“An easy, trope-y romance that feels original and entirely winsome.” four weeks of scandal
resolution. A lot of recognizable tropes get teased—nice guy vs. playboy; demanding job vs. artistic ambitions—but these don’t quite play out in satisfying ways. What Coleman delivers instead is a great look inside the music industry, especially the creative aspect. Many industry-immersive novels are high gloss but low depth. This one gives as much rich, loving detail to its nonfamous characters as it does to the flashier ones. Everyone here has complications, and they have great conversations with each other, which may just be enough for some readers. More angst-y and informative than the romp it first appears to be.
FOUR WEEKS OF SCANDAL
Frampton, Megan Avon/HarperCollins (368 pp.) $8.99 paper | June 28, 2022 978-0-06-302312-3
A young woman discovers unexpected love in this contemporary romance. Jam-packed with drama from the very beginning, Hockman’s second novel follows 26-year-old recent law school graduate Cassidy Walker after she has a car accident and wakes up from a six-day coma. She’s devastated that her boyfriend, Devin, isn’t at the hospital, and she’s frantic to find him. But Cass’ mother and her best friend are confused by her urgent ramblings about her three-month-long relationship with Devin. The memories of a grand romance Cass has carried from her coma are fake—she’s never had a boyfriend named Devin. Hockman’s story unfurls as Cass struggles with the emotional aftermath of her car accident, adjusting to her new job at the prestigious Smith & Boone law firm, and her desire to find the man of her literal dreams. A year later, she does just that, meeting Devin Bloom and his brother, Perry, face to face at their flower shop when she stops in for a bouquet. This chance encounter sparks the beginning of a relationship that feels like fate. It’s far from perfect, though, as Hockman soon shows, and Cass and Devin seem to take turns acting immaturely. Still, Cass is sure to earn readers’ affections with her wit, charm, and passionate disposition. The book can be predictable at times, but the pleasingly imperfect characters more than make up for that, and Hockman’s bright, witty language ties everything together. A romantic comedy with a satisfying twist of fate.
y o u n g a d u lt
A bargain, a fake engagement, gambling, and mythology are combined in the fifth Hazards of Dukes romance. Octavia Holton, part owner of a gambling house in London, has a debt to pay, so when she learns her estranged father has died, she travels from London to the countryside to sell his house. She and her sister, Ivy, left years ago after their father nearly gambled them away as future brides. Despite this, Octavia is certain he would have left them the house, so she’s shocked when she arrives and finds a naked man in the pond. Gabriel Fallon, a scholar of Greek mythology, claims he is the rightful owner of the house because her father lost it to his father in a card game or a roll of the dice. Gabriel agrees to give Octavia one month to search for any documents that might prove otherwise. In the meantime, the pair will live in, and fix up, the long-neglected house, pretending they are engaged. A household staff of locals moves in, and soon they all start to feel like a family. Octavia and Gabriel know they should see each other as opponents, but their attraction is undeniable from the start. As the bargain’s end draws near, neither wants to let go. The way mythology, particularly the tale of Hades and Persephone, is woven into this sizzling romance is delightful, and the characters are captivating. Octavia is like a breath of fresh air. She’s spontaneous, outspoken, and sometimes selfish. She grows throughout the novel, but Gabriel loves her for exactly who she is right from the beginning. There is respect and admiration throughout, even when the two disagree and frustrate each other. The conflict keeping them apart—not seeing how they could fit their lives together—feels realistic for these adeptly crafted characters. An easy, trope-y romance that feels original and entirely winsome.
DREAM ON
Hockman, Angie Gallery Books (352 pp.) $16.99 paper | July 5, 2022 978-1-9821-7757-7
YOU WERE MADE TO BE MINE
Long, Julie Anne Avon/HarperCollins (368 pp.) $8.99 paper | June 28, 2022 978-0-06-304510-1
The runaway French fiancee of an English diplomat is followed to England by a recently freed spy with his own agenda. Having fled the man she was engaged to marry, young Lady Aurelie Capet finds her way to the Grand Palace on the Thames boardinghouse and manages to fake her way into becoming a temporary lodger under the name Mary Gallagher. Anxious to head to Boston and her only surviving family, she is only waiting to liquidate some assets for the trip when Christian Hawkes crashes into the dockside inn, bleeding from a knife wound. The motley inhabitants rally to his aid, mistaking him for an expected new guest. But it is Aurelie, posing as the widowed Mrs. Gallagher, who volunteers to watch over the feverish man, realizing that her recent misfortune has |
kirkus.com
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romance
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15 may 2022
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