A charming romance that’s as warm and cozy as hot chocolate on a winter’s day.
The search for a painting’s provenance leads an artist to a seaside New England town and a tantalizing mystery in this debut contemporary romance.
Boston artist Charlotte Moore is worried her first assignment as lead buyer for Troy Wallace’s gallery may be her last. Every Christmas the art gallery purchases a work to sell at its holiday gala, and Charlotte impulsively buys the final painting in an auction: a landscape of a beach at sunset with a lighthouse and a beautiful ruby ring in the foreground. Unfortunately, Troy does not like sunsets. But to her surprise, he loves the work: “The balance of the tone with the ring is exquisite and the brush strokes are incredible—I’ve never seen anything like it.” He wants Charlotte to find out the name of the artist and the story behind the painting. The only clues are a date, Dec. 24, 1919, and the location of the lighthouse, Seabreeze, New Hampshire. With 12 days to go before the gala, Charlotte travels to Seabreeze, where she quickly befriends the local residents, including Nancy and Richard Bennett and their son, Aidan. Charlotte immerses herself in the history of Seabreeze and soon discovers the Bennett family may be connected to the priceless ring depicted in the painting. As her inquiry progresses, an attraction develops between Charlotte and Aidan, and she wonders if the search for the work’s origins could also lead to the love of a lifetime. Gibson’s romance is as bright and sparkling as the ruby ring at the center of the painting. Charlotte is a strong and amiable protagonist. A talented artist recovering from a devastating breakup, she finds that her passion for painting is reignited by her trip to Seabreeze and her hunt for answers. The author deftly weaves together two central narratives—Charlotte’s present-day investigation involving the striking painting and flashbacks to 1919 and the poignant tale of Oliver Bennett and Alice Baker, childhood sweethearts torn apart by a misunderstanding. Each story could stand on its own, but together the two threads form a rich tapestry connecting the history of a town and its citizens to a remarkable piece of art.
A charming romance that’s as warm and cozy as hot chocolate on a winter’s day.Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9798987711552
Page Count: -
Publisher: Harpeth Road Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 20, 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
This slightly smutty monster romance feels more like a spectacle than a deliberately paced story.
A woman travels to Scotland to unravel her late father’s past and meets a grumpy Scotsman with his own secrets.
Keyanna MacKay was brought up by a single father who was always tight-lipped about his upbringing, so when he dies, she’s left with no family. Key decides that learning about his life before he left Scotland would be a good way of keeping his memory close and perhaps connecting with long-lost relatives. She discovers a grandmother and other extended family in Scotland, but they’re hardly welcoming. “I know who you are....And you shouldn’t have come,” are the first words her grandmother says to her. Lachlan Greer has little patience for the American he’s already written off as clueless. When he witnesses Key’s snubbing by her family members, his grumpy demeanor gives way to begrudging pity, and he starts helping her navigate the local community and try to build a bridge to her grandmother. At first, this book seems to be a contemporary romance with light magical undertones involving a family’s mysterious curse, but it quickly devolves into a monster romance heavy on shock value. While monster romance can be fun, it doesn’t work here. Key and Lachlan’s chemistry is bumpy, and the pace of their relationship as they go from disastrous first impressions to a happily ever after is all over the place. Ferguson tries to combine too many elements—including a grumpy-meets-sunshine pairing, a mystery with sensitive family dynamics, and the complicated logistics of falling in love with a cryptid—leaving several threads not fully resolved. The setting is the most positive element, with Scotland’s lush greenery providing the perfect whimsical background for hunting down long-buried family secrets.
This slightly smutty monster romance feels more like a spectacle than a deliberately paced story.Pub Date: Dec. 3, 2024
ISBN: 9780593816851
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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