Jeff Jarvis

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 is the second book in the Tangle Valley series from Melissa Brayden. I enjoyed this book even more than I did the first one, although there was one part with the main characters that I did not enjoy. Ryan Jacks has had a lot of trouble with past relationships, being burned and having her heartbroken. At one point Ryan thinks Gabriella Russo can't get over her former lover, Madison. Ryan backs away because she has gone through it all before. Gabriella's character is very head-strong and she gets pissed off because of Ryan backing away. She doesn't communicate with Ryan before getting angry with her and not taking time to understand the past issues that she has gone through. I found this troubling and I lost a lot of respect for Gabriella. I felt like it was very unfair to not take her partner's past and her feelings into account before jumping all over her. It made for a bad section of the book for me. Otherwise, it is another good Brayden novel.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

This latest book in the Irresistibly Bound series is another knockout. While there are some BDSM elements present, they are not hardcore and should not prevent everyone from enjoying the story. Eve is a very dominant and controlling personality and Faith is attracted to and frustrated by this at the same time. Their chemistry is incredible and it makes for some very juicy and exciting love scenes. The additional element of Eve going through a custody battle added an interesting aspect to their kinky relationship.

If you have read and are a fan of Anna's other works in the series, you will love this addition. If you haven't checked out Anna's work before, I would recommend starting at the beginning of the series and build up to this story. Her work is definitely top-notch and this story is no exception.

I received an ARC of this book from the author 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 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.

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 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.

I really enjoyed the overall storyline and the characters. There is a lot of good chemistry between the Savannah and Madison from the first time they met. In some ways, this was actually a detriment to part of the storyline which I will get to momentarily. One of Savannah's mothers keeps trying to set her up on dates so she can find someone to make her happy. Savannah and Madison decide they will go into a fake relationship to stop this. But Savannah had her heart broken in college which has turned her off relationships. While I can understand where a bad breakup could hurt someone to the point of wanting to not get involved in another one, the chemistry between this couple is off the charts from the beginning. It seems there is a lot of angst of whether to get into a real relationship, despite the fact that they are hot for each other and everyone can see it.

There are some characters that I feel we never get resolutions to. There is a homophobic character on Savannah's hockey team that is just a pain in the ass through the whole book, but you never find out why she is the way she is other than she is homophobic. It would have been good to know why she had such a hatred or have something happen to her. But that doesn't happen.

Madison's ex, Mary, comes back into the picture and vows to take her dog and get Madison back. In the end, Madison just has an argument with her, tells her she isn't getting the dog, and will never go back with her. Mary just leaves. This character had been built up to be a psycho and it doesn't seem like she would just drive away after an argument.

I also found there were a couple of places in the ARC that I read where the wrong character's name is used in certain sentences. For example, Madison may have been on the phone and hung up, but the line in the book says Savannah hung up.

I still enjoyed the story overall but the points mentioned above lowered my overall rating of the book.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

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.

For me, this ranks up with some of the best work Georgia Beers has put out. There tends to be a predictable pattern in FF romance novels when two women find each other and are immediately attracted to each other. There is typically an angsty moment where the couple argues and breaks up for a period of time. As I was reading this, I kept waiting for that moment and I really didn't want it to happen. Teddi and Leah immediately hit it off and they took things so slowly before finally coming together (pun somewhat intended). I saw the signs of where the possible breakup would happen and it made my heart hurt to think of them apart. When the moment came, it did hurt, but in a different way from most books. There was sadness with this, hurt, anguish. There were more tears than yelling. And when they were together again it was a magical moment to read.

Hopefully you can tell that Beers did a fantastic job of making me care about the characters, which is always a number 1 thing for me. If I don't care about the characters, the story is going to fall flat for me. That was not the case in this book. From the very beginning I was sucked into their world and could picture what was happening based on old romcoms. Leah wants that kind of story for her, despite being a divorce attorney. She wants that love everlasting, that fairy tale romance. Teddi has been burned from a first marriage and hasn't given love a chance again since, at least for herself. As a wedding planner, she makes other women's big day a reality. But she never expects it for herself.

This is such a good love story that pulled me in and would not let go. This book is a must read for anyone that believes in a happily ever after and cheering for a couple to build that relationship. Hopeless Romantic was amazing and I highly recommend it.

I received an ARC of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

I had a hard time with the beginning of this book, specifically Lucy. Her bitterness toward the Westmoores is understandable to a degree, but the nastiness that she conveys toward the surviving children almost made me not want to finish this book. I did not like her character at all. I'm glad there was a turn-around in her attitude that occurred, but she had to be hit over the head several times before it sunk in how much of an a-hole she was being.

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.

Finding Sky is a fantastic love story with a nice touch of mystery thrown in for good measure. Skylar is the new finance officer at Jess Ivan's company. The last person in the position had been a real flop and Skylar is a refreshing change of pace. She has a strong work ethic, but there is something in her past that Jess can't quite figure out. The two share a chemistry with each other which is initially discarded since getting involved in a boss/employee relationship would not be a good thing for either of them. But the more they work together, the more they draw closer to each other.

I loved the added mysteries of Skylar's past as well as what she finds while going back through the company records. While a good bit of it can be guessed by the reader, it is still a very enjoyable trip to the end. I loved the character development, especially some of the side characters like Yolanda. The author helps you get to know them and to care about them, which ultimately makes you want Jess and Skylar to get together.

I highly recommend this book.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Gotta Catch Her is a sweet read about two women, Rachael and Ann, who meet each other while playing a multi-player phone game. It is all taken from Ann's perspective, which gives good insights into what she is thinking as their relationship builds. Rachael is a bisexual single mom who is overstressed with work and all of the responsibilities that go with raising a first grader. Ann has little experience with parenting and it is interesting to see her perspective as dates are cut short and schedules have to be rearranged to accommodate the single mom. Many times, she feels left out and not a part of Rachael's life, despite wanting to be and trying her best.

The book also weaves in Ann's work and the pressures that are going on there and how she develops confidence that is needed by the end of the book for the relationship to grow.

I found the characters to be well written and situations to be very realistic. While it was a fairly short read, the characters are developed well over the course of the story. There is a very hot scene in the book that was very well written and left me smiling afterward.

If you are looking for a sweet story of two people trying to overcome the obstacles of life to get together, this will be an enjoyable read for you.

I was provided with an ARC of Gotta Catch Her for free from NetGalley in exchange for my 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.

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.

The Road to Madison is a wonderful story of never-ending love, despite a homophobic father who is determined in life and in death to keep his daughter and only heir from being with another woman, someone she has loved almost her entire life. I loved the continual flashbacks to Madison's and Ana's childhoods where they first became friends and slowly fell in love before being pulled apart by Madison's father, George Prescott.

George is a true bastard for how he treats those who are not of his same class or beliefs. Even after his death, he knows his daughter will try to reconcile things with Ana and he still tries to keep them apart. What a scumbag! He is one of the most hated characters I have read in all of the lesfic stories I have read.

In the end, this story is an amazing story of love that has never ended, despite all of the hatred that has kept them apart. It is a story that I didn't want to put down and kept me wanting the two women to get together all the way to the end. It is a definite must-read for any lesfic fan.

I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for this unbiased review.

Melissa Brayden has such a wonderful writing style. I really enjoy her way of writing in the first person to tell a story. Back to September is brilliant in the way the characters get together and battle different obstacles in their way to finally being together. Hannah owns a small-town bookstore in Providence. She isn't really into romance novels or romance at all for that matter, that is until one of her employees pushes her to feature Parker Bristow's newest release in the store window. Further conversations result in Hannah contacting Bristow's publicist about having her do a signing at the store. When the two meet, there is an automatic connection. Hannah's real-life romance novel has begun. Without spoiling the rest of the story, the couple goes through a lot of on-again, off-again moments in their relationship until they realize just how much in love they are and that they can't be apart.

There were times that I really didn't like Parker and the way she would put up walls to protect herself, even though it is a very real thing that is done in relationships. Hannah is just the sweetest character and I found myself engrossed in the story, wanting her to reach her HEA. I think a major plus of the novel is how it looks at an evolving relationship and the different stages, the difficulties that couples go through, and how they are able to work through those things and risk their hearts for the person that they can't live without.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the sweet romance between Hannah and Parker.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

I was provided an ARC copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

I had my preconceived notions on what this story might be like before beginning the book, but I was pleasantly surprised I was wrong. In the story, Dora, a young Brazillian woman who had been in school in Toronto, finds herself in danger of being kicked out of the country due to her visa expiring after she graduated. A friend of hers comes up with an idea for her to stay in the country. All she has to do is marry a friend of hers, Abby, live with her for 2 years and she is home free.

I expected that the two would start their fake relationship and would learn that they had feelings for each other that would lead to them getting married for real. But in this story, that doesn't fully happen. The two seem very uneasy with each other once they start going down the path of having a fake relationship. It felt like neither woman was fully into the relationship, which I found a little unrealistic. I would have thought that Dora would put more into the relationship since her status in the country was at stake. Maybe she had more of a moral issue with lying about their relationship, which I have to give her credit for.

For a short novella, I found it to be a charming and sweet story. It left me wanting more from Dora and Abby, maybe either another novella or a full-length story of their actual relationship. I would love to read more about how their fake relationship may have an effect on their real relationship, especially with Abby's family. I am hopeful that a follow-up story will come.

I've read or listened to nearly everything that Georgia Beers has written. There are plenty of good stories out there from her, but by this story by far touched me in a way that her others haven't. I love stories that are nostalgic and have roots in our years as high schoolers. This story teases bits and pieces as the characters flashback now and again allowing you to see them when they were in high school, how one of the main character, Izzy (Bella) is treated as she is questioning her sexuality growing up and how she was teased and bullied by a group that included the girl that she fantasized about, Easton.

The two women meet as adults, only Easton does not recognize Bella, but Bella sure recognizes Easton. Her roughest days as a kid were spent trying to get away from her and her bullying friends. She decides not to tell Easton who she is and the two gradually draw closer to each other.

The story setup is so great. By the end, I was literally tearing up as I read the last few pages. Beers has artfully woven a beautiful story of redemption and love that I will certainly come back to many times.

I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a beautiful love story that shows the power of forgiveness.

I was provided an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second Karis Walsh novel I have read. I was a big fan of Sea Glass Inn, so I was looking forward to this new novel. She did not disappoint at all. I found the novel to be very similar in style to SGI in that it involves a character moving to a more remote area to restart her life and finds love with someone that helps out at the property. Both novels show women at a low point in their lives. The women are not weak characters. Instead, they are determined women who work hard to overcome obstacles and become stronger because of it. I absolutely love that about these novels. Sit.Stay.Love has its own quirks that make the story enjoyable. There is lots of joking banter back and forth between the two main characters that actually had me laughing out loud in a couple of places.

The characters were well developed and well written, making me care for them all. I loved the build to the two women finally being together. It was a slow simmering build that leads to fireworks when they finally give into their feelings.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a sweet romance with strong women characters. It is a book that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I was provided with a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Missouri Vaun has such a beautiful way of writing characters and developing relationships in characters that make me want to care about them. She does just this in Chasing Sunset.

I was a bit unsure at first whether I was going to like the book based on how the characters initially meet each other, Iris throwing a glass of water in the face of Finn, and then Iris conveniently going to the cabins that Finn's parents rent. That was a bit too much of a coincidence for me, but the remainder of the story held my attention and was much more realistic for me.

I liked how the characters felt real, There was an actress that hadn't really made it, no matter how much she tried. There was a car driver, who felt like she wanted more from her job and that it had to happen outside of Atlanta. Both characters doubted themselves, even though they saw the positives in each other. On the surface, they looked like complete opposites, but on a deeper level they were going through similar battles.

The lovemaking scenes were very enjoyable, and I say they are lovemaking instead of just sex scenes because they felt like they had a lot of emotion with them, not just raw passion. The first time the two are in bed together, Iris knows she isn't ready for sex with Finn, but needed to be held and to feel Finn's touch. It wasn't just jumping into bed at the first opportunity.

I also like the way they finally dealt with their conflict, the honesty that they had with each other to get everything on the table before they continued their relationship. It was refreshing to see that sort of conflict resolution in a novel instead of the couple just randomly finding each other again and having their relationship instantly fixed.

I found this to be an enjoyable summer read. The title does not make sense until the very end of the book, so readers should hold on until then to get the meaning.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbias review.

Melissa Brayden does a wonderful job in all of her books of providing realistic characters, lots of story building, sweet romances, and very hot sex scenes. Beautiful Dreamer does not disappoint and is my favorite novel from her so far. The character Elizabeth is a down to earth woman, one that you want to get to know just because she is so nice and looking to help others. Devyn at the start was the type of character that I typically don't like unless they are turned during the story. As this story developed and she connected with Elizabeth, the ice queen began to melt and her persona transformed, making her one I could deal with.

For those looking for a sweet (and hot) lesfic romance, this is one you should definitely try out. Brayden always weaves lots of actual laugh-out-loud humor into novels and the wit in Beautiful Dreamer made me love it all the more.

I received an ARC copy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Simply a fantastic telling of the Olympic bombing in 1996 and how the media's rush to judgment ruined a man's life and legacy. The narration of the audiobook was brilliant and brought the story to life and the pieces unfolded. At the end, you hurt for those who were most affected by the rash decisions made by those in authority and those in the press. It was all about rushing to show the world how quickly we could catch a perpetrator, even if it wasn't the right man. Anyone who is a fan of real-life stories will love this.

I enjoyed NerdCrush, although the main romantic trope is one that I have grown not to enjoy as much. I loved the fact that the couple was interracial and that it focused on someone that was not the most popular person. As someone who is shy, isolated, and not the center of attention, I could relate and found that the story did a good job of portraying the fears Ramona has. The trope that I didn't enjoy is the lack of communication. While it is understandable for a young woman to be afraid of not being liked, of putting herself out there to possibly be turned down. But as she got to know and befriended Caleb, I don't know why she felt so scared to tell him that she was the one that was emailing him. It makes the story longer, but I kept wanting her to tell him how she felt. Maybe that is what the author wants the reader to feel. If so, it worked. I've just found so many romances where a lack of communication keeps the story going.

Overall, the story is very well written and the narration for the audiobook is great. There were a few times that she mispronounced a name, but this didn't take away from the enjoyment of the story. I would definitely recommend this to a younger audience looking for a sweet romance.