When a duke and his would-be bride both get drunk—separately—before their wedding, the best man sets off to retrieve the bride, who's climbed out a window. A series of fateful events complicates the quest and convinces the wedding refugees they’re meant for each other.
After bookish spinster Lady Olympia Hightower saves the Duke of Ashmont’s life, he winds up offering for her, a windfall for her impoverished but aristocratic family. However, on the day of the wedding she overimbibes on brandy and gets cold feet. “I thought I was ready to make the sacrifice—though I know most people would say it’s preposterous to refer to becoming a duchess as a sacrifice,” she says. Olympia’s flight sends best man the Duke of Ripley in pursuit, since Ashmont is too drunk to chase his bolting bride. At first Ripley simply wants to get her back without ruining her reputation, but things get confusing when he winds up aiding and abetting her escape, without understanding why. Then, after she’s stood up to bullies, re-energized his grieving aunt, and shared a few breathtaking kisses with him, they realize they belong together. Unfortunately, since society frowns on bride-stealing, Ripley has to figure out how to marry the girl, assuage the ton, and save his cherished friendship. Author Chase is a grande dame of historical romance, and her latest displays the clever plotting and brilliant dialogue for which she’s known but is marred slightly by the main characters’ lurching indecision. Launching a new series revolving around three notorious libertines known as "Their Dis-Graces" is a perfect playground for this stellar writer whose spirited heroines tame rakes as well as anyone in the business.
Chase brings a fun blend of quirkiness and wit to a sexy love story that’s both charmingly romantic and laugh-out-loud funny.Pub Date: Nov. 28, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-06-245738-7
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Avon/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2017
Categories: GENERAL ROMANCE | ROMANCE | HISTORICAL ROMANCE
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An unlucky woman finally gets lucky in love on an all-expenses-paid trip to Hawaii.
From getting her hand stuck in a claw machine at age 6 to losing her job, Olive Torres has never felt that luck was on her side. But her fortune changes when she scores a free vacation after her identical twin sister and new brother-in-law get food poisoning at their wedding buffet and are too sick to go on their honeymoon. The only catch is that she’ll have to share the honeymoon suite with her least favorite person—Ethan Thomas, the brother of the groom. To make matters worse, Olive’s new boss and Ethan’s ex-girlfriend show up in Hawaii, forcing them both to pretend to be newlyweds so they don’t blow their cover, as their all-inclusive vacation package is nontransferable and in her sister’s name. Plus, Ethan really wants to save face in front of his ex. The story is told almost exclusively from Olive’s point of view, filtering all communication through her cynical lens until Ethan can win her over (and finally have his say in the epilogue). To get to the happily-ever-after, Ethan doesn’t have to prove to Olive that he can be a better man, only that he was never the jerk she thought he was—for instance, when she thought he was judging her for eating cheese curds, maybe he was actually thinking of asking her out. Blending witty banter with healthy adult communication, the fake newlyweds have real chemistry as they talk it out over snorkeling trips, couples massages, and a few too many tropical drinks to get to the truth—that they’re crazy about each other.
Heartfelt and funny, this enemies-to-lovers romance shows that the best things in life are all-inclusive and nontransferable as well as free.Pub Date: May 14, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5011-2803-5
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2019
Categories: GENERAL ROMANCE | ROMANCE
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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. 23, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018
Categories: GENERAL ROMANCE | ROMANCE | FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP | CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
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