A vigorous potboiler combining over-the-top melodrama with psychological realism.
An adolescent indiscretion leads to broken hearts and sexual enslavement in Wiens' third installment of the Love, Loss, and Honor series.
Bill Schmidt and Carrie Bennett, high school sweethearts living on ranches in Washington state’s Palouse region, break up when rich vamp Willa Roberts casually seduces Bill just before graduation. Crushed, Carrie moves out East for college and, while on a vacation in Greece, has a fling with sexy crime lord Nicolas. When she tries to leave, Nicolas says that he now owns her as a concubine and forces her to continue servicing him and other men whom he loans her out to. The abuse continues until Bill, still carrying a torch, shows up to rescue her from Nicolas’ island lair; impressed by his gallantry, Nicolas lets him and Carrie go. But the pair only grow more estranged, as Carrie has grown attached to Nicolas and wants to bear his child, and Bill now considers Carrie defiled. Back in Washington, Carrie is again forced into sexual servitude when she meets Rod, who beats her, prostitutes her to other men, and forces her to make porn videos. Bill again intervenes, thrashing Rod and whisking Carrie away to her parents’ ranch, where she recovers with the help of a remorseful Willa. Romance rekindles between Bill and Carrie—and then short-circuits when Bill has a flashback to the Nicolas episode (“I…I saw a man pawing you in your slut days,” he stammers, permanently killing the mood). Danger is afoot when Nicolas’ son, Nicolas Jr., arrives incognito, scheming to lure Carrie back into thralldom once again. The novel features a lurid, implausible narrative that includes a subplot about Bill’s cousin being possessed by the soul of Bill’s long-dead father. But it’s also a penetrating exploration of the emotional dynamics of relationships, probing the yearning, hesitancy, and prickliness that arise from lingering wounds. Wiens conveys this in subtle prose that evokes rich feeling from homely details: “Carrie walked over to remove the browned slices from the toaster. Reaching across for more bread, she had to press against him for a moment. Bill’s body was fixed, immobile, yet somehow tender”). The result is a soap opera with real depth.
A vigorous potboiler combining over-the-top melodrama with psychological realism.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 9798985408386
Page Count: 230
Publisher: Manuscript
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
Henry fans, rejoice: This is her best yet.
A recently dumped librarian finds herself fake dating her polar opposite.
When Daphne Vincent’s fiance, Peter, dumps her, she’s shocked—but the worst part is that he’s leaving her for his gorgeous best friend, Petra, the woman he’d always told Daphne not to worry about. Now Daphne has to move out of Peter’s home and restart her life in the small Michigan town where she’d moved to be with him. Salvation comes in the form of Miles Nowak, Petra’s ex—he has a tiny spare room in his apartment, and he understands what it’s like to wallow in heartbreak. Daphne feels lucky to have her dream job as a children’s librarian, but other than that, she feels adrift and friendless in Waning Bay—and then she and Miles get invitations to Peter and Petra’s wedding. In a momentary lapse of judgment, Daphne not only says she’ll attend the wedding, but tells Peter she’s dating Miles. It would be the perfect way to show Peter and Petra that they’ve moved on…if only it were true. In the grand tradition of fake-dating romances, Daphne and Miles pretend to be in love, getting to know each other while having various adventures and misadventures. Daphne quickly learns that although she’d dismissed Miles as a pothead with a lack of direction, he’s actually a good time—and a loyal friend. But Daphne knows she needs to get out of Waning Bay, so this fake relationship can’t lead anywhere…can it? Reliable bestseller Henry has written another surefire hit that manages to be dramatic, sexy, and fun. Miles and Daphne have chemistry that leaps off the page, and their will-they-or-won’t-they energy propels the story to its satisfying conclusion. Daphne is an immensely likable character, one whose past realistically informs her current relationships. The world of Waning Bay is charmingly quirky, and Daphne’s co-workers at the library are endearing. As always, Henry’s biggest strength is the sharp, often hilarious dialogue that makes the story a joy to read.
Henry fans, rejoice: This is her best yet.Pub Date: April 23, 2024
ISBN: 9780593441282
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
PERSPECTIVES
BOOK TO SCREEN
SEEN & HEARD
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