A delightfully multifaceted story from a writer who continues to map out new territory for Regency romance.
An undercover mapmaker and an undercover marquess fall for each other.
R. Fleming is known to draw the finest maps in London, but no one has ever met the actual cartographer: Rose Fleming, a woman whose work secretly keeps her family’s business afloat. She was raised learning mapmaking and surveying at her uncle’s side, but as it’s the Regency era, even though the shop was left to her in her uncle’s will and she handles all the commissions, her husband is in charge of the business and their accounts. Her marriage hasn’t been what she expected, but she’s resigned herself to a quiet life doing the work she loves. When her husband hires a new footman, she’s intrigued first by his good looks and then his candor, unexpected from someone in service. He’s surprisingly forward because he isn’t, as he claims, Alex, a farmer’s son. He’s actually Alex, Marquess of Brandon, and he’s working undercover as a footman because he suspects Rose’s husband has colluded with Brandon’s neighbors to cheat his family out of land on their country estate. He expects a footman position will allow him to do a bit of quick snooping to find proof of the fraud and destroy Fleming, but he quickly learns both that life as a footman is harder than he thought and that Rose is much more captivating than he’d imagined. As the complex plot unfolds, Rose and Alex are drawn to each other again and again, but the secrets they are keeping from each other might turn what seems like a happy ending into a final disappointment. Quincy delivers another compelling story featuring a hardworking heroine in the third entry in her Clandestine Affairs series. She also once again explores the difficulties of living in the Regency ton while also being of Arab descent as well as the ways in which class mobility could occur (or not) in this era. But what makes the story unusually daring is that its heroine starts the story married to one man and ends it married to another, via an elegant twist that ensures she retains the empathy and respect of the reader throughout. As the story also contains a slow burn as well as several passionately intimate scenes, there’s much for readers to love.
A delightfully multifaceted story from a writer who continues to map out new territory for Regency romance.Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-06-298684-9
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Avon/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 4, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
Henry fans, rejoice: This is her best yet.
A recently dumped librarian finds herself fake dating her polar opposite.
When Daphne Vincent’s fiance, Peter, dumps her, she’s shocked—but the worst part is that he’s leaving her for his gorgeous best friend, Petra, the woman he’d always told Daphne not to worry about. Now Daphne has to move out of Peter’s home and restart her life in the small Michigan town where she’d moved to be with him. Salvation comes in the form of Miles Nowak, Petra’s ex—he has a tiny spare room in his apartment, and he understands what it’s like to wallow in heartbreak. Daphne feels lucky to have her dream job as a children’s librarian, but other than that, she feels adrift and friendless in Waning Bay—and then she and Miles get invitations to Peter and Petra’s wedding. In a momentary lapse of judgment, Daphne not only says she’ll attend the wedding, but tells Peter she’s dating Miles. It would be the perfect way to show Peter and Petra that they’ve moved on…if only it were true. In the grand tradition of fake-dating romances, Daphne and Miles pretend to be in love, getting to know each other while having various adventures and misadventures. Daphne quickly learns that although she’d dismissed Miles as a pothead with a lack of direction, he’s actually a good time—and a loyal friend. But Daphne knows she needs to get out of Waning Bay, so this fake relationship can’t lead anywhere…can it? Reliable bestseller Henry has written another surefire hit that manages to be dramatic, sexy, and fun. Miles and Daphne have chemistry that leaps off the page, and their will-they-or-won’t-they energy propels the story to its satisfying conclusion. Daphne is an immensely likable character, one whose past realistically informs her current relationships. The world of Waning Bay is charmingly quirky, and Daphne’s co-workers at the library are endearing. As always, Henry’s biggest strength is the sharp, often hilarious dialogue that makes the story a joy to read.
Henry fans, rejoice: This is her best yet.Pub Date: April 23, 2024
ISBN: 9780593441282
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
PERSPECTIVES
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