by Olivia Waite ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 15, 2021
A disarmingly sweet Regency romp.
Instantaneous attraction drives the latest romance from the author of The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows (2020) and The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics (2019).
Sophie Roseingrave and her family are forced to leave London when a dishonest business partner ruins her father’s piano shop and her dreams of becoming a concert pianist. In the mill city of Carrisford, Sophie encounters the most beautiful woman she’s ever seen. It’s immediately clear to Sophie that Maddie Crewe is up to no good, but she ultimately learns that Maddie is up to no good for a good cause. She and her fellow weavers have hatched an elaborate plan to get even with a local merchant who's been cheating them for years. This scheme is pure screwball comedy, and it sets the tone for a lighthearted story in which there are no barriers to love. Waite’s Regency England is placidly multicultural and liberal minded. The Roseingraves befriend a Black father and son. An Indian immigrant and a Jewish merchant seem to be close to an engagement by the end of the novel. Maddie shares a house with a polyamorous mélange. No one is the least bit perturbed by the idea of an affair between women. In fact, Sophie’s parents actively support her relationship with Maddie. Some romance fans may be dissatisfied by the speed and eagerness with which Sophie and Maddie become sexual partners, but others will likely be willing to trade the pleasures of the slow burn for heroines who experience neither confusion nor shame nor hesitancy in their intense mutual desire. This book is a bit lighter than the first two installments in the Feminine Pursuits series, but there are some tender moments that are truly affecting, and Waite’s prose is often quite striking. Consider, for example, this arresting image: “It gave Sophie a queer feeling in the core of her, as though she were trying to remember tomorrow night’s dream.”
A disarmingly sweet Regency romp.Pub Date: June 15, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-293183-2
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Avon/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
Share your opinion of this book
More by Olivia Waite
BOOK REVIEW
by Olivia Waite
BOOK REVIEW
by Olivia Waite
More About This Book
PERSPECTIVES
by Colleen Hoover ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 18, 2022
Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.
Awards & Accolades
Likes
305
Our Verdict
GET IT
New York Times Bestseller
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
Share your opinion of this book
More About This Book
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
by Rebecca Yarros ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 2021
A charming dual-timeline romance about learning from past mistakes.
Awards & Accolades
Likes
11
Our Verdict
GET IT
In Yarros’ latest romance novel, a young woman hires a handsome but infuriating writer to complete her late great-grandmother’s half-finished book.
After her marriage to a Hollywood producer ends in high-profile divorce, 28-year-old Georgia Stanton returns to her childhood home in Colorado. When she arrives at the house where she was raised by her great-grandma—the famous romance author Scarlett Stanton—she finds her mother, Ava, lying in wait. Georgia is in possession of the only unfinished manuscript that her deceased relative left behind, and her own mom wants her to sell the rights so they can get some cash. Georgia succumbs to the pressure and enters a deal in which another author will finish the book’s second half. The manuscript tells Scarlett’s life story, including how she found, and lost, her one true love. Georgia feels strongly that the finished novel must reflect the true events of Scarlett’s life, as difficult as they may have been. Unfortunately, the publishers hire Noah Harrison, a stubborn writer at the height of his career, who has his own fictional vision for the novel’s ending. As Noah and Georgia butt heads, each of them researches Scarlett’s history in England during World War II. As they learn more about Scarlett and Jameson Stanton, the fighter pilot she loved, Georgia and Noah must navigate their own increasingly complicated relationship. With two equally engrossing storylines, this book will draw in even seasoned romance readers. As the story jumps between past and present, the author also alternates present-day perspectives between Georgia and Noah, moving deftly between her characters’ distinct voices. The relationships are well developed, and the love that Scarlett felt for Jameson is especially palpable. Along with the sweetly romantic themes, the book explores several heftier topics, including personal ambition, grief, family discord, and self-esteem. The story has a few digressions that do little to advance the plot, but the main characters are sufficiently engrossing that readers will want to stick with them to the end.
A charming dual-timeline romance about learning from past mistakes.Pub Date: Feb. 23, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-68281-566-3
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Share your opinion of this book
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.