A sexy holiday romp that's the perfect combination of naughty and nice.
An adult film actress and a bad-boy pop star are cast in a wholesome, made-for-TV Christmas movie. What could go wrong?
Teddy Ray Fletcher is a bit of an anomaly in the film business. On one hand, he’s the producer of Fletcher Productions’ holiday films, which run on the Hope Channel; on the other, he’s the owner of Uncle Ray-Ray’s porn studio. When Teddy’s golden starlet falls ill, he's hard-pressed to find a new Felicity before the filming of Duke the Halls starts in Christmas Notch, Vermont. When the Duke director spots a nude headshot Teddy accidentally placed in the wrong folder, she’s convinced they’ve found their new, edgier star. Against Teddy’s better judgment, they hire Bee Hobbes, aka plus-size porn star Bianca von Honey, who's “gorgeous and filthy and great for business.” While Bee loves the freedom and power of sex work, she hopes this movie will finally be her big break…even if she has to follow Teddy’s rule about staying "above reproach" while filming and pray that “chaste-as-hell” Hope Channel fans and Uncle Ray-Ray viewers don’t align. Added to the mix is former boy band member Nolan Shaw, the actor playing the duke, who’s in need of major image rehab after photos of him at an orgy during the Duluth Olympics spread around the world. Following his career downfall, Nolan will do anything to support his bipolar mother and teenage sister, like be contractually bound to good behavior for the two weeks of shooting. It turns out, however, that a fortnight of celibacy will be easier said than done for Bee and Nolan, especially when Nolan recognizes Bee as Bianca and they have mouthwatering chemistry on a set with heaving corsets and tight breeches. Murphy and Simone’s holiday romance is laugh-out-loud funny and so deliciously hot—“She smelled so sweet, like a warm sugar cookie, and the corseted dip of her waist under my hand felt like sin itself”—that readers will be glad it’s made for chilly weather.
A sexy holiday romp that's the perfect combination of naughty and nice.Pub Date: Sept. 20, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-06-322257-1
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Avon/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 7, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2022
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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