New York City
A Retro Review
originally published on May 6, 1999
Could there be a more controversial topic to write about in a romance novel than this interracial romance between a white cop, Jason Horn, and an African American graphic designer, Leah Downey, who live and work in and around New York City? I doub ...
The Social Graces is a mischievous and delightful little social comedy that brings its characters to life. Though I’ve read deeper histories of the Vanderbilt and Astor mini-feud, this one definitely entertained me the most, a true generational saga that’s warm, sweet, funny and tender.
Mrs ...
B+
Wonderstruck is the third book in Allie Therin’s Magic in Manhattan series of paranormal romances set in 1920s New York, and is the best of the bunch, boasting a high-stakes, fast-paced plot, engaging characters, strong worldbuilding and a central relationship that has come on leaps and bounds sin ...
In Marriage on Madison Avenue, the third installment of Ms. Layne’s Pact in Central Park trio, we have a friends-to-lovers, fake dating extravaganza that includes an Instagram influencer, a wedding at the Plaza, and a controlling mother. Combine that with Ms. Layne’s ability to write female frie ...
Confessions in B-Flat is a resonant and romantic novel, filled with truth and history and finely-etched details. Featuring two young lovers who are passionate about changing the world but unsure of how to accomplish their goals, the reader will remember them and their story long after finishing th ...
I am a sucker for a royalty romance. Give me a fictional European principality with a single ruler/heir and I am grabbing my comfiest blanket and warmest cup of cocoa and just snuggling on up. Add when it's written by one of my absolute favorite authors? I waited for this one from the library and wa ...
Anyone who loves Adriana Herrera’s Dreamers series will have fun taking in this brief holiday visit with Ari and Yin, a secondary couple who appear as background characters in multiple volumes of the series. Warm, fuzzy, heartwarming and sweet down to the bone, it’s a perfectly fluffy holiday ...
I'm honestly not a huge fan of books about royalty, but A Princess for Christmas was just the lighthearted romp I needed this month. It's a book full of sweet characters who don't take themselves too seriously, even joking that their lives are like something out of a Hallmark movie.
Princess Mari ...
Some books jump out of the deep, fathomless ocean of creativity and arc through the imagination of their readers, with characters that stick in the back of your mind for months after you’ve closed the back cover. Ben Philippe’s Henri Haltiwanger is one such creation – memorable in a totally fr ...
Books like The Legal Affair are why I love reviewing. Prior to this, I had no experience with Nisha Sharma or the Legal Briefs series. I started The Legal Affair with nothing more than a passing interest in the blurb about a self-made female CEO and corporate intrigue. I finished it with that satisf ...