A seriously sexy romance that delivers on genre expectations while also feeling fresh and energetic.
A career-oriented woman who relishes her freedom meets her match in an attractive ski instructor with a haunted past in Blackhall’s romance novel.
In this third installment of the Bristol Park series, New York City resident Stacy Barclay heads off for a much-needed getaway with her two best friends to a cozy ski resort in Abbeydon, a few hours outside the city. As the senior analyst for a financial firm, Stacy desperately needs to unwind, having just learned that she hadn’t received a much-deserved promotion (“What was worse, the guy who did had a less impressive portfolio and less experience”). When she meets the resort’s ski instructor, Luke Tverberg, sparks immediately fly and the two begin a sexually charged game of cat-and-mouse. It turns out that Luke has enjoyed frequent dalliances with guests over his years of nomadic seasonal living, but currently he’s celibate, and has been so for over a year. He also has a tragedy in his past: His girlfriend, Becca, was killed during a carjacking 10 years ago, just a few days before Christmas. Ever since, Luke avoids commitment—and the holidays—as much as he possibly can. But his connection with Stacy proves to be something special, even as they both tell each other (and themselves) that they want to keep things strictly physical: “Stacy was different. He’d felt it the moment they met, and every interaction they’d had since.” When Luke finally makes a move toward something more serious, Stacy’s feeling that she must choose between her job and romantic happiness threatens everything they have.
In chapters told from alternating third-personviewpoints, readers get an inside look at both main characters’ inner lives. Stacy’s dedication to proving herself in an “old boys’ network” will be relatable to many readers, and Luke’s tale of teenage heartbreak tackles grief in a surprisingly meaningful way. Blackhall also makes sure to hit the high notes that romance fans expect: Engaging sexual tension, a cozy wintry backdrop, and protagonists who resist love until they can’t. Smooth prose and naturalistic dialogue make this a breezy read, and the characters are well-developed throughout. Even the side players get brief moments to shine, as when Luke’s gay brother, Erik, navigates the tricky world of small-town dating. Blackhall’s characters also display a healthy attitude toward sex with casual references to vibrators, testing for sexually transmitted diseases, and condoms. One of the most swoon-worthy comments comes from Luke’s insistence on clear sexual communication: “I take consent very seriously, and your comfort even more so.” The sex scenes themselves are frequent, explicit, and passionate. A few elements feel repetitive, including references to Luke’s sexually charged growling and occasional other phrases (“he wanted, no he needed more”; “She wanted, no, she needed more”; “She wanted, no, she needed it harder”). Still, Blackhall manages to craft a racy romantic novel that also weaves in serious themes—a classic story that’s also perfectly modern.
A seriously sexy romance that delivers on genre expectations while also feeling fresh and energetic.Pub Date: Nov. 14, 2023
ISBN: 9781802505825
Page Count: 324
Publisher: Totally Bound Publishing
Review Posted Online: Nov. 16, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
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
SEEN & HEARD
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