An addictive, rollicking tale of friendship, love, and lust.
Gordon’s steamy romance follows a gorgeous and influential tech executive caught between two dashing Irish brothers.
Rose Ross is 32 years old and struggling to balance her obligations as the COO of her father’s tech company and her true passion for the art world. Because her father is the wealthiest Black man in the United States, Rose worries whether she can handle the pressure of Rick Ross Enterprises, as she has already given up a serious relationship to focus on work. To raise the stakes even higher, her father has asked her to succeed him as the next CEO. When her client Brianna Morrison asks if Rose can travel to Belfast to help curate an enormous charity art exhibition, Rose uses the opportunity to get away from work for a month to explore her passion. But she doesn’t anticipate the distractions that await her in Belfast, which come in the form of Brianna’s brothers, Niall and Aedan King. Equal parts charming and devilishly handsome, the brothers immediately take an interest in Rose. Since all three are staying in the family’s castle together, a tricky scenario ensues. On top of Rose’s demanding art schedule and her amorous run-ins with Niall and Aedan, there is continuous concern for her physical safety; plenty of unscrupulous outsiders are eager to see Rick Ross Enterprises fall should she disappear. When Rose’s ex-lover shows up on a whim, she must decide once and for all which man she wants—if any of them. Gordon’s novel will attract romance lovers of every stripe, especially those who prefer a bit of mystery and drama. The author’s love scenes sizzle, and her characters are well rounded in both a physical and psychological sense; she also doesn’t forget to expand on the history of Northern Ireland’s lush countryside. The book features a strong, ambitious female protagonist who is open to relationships but also knows that any love interest has to be compatible with her career—a favorable attribute in a modern romance. Despite moments when Rose has so many suitors that it can be difficult to keep track of them, this novel will likely keep its readers intellectually and emotionally engaged.
An addictive, rollicking tale of friendship, love, and lust.Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9798985356601
Page Count: 396
Publisher: 12:56 a.m.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 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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