A sweet tale of finding love and redemption that fans of strong female leads will particularly enjoy.
A woman’s reluctant return to her hometown leads to unexpected romance in Gibbs’ debut novel.
When Penny Crenshaw discovers her husband, Teddy, is cheating on her with a much younger woman, she thinks her life is going to fall apart. Having grown up in a broken home, with only her grandparents as her emotional anchors, Penny thought she had cultivated the perfect life and marriage in Atlanta, Georgia, miles away from Camden, Kentucky, the hometown she ran away from. Soon, the gossip about her marriage becomes too much to bear, and, after Teddy whisks their three children away to Africa for the summer, Penny decides to go back to Camden to sort out the estate of her grandmother, Ruby Ray. The narrative introduces flashbacks to Penny’s childhood to illustrate why she left Camden (and why she took to heart the lesson, “You don’t go poking the bear. You might not be so lucky next time”). When she runs into Bradley Hitchens, her high school sweetheart, the situation grows more complicated. The author crafts a complex will-they, won’t-they romantic dynamic that delves into the importance of confronting personal demons and the irony of finding yourself in the place you tried to leave behind. Though the constant interference by various well- and ill-meaning characters in Camden can grow a little frustrating at times (and read as an overemphasis on the politics of small-town gossip mills), Gibbs’ thoughtful handling of Penny’s setting herself free by returning to her past is so engrossing that it seldom matters. Although primarily a romance narrative, the multifaceted plot is refreshing in that the hero, a mother entering middle age, is allowed the room to find and understand herself in addition to becoming embroiled in a romance plot.
A sweet tale of finding love and redemption that fans of strong female leads will particularly enjoy.Pub Date: May 16, 2023
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 354
Publisher: Red Adept Publishing
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 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
A charming dual-timeline romance about learning from past mistakes.
In Yarros’ latest romance novel, a young woman hires a handsome but infuriating writer to complete her late great-grandmother’s half-finished book.
After her marriage to a Hollywood producer ends in high-profile divorce, 28-year-old Georgia Stanton returns to her childhood home in Colorado. When she arrives at the house where she was raised by her great-grandma—the famous romance author Scarlett Stanton—she finds her mother, Ava, lying in wait. Georgia is in possession of the only unfinished manuscript that her deceased relative left behind, and her own mom wants her to sell the rights so they can get some cash. Georgia succumbs to the pressure and enters a deal in which another author will finish the book’s second half. The manuscript tells Scarlett’s life story, including how she found, and lost, her one true love. Georgia feels strongly that the finished novel must reflect the true events of Scarlett’s life, as difficult as they may have been. Unfortunately, the publishers hire Noah Harrison, a stubborn writer at the height of his career, who has his own fictional vision for the novel’s ending. As Noah and Georgia butt heads, each of them researches Scarlett’s history in England during World War II. As they learn more about Scarlett and Jameson Stanton, the fighter pilot she loved, Georgia and Noah must navigate their own increasingly complicated relationship. With two equally engrossing storylines, this book will draw in even seasoned romance readers. As the story jumps between past and present, the author also alternates present-day perspectives between Georgia and Noah, moving deftly between her characters’ distinct voices. The relationships are well developed, and the love that Scarlett felt for Jameson is especially palpable. Along with the sweetly romantic themes, the book explores several heftier topics, including personal ambition, grief, family discord, and self-esteem. The story has a few digressions that do little to advance the plot, but the main characters are sufficiently engrossing that readers will want to stick with them to the end.
A charming dual-timeline romance about learning from past mistakes.Pub Date: Feb. 23, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-68281-566-3
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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