A familiar romance set in an extraordinarily gripping world.
A jaded New York werewolf who's been branded a criminal has little hope for his future until he crosses swords with his take-no-prisoners lawyer.
While there's little doubt that ex-Marine Joe Peluso has killed six Russian mobsters, psychologist and lawyer Neha Ahluwalia is determined to look for nuance that will help mount a defense. However, Joe, who has killed the bear-shifters to avenge the death of his foster brother, refuses to disclose any details. Joe's abrasive reticence aside, Neha is fighting battles on several other fronts in a country rocked into political chaos by the revelation that supernatural beings walk among ordinary citizens: She must beware of the nefarious links between New York’s Russian underworld and its government, duck the surveillance drones forever circling the city, and contend with social prejudices that deem her wolf-shifter client a monster. Even as Joe and Neha are trying in vain to fight an uncomfortably strong sexual attraction, they are thrust into a battle for survival when Joe is attacked in jail. Cornered by dangerous predators, they turn to the Third Shift, a powerful security organization trying to restore justice in a deeply polarized society. In the inaugural installment of the Third Shift series, Snyder builds a compelling universe, evocatively describing everyday life in a world where social structures are fractured by prejudice and fear. In the process, she alludes to several contemporary realities, including the difficulties associated with measuring varying experiences of marginalization and oppression against each other. While Joe and Neha are engaging personalities, the progress of their relationship feels abrupt and lacks emotional heft. But the cast of secondary characters is so refreshingly diverse and engaging that it's easy to overlook the protagonists’ penchant for going around in circles.
A familiar romance set in an extraordinarily gripping world.Pub Date: Jan. 26, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-72821-497-9
Page Count: 312
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Review Posted Online: Oct. 13, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
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
A heartfelt look at taking second chances, in life and in love.
Two struggling authors spend the summer writing and falling in love in a quaint beach town.
January Andrews has just arrived in the small town of North Bear Shores with some serious baggage. Her father has been dead for a year, but she still hasn’t come to terms with what she found out at his funeral—he had been cheating on her mother for years. January plans to spend the summer cleaning out and selling the house her father and “That Woman” lived in together. But she’s also a down-on-her-luck author facing writer’s block, and she no longer believes in the happily-ever-after she’s made the benchmark of her work. Her steadily dwindling bank account, though, is a daily reminder that she must sell her next book, and fast. Serendipitously, she discovers that her new next-door neighbor is Augustus Everett, the darling of the literary fiction set and her former college rival/crush. Gus also happens to be struggling with his next book (and some serious trauma that unfolds throughout the novel). Though the two get off to a rocky start, they soon make a bet: Gus will try to write a romance novel, and January will attempt “bleak literary fiction.” They spend the summer teaching each other the art of their own genres—January takes Gus on a romantic outing to the local carnival; Gus takes January to the burned-down remains of a former cult—and they both process their own grief, loss, and trauma through this experiment. There are more than enough steamy scenes to sustain the slow-burn romance, and smart commentary on the placement and purpose of “women’s fiction” joins with crucial conversations about mental health to add multiple intriguing layers to the plot.
A heartfelt look at taking second chances, in life and in love.Pub Date: May 19, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9848-0673-4
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Jove/Penguin
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2020
BOOK TO SCREEN
PERSPECTIVES
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