In this mystery series starter, a retired cop moves into an old mansion, complete with literal and metaphorical ghosts.
Delia Sanchez is ready for a new chapter in her life. After 15 years in the Los Angeles Police Department and recent deaths in her family, she attends an open house for the Loring Mansion in LA’s Santa Clotilde neighborhood. She thinks, “This is my do-over,” but there are strings attached: The house’s buyer must be caregiver to its current feline residents, Zoeth and Esmeralda, for 10 years—and Delia hates cats. It also turns out that the house has a resident ghost. Delia isn’t a believer in the paranormal, but strange happenings start to wear down her skepticism as she tries to write her new novel. Meanwhile, her nephew Val and cousin Dora move in to renovate the place, offering a buffer against the house’s spectral presence. When Delia takes in Marisol, a young victim of domestic abuse, the odd found family bands together to get to the bottom of the haunting. Gill ably balances the book’s eerier storyline with comedy, as when a spooked Delia mistakenly attacks her nephew with a water gun or a character comments that powdered sugar on his suit might be mistaken for cocaine and make him seem “more interesting.” Delia’s relationship with her deceased brother Jimmy is carefully drawn, as is Marisol’s heartbreaking storyline. The book’s romance between Delia and Gabriel McBride, whom she meets at the local bistro, is well paced, though it proves to be one of the story’s less interesting threads. Some elements feel unearned, including an intervention from Delia’s siblings that’s resolved in less than a page. There’s also some clunky writing, as when Delia considers Marisol’s predicament: “I contemplated the younger woman knowing that the weakness to our plan of protecting her was the very love that she had for her family that kept her from going home.” This said, the mystery is well limned, and while a little predictable, the denouement is grounded and satisfying.
A slightly uneven paranormal tale with as many family laughs as fearful held breaths.Pub Date: June 16, 2022
ISBN: 979-8885905091
Page Count: 346
Publisher: Palmetto Publishing
Review Posted Online: Sept. 2, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Categories: MYSTERY & DETECTIVE | GENERAL MYSTERY & DETECTIVE | SUPERNATURAL THRILLER
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Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.
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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 27, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
Categories: ROMANCE | CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE | GENERAL ROMANCE | GENERAL FICTION
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SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of...
156
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Hoover’s (November 9, 2015, etc.) latest tackles the difficult subject of domestic violence with romantic tenderness and emotional heft.
At first glance, the couple is edgy but cute: Lily Bloom runs a flower shop for people who hate flowers; Ryle Kincaid is a surgeon who says he never wants to get married or have kids. They meet on a rooftop in Boston on the night Ryle loses a patient and Lily attends her abusive father’s funeral. The provocative opening takes a dark turn when Lily receives a warning about Ryle’s intentions from his sister, who becomes Lily’s employee and close friend. Lily swears she’ll never end up in another abusive home, but when Ryle starts to show all the same warning signs that her mother ignored, Lily learns just how hard it is to say goodbye. When Ryle is not in the throes of a jealous rage, his redeeming qualities return, and Lily can justify his behavior: “I think we needed what happened on the stairwell to happen so that I would know his past and we’d be able to work on it together,” she tells herself. Lily marries Ryle hoping the good will outweigh the bad, and the mother-daughter dynamics evolve beautifully as Lily reflects on her childhood with fresh eyes. Diary entries fancifully addressed to TV host Ellen DeGeneres serve as flashbacks to Lily’s teenage years, when she met her first love, Atlas Corrigan, a homeless boy she found squatting in a neighbor’s house. When Atlas turns up in Boston, now a successful chef, he begs Lily to leave Ryle. Despite the better option right in front of her, an unexpected complication forces Lily to cut ties with Atlas, confront Ryle, and try to end the cycle of abuse before it’s too late. The relationships are portrayed with compassion and honesty, and the author’s note at the end that explains Hoover’s personal connection to the subject matter is a must-read.
Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of the survivors.Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5011-1036-8
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
Categories: GENERAL ROMANCE | ROMANCE | CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
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SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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