A thought-provoking, deeply satisfying romance from a master of the genre.
When a white Navy SEAL’s teen daughter disappears, his smart, resourceful African-American neighbor steps in to help and becomes an emotional touchstone—for the crisis and beyond.
Not even the danger and chaos of the SEALs can prepare Navy Lt. Peter Greene for becoming sole parent of Maddie Nakamura, the 15-year-old daughter he barely knows, after her mother, his estranged ex-girlfriend, dies. Then she disappears. The more Pete investigates, the more he believes she’s in real danger, and he’s terrified. His neighbor, Shayla Whitman—a quick-witted romance novelist with two teen sons of her own—unexpectedly gets involved in the search, acting as wise confidante, brave co-conspirator, and brilliant partner in fact-finding, and Pete thinks he’s found his perfect match. Shayla is wildly attracted to her gorgeous neighbor but so convinced that they can only be friends—she’s older and, in her mind, a frumpy housewife—that she nearly convinces Peter, too. She finally decides to explore their potential thanks to Pete’s special brand of persuasion and a few brushes with danger. As the couple falls in love, Shayla helps Pete write heartfelt emails to Maddie about his relationship with her mother, and they also connect with Hiroko, Pete's old friend and Maddie’s great-aunt, the last living person who can speak about their family's experience in the World War II Japanese internment camp Manzanar. Maddie has also asked Hiroko for help, claiming she’s doing a project on the family's internment and needs money to get to the site. Hiroko gives her some, inadvertently sending her and her friend Dingo into even more danger. What started as a quest to bring his daughter home turns into a life-or-death rescue mission for Pete, aided by Shayla’s intelligence under pressure and some last-minute support from his SEAL friends. Brockmann's latest takes up the tone and direction of her recent Troubleshooters novellas, which explore love close to home rather than against the international backdrops the series is known for, and in smaller but no less intense ways. Brockmann brings her typical storytelling virtuosity to this new setting and also delves into the dark history of the Japanese internment during World War II and subtly comments on domestic abuse as well as society’s continuing racial prejudices through the characters’ experiences.
A thought-provoking, deeply satisfying romance from a master of the genre.Pub Date: July 11, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-345-54382-0
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: April 17, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2017
A thoughtful and pensive tale with intelligent characters and a satisfying romance.
A promise to his best friend leads an Army serviceman to a family in need and a chance at true love in this novel.
Beckett Gentry is surprised when his Army buddy Ryan MacKenzie gives him a letter from Ryan’s sister, Ella. Abandoned by his mother, Beckett grew up in a series of foster homes. He is wary of attachments until he reads Ella’s letter. A single mother, Ella lives with her twins, Maisie and Colt, at Solitude, the resort she operates in Telluride, Colorado. They begin a correspondence, although Beckett can only identify himself by his call sign, Chaos. After Ryan’s death during a mission, Beckett travels to Telluride as his friend had requested. He bonds with the twins while falling deeply in love with Ella. Reluctant to reveal details of Ryan’s death and risk causing her pain, Beckett declines to disclose to Ella that he is Chaos. Maisie needs treatment for neuroblastoma, and Beckett formally adopts the twins as a sign of his commitment to support Ella and her children. He and Ella pursue a romance, but when an insurance investigator questions the adoption, Beckett is faced with revealing the truth about the letters and Ryan’s death, risking losing the family he loves. Yarros’ (Wilder, 2016, etc.) novel is a deeply felt and emotionally nuanced contemporary romance bolstered by well-drawn characters and strong, confident storytelling. Beckett and Ella are sympathetic protagonists whose past experiences leave them cautious when it comes to love. Beckett never knew the security of a stable home life. Ella impulsively married her high school boyfriend, but the marriage ended when he discovered she was pregnant. The author is especially adept at developing the characters through subtle but significant details, like Beckett’s aversion to swearing. Beckett and Ella’s romance unfolds slowly in chapters that alternate between their first-person viewpoints. The letters they exchanged are pivotal to their connection, and almost every chapter opens with one. Yarros’ writing is crisp and sharp, with passages that are poetic without being florid. For example, in a letter to Beckett, Ella writes of motherhood: “But I’m not the center of their universe. I’m more like their gravity.” While the love story is the book’s focus, the subplot involving Maisie’s illness is equally well-developed, and the link between Beckett and the twins is heartfelt and sincere.
A thoughtful and pensive tale with intelligent characters and a satisfying romance.Pub Date: Feb. 26, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-64063-533-3
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Review Posted Online: Jan. 2, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.
Eleven years ago, he broke her heart. But he doesn’t know why she never forgave him.
Toggling between past and present, two love stories unfold simultaneously. In the first, Macy Sorensen meets and falls in love with the boy next door, Elliot Petropoulos, in the closet of her dad’s vacation home, where they hide out to discuss their favorite books. In the second, Macy is working as a doctor and engaged to a single father, and she hasn’t spoken to Elliot since their breakup. But a chance encounter forces her to confront the truth: what happened to make Macy stop speaking to Elliot? Ultimately, they’re separated not by time or physical remoteness but by emotional distance—Elliot and Macy always kept their relationship casual because they went to different schools. And as a teen, Macy has more to worry about than which girl Elliot is taking to the prom. After losing her mother at a young age, Macy is navigating her teenage years without a female role model, relying on the time-stamped notes her mother left in her father’s care for guidance. In the present day, Macy’s father is dead as well. She throws herself into her work and rarely comes up for air, not even to plan her upcoming wedding. Since Macy is still living with her fiance while grappling with her feelings for Elliot, the flashbacks offer steamy moments, tender revelations, and sweetly awkward confessions while Macy makes peace with her past and decides her future.
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.Pub Date: April 10, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5011-2801-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018
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