A funny and very steamy romance about the importance of being open to love and all that life has to offer.
When a vineyard owner reunites with her first-ever female crush, complicated feelings arise.
Zoe Brennan has turned the family vineyard she runs with her dad into her whole life—as a single woman in a Georgia mountain town with a tiny queer community, she doesn’t really have a choice. She focuses on Bluebell Vineyards and tries to ignore her loneliness, even though it “feels like a boulder inside of [her], separating [her] from everyone [she] love[s].” But when her dad decides to return to his native Italy to see his dying mother, Zoe’s world is thrown into chaos. She’s trying desperately to get a fancy wine festival to hold its showcase at Bluebell, but with her dad—Bluebell’s vintner—gone, she’s not sure how she’ll ever make it happen. But luckily—or unluckily—her dad has just hired a talented vintner to be his replacement: Laine Woods, also known as Zoe’s first crush, her mortal enemy’s sister, and the woman with whom she accidentally had a blindfolded threesome (it’s a long story). Clearly, Zoe and Laine have some history, but even aside from their one-night stand and Zoe’s sexual awakening, it’s not clear if they’ll be able to work together. Laine has been in Napa, far away from Blue Ridge, Georgia, and she brings in a ton of snobbery around the tiny vineyard. Zoe’s not sure she can handle the changes Laine wants to make to her family’s wine—it feels like Laine is stomping all over her parents’ history. However, neither of them can deny their potent chemistry. Zoe has to decide if she’s willing to open herself up to love, even if it involves the risk of being crushed. Lee creates a lovely, cozy world in Blue Ridge’s wine community. Zoe’s zany friends add a sparkle to the story, while her relationship with Laine is full of intense longing and creative sex scenes.
A funny and very steamy romance about the importance of being open to love and all that life has to offer.Pub Date: yesterday
ISBN: 9781454955221
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Union Square & Co.
Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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 thoughtful and pensive tale with intelligent characters and a satisfying romance.
A promise to his best friend leads an Army serviceman to a family in need and a chance at true love in this novel.
Beckett Gentry is surprised when his Army buddy Ryan MacKenzie gives him a letter from Ryan’s sister, Ella. Abandoned by his mother, Beckett grew up in a series of foster homes. He is wary of attachments until he reads Ella’s letter. A single mother, Ella lives with her twins, Maisie and Colt, at Solitude, the resort she operates in Telluride, Colorado. They begin a correspondence, although Beckett can only identify himself by his call sign, Chaos. After Ryan’s death during a mission, Beckett travels to Telluride as his friend had requested. He bonds with the twins while falling deeply in love with Ella. Reluctant to reveal details of Ryan’s death and risk causing her pain, Beckett declines to disclose to Ella that he is Chaos. Maisie needs treatment for neuroblastoma, and Beckett formally adopts the twins as a sign of his commitment to support Ella and her children. He and Ella pursue a romance, but when an insurance investigator questions the adoption, Beckett is faced with revealing the truth about the letters and Ryan’s death, risking losing the family he loves. Yarros’ (Wilder, 2016, etc.) novel is a deeply felt and emotionally nuanced contemporary romance bolstered by well-drawn characters and strong, confident storytelling. Beckett and Ella are sympathetic protagonists whose past experiences leave them cautious when it comes to love. Beckett never knew the security of a stable home life. Ella impulsively married her high school boyfriend, but the marriage ended when he discovered she was pregnant. The author is especially adept at developing the characters through subtle but significant details, like Beckett’s aversion to swearing. Beckett and Ella’s romance unfolds slowly in chapters that alternate between their first-person viewpoints. The letters they exchanged are pivotal to their connection, and almost every chapter opens with one. Yarros’ writing is crisp and sharp, with passages that are poetic without being florid. For example, in a letter to Beckett, Ella writes of motherhood: “But I’m not the center of their universe. I’m more like their gravity.” While the love story is the book’s focus, the subplot involving Maisie’s illness is equally well-developed, and the link between Beckett and the twins is heartfelt and sincere.
A thoughtful and pensive tale with intelligent characters and a satisfying romance.Pub Date: Feb. 26, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-64063-533-3
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Review Posted Online: Jan. 2, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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