by Seressia Glass ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 12, 2023
A modern love story that any true gamer will enjoy.
An advocate for equal representation in video games tangles with the CEO of the company she's recently put on blast.
As a Black woman gamer, Samara Reynolds is used to living two separate lives, using the "ReyofSun" alias for her online presence. She's built her platform on the importance of diversity and representation in gaming, and she's never hesitated to call out companies for slacking in that department—even if it means being subjected to online vitriol. When she calls out Artemis Games for a racist depiction of a non-player character in its game Legendsfall, her video goes viral, forcing Artemis CEO Aron Galanis to sit up and take notice. He decides to meet with the mysterious ReyofSun in person, to show that he's serious about implementing change at Artemis. Samara is suspicious of Aron's intentions, so she's shocked when he flat-out offers her a job revising Legendsfall. It means she'll be a part of the Artemis team for the next few weeks—and it also means she'll be working up close and personal with Aron himself. The more time they spend in each other's space, the harder it becomes to keep things professional, and when their personal relationship eventually goes public, the internet haters may be enough to drive them apart. Although the book tackles some important real-life issues, like the heightened level of harassment faced by women of color, the story relies a bit too heavily on exposition and plot to maneuver the characters in various directions rather than letting the characters themselves drive the narrative. Still, Aron continually evolves to earn Samara's love and commitment, paying attention to her physical and emotional needs and making him the kind of hero worth swooning over.
A modern love story that any true gamer will enjoy.Pub Date: Dec. 12, 2023
ISBN: 9780593199077
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Oct. 7, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2023
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BOOK REVIEW
by Ali Hazelwood ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 4, 2025
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
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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.
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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
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