A racy guilty pleasure that should appeal to fans of erotic romance.
A young violin prodigy falls in love with the man sworn to protect her in this novel.
At the age of 12, Samantha Brooks endured a horrific tragedy when her father, Alistair, an ambassador, died suddenly of a heart attack. Alistair’s death left her completely alone; her mother was not in the picture, and her brother was not interested in raising her. Samantha was rescued from an uncertain future by Liam North, a former soldier and founder of the security firm North Security, based in Kingston, Texas. Liam never met Samantha before her father died, but he knew Alistair and believed he had a “civic responsibility” to care for her. Liam became her legal guardian and raised her on his Kingston compound where she could develop her talent as a violinist. Six years later, Samantha is on the verge of turning 18 and embarking on a high-profile tour with a tenor named Harry March. Before she leaves for the tour, Samantha tells Liam how much she desires him. Liam lusts for the beautiful violin prodigy, but there are aspects about her father’s death he does not want her to discover. Samantha and Liam give in to temptation, but her impending tour and dangerous secrets from the past threaten their intense connection. Warren’s (The Evolution of Man, 2018, etc.) latest romance deftly mixes music, eroticism, and international intrigue. Liam is a strong and focused alpha male, committed to protecting Samantha’s safety at all times so she can pursue her music career. Samantha grew up in the glare of the media spotlight as a prodigy, but she kept her ardor for Liam a closely guarded secret. The shift in their relationship unfolds slowly in scenes that build a considerable amount of erotic tension. The author is adept at incorporating music into Samantha and Liam’s encounters, particularly in a scene where her violin playing is a prelude to passion (“My limbs feel like they’re made of jelly as I play the opening rise of Beethoven’s 5 Secrets again. Liam’s fingers work with devastating accuracy to bring me to the peak”). A subplot involving the death of Samantha’s father gives the narrative a healthy dose of mystery and provides the groundwork for a sequel.
A racy guilty pleasure that should appeal to fans of erotic romance.Pub Date: Jan. 24, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-940518-91-6
Page Count: 312
Publisher: Book Beautiful
Review Posted Online: Feb. 26, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The phrase “tour de force” could have been invented for this audacious novel.
Four men who meet as college roommates move to New York and spend the next three decades gaining renown in their professions—as an architect, painter, actor and lawyer—and struggling with demons in their intertwined personal lives.
Yanagihara (The People in the Trees, 2013) takes the still-bold leap of writing about characters who don’t share her background; in addition to being male, JB is African-American, Malcolm has a black father and white mother, Willem is white, and “Jude’s race was undetermined”—deserted at birth, he was raised in a monastery and had an unspeakably traumatic childhood that’s revealed slowly over the course of the book. Two of them are gay, one straight and one bisexual. There isn’t a single significant female character, and for a long novel, there isn’t much plot. There aren’t even many markers of what’s happening in the outside world; Jude moves to a loft in SoHo as a young man, but we don’t see the neighborhood change from gritty artists’ enclave to glitzy tourist destination. What we get instead is an intensely interior look at the friends’ psyches and relationships, and it’s utterly enthralling. The four men think about work and creativity and success and failure; they cook for each other, compete with each other and jostle for each other’s affection. JB bases his entire artistic career on painting portraits of his friends, while Malcolm takes care of them by designing their apartments and houses. When Jude, as an adult, is adopted by his favorite Harvard law professor, his friends join him for Thanksgiving in Cambridge every year. And when Willem becomes a movie star, they all bask in his glow. Eventually, the tone darkens and the story narrows to focus on Jude as the pain of his past cuts deep into his carefully constructed life.
The phrase “tour de force” could have been invented for this audacious novel.Pub Date: March 10, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-385-53925-8
Page Count: 720
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PROFILES
PERSPECTIVES
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.
Sisters work together to solve a child-abandonment case.
Ellie and Julia Cates have never been close. Julia is shy and brainy; Ellie gets by on charm and looks. Their differences must be tossed aside when a traumatized young girl wanders in from the forest into their hometown in Washington. The sisters’ professional skills are put to the test. Julia is a world-renowned child psychologist who has lost her edge. She is reeling from a case that went publicly sour. Though she was cleared of all wrongdoing, Julia’s name was tarnished, forcing her to shutter her Beverly Hills practice. Ellie Barton is the local police chief in Rain Valley, who’s never faced a tougher case. This is her chance to prove she is more than just a fading homecoming queen, but a scarcity of clues and a reluctant victim make locating the girl’s parents nearly impossible. Ellie places an SOS call to her sister; she needs an expert to rehabilitate this wild-child who has been living outside of civilization for years. Confronted with her professional demons, Julia once again has the opportunity to display her talents and salvage her reputation. Hannah (The Things We Do for Love, 2004, etc.) is at her best when writing from the girl’s perspective. The feral wolf-child keeps the reader interested long after the other, transparent characters have grown tiresome. Hannah’s torturously over-written romance passages are stale, but there are surprises in store as the sisters set about unearthing Alice’s past and creating a home for her.
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.Pub Date: March 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-345-46752-3
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2005
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