A complex tale of forbidden passion that’s likely to engage genre fans.
Warren’s erotic romance novel about a college sophomore and a mysterious professor explores themes of identity and agency.
Anne Hill, a scholarship student at Tanglewood University, struggles financially and is convinced by her roommate, Daisy, to go to a local high-end bar in Tanglewood City to make money by flirting with wealthy men. Anne meets a man named Will, who’s captivated by her. He buys her an expensive drink and propositions her for an hour of her time in exchange for money. Despite her initial hesitation, Anne agrees to go with him to his hotel suite for $1,000. Their interaction is intense, with Will displaying a dominant demeanor; they have sex, and Anne’s inexperience surprises Will, who asks her, “Why didn’t you tell me you were a virgin?” Later, she finds out that Will Stratford is, in fact, a comparative literature professor at her school. As Anne and Will have further encounters, their relationship becomes more complex; Anne is drawn to Will’s confidence, and he feels conflicted by his feelings for her as he deals with his own personal struggles. The author contrasts Anne’s difficult childhood and financial difficulties with his troubled history involving a mysterious and possibly dangerous group known as the Shakespeare Society. The tension between Anne and Will reaches a peak when they must decide whether their relationship can be more than just transactional. Over the course of the novel, Warren shows notable skill at character development; Anne’s need for financial stability clashes with her growing attachment to a man she barely knows, and he grapples with his need for control. Anne’s growth from an insecure student to a confident, self-assured person is compelling, and the author ably articulates her protagonist’s turmoil through first-person narration, making her relatable and sympathetic. The story occasionally lingers a bit too long on such ruminations, however, which can slow the pace, and the subplot involving the Shakespeare Society, while intriguing, feels somewhat underexplored. Nonetheless, fans of romance and dark academic settings will likely enjoy this steamy story.
A complex tale of forbidden passion that’s likely to engage genre fans.Pub Date: March 26, 2024
ISBN: 9798884343320
Page Count: 364
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: July 25, 2024
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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