A tough-as-nails hero and a clever take on female empowerment add layers to a fun, sexy story of self-discovery.
A salty wonder woman learns to open up in Woeppel’s unconventional superhero romance.
Birdie Bowden is tired of the sexism and public scrutiny that comes with being the “Chicago Bird,” her city’s official superhero. She is losing patience with “the weight of responsibility” and “always being careful who is watching.” After a public relations disaster during an attempted rescue of a drunken baseball fan, Birdie is put on leave. She retreats to the lakeside suburb of Grove, where she reluctantly attends her mandated therapy sessions with the soft-but-tough Dr. Marly Evans. She begins to reckon with the traumatic relationships from her past (neither her mother or her ex-fiance could handle her superhuman abilities). Another of Dr. Evans’ patients, the spunky Evie, takes Birdie under her wing and gives her a place to stay. Evie, a recovering cancer patient trying to repair her marriage, pushes Birdie to open up and enjoy herself. Their friendship deepens, as does Birdie’s prickly relationship with Evie’s brother, the annoyingly grumpy but devastatingly attractive Aiden. As Birdie grows closer to them both, she starts to challenge her assumption that her abilities prevent her from forming attachments to ordinary humans. As her leave comes to an end, Birdie must decide if she can return to a job that requires her to tame her fiery character and if her fledgling romance with Aiden can survive once he knows her true strength. Woeppel cleverly uses a superhero protagonist to explore the constraining expectations for working women and the ways in which society discourages unchecked displays of female strength. Birdie’s grit and foul language make her an unusual but very appealing romantic hero. Likewise, Aiden has an openness and ease that make him more engaging than the average gruff, prickly love interest; the chemistry between these two tough cookies is satisfyingly steamy. Extroverted and zany Evie makes for a great best friend—her struggles in the aftermath of her illness lend her a depth that adds to the emotional complexity of the story. Cozy cottages, quirky summer festivals, and comfy Adirondack chairs provide a picturesque backdrop for Birdie’s new beginning.
A tough-as-nails hero and a clever take on female empowerment add layers to a fun, sexy story of self-discovery.Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2024
ISBN: 9781632998774
Page Count: 314
Publisher: River Grove Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 26, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
Expert, but unsurprising.
The death of an old friend who was more than a friend sends Dr. Kay Scarpetta down her latest rabbit hole.
If every body tells a story, the corpse of 7-year-old Luna Briley sings the blues. On top of the many signs of ongoing physical abuse, there’s the fatal gunshot wound to her head. Ryder and Piper Briley, the wealthy and powerful parents who didn’t call the police until after their daughter died, insist that Luna’s death was an accident, or maybe a suicide. Scarpetta doesn’t think so, and her refusal to release the body to the Brileys’ hand-picked mortician moves them to legal action against her as Virginia’s chief medical examiner. You’d think it would be a relief to put this case aside for another when Scarpetta’s niece, Secret Service agent Lucy Farinelli, calls her and ferries her by helicopter to an abandoned Oz theme park owned by Ryder Briley, but this one’s even more heartbreaking. Scarpetta is there to examine the body of astrophysicist Sal Giordano, her close friend and former lover, who was evidently kidnapped, held in captivity for several hours, and tossed out of an unidentified aircraft. The leading suspects are the Brileys; Carrie Grethen, Lucy’s sociopathic ex-lover, with whom Scarpetta has repeatedly tangled in the past; and the UFO that dumped Giordano’s body without leaving the usual traces for air-traffic technologies to pick up. The multiple rounds of physical examinations Scarpetta conducts on both victims are every bit as meticulous and gripping as fans would expect; the killer’s identity is neither surprising nor interesting, but Cornwell juggles her trademark forensics, and the paranormal hints she’s become increasingly invested in, more dexterously than usual.
Expert, but unsurprising.Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2024
ISBN: 9781538770382
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Review Posted Online: Aug. 29, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2024
BOOK TO SCREEN
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