Jeff Jarvis
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was my first time reading Jen Jensen's work and I found it to be very well planned and put together. I enjoyed the back and forth between Rand and Shelley from opposite sides of the political spectrum. The thing I liked the most is that they had actual discussions about their political differences rather than resorting to name-calling and tearing each other down. I was disappointed in Rand that she had such a hard time letting go of her Republican biases, only seeing Shelley believing everything that the party stands for. I would venture to say that most people fluctuate on certain issues and don't look to their political party for how they should believe. We have been taught by the media and the parties to hate each other rather than seeing each other's side. The Politics of Love does a really good job of showing both sides and it made me enjoy the characters all the more for it.
I loved the process that the author took Shelley through to discover who she was until she finally came out. It was on her terms, not on anyone else's, despite someone trying to force her out. I enjoyed seeing into her thought process. While never explicitly stated, Shelley has been through some sort of therapy or learned coping mechanisms for her stress. Her counting of things when in difficult situations alerts the reader of just how stressed she is. But when she doesn't count, she is more relaxed and able to accept where she is at. I thought that was a great element that continued to show up throughout the book.
it was a slow build until the end, but was well worth the journey. I would love to see a sequel to this following the 2020 elections to see where the characters are and if anything changed.
I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
I absolutely adored this book. It is rare anymore for me to find a FF novel that doesn't have drama and angst in it. This one was refreshing for that very reason. Valerie has just gone through a divorce due to her cheating husband. She discovers lesbian erotica by accident when she orders the wrong book. She quickly finds she loves it and joins an online book club that focuses on that genre. There she meets Syd and the two develop a flirty relationship. As they take the relationship from the book club to email then to video chat, their connection builds until Syd invites Valerie to Quebec to meet. Valerie soon finds herself swept up with Syd in a very erotic relationship.
As I said, there is no angst. It is all about Valerie discovering her love of women, specifically Syd. There is lots of flirting, lots of emotions, and lots of sex! It is a fantastic second novel by Madeleine Taylor and I look forward to more from her.
This new novel by PJ Trebelhorn is such a sweet and refreshing love story, a story of forgiveness and learning to put the hurts of growing up behind. Riley Warren had been bullied throughout high school, even to the point of being told she should kill herself. One of those that were part of the bullying group was Victoria Thayer, who secretly had a crush on Riley but was not sure how to deal with the confusing feelings she was having. Fast forward nearly 20 years and their paths cross again, this time with Vic having come to terms with her sexuality and determined to apologize for the pain she had caused. Riley still lived in the same town, working and living paycheck to paycheck. The two search for how to forgive and build a new relationship together.
This was a fantastic story, a slow burn that leaves you wanting this couple to get together so badly that it hurts. The author does a great job of developing the back story and showing how powerful words can be as a teenager and how they can go on to affect you for the rest of your life. Riley is justified in being cautious with her forgiveness after the pain that she had gone through growing up. But Vic slowly chips away at the walls Riley had built up. It is such a beautiful story of forgiveness.
If you are looking for a good slow burn love story, this one will be a sure hit for you.
I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
This is the third book by Kris Bryant I have read. Her style is very heavy on character development and slow burn, which are two things I love in WLW novels. The premise of Serena Evans winning the lottery was not emphasized as much as I expected it would be. She basically wins the lottery, but since had been scraping by prior to winning, she doesn't go on a spending spree like many winners do. Instead, she invests her money and begins plans to open an animal inn where she can be surrounded by animals.
Gabrielle Barnes ends up getting the assignment to design the Pet Posh Inn for Serena. The two have immediate chemistry with each other, but both tamp down their feelings and desires to remain professional as the inn is developed. Both have had bad luck when it comes to relationships and so neither are in a hurry to jump into anything. When they finally do, it is well worth the wait.
Bryant develops both characters so well along with surrounding characters that keep the story moving. You want these two to get together, despite all of the obstacles that stand in their way. I did find the obstacle close to the end of the book to be a bit overblown, but it had a satisfying resolution.
The writing is just superb. This book is one I highly recommend. It is a good combination of sweet and hot.
I was provided with an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Last Days of Autumn because it was different from many romance novels I have read. There were some well-developed issues that were presented by the author that made me think whether I would have taken a chance on a relationship while battling cancer or helping someone battle cancer. That the position that Autumn Landry and Caroline Cross find themselves in. Autumn has been diagnosed with colon cancer and hires Caroline to live with her and help her during her treatments. Caroline lost her mother to cancer only a few years before and has been running from the hurt and loss ever since. She takes the job with Autumn to try to find herself and get herself back on the right track. Sparks fly quickly between the two, but there is hesitation on both sides on whether to move forward. Caroline isn't sure she wants to possibly lose Autumn and have her heart broken again. Autumn has never really given her heart to anyone because she has been so wrapped up in helping others and taking care of their needs instead of taking care of hers.
I felt like the characters were very well developed and the author made you care for each of them and the heartaches they were going through. It wasn't just the struggle of a possible relationship. The struggle with cancer was always there as a barrier for them. I felt like that struggle added to the dynamic between the two since it took nearly 3/4 of the book before things started to develop. The slow burn really built the tension between them and led to a wonderful experience for them when it happened.
I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a different type of romance with some real life issues intermixed.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
I absolutely LOVED this book. It is a story of 2 women who are brought together through fate. Lindsay Hall had a vision in high school of someone that she used to be in a previous life and the girl that she loved. It was a vision that had haunted her for years. After painting her lost love for the first time, Ren Christofer comes to town. At first sight, Lindsay knows this was her lost love. The two connect instantly and their passion for each other is on point, this being Lindsay's first relationship with a woman. As their relationship is taking off, they grow closer to one of Lindsay's old teachers who had been a closeted lesbian for years since it was not accepted in her age. As things develop, a surprise is revealed and Lindsay's past with it.
This story is just an amazing work of fiction that takes the reader through 3 generations of lesbians in this small town and how society treated each of them. It touches on so many ways that people have hurt others through bigotry of someone else's sexual preference. The story is sweet, funny, and at times, heart-wrenching. This one will go on my favorites list to be read again. It is highly recommended.
I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
I really enjoyed this new book from Ronica Black. The characters were developed very well from the beginning. There is an immediate attraction between Olivia and Eve from the first time they met, but once they agree to a business relationship (Eve helping Olivia with workouts and getting into shape), the relationship option is off the table. Olivia has never been with another woman before and was taught as a child that romantic feelings between same-sex people were wrong. So she is constantly battling her feelings for Eve. Eve has her own issues, not wanting to commit to a long-term relationship.
I thought the building of their relationship was paced pretty good at the beginning, but around the middle of the book it started to drag a little. Maybe it was my own impatience, but I wanted the couple to get together finally and it seemed that the smallest obstacles turned into major mountains to overcome for them. I did enjoy the building of Olivia from a woman who was broken by what others told her into a fit, confident woman who finally stood up for what she wanted. It takes a long time for that to happen, but in the end, I found her to be a stronger woman than Eve.
There is one character I particularly despise, Olivia's mother. Her tight religious beliefs have driven a wedge between her and her daughter (as well as others in the family) and she just doesn't seem to care. Unfortunately, it is a very realistic portrayal of how some people are. It is difficult to read a story where a parent will shut out one of their children for being gay. It is reality, but still very difficult for me to read.
Overall, this is an enjoyable book and one I would recommend to those looking for a good coming-out story.
I was provided with an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
This was a really heavy book, dealing with infidelity from the very beginning. It goes through the different stages and emotions involved with the aftermath of an affair while at the same time introducing a suspense aspect, as the “other woman” becomes a stalker. It reminded me a lot of a lesbian version of Fatal Attraction. I found the book to be very interesting and at the same time heart-wrenching. The end drug on a little too long for me, but overall I found this to be a very good read.
I always enjoy Melissa Brayden's work and To the Moon and Back is no exception. It did take me a couple of chapters to get a good understanding of the characters and where the story might go. It was a little slower start than some of her previous works. Once established, the story took on an enjoyable direction. Lauren and Carly are very opposite at the beginning, Carly being the Hollywood actress that expects the world to come to her and Lauren who is a stage manager who at one time had wanted to act, but gave it up.
I liked how there was playful flirting going on with Carly from the very beginning and how that developed into a relationship between the two women. Their relationship developed in what felt like a very realistic way. As it progressed and their careers went in opposite directions, the emotions were very true to what many people would feel if their dream life was being taken away. In the end, both characters really matured which allowed their relationship to thrive.
The realism of the relationship and their interactions make this a book that I will enjoy coming back to in the future. It is highly recommended.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
Jae has such a fantastic writing style with long, slow burns and that trend continues with The Roommate Arrangement. The characters are so well developed and their relationship takes a long time to fully come to fruition. But anticipation builds along with it and when the two finally kiss it is like fireworks going off. It is stunning and beautiful and worth every bit of time you spend reading or listening to the book. I listened to the audiobook for this one and Lori Prince knocks it out of the park with her narration. I'll definitely be listening to this one again.
I love Georgia Beers and have read or listened to almost every one of her books. One of the many things that I like about her work is her characters and the development of them. She does another wonderful job in Flavor of the Month, but this one had a rarity for me. I absolutely disliked the character of Emma. While I understand the hurt that she was going through with Charlie leaving at the beginning, but she carries that grudge for years afterward. She comes across as very vindictive and not a very approachable person. The HEA is there at the end, but I would have been just fine with Charlie leaving again. Emma never indicated that she was willing to forgive.
Overall, the story is very enjoyable and if you have read any of Beers' work before you will enjoy this one as well. While there are a couple of hot sex scenes, the story itself is about Emma and Charlie's relationship and trying to mend fences.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
This is my first book read from Chelsea M. Cameron. I very much enjoyed her style of writing in “Anyone But You”. I found it refreshing to have a story where the main characters start off butting heads with each other, fall for each other, and then stay together without a lot of angsty BS thrown in to extend the story. The characters get on each other's nerves, then kiss, then have sex, then get in a relationship that stays. That was an enjoyable storyline.
This was the first book that I've encountered where personal pronouns came into play. I don't know if it was because I was listening to the Audible version or if it was just because I wasn't familiar with hearing they/their instead of she/her type pronouns. It became more natural the more I heard but was a bit jarring at first for someone that hasn't encountered those in use before.
Lori Prince does a wonderful job of narration and is in the handful of top narrators for F/F novels in my opinion.
If you are a fan of the space program and/or the moon missions, this is a must-read/listen. I've seen Apollo 13 too many times to count along with the From the Earth to the Moon HBO series, but this book fills in so many missing parts of the story directly from the commander of the mission. Who better to know what really happened than Jim Lovell?
I got the Audible version of this and the narration is absolutely wonderful. I can't recommend this book enough and I am sure I will be listening to it many times in the future.
I've never read anything from this author before, but I enjoyed her writing style and will be looking for other works in the future. The premise of the book and the cover was what drew me into reading it and I wasn't disappointed. This is definitely not a slow burn novel. There is an immediate attraction between the main characters and not long after there is acting on that attraction.
It is an easy read and for a sweet romance, it is a good choice. It is one that I might pick up if I am just looking for a feel good story.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
I have always enjoyed Caren Taite's legal lesfics and this is another good one. It continues in the Legal Affairs series where 3 friends leave their law firms and start their own as partners. This book centers on Abby as she first goes on a vacation and hits it off with someone she met on the plane that was going to the same resort as her. The person she meets, Roxanne, is a wedding blogger. The two become even more intertwined after their vacation as Abby takes on a case where a wedding dress store shuts down leaving many angry brides without their dresses. So as not to get into spoilers, I will leave the description there.
The passion between Roxanne and Abby is strong from the start. The only negative that I have from the whole book is the lack of communication between the two characters, especially from Roxanne. Since she covers weddings on a regular basis, it would seem to me that she would see the importance of communication in a relationship, something that she does not do a good job of herself.
It is a very enjoyable story and a relaxing read.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
I found this book to be fascinating and is one that I will want to go back and read again. I found about halfway through the book that there was an interesting dynamic going on between the main characters as well as their families. The relationships were very atypical. Lindsey's family is from money with her mom being a senator. They were not very close, but Lindsey had others around her that became her surrogate family. The same with Rebekiah. Her parents died when she was young and she had been raised by a family friend, showing a different family dynamic. I found this very interesting and will love looking into it again further.
I found the relationship between Rebekiah and Lindsey to be excellent, with both of them having come from heartbreaks in their past. There is a timidity with Lindsey, but at the same time she is drawn to Rebekiah and her photography. I enjoyed the light BDSM and control that each of the characters fought for. The story felt real and gritty and very passionate between the two. I very much enjoyed it.
I was provided with an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
I have not listened to or read any of Erica Lee's work previously, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I found this to be an amazing book with a story that really grips at your heartstrings. The two main characters, Rebecca and Cassie were childhood best friends. Cassie's family life was not good and she began running with the wrong crowd, getting involved with drugs. As they hit high school, they grew apart, although it can be seen throughout the story that they never stopped thinking of each other. Now as adults, Rebecca is the teacher of Cassie's sister, which means they have to interact with each other more. Old feelings rekindle as the two become friends again, but family situations and internal issues cause problems for the two becoming more than friends. I will stop the description there to avoid any major spoilers.
I love the writing in this story, going back and forth from chapter to chapter between the two women. Each had their own issues that were keeping them apart. Each had to work to become vulnerable and open up about their past and the hurts they experienced. This felt more real than a lot of romance stories that I read or listen to, which I found to be very enjoyable. I will definitely be listening to this one again. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a story between two friends who have loved each other for as long as they can remember but need a second chance.
I really enjoyed KC Richardson's writing in this story. This story is a bit of an opposites attract story. Celeste Bouchard is an English professor who has dealt with weight issues and discouragement from it all her life. As a result, she takes up pole dancing and has lost a lot of weight. Still, the teasing and hurt of past experiences have left her cautious of others, especially those she works with. She has had one relationship in the past with a co-worker who mentally abused her, but continues to try to pursue her to get her back. Lisa Tobias is the head women's basketball coach at the university. She isn't looking for a relationship because she is striving to make it back to Division I as a coach. She throws herself into her work and doesn't have time for much more. The two character's paths cross when one of the girls on the team is struggling in English with Bouchard and Tobias goes to visit her to ask for help for her star athlete.
There is a lot of miscommunication and jumping to conclusions that occur in this novel, and on the surface, they look like they may be artificially there just to advance the story. As I thought about it more, though, the reactions the characters have are very realistic for those that have been through hurtful relationship or ones where there has been a lack of trust. I found the story to be very well done and very engaging throughout. I loved the pace of the story and of the relationsihp between the couple. You know the ending before it comes, but that in no way takes away from the enjoyment of the story. Sometimes it is good to sit down with a book where you know what is going to happen, but you just enjoy the ride to get there. This is one of those books.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
Typically I like Kris Bryant's books and I was really looking forward to reading this one. Overall I thought it was enjoyable, but it didn't grab me like some of her other works have. I felt like the ending came very abruptly and without any real resolution between the two main characters, Cassie and Brook. While the sex scenes were good, there still seemed to be something missing in their chemistry together. Cassie wanted the long term relationship, but Brook never seemed like she could put her past failed relationship in the past and move forward with Cassie. There was always something standing in her way, whether it was work or her son or their age difference. It never seemed like she committed to Cassie the way Cassie did to her. That was disappointing for me. I really liked Cassie's character and wished she had somehow been able to break more of the walls down with Brook.
So while most of the book was enjoyable, it left me wanting more and wishing it had looked further into their relationship. Maybe a sequel would be good for this book.
I was provided with an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
I absolutely adore this book. I waffled back and forth on how to rate it after completing it, but I ultimately went with a full 5 stars. It is not a typical lesfic novel, but that is what continues to amaze me with the genre. There are so many different ways stories can develop. This story has so many elements that intertwine to make a beautiful love story, not just between 2 women, but between them and the children they support, ultimately making them into a family.
Davina Trent is a top divorce lawyer who lives to work. She has relations with other women, but never a relationship. She has had her heart broken before and doesn't have time for that again. When her cousin is killed in a car crash, she is the next of kin to his two children and has to care for them. Not being prepared to raise children, she hires a nanny, Wendy Darling, to watch out for them. Wendy herself has been through heartbreak where an ex-fiance took all of her money and then left her, crushing her in the process. The two children have been through a traumatic experience, losing their father and everyone they knew that loved them. This group of four are all on a path to creating a unique and loving family.
There was a line at the end of the book about how all of the people around Trent and Wendy (their friends Rebecca and Dale) were not blood relations, but they had all formed a family. I think this was the line that ultimately pushed me over to giving the book the 5-star rating. It summed up how I feel about families and what they are. It isn't about blood relations. It is about the love that they form and share with each other. There are so many blood-related families that will never share the same love that a family like the one in the story will share. This is a book I will return to for an enjoyable read, of people who have been broken, but find each other and are able to heal.
I was provided with a free copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
I cannot say enough good things about this book/audiobook. I read some of the reviews before I started listening and there were a lot that mentioned how funny it was and how some were laughing out loud. I rolled my eyes a bit because I've seen those types of reviews before only to be disappointed. This is definitely NOT one of those cases. From the very first chapter, there are places where I was laughing so hard that I wondered if someone nearby was going to ask why I was laughing so hard. I could so easily see this book being turned into a rom-com movie that would be fantastic. Emily James' writing is so smooth and her storytelling is amazing. The story was so well written and Kim Bretton's narration brings every word to life. While the ending can be seen from a mile away, there is nothing that causes the ending to be disappointing. It is a sweet ending and wraps up a wonderfully done story. I know I will be going back to listen to this one again and I'm looking forward to listening to the second book in the series.
I was provided with a copy of this audiobook from the author in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
