Book Review

A spoiler-free review of First and Forever by Lynn Painter, the sports rom-com about an NFL tight end and the diehard fan caught in a PR stunt only one side knows is fake. Funny, tender, and worth your weekend.

The Anniversary by Alex Finlay revisits two Nebraska teens on every May 1st from 1992 to 2001. Beneath the hunt for a serial killer, Finlay tells a quieter story about trauma, lost innocence, and the friendship that survives a decade of bad anniversaries. The book has real flaws, but its heart earns forgiveness.

Broken Dove by Dani Francis returns Wren Darlington to her own people and immediately complicates everything. The Silver Elite sequel doubles down on banter, brutal action, and a sharper love triangle, while peeling back uglier truths about both sides of the war. It is messy, propulsive, sometimes uneven, and ends on a cliffhanger that will absolutely work on you.

Meghan Quinn returns to Cape Meril with Rules for the Summer, a sun-drenched rom-com about a posh British lord who proposes to a stranger and the stubborn candy shop owner who turns him down. Banter-heavy, sweetly chaotic, and grounded by an emotional thread that lifts it above standard beach reads. A satisfying summer pick.

An honest, spoiler-free review of John of John by Douglas Stuart, the Booker-winner's third novel set on the Isle of Harris. Three generations, one croft, and the things a community agrees not to say.