A sweet love story brimming with music and nostalgia.
A computer programmer reconnects with her college crush in this second-chance romance.
Walking into a Tulsa, Oklahoma, record store, Casey Washington is immediately hit by a blast from her past: Adam Raines. Eighteen years ago, they shared math and science classes and a passion for live music, but Adam—now a co-owner of the record store, music journalist, and songwriter—was married and soon expecting his first child. Almost 40 years old, Casey now lives in Portland, Oregon, a single and successful computer whiz with millions to her name. But the death of her beloved yet complex father has her back in Tulsa, preparing her childhood home for sale and getting ready to unload her dad’s prized assortment of records (“His record collection was his baby”). Adam is divorced, with two teenage girls from his marriage and a toddler son from a rebound fling, and when he sees Casey again, romantic feelings from their college days immediately resurface. As Adam helps Casey categorize and sell her dad’s records, a new love begins to blossom—but life isn’t quite as simple anymore, especially with his family responsibilities and the fact that her job and home are far away. When a secret from Adam’s mother’s past comes to light, its repercussions may once again drive the pair apart. Alternating Casey’s and Adam’s perspectives, Vinson’s sequel presents a likable couple with a host of realistic obstacles. Casey is a once-favored daughter who is now taking on the bulk of responsibilities after her father’s death while spending time with her brother and his partner and two children. Adam is a dad sharing custody with two exes and dealing with a sullen and moody 15-year-old daughter. When it becomes clear that the main characters’ connection is far more than a “just in town” dalliance, they must also cope with challenges relating to geography and family, even before a potentially devastating truth is revealed. Casey and Adam’s chemistry remains palpable throughout the enjoyable tale, as does their potential to be “the one” for each other.
A sweet love story brimming with music and nostalgia.Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781958342091
Page Count: 276
Publisher: KV BOOKS LLC
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A surprisingly sensual sports romance.
A collegiate diver and swimmer secretly pursue kink together, and risk falling in love along the way.
Scarlett Vandermeer is struggling. Despite a successful recovery from the injury that almost ended her Stanford diving career, she hasn’t been able to get her head together, and it’s affecting her performance. Plus, she’s trying to stay focused on getting into medical school. A relationship would be out of the question. By comparison, Lukas Blomqvist is a swimming idol, a record-breaker who wins medals as easily as breathing, and Scarlett has long been convinced he would never look in her direction—until one fateful night when a mutual friend lets slip that they have something unexpected in common: Scarlett likes to be submissive in the bedroom, while Lukas prefers to take a dominant approach. Now, they both know a big secret about each other, and it’s something neither of them can stop thinking about. It’s Lukas who suggests they have a fling—purely physical, just to take the edge off, so Scarlett can get out of her own head and stop overthinking her dives. Initially, their arrangement is easy to stick to, but the more time they spend together, the more Scarlett starts to realize that what she feels for Lukas is more than physical attraction. Complicating the situation is the fact that Scarlett’s friend Penelope Ross used to go out with Lukas, and the longer Scarlett keeps mum about her true feelings for him, the more difficult it is to keep the situation hidden from another person she really cares about. While Scarlett and Lukas’ relationship does begin as a physical one, their deeper psychological connection takes a little too long to emerge amid all the other storylines, resulting in a somewhat rushed resolution. However, Hazelwood’s latest is proof of the depth and maturity that has emerged in her writing over the years, and it highlights her embrace of sexier, more emotional elements than were present in her original STEMinist rom-coms.
A surprisingly sensual sports romance.Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9780593641057
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2025
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
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