposal from an inoffensive young man with an atrocious father; suddenly, any future with Gwen is out of reach. Alban’s debut is a witty, complex slow burn that offers a welcome new perspective on the Victorian marriage market. In addition to a well-paced story with charming heroines, it’s heightened by thoughtful, realistic historical detail—who knew hoop skirts could be both so troublesome and so useful? The book is lightly spicy and remarkably intense, thanks to the emotional connection between Beth and Gwen as well as the many barriers between the two women and their happy ending. Readers will be eager for the next installment.
A stunning Sapphic Victorian romance from an author to watch.Pub Date: Jan. 9, 2024
ISBN: 9780063312005
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Avon/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2023
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
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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