For a more patient reader.
A nerdy shifter and a quirky human become the spontaneous guardians of an orphaned bear-cub shifter in this paranormal romantic comedy.
Lila Kai is used to being new in town, frequently uprooting her life when the mood strikes. For now, she's decided to settle in Lilydale, Minnesota, with dreams of owning her own home and continuing her business as a teddy-bear surgeon—she repairs broken or ripped stuffed animals for children. Moving day is already a stressful affair, but she manages to hit a wolf with her vehicle and stumble across an injured bear cub, which she then takes home. Lila isn't fazed by the cub's transformation into a 10-year-old girl named Sally Smalls or by a handsome, disheveled man named Oz ripping her screen door off its hinges. Oz Adway is a wolf shifter and accountant who has lofty dreams of becoming a caseworker for the Interspecies Placement Agency. Sally is his first case and is having a hell of a time with it; she doesn't believe her parents have died and is scared of entering the foster system. Oz and Lila frequently collide, using Sally as an excuse to see one another, until things start getting dangerous. After all, Lila is a human in a town full of shifters, and there are some who'd prefer it if she packed up and headed elsewhere. She's also an odd duck with a bit of a mysterious past, and her twee eccentricity quickly loses its charm. Oz is just as big of a goofball, tripping over his words whenever he's in Lila's presence. They clearly have fun with one another, but the romantic chemistry isn't there. The stakes on whether they should or shouldn't start a relationship never feel very high, as both are incredibly accepting and flexible. The novelty of caseworkers for supernatural children is the best part of the book.
For a more patient reader.Pub Date: Feb. 23, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-4926-9704-6
Page Count: 360
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
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 wallowing, emotionally wrenching family drama that leaves little time for romance.
Two people with bad luck in relationships find each other through a popular Reddit thread.
Emma Grant and her best friend, Maddy, are travel nurses, working at hospitals for three-month stints while they see the country. Just a few weeks before they’re set to move to Hawaii, Emma reads a popular “Am I the Asshole” Reddit thread from a Minnesota man who thinks he’s cursed—women he dates find their soulmates after breaking up with him, and the latest one found true love with his best friend! Emma has had a similar experience, which inspires her to DM the man and commiserate. She’s delighted by her witty, lively interactions with software engineer Justin Dahl, and is intrigued when he suggests that if they date each other, maybe they’ll each find their soulmate afterward. Emma upends the Hawaii plan and convinces Maddy to move to Minneapolis for the summer so she can meet Justin in person. The overly complex setup brings Emma and Justin together and the two hit it off, with Justin immediately falling head over heels for Emma. Jimenez then pivots to creating romantic roadblocks and melodramatic subplots centering on each character’s family of origin. Justin’s mother is about to serve six years in prison for embezzlement, which means Justin must move back home to care for his three much younger siblings. Emma was traumatized by her own mother for much of her childhood, left to fend for herself and eventually abandoned in the foster system. When her mother shows up in Minnesota, Emma must face her traumatic childhood and admit that she has prioritized her mother’s well-being over her own. There is little time devoted to Emma’s painful efforts to heal herself enough to accept Justin’s love, which leaves the novel feeling unsatisfying.
A wallowing, emotionally wrenching family drama that leaves little time for romance.Pub Date: April 2, 2024
ISBN: 9781538704431
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Forever
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
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