Love on the Red Rocks by Lisa Moreau

Love on the Red Rocks by Lisa Moreau

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is both the first book I’ve read by this author, and the author’s first work published (which isn’t always something that happens with me and authors). The author has published two books and one short story (in a short story collection) since this book appeared.

I’d been intrigued by this book since it appeared, but I just never pulled the trigger on purchasing the book. And I still haven’t – at some point this year (last month? This month?) Bold Strokes Books started putting some of their books into the Kindle Unlimited program – which is how I read this book. The book wasn’t free to me, since KU isn’t a free program, but it’s near enough if you read enough books a month (heck, read two full length works that normally cost about $9.99, and it’s like you read one for free and one at full price, and I read a heck of a lot more books than 2 a month – though how many a month are KU depends on the month).

This book stares one Malley . . . oh, darn; the book description doesn’t have last names. Mmphs. Well, the book stares Malley as solo point of view character. She’s 30 (though I’m going more by remembering that she hiked a certain trail 15 years before the start of the story, and she was 15 at the time), and works a ‘steady, stable, and dependable job’ in some form of sales analyst position. She keeps dreaming about opening a bakery, but it’s risky. That’s what her love interest always says, at least. Opening a bakery being risky (‘businesses are closing all the time’).

That’s right, this book opens, well after the prologue, with the lead character having a love interest – and a plan to announce her love to this individual before a certain event occurs (the end of a lesbian retreat vacation).

Let’s back up as that’s vaguely confusing: There’s a prologue involving the lead character, Malley, hiking a particular trail with her dad. She has a moving experience visiting ‘the woman’ (I forget the exact title of the rock formation). 15 years later she returns to Sedona Arizona on a ‘lesbian retreat’, mentioned to her by her next door neighbor Jessie.

So Malley heads to Sedona with a plan – spend time with Lizzie, who she’s spent a year waiting to detach herself from her girlfriend (I want to say Heather?), and this is her chance. Except things start going wrong immediately – while heading towards the resort, Malley and Lizzie – driving together, crash. Not as important as it might seem, no the important part is a motorcyclist stops to offer assistance – the already mentioned Jessie. A problem for several reasons, well three specific reasons: 1) Lizzie makes comments about being interested in Jessie; 2) Malley thought Jessie, who she tries to avoid at all costs, despite being next door neighbors, wasn’t going to attend the retreat; 3) Malley always thought Jesse was gorgeous, and wouldn’t have been all over her if not for her profession (police officer), and she’s distracted on her mission to pursue Lizzie by her own random thoughts about Jessie.

Then, once the two crashed women traveling together finally reach the retreat, they learn that the retreat has a ‘random draw’ pairing random lesbians together to room together. For . . . reasons of experience and stuff.

Malley’s plans are unraveling. Then she learns, horrors, she’s going to be rooming with Jessie.
The book was a lot more interesting than I expected, and, while Malley is a hard character to like in the beginning, the reader both learns why Malley is the way she is – in certain aspects – and watches as Malley grows as a person (which includes her being bitchy (mostly mentally) about other lesbians at the retreat, only to later grow to realize what she was doing).

What else to say . . . good story, good romance. Sex occurred, I do not recall how graphically (don’t read too much into that lack of remembrance; I pay attention sometimes, I don’t sometimes, and when I pay attention does not always correspond to how well written things are or aren’t).

Rating: 4.60 (I originally marked this book 5 stars on GoodReads, putting it on my 4.75 star shelf, but have moved it down to 4.50 shelf and 4 stars on GoodReads. I might adjust again later, but this is probably where the book should rest).

June 11 2018




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Outside the Lines (Girls of Summer, #3) by Kate Christie

Outside the Lines by Kate Christie

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I’ve very rarely read everything an author has written. Even when I love/favorite/whatever an author, there tends to be something I haven’t read (like, for example, I’ve read the most lesbian fiction books by Jae, yet there are still stuff I’ve not read by that author (rereading, that might be confusing. On the ‘Most Read Author’ list, Jae is on there at second place with 42 books read; actually, looking at the top ten, I haven’t read everything by any of those authors, heh.)).

Well, I’ve read everything by this author here. Not sure how that happened. Just did. 11 books read.

Well, I’m already on page 2 (I’m blind, I’m typing this in Microsoft Word with the font at size 28, so it’s page 2. Heh, mmphs), and have said nothing much. Mmphs.

This is the third book in an ongoing series about two soccer/football players. The series started as a young adult series, following two teenagers, but as the series advanced, so did the age of the main characters, and now both are closer to 27 than 17. As in, at least one mentioned turning 27.

The series has followed the two young women as they: 1) tried hard to make a living as professional soccer players; 2) make and stay on the National team; 3) date . . . others, though the reader ‘knew’ that the two mains were ‘fated’ to be together.

Well, this specific book has the two mains, Jamie Maxwell & Emma Blakeley, are finally a couple. A specific issue, though, test their relationship (well, in theory): distance and time together. Jamie plays for an English team & a USA team (I forget if she’s Portland or Seattle, but I believe she’s Portland as I recall Emma’s condo is in Seattle), while Emma plays for Seattle and the USA team. And, it appears, soccer is played 10 months out of the year (though that seems to be under-counting), so the two women rarely have much time together in the same city.

So – that’s the story. What, I haven’t said anything? Mmphs. You know, the part where two young women compete in sports, professionally, while attempting to have a relationship? Yeah, that’s the story here.

Enjoyable story. Fun. I look forward to book 4.

Rating: 4.75

June 7 2018




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Under Your Skin by Lee Winter

Under Your Skin by Lee Winter

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I received an ARC of this book from Ylva Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

First thing first: yes this is a sequel and yes you need to read the prior book before reading this book here. It feeds off of the prior book and follows the same couple from that prior book. I should mention titles, no? I’m referring to The Red Files

Second thing second: Lee Winter has some massively high overall average rating on Goodreads, *looks*, an impressive 4.42 rating. Most of my friends and those I follow seem to rather enjoy Winter’s books. I’ve read two (now three) books and one short story by this author – and my ratings have generally fallen lower than other people’s ratings for the works (that overall average rating kicks in again – like, I gave ‘The Red Files’ a rating of 4, but I has a rating of 4.49 on Goodreads).

Insert here standard: I like giving authors many chances to ‘connect’ with what I like.

So all that build up is to note: I really really enjoyed this book here. Quite readable. I started it and read it almost in one gulp. And it’s a 332 page book, so that’s a big chunk of pages to wade through quickly.

I’m fairly certain the first book in this series was a solo point of view book, though I might be misremembering – it has been a while and I, stupidly, forgot to put the book on a POV shelf. This specific book here, ‘Under Your Skin’, is a multiple point of view story – following both main characters. 44 year old Catherine Ayers and 34 year old Lauren King. Both reporters.

A good portion of this book involves Lauren and Catherine being in Iowa, meeting the King family, accidentally meting the Ayers family, and planning a wedding. Somewhere along the way various news stories are covered – and eventually a massively huge story begins to be investigated by both women. But let’s not give everything away, eh? Let’s just note I rather liked the family dynamic, the couple dynamic, and the news investigation dynamic on display here.

There’s a specific book that came to mind as I was reading this one here. I’m sure the connection between the two is kind of weak, but there are certain reasons I think of that other book. Or, for that matter, that series. Both it and this series here are duologies. The first book in both have the two people become a couple; and the second book in both series have the couple go to some middle of the USA state to ‘meet the family’. I’m referring here to The Adventures of Decky and Charlie series by R.E. Bradshaw. Specifically to Out on the Panhandle.

There are massive differences between the two series, and the two second books in the series. Certain similarities, though: going to ‘small town’ ‘middle of America’ in a ‘fly-over state’ (Oklahoma vs. Iowa); huge family for someone without much family (if I recall that other series well enough, I might not be, the one meeting the Oklahoma family might have had a largish family to, but I recall there just being, I think, a mother (a crazy mother, but now I’m really stretching my mind to try to remember)) to meet.

There were some interesting dynamics that popped up. Also a few issues I had seemed to have picked up on earlier than the characters, but, eh, that happens.

My fingers are bouncing up and down without touching the keys, as I think of what else to say: read ‘The Red Files’, then read this book. Is good book.

Rating: 5 stars

June 6 2018




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Take My Hand by Missouri Vaun

Take My Hand by Missouri Vaun

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books in exchange for an honest review.

This book, the 20th work I’ve read by this author (9 using the Vaun name and 11 using the Braddock), is about Clay Cahill and River Hemsworth. Both of whom have a point of view in this book. Based off of a vague off-hand comment about a third party, there is a good chance both of the characters are near at or over 30 years of age (there was a comment about another character being ‘near us in age, thirties’ (hopefully I didn’t misread that)).

The book opens with River doing what you aren’t supposed to do – be on the phone and drive at the same time. And you know why you aren’t supposed to do that? Well River found out first hand, when she nearly rear-ended some horses (in a horse trailer), swerved to avoid the truck, and slammed into a hair-saloon. And that’s the introduction of the reader to River. That phone played a lot of key pivotal plot points in this book (seriously, first the accident, later a pivotal moment when the phone was left, unlocked, near another person as if they wanted that other person to read the phone (WTF was that about?)).

The second major character appeared when she wandered up to check on River. To provide help, and stuff. River, dazed as she was, still seemed to vaguely respond to the rather obvious (to those who knew her) flirtatious advances of . . . Dr. Trip. Dr. Trip was a major character but not the other main character.

Trip’s advances were intercepted/stopped/redirected when another major character appeared on the scene. The quite attractive woman began asking River questions about the accident. I do not recall, now, if she also flirted, but it was obvious she was also a lesbian. This would also be a major but not main character. Grace the police officer.

By the time another lesbian was introduced (after several other women bounced around asking if River needed help), I was beginning to think two things: this small town in Georgia was filled entirely with women, and there was a good possibility that all of them were lesbians. I was wrong on both counts, but that’s the impression the beginning gave me.

That ‘another lesbian’? That’d be the tow-truck driver. Who River drooled over. Considering that River was kind of out of it, dazed, had literally slammed her head into her steering wheel, and had been given a drink that had more sugar in it than liquid, it’s possible River did in fact literally drool. The tow-truck driver was Clay – the same Clay I already mentioned in the first paragraph as being the other main and point of view character.

Clay helps River – both with her car and to get her to her B’n’B (how is that worded again? I know its Bed and Breakfast, but I forget the little BnB short-cut). They seem to hit it off. Until River mentions she’s from New York, and owns a gallery there. It’s hot. It’s the deep south. A distinct chilly sensation developed, though, noticeable to River after she revealed this information.

Right, so – those are the characters. Main and major (minor would include the new vet that works at Trip’s place, Dani something; and the new police deputy who works for Grace, Jamie something; and Bo – the never-do-well who works at the place Clay works; and ‘Grandpa’ who gave Clay a job; and . . . others). But what’s going on? Why is the New Yorker in Pine Cone Georgia, and why the cold shoulder from Clay?

Well the book description, if you recalled to read it (which I hadn’t – what it’s a Vaun book, of course I was going to read it sight unseen without an idea what it was about, but I’ve read the description now that I’ve read the book) tells you the answer to both questions I ended the last paragraph with.

Clay is an artist who had a bad experience in New York. River is in Pine Cone because the aunt she never really had anything to do with (family issues) died and gave River her car, house, and art gallery. That’s why River is in Pine Cone – temporarily; and why Clay’s there (she lives there).

I had a few issues with enjoying the book: there was no separation for the point of view changes, one paragraph could follow Clay, one could follow River, and there was neither rhyme nor reason for when the change would occur – though it was always obvious a change had occurred. Problem two: occasionally I lost track of who said what, though that was probably more my fault than anything (lost track as in they would talk, and I’d miss out on which person said what when and how). Problem three: wined was used once when whined was intended (yes, I noticed that one specific mistake, heh).

The last problem is more major, but I got around it well enough. And that’s how the book ended, or near enough the end part. When the book suddenly turned into a crime drama for no explainable reason. When that crime drama started . . . well, I kind of groaned loudly and figured that I’d end up giving the book a much worse rating than I had been thinking up to that point. I liked how everything unfolded, though, so . . . it probably has some negative impact on the rating but not as severe as I’d been thinking.

The characterization was good, the romance was . . . solid enough, the plot was interesting. I was intrigued and entertained. Good quick easy read . . . that I found to be slightly lessor than the most recent books that I’ve read by this author. Part of that is because of the issues I had, and mentioned, part of that was the part where a few things seemed a little heavy handed (I knew instantly that trouble was going to happen when one person left their phone with the other – it’s like a blinking red light when that happens, blinking arrow, blinking obviousness – and then trouble did in fact occur).

Rating: 4.31

June 5 2018




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Harmony by Karis Walsh

Harmony by Karis Walsh

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


There was a period of time when I, for the most part, didn’t write reviews. Well, it has fluctuated over the years – there were some longish ago where I tended to review most of what I read, but those years are so long ago I barely recall them (we are talking about the early 2000s, right? Hmms, well, that is roughly 18 years ago depending on when in the early 2000s. Oh good, now I’m talking to myself inside my own review). Cutting a much longer paragraph shorter than it might become – this is one of those occasions when I kind of wish I was in my non-reviewing phase.

This book stars two immature young women. Both have their point of views on display. There are similarities and differences that are easy to spot. Like: both have family issues (Brooke is something of a doormat to her family – they want her to go with a certain boy to prom? Sure, why not? Date him? Okay. Marry him? Why the fuck not? (because you are actually a lesbian and have thought you might be since college?); Andy is less of doormat, but still feels the need to aggressively obey her family – mostly as a stand-between between her mother and very angry father (the doormat part comes in with constantly needing to make sure she doesn’t piss off her father, and actively spend time with them)). Both have no issue what-so-ever with cheating (okay, one did eventually develop a guilt complex, but more about cheating on her ‘other woman’ with her ‘girlfriend’).

Differences? Well, let’s see – Andrea Taylor is open and out lesbian; Brooke Stanton is so far into the closet she’s marrying a man. Also Andy is super neat and organized and Brooke is the messy kind of person.

That’s how the two meet, by the way. No, not because of mess, but because Brooke was going to marry a man. Andrea, along with about 12,000 other music related jobs (tip: unless you are someone like a member of the Rolling Stones, a music career doesn’t tend to pay a lot), works as a musician at weddings. She plays with a quartet. Wait, no . . . Tina, man, man, Brooke, yes a quartet. And Brooke’s wedding is one of their ‘gigs’.

Andy meets Brooke to set up the music for the wedding. Brooke seems cold, unattached to the world around her, and generally completely unlike how she normally acts – though Andy doesn’t know this at the time. Brooke only really ‘awakens’ when she finds out Andy is a lesbian. Whereupon she spends that moment until hours before her wedding thinking about fucking Andy to get being a lesbian out of her system.

So, she does. Thereby cheating on Jake (Jake right?); meanwhile, by giving in to Brooke’s bad seduction techniques (seriously – Brooke tries to seduce Andy in a fake pre-meeting that Andy didn’t know was a set-up; Andy calls her on it, Brooke becomes enraged and flings a lemon into Andy’s eye. Then bluntly asks to fuck. So they do. Because, you know, Andy’s quite . . . heh, not let’s not go down this road) Andy cheats on her girlfriend (described, at some point, as ‘sort of’ girlfriend, though, you know, still girlfriend). So, there we go. The book begins with: a closeted lesbian, who is going to marry a man, spots a lesbian, badly seduces her (how bad is it if it works, eh?), and both parties cheat on others so they can fuck each other.

Despite not having had much interaction with each other, despite not knowing a damn fucking thing about each other, Andy assumes that the mind-blowing sex they had changed Brooke’s world and that they would now become a couple. Because, you know, that’s the natural next step when you fuck someone before their wedding to someone else. Brooke, meanwhile, thought the sex was mind-blowingly good – too good, she wanted a fling to wash this stink of lesbianism off her, but nooo, she had to love fucking a woman – but she doesn’t want to disappoint her parents or Jake, especially since she isn’t really sure if she is actually a lesbian, and if the sex really was that good (it was – I mean to her, I mostly skimmed the sex scene).

I’m now reading another book involving a man, woman, woman love triangle, and that one has graphic depictions of man on woman sex and woman on woman sex, so I do not actually recall if Jake ever graphically fucks Brooke. I think that didn’t occur.

So, where was I, so, Andy assumes the wedding is off, but Brooke is going through with it. A showdown occurs at the rehearsal (which the quartet doesn’t normally play at, but Brooke wanted more time with Andy – I’ve a vague impression this was set up before they fucked). Words are exchanged. Brooke is upset. Andy’s upset. The wedding is still going forward.

Before the wedding occurs, Brooke postpones it, and turns up at Andy’s door. Whereupon one of the most annoying scenes in all lesbiandom occurs. Andy, with apartment door open, looks at Brooke. Brooke wants in. At this point in their relationship (what relationship?), Andy thinks Brooke just used her. Brooke demands to be allowed in. She has, by the way, some luggage with her.

Brooke crossed her arms over her chest. “After Thursday night, I figured you owed me at least that much.”

Andy, naturally, scoffs at this comment. Owes her? After Brooke pounced on her, injured her eye with a lemon, had mind-blowing sex, then just left the next morning like nothing had happened? OWED?

Brooke’s reasoning? Andy owes Brooke because Brooke wanted a fling before the wedding. But . . . BUT!!! THE SEX WAS TOO GOOD!!! YOU RUINED ME! So, you know, you owe me. WTF?

Brooke is let in (somewhat more due to her mentioning she had nowhere else to go). Andy leaves or something. Comes back. Finds that Brooke has kind of exploded all over the apartment. Her clothing is all over the floor. The bathroom is a mess with her stuff. And she’s wearing lingerie. Andy’s apartment before the arrival of Brooke was cleaner than . . . something clean and organized.

*breathes*

Brooke and Andy kind of do, kind of don’t date. Andy keeps doing things that piss Brooke off (as does Brooke to Andy, though Andy is more mildly annoyed; Brooke becomes enraged). And, to be honest, the things Andy does are alarming blinking red lights that should warn people to flee. Like, several times, setting things up for Brooke without once talking to her about the issue ((view spoiler)[setting her up with a shrink – albeit informally; setting her up with an appointment at a college to learn culinary stuff (hide spoiler)]).
ANDY: I JUST WANT TO HELP!!!
BROOKE: TALK TO ME!! DON’T TRY TO CONTROL ME LIKE MY PARENTS!!!

At some point Andy, while in the middle of fucking her girlfriend (no not Brooke, recall how I said Andy actually had a girlfriend, sort of or not? – she’s fucking that woman, Lyse or something like that), Andy suddenly stops. She keeps thinking of Brooke. She wants Brooke. She shouldn’t be cheating on Brooke with her girlfriend (Lyse)! So . . . Andy’s a serial cheater. Cheats on Lyse with Brooke, cheats on Brooke with Lyse – only feels guilt when cheating on Brooke.

Story-wise? I loathe this story.

Character-wise? I loathe the main characters. And I’m not sure I like the others, though I do not really have enough information – though Lyse (whatever the fuck her actual name is for fuck sake) is a massive bitch – in stories about her, and in person.

You know books that I feel like tossing against the wall/burning to show my rage, whatever the fuck? Yeah, I loathed this book but not to that point. I tend to need to actually like the book, which goes in a horrifyingly bad direction, before I develop those ragey feelings. So . . . 2 stars instead of anything less than 2 stars. Hmm, that means I think the book is okay, if I recall Goodreads’ floater tip thingie. Ah, whatever, 2 stars.

Rating: 2

May 31 2018



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In Development by Rachel Spangler

In Development by Rachel Spangler

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is one of those celebrity stories – though unlike many I’ve read, it is a mixed story. As in, if the story involves an actress, the other party tends to be an actress as well (or actor), a background person (an assistant, or an up and coming writer who isn’t famous yet, or a stunt person), or someone completely outside celebrity-ville. Well, here, we have an award winning actress (teen awards), and an award winning and popular pop star who end up circling each other.

Cobie Galloway is somewhere around 28 (or was it 26?), but still tends to play teenagers or people close enough to that age in films. She has been doing so since she was a teenager. But now she wants to move on to more mature work, and has a specific script she wants to work on. A script she has some control over. A script based on a lesbian fiction novel. Oh, forgot that part – she’s been out as a lesbian, Cobie I mean, for eons. So that part isn’t an issue with doing the film. No, the problem her manager, as he explains it to her, is that she might in many ways be perfect for the role (not words he used but whatever), but that no one would believe her for that role.

Well, that paragraph got away from me. Started off just mentioning one of the point of view characters. I assumed I was going to say something like ‘Cobie was in to see her manager about a new project that would turn her career in a new direction; while leaving the meeting she literally stumbled across the other main point of view character in the book, Lila Wilder, a pop star.’ But alas, the paragraph got away from me.

Well, as noted, there are two points of views in this book – a pop star, Lila, and an actress – Cobie. They both are represented by the same management agency, though by different managers – Stan for Cobie, and . . . it was Mimi, right? For Lila. Lila had also been at the agency for a meeting, and like Cobie, she was there for a new direction type of thing. Though, in her case, it is a constant in her career that ‘new stuff’ would occur – and by that, I mean, she’d date some hunky guy to drive up press attention in between album releases, then move on to some other new hunk. And that’s one of the reasons she’s at her manager’s place that day – though the story, at this point, was more centered on Cobie.

Stan and Mimi put their heads together and come up with a plan – Cobie and Lila would pretend-date. Why? Lila’s only dated men up to this point, and that’s actually why – because people are actually becoming bored with Lila’s flings. No longer edgy and stuff. But a relationship with a woman? Back to being edgy. Why do they want Cobie to do it? Because Cobie wanted to transition from being thought of as a ‘sweet’ teen like person, to a person who could play the much more rough, edgy, player-like Vale (I forget if that’s the name or not) character from the movie she wanted to do.

So, that’s what they do. Cobie and Lila pretend date. Feelings are found; feelings are suppressed; sex is had; feelings are suppressed; some hard conversations are had . . . and stuff.

Long and short – I rather enjoyed the book. Something like loved it. I’m still toying with whether to give this book a 5 star or 5+ star rating.

Rating: 5

May 27 2018




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Breakthrough by Kris Bryant

Breakthrough by Kris Bryant

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


*I received this book from Bold Strokes Books and Netgalley for an honest review*

I’m not sure I’ve read a book like this one before. I do not mean anything good or bad by making that comment, just making a note about it. I’m specifically referring, here, to the main character – the solo point of view character.

I’ve read many books that involved players or people with play reputations. Oddly, or not, most of those involved non-femme characters (or, at the very least, not high femme). Have I seen that character in books? Yes, but not high femme player.

Going over to the player side of the characterization I tend to find three versions: 1) players wanting to stop being a player and to settle down (most of the time I see this in the form of rakes in historical fiction who have spent the good portion of their early adult lives sleeping around with every woman they could find, but now they’ve decided they need to be responsible); 2) people with player reputations who were never players but that reputation got stuck to them for one reason or another (I’m reminded of two characters: Brayden has a character with a player reputation who feeds that reputation, not because they are specifically a player, but because they use it as a shield against . . . I forget now what; and Galli has one who got that reputation by being seen going home with different women every night from a bar, except she was driving them home as a designated driver type, not for romance); 3) players who have no intention of being anything but players (rarer character to find as main character). Well the character in this book is something of a fourth type. A woman who lives in a world, a situation, in which being a player is the norm, and she doesn’t even realize that she lives in a somewhat ‘different’ type of world. She knows she’s a player, but everyone is a player.

Kennedy Wells has spent her life going from one party to another, drinking, partying, sleeping around, and getting paid to do it. Quite well paid. She works as a celebrity journalist. The kind who writes articles about ‘her friend the actor’, instead of hit pieces. Her life was tossed off-course, though; when one of her flings with a random woman, her interview subject, lead to a lawsuit. So she was moved off the high flying celebrity circuit and wants back on. Her boss, Erin, promises that she’ll be put back into her old position if she helps her brother, Erin’s brother, Travis settle in at another magazine – one that’s more about fishing, hunting, and the like. Help by writing a feature article, not help in person with Travis. Travis makes no appearance in this book (other than via one or two emails).

The feature article involves interviewing a jerk asshole reality star type person who has a fishing show. In Alaska. And she has to leave immediately. All mentioned because she heads off with barely adequate clothing and without even reserving a room. Which is where I get back to reminding people that the main character is a high-maintance high femme princess type – who, upon arrival in Alaska, proceeds to disdain the offer of an SUV, takes instead a luxury sedan, then drives around in high heels somewhat randomly. Until getting lost. Because she’s a city girl and stuff.

This reminds me of my initial problems with this book. Very early on there was a very strong vibe of ‘my gosh, I can’t believe how nice and helpful these folks are out here far from the big city; they’ll help without wanting something in return’ (very early on? This goes on, at least the vibe about ‘help without an agenda’, throughout the book) compared with the city dweller who only helps if they have an agenda. I’m not really sure why that particular trope comes up so often. I live in New York, I’ve helped people and people have helped me without needing to be blackmailed into it, or with an ulterior motive. But, eh, I’ve never lived in Los Angeles, where Kennedy is based, maybe it’s as hellish as Kennedy describes.

Got distracted by tropes. Where was I?

So, Kennedy, the main and only point of view character, heads off to Alaska to write some articles. While there she bumps into several people, some nice (all of whom, weirdly, are described as super thin), some less than nice (from a waitress who isn’t as helpful as Kennedy would expect, up to . . . people with guns and evil intent). Stuff happens. Personalities change. Etc. etc. I really hope Kennedy is supposed to be seen, how to word this, as a not tremendously likable person. She does grow, though, so that’s good.

Four things I wish to note before wandering off and doing whatever else: 1) there’s a bunch of sex in this story, lots and lots of sex; 2) I like Wally the pet raccoon; 3) it is hard to get a handle on Brynn, the other main character, since her point of view is not present; 4) thinness. As in, every bloody person meet is described as being super thin. From the 40+ year old librarian who is described as eating a mountain of food, but is just so thin despite that; to the main character Kennedy who is described as being 30 pounds underweight (Kennedy describes herself as being thin, too thin, because she needs to be for her job; Brynn describes her somewhat more negatively as needing 30 more pounds on her); to Brynn herself who is tall, lean, and all muscle; I do not specifically recall if Lara, the police officer, is described as thin or not, but she is described as being gorgeous by vain Kennedy so, since it’s a thought by Kennedy that probably means Lara’s super thin also.

Oh, a fifth thing: Kennedy is really into the fact that she’s a high femme, and likes that Brynn is butch. Though it gets slightly confusing at times – what with Kennedy thinking to herself how Brynn is exactly her type, shortly after making note that everyone she normally sleeps with are all high femmes. Eh, whatever.

Rating: 3.89

May 10 2018



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Patty's Potent Potion by Robin Alexander

Patty's Potent Potion by Robin Alexander

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is my second reading of this book. My first reading of this book occurred in May 2017.

Robin Alexander is the perfect example to be used for why I tend to give authors 3 to 5 books before I decide on if I like them or not – if I’ll continue to read them or not (previously I would have used Georgette Heyer). Why do I say this? Simple enough – I read three books by Alexander in 2014 and, naturally, I loved . . . . heh, no. I gave those three books an overall rating of 3.8, though that was mostly due to giving one of the three a rating of 4.5. It then took me two more years to try another book – and then I went on a longish string of 5 star reads. Did I love everything I read after that point? No, of course not. Some books I actually ended up rating worse than the initial three reads, but this is all boring and stuff so I move on. The point is that Alexander ended up being, basically, my favorite author and I almost gave up on her books before I should have. Eh, happens.

If I recorded things correctly, this is the third book I’ve reread by Alexander. And second I’ve placed on my top shelf reachable only by reread books. Alexander is the only author who has more than one work on my 6 star shelf.

Strangely enough, this book was even better than I recalled, and I spotted bits of humor here and there that I am fairly certain I hadn’t noticed the first time. There are both humorous lines, and humorous passages (as in, humorous banter; and, in context, humorous scenes). I loved everyone involved with this book, character-wise (well, I mean, ‘obviously’ I wouldn’t want anything to do with Janice, the grandmother, and she wasn’t great on her own, but the interactions added something to the book). Let’s step back and say: I loved the two main characters, Shawna and Ashton; and a good number of the side characters like Jet the daughter, and Patty the friend (actually, I believe I came to like Patty more this go-around than in the previous read).

The interaction between Shawna & Ashton as friends and lovers was great; the interaction between Patty and both Shawna & Ashton was good; the dynamic of the ex-Megan (Shawna’s ex) was quite good, and I kinda want to see a book starring Megan and Lucy (or Megan and anyone, really, but she seems to be doing well with Lucy so . . .).

Great story line. Humor, romance, sex, . . . hmms . . . humor again.

Rated: 6 stars

April 26 2018




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Kellen's Moment by Robin Alexander

Kellen's Moment by Robin Alexander
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

There was a brief moment, as I mentioned in my only status update, when I worried about this book. That was in the prologue that opens with two people apparently on the way to commit crime. And one is reluctant to do so while the other is gung-ho on the idea. And, as I also mentioned, that’s somewhat common with me and Alexander books – I open them, gaze upon the opening with some worry and fear, then gobble the book like it was chocolate and someone was coming to take all my chocolate (I’ve no idea why I went to chocolate). As in, I end up really enjoying the book and reading it in quick gulps.

Right, so, this book is about a 39 year old and a 34 year old (I forget which is which, though I’m fairly certain the 34 year old is Stevie Sealy, while the 39 year old is Kellen McLin). While Stevie grew up in a small town in Louisiana, the next town over from Kellen’s small town, she’s spent her entire adult life living elsewhere – mostly in New York. But she’s home now, temporarily (that’s the plan) as she’s broken up with her male partner (I’m still vaguely confused as to whether or not they were actually ever married). Kellen, on the other hand, appears (it’s not 100% clear), to have lived her entire life in that small town next to Stevie’s small home town.

I’m being vague on purpose. For, you see, the small town Stevie Sealy comes from is named . . . Sealy. And the small town Kellen McLin comes from? The town is named McLin. And as the book description notes, the McLin and Sealy families have been feuding for a long time like the Hatfield’s and McCoy’s. Though, since I do not actually know of any Hatfield’s getting involved with McCoy’s, I’ll go with Capulet and Montague (you know, Juliet and Romeo from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet). Since this specific story here involves two people from rival families falling for each other. Though, luckily for my own sanity, and as already noted, the two who fell for each other in this book are in their 30s, not early teens.

And that’s basically the story – two people from rival families fall for each other, then have to deal with the fact that they are from rival families. There’s more, but that’s the core. Lots of great humor, lots of interesting action, good solid side characters (including probably one of the better gay couples I’ve seen in lesbian fiction), some interesting to me sexy-times, and . . . stuff.

There’s more I could say – like how the McLin’s are the opposites of the Sealy’s in certain matters (they hold similar positions in their towns, and both have much money, but one is very concerned about appearances – ‘keeping up appearances’ (Sealy), while the other keeps a very tight hold on their money to the point they’d prefer wearing used underwear (or none at all) to buying new underwear (McLin’s). And how Stevie’s parents are complete and utter dickwads; and Kellen’s father figure (though uncle who raised her after mother died and father ran away) is an utter vile human turd; or how Kellen has a twin – Kyle, who is one half of the gay coupling I mentioned above; or . . . stuff. But I’ll let people read for themselves.

For my own information-purposes, though, I include: Kellen McLin is currently mayor of McLin, though would prefer not to be. Would prefer to be running her business (she’s a tree surgeon – an arborist). And Stevie Sealy works from home writing tech manuals (mostly for electronic things, though occasionally for other things).

I really loved the chemistry on display between Kellen and Stevie.

Every time I read a Robin Alexander book, I feel like I need to go back through all of my top tier ratings shelves and rerank everything. Granted, there are a few Alexander books I’ve rated very poorly, but most seem to push the upper limits. As this one did.

Rating: 5+ (something around 5.35)

March 4 2018


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Eyes Like Those by Melissa Brayden

Eyes Like Those by Melissa Brayden

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

A young woman, relatively speaking, of roughly 28-29 years of age dejectedly returns home from work. Ex-work. She’s been fired, yet again. Over fennel. She’s, obviously enough, quite sad. She explains her sadness to Fat Tony, who is her uncle and a gangster. He whacks everyone at the restaurant. The end.

Wait, sorry, Fat Tony is Isabel’s grumpy cat. Not a mobster. So, instead of ‘killing’ everyone who wronged her, the cat attacks her feet. Moments later Isabel’s life turns a completely different direction – her former college friend, wait, no, still friend, her friend from college sets Isabel up with an interview with a television series to be a writer on it. She hurriedly sets things up, gets hired, and promptly dumps coffee onto her new boss. And thus is Isabel meet, and thus is the book started.

As noted, Isabel is rapidly approaching her thirties and has spent her life winning awards at film festivals and . . . struggling mightily to have that actually mean anything (like in her bank account). Basically, what I’m saying is that she has received critical success on short films, but no financial success. Oh, and she has no lover in her life.

Enter . . . Gia, Hadley, Autumn and . . . um, well there’s also Stephanie . . and . . well, a bunch of people who live in Isabel’s cozy apartment building on the beach. Wait, you thought I was going to mention a love interest? Are you sure I haven’t? Right, so, my point is/was: Isabel, unlike her normal nature, instantly finds some friends to hang out with. Plus, she has that great gig on a high rated television show.

Meanwhile, a woman of about 32 has been running a highly rated television show for the past 5 or so years (well, this is season 5, so, past 4 years?). She has no one currently in her life, romantically, but then – she has no time for something like that. She’s run ragged from script meetings, to meetings with producers, to meetings with the budget people, to meetings with the network, to . . . well, you get the idea.

Well, she does occasionally have naked (or at least topless) women in her office (and in her life). Except . . . that’s the ex who won’t stop attempting to prolong the relationship. Taylor Andrews, who I now realize I forgot to name, has learned at least one lesson from her life, well many lessons but one specific one matters for this story, - she’ll never again have a relationship with someone she works with.

Isabel finds Taylor to be gorgeous. Taylor can’t stop examining Isabel’s traits, habits, clothing, and body. Things proceed from there.

This is/was a rather good book here. Good solid plot, great side characters (both those seen as friends off the set, and those on the set), great romance, and, and this one surprised me, great bits of humor. I don’t actually remember if that’s normal or not for a Brayden book. I’d have to go back and look over my reviews, but when I think of a Brayden book I think of well written books with great characters, good romances, and a certain formulistic foreshadowing of key plot points (specifically the key plot point that’ll cause mischief and problems with the budding relationship). Humor? Not an immediate thought that comes to mind.

But this book kept making me laugh, and all the other great points of a Brayden book were also there (unless you think that foreshadowing thing is a great advantage – because that seemed to be missing – which I liked). The ‘point of contention’ seemed logical to the story, and yet wasn’t foreshadowed with large glowing neon arrows.

My mind has suddenly become blank. Why’d that happen? Mmphs.

Right, so – there is a dog in this story, plus a cat. Both have important roles to play, though the dog more so than the cat. Family pops up, but more as an aside – as in, Isabel thinks of her father once or twice. I am not sure Taylor ever had family (okay, yes, her parents were mentioned, but I don’t think they played any role in this book). No kids were harmed in the telling of this story (also, no kids appeared, not even stray ones unrelated to the story).

Sex occurred. Graphically. Sometimes publically.

Right . . . so . . . great book.

Oh! Remembered something: POV? Both main characters have their point of view seen by the reader. Plus, unrelated, this is the first in a series and the second book has already been revealed - and stars Autumn of Cat's PJ's.

Rating: 4.84

September 15 2017




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Fearless by Robin Alexander

Fearless by Robin Alexander

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I was slightly concerned when I opened the book to find two people bickering and fighting on a cruise ship. Luckily one of the two was quickly out of the story, and my fears did not move past that initial slight concern.

I love everything about this book - the main characters, the adventure (stuck in Honduras together after their cruise ship left without them, Falon and Haley had fun adventures around the area (they kept saying 'island', Honduras isn't an island but there are islands off the coast - oh, that's what Roatán is, it's an island off the coast of Honduras, one of the Bay Islands)), the side characters, the best friends, the hotel owner, - everything.

This book has excitement, adventures, romance, chemistry, humor, travel, and more. I now feel like I'm writing an advertisement. pfft.

At this exact moment, minutes after finishing the book, I can confidently say that this book is within the top 3 books I've read by Alexander. Though I'd be more tentative as to where in that 3 book list this book would fall. I wish to clarify that I've read 25 books not just three.

Rating: 5+

September 5 2017



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Leaving L.A. by Kate Christie

Leaving L.A. by Kate Christie

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


There are very few authors who I've read everything they've published - at least if you don't start 'counting' until an author has published four or more works, otherwise there are a ton of authors I've read their one and only book (I suppose I could raise it to two or even three books published but still, seems low to be all excited about having read everything an author has published - 'I've read everything the author has published! I love them! What? Oh, they've published two books.') I mention this because this specific book was the last one that I had not yet read by this specific author.

Imagine my surprise, then, when I spotted people excitedly talking about a different book they'd read . . . and it is this author but under a different name - writing fanfiction. mmphs. Sooo . . . I haven't read everything by this author. bah. I don't care. mmphs. (should be noted I hurriedly grabbed a copy of that other book when I learned of it before someone gets the wrong idea).

So, this book. It's somewhat different than what I'd come to expect from Kate Christie. Her books seemed to be set in the relatively recent past (other than the Pride & Prejudice one; and the one set in WWII time), involve young and/or new adults and in some way involve athletes - likely ones who play soccer. One of the characters is athletic (always running) and is a college student but . . . they are also 34 (something like 33 to 34 over the course of this book). Also, this book is not set in the early 2000s or the 1980s. No, it's set roughly around when it was published (2011). People are using technology of the time (phones, computers, video-chatting, etc. etc.) and there's mention of both President Bush, and President Obama. Hmm. I should have just said 'Christie does not normally write contemporary romances involving adults, but this one is a contemporary romance involving adults'.

Well, as noted, one of the characters is around 33 to 34. She's a kindergarten teacher from Vermont. She had planned to go directly from college to grad school, but got interrupted by her mother getting then trying to beat, over five or so years, breast cancer. As the book starts, Eleanor Chapin, is in the process of receiving word from various grad schools on whether they have accepted her or not. In the mean time she is still working as a teacher, as already noted. Which is how she came into contact with the other main character in this book.

Tessa Flanagan's daughter, Layla, is in Eleanor's class. And really really loves her. And wants her mother to meet her teacher. So, she does. Tessa Flanagan is a mixed race woman, is important!, half-Irish descent and half-Filipino. She admits to that, but has otherwise mostly obscured her Chicago past for reasons that unfold in this book. As far as the reader needs to know going in - she's an A list actress who has recently (within the past year) retired from acting to spend time raising her daughter and setting up and then running a charity. I'd have said 'the relatively young age of 30-something' but many actresses find themselves 'replaced' and 'too old' when they reach their 30s so I can't say 'young age of' here.

I rather enjoyed this book. My main concern didn't really impact me as much as I figured it would when it came time for the two women to fall into a relationship. That concern being that Tessa had been paying Eleanor a massive amount of money, weekly, to be her child's nanny, when they both fell into bed together. I figured I'd feel icky about it - in a 'has Tessa accidentally turned Eleanor into a prostitute?'. But, didn't seem to be a problem to me, them, or in the story (I could have easily seen this come up as a plot point, a point of conflict - media learns of the amount of money being paid, and that the two are sleeping together - easily turned into huge scandal story - didn't happen).

sex Graphic. And I specifically recall liking one of the events described. Especially how it was written - both the joking nature, then pushing past that joking nature.

Rating: 4.78

August 26 2017



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Her Hometown Girl by Lorelie Brown

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Riptide Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

First off, a little snippet on why my rating isn't higher than it is: It is quite possible that if one specific aspect had not been included in the book, I would have likely liked the book about . . . oh, maybe 75% more than I did. It is one of those things that just shuts me down, drives me away, and makes me want to not read what I'm reading. If this book had been by anyone else, and if I hadn't already read the two previous books in this series and loved them - I likely would have not been able to continue, would have had to not finish the book.

I'd love to say that either I worked past that issue, or that the issue was not a large one in the book. However much anyone else might feel about the subject, it was large enough to adversely impact me.

This is a book that involves a woman who had to tightly control themselves in their small town in Idaho and couldn't wait to spread her wings in some much larger location - because she's a lesbian ('funny' how the tone changed on that aspect later in the book). While reading that, like say in a flashback or something, would not have been a favorite thing for me to read - it is not what I'm referring to nor are there any flashbacks in this book. That same woman then, once she arrived at a California based college, allowed herself to be 'taken over' by another woman. One who constantly berated her and controlled her. One who she only finally got away from when she caught the woman humping one of the caterers on their wedding day (that then didn't happen - the wedding). That's how the book opens, by the way - with Tansy finding Jody on top of a man. But no, as hard as it is to read about an abusive relationship, and about a woman trying to recover from that relationship (that included, and this is an important type of trigger warning, but also a spoiler, so I put behind a spoiler tag - there's just one word there rape, that also isn't the issue I had problems with. Well, I don't particularly like reading about abuse and the like, and I have skipped books that included it, but that isn't the issue that caused me to not wish to continue this book when it first popped up (then relatively easily pass by; much much harder to pass by the second time - I literally had to stop in the middle of a sex scene because of this issue and not pick up the book again until a day or two later).

I've really built this up, haven't I? Well, it's a combination of power imbalance, and 'daddy and little play'. Yes, daddy. Tansy literally called Cai daddy during activities that occurred (maybe only once, - after I realized what the sex scenes were going to be focused on, I started just skimming them, so that daddy might have just been once, power imbalance and words like 'little', 'good girl', and other references that turn Tansy into a kid like figure and Cai into a parent like figure? Continued throughout).

That just kind of leapt out at me. First there was some reference to S&M, and a somewhat vague idea that Tansy might actually be into that . . . maybe. Then sex occurred - sex where one turned over all power to the other, and waited for permission from the other, and put themselves into pain so that they 'could feel' (wtf?). So yeah, any other author, any other book, I would have not continued this book.

Some aspect of that, one woman comforting another and helping her recover from an abusive relationship, would have worked perfectly. Turning it into 'daddy play' involving two women? Awkward and not something I wanted to read. Especially as it falls into the trope of . . . hmm. I've forgotten how that is worded now. Something along the lines of 'BDSM helps abused people recover', or 'BDSM is something abused people fall into'.

Ah well.

This book stars Tansy Graves - teacher, 20 something (26?), almost married woman, and Cai something (did her last name get past me without me catching it?). Cai is late 30s. When Tansy was 12, Cai would have been 26. 14 year age difference. I think Cai might be 39, then, and Tansy 25. Both are allowed to have their point of views expressed and seen.

The two meet when Tansy stops by the Belladonna Ink tattoo parlor to get a tattoo. And she has the tattoo placed on her skin (I'm wording this all wrong, which words do you use when you describe someone getting a tattoo?) at roughly the same time she was supposed to be reciting her marriage vows. But instead - butterfly tattoo. The tattoo artist being Cai. Both see something in the other. Then Jody, the abusive girlfriend of Tansy, shows up.

I'd like to say 'and the story jumped three months', but there's a rather . . . disagreeable scene that readers have to get through involving Tansy and Jody before we can get to that three months later bit.

Three months later Cai and Tansy meet up again when Tansy comes in to get her tattoo touched up. Whereupon they decide to date. And do so. Time passes. Mention of S&M occurs. Sex involving Cai dominating Tansy occurs - repeatedly. More time passes . . . etc.

As my status updates noted, 'Up to something like 19% in, or thereabouts, I was thinking that I might not actually like this one - at least not as much as the previous two. Then something snapped and I was really feeling everything. Sucked into the story. Was in there up to about . . . oh, 24%? When S&M was mentioned. But that came and went quickly, and I got back deep into the story.' So I was 'into it' from 19% to 44%. Somewhat deeply into the book. Whereupon the story shifted for me. Tansy had started coming into her own, allowing her more natural bouncy, happy, etc. personality out. And then she continued with that self-determination, admittedly it was her desire to go here, and became Cai's 'little one'. And that's when I had to stop reading the book for a day.

sex: lots, graphic, BDSM related, includes spanking. Other than noticing how super awkward the first sex scene was, I cannot comment on the quality of the later scenes as the nature of the 'daddy-little one' power-play going on forced me to just skim those later scenes. There's at least one scene involving Cai and Tansy that doesn't include that dynamic, but that's also the scene that got stopped in the middle by a kind of PTSD attack.

Overall: Despite my desire not to read a book that includes one woman calling another one 'little one', I did find the book entertaining and readable. Even, in places, quite fun and good. And, as I started off with - there's a strong chance I'd have rated this book much higher without that little one stuff. That was partly what my skimming was about - trying to get a reduced 'little one' experience. It was too ingrained in the story, though, to do that.

Rating: Tentatively rate this book ... 3.65

August 24 2017

The Cottage by Caroline Jimenez

The Cottage by Caroline Jimenez

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I complained about the previous book I read, noting that a lot of time passed in it, lots of people doing things, living their lives, etc. etc., but the reader only saw something like 0.5% of any of that. I mention because this book is somewhat similar, not as compressed as 'Something for the Weekend', but still compressed.

As an example, I mentioned in my status updates that the book moved from 'let's roll around in bed together' to 'it was a month later' without any kind of break. Well I was wrong. That 'month later' stuff was at the start of the next chapter. Guess I didn't see that gigantic 'Chapter 10' written there. But still that's my point, no not the lack of break, I was wrong about that, but the part wherein they finally, after a lot of teasing, finally get to the bed and . . . it's a month later. I really have no idea how much time occurred in this book because this kept happening over and over again. Time just flying by. Skipping. It read like a highlight reel instead of a relationship - 'person A moves in; meet person B; they flirt; eventually (really long eventually) move past the 'is she even interested in me? part; skip to month later; relationship and family crisis etc. etc.' The highlight reel.

And there's a betrayal that occurs in this book. I really didn't like how it was handled. How everyone (well, it felt that way, maybe just the only people who commented on it), thought that it was the person betrayed who owed the betrayer the apology. And then . . . (view spoiler)[the betrayed apologized to the person who betrayed them. Either for screaming at them; or for feeling betrayed, not sure. (hide spoiler)].

The characters had character and personality and stuff. This isn't a paper-thin book here. And there was a plot and stuff. Just certain things annoyed me and certain things were way over the top (I won't mention what I mean there ((view spoiler)[as a note to self to remind myself: involves an incident in the ocean near the end of the book (hide spoiler)])).

Book is probably better than I'm making it out to be. I just hit that betrayal moment and didn't want anything to do with the rest of the book. But read it anyway.

Rating: 3.0

August 21 2017



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Patty's Potent Potion by Robin Alexander

Patty's Potent Potion by Robin Alexander

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A very sad thing happened just moments ago – the book ended. I’m sad now.

It is rare for me to think and/or say this but I loved the characters in this book to the point that I want to know them in real life, and if they are based on real life people the author knows, then I’m jealous, I am.

There’s Shawna Haydel, 39, work-at-home (she also has a gas station, and is the reason for the ‘financial services’ shelf since she also works as an accountant) mother of 16 year old Alicia ‘Jet’ Haydel; and there's Ashton Guidry, 39, biology teacher and (reluctant temporary) color guard coach at the same school Jet attends. Both of them are the point of views in this book. And both are darn right lovable. The others, the non-point of view characters, are also lovable – though slightly less so depending on the character. There’s Jet, already mentioned, who is also a member of the color guard; and both of Shawna’s parents (Lou and Will) are also still alive and around (Will being the bald man (but for two hairs) who is there in the story, has a distinct personality, but hasn’t much to do with the book; and then there is Lou, another one with a distinct personality, though shown more through her interactions with her own mother – who just happens to live with Lou and Will), and grandmother (Janice, who had been the principal at the high school and is very prim and proper). Rounding out the first tier side characters is Patty – one of the four who were friends in high school (Shawna and Ashton being two of the others, while Cassie makes the fourth but isn’t around the town any longer). Filling in the second tier are those like the band leader Stiles, who is a pushy dick, his girl-friend Joann (who Shawna and the rest knew at high school – as a stuck up bitch), and . . . well, Janice probably goes on this level instead of first tier. Hmm. I kind of ‘ruined’ my tier system so let’s forget about that. Like, I should have had Meagan (Megan?) on the first tier but, like I said, let’s forget about tiers. Megan is Shawna’s 1) best friend; 2) ex-partner/wife (and referred to by Jet as Mom-Megan – one of Jet’s two mothers).

The book opens with a bunch of 16 year olds giggling and writing on paper while 16 year old Patty made a ‘potion’ (not the drinking kind of potion, luckily, since . . . well, spit and stuff). The potion is some kind of love potion – the girls wrote down the person they loved and/or wanted to love them, and put that paper into the potion. Shawna is nervous about the whole thing because she wants to write the name of one of the other young women there, but doesn’t want anyone to know or see the paper. The ritual is concluded, the page is turned, and it’s now 23 years later.

Shawna works out of her home while overseeing her daughter Jet. The ‘present’ part of the book, which apparently takes place in 2015 based on a comment in the book (which literally said ‘it is 2015’), starts off with Jet being super annoyed. And wanting to drop out of the Color Guard team. Because there’s a new coach and she’s bitchy and mean and stuff. Coach Ashole (or Ashhole, I forget spelling now). I suppose I should interject two things here – Shawna and Ashton haven’t communicated in roughly 20 to 21 years, and Shawna has no clue that Ashton has moved back to the small town, so there’s no inherent reason for her to immediately hear ‘Ashole’ and think ‘Ashton’. And she doesn’t immediately realize this fact. But she does want Jet to remain on the team, for now, because of the promises Jet made (and the money spent on the ‘stuff’ associated with being a member of the color guard).

Ashton, meanwhile, has been forced to become the temporary color guard coach due to the current coach needing to step away for a while for emotional reasons (going through a divorce).

And, um, stuff.

There’s no way I can do this book justice so I’m going to move on from my normal rambling.

The book is super humorous, lovely, great book. Brought tears to my eyes several times (from laughter), and there were many humorous moments/scenes. Some of which are created by having the daughter (Jet) catch her mother (Shawna) doing things. Like dance around.

“Were you backing it up on the fridge?” [Jet]

“I was…uh…was…removing smudges with my butt. Did you forget something?” [Shawna]

“My laptop. I have a paper due Monday for English. I’ll just go get that now,” Jet said, still looking disconcerted as she left the room.

“I saw a smudge, and I rubbed my butt on it. That’s perfectly normal,” Shawna called after her."

- 24% into the book. Jet catches Shawna dancing for joy when she reconnects with Ashton (and this also might be the scene after Shawna learned that (view spoiler)[Ashton is also a lesbian (hide spoiler)])

Some of the humor scenes involve just Shawna and Ashton – like the time Shawna catches Ashton sleep walking and (view spoiler)[sleep fighting the vacuum cleaner (hide spoiler)], or the time Ashton catches Shawna drinking wine out of a pickle jar due to nerves. Things more humorous in context. Or, I should say, read in the book.

"You're having wine...in a pickle jar. Why is that?" Ashton asked, looking confused.

"Oh." Shawna looked closely at it. "I didn't even notice. I just grabbed it."

Several of the sex scenes are quite humorous as well. For . . . reasons.

I, relatively recently, read two Alexander books close-ish together and labeled one as the best romance book I’d ever read and the other the best humor book I’d read. Well, I’m pushing both books out of their positions and sliding this book here in their place. This book here is both the best romance book I’ve read and the best humor book I’ve read. I wish to put this book on my top tier, but, sadly, I have to wait until I reread this book to do that.

Rating: 5.99 (only rereads can be 6 star books)

May 4 2017



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The Last of the Loudens by Robin Alexander

The Last of the Loudens by Robin Alexander

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A Robin Alexander book – like a breath of fresh air after all these other books I had to struggle through to like (or loath). Mind you, I don’t always love Alexander books, but tend to do so. So it’s like coming to a nice comfortable snug . . . I lost where I was going with this sentence.

This book is more of a slice of life romance than anything else – I say because I know some people love angst and drama and danger and stuff. This one’s fluffy. Humorous. May or may not include ghosts.

Right around the time Taryn Louden’s company that she works for folds, therefore throwing her out of work, one of her few remaining living relatives contacts her. Aunt Juliana – Taryn’s father’s sister. Juliana offers Taryn a paid ‘job’ to come out to the Louden family home in the town named after the family (Louden Point) and help Juliana with stuff (I’m not sure if it was specified what the ‘stuff’ would be prior to Taryn accepting and wandering out there to the small town, but specifically involves being the go-between between Juliana and the contractors working on restoring the family home).

I believe, if I recall correctly, that Taryn is around 34 years of age, and worked in a company that made barges. Her father, the Louden parent, died when he attempted to ride a motorcycle; and the mother, Lucy (Taryn’s mother, not the father’s mother) hates Aunt Juliana, and so Taryn hasn’t had much contact with the other Loudens in a longish while. Not that there’s a lot of them around. There’s, like, Taryn, Aunt Juliana, and supposedly there’s an Uncle Malcolm somewhere out there as well. So the opportunity to ‘go back home’ (to the place that was never her home specifically), to where the Louden’s found their fortune and place in the Americas, draws Taryn when she’s asked to come. Lucy doesn’t want her to go, but then, as noted, she hates Juliana.

And so – Taryn arrives, sees a really run down massive house – the kind where she’s slightly afraid that if she touched it, that it might fall over (and touching it is not recommended, what with the poison ivy growing on the house). If she didn’t know her Aunt lived there, she’d think the place to be abandoned. Then that aunt pops out onto the porch and she looks like crap – really old, badly dressed, and slumped – not at all like Taryn’s memories have of the woman. They go inside; it looks lovely in there . . . etc. etc. Taryn learns that one of the things, or the thing, that Juliana has Taryn down (up?) is to help with the reconstruction of the place – no, not with a hammer, she’s hired contractors for that.

And so, and yes there’s a point for me to be rambling like this . . . and so, the contractors arrive. The Andres. Jack Andre’s the boss-man; he introduces himself and almost immediately flees, after noting that his daughter will be handling things. Daughter Vicky Andre and Taryn Louden meet. Both note the other’s attractiveness. It should be noted that this specific arrangement is fraught with risk – Juliana hates Vicky.

The main characters, Vicky and Taryn, are great lovely people. The side characters? Also great. There’s Cricket the 60 year old woman who comes most days of the week to cook and do stuff like that; there’s Dawn – Vicky’s sister (who is having lustful thoughts about Taryn and is questioning her sexuality), and Levi (Dawn’s youngest son (she has two, the other, Nolan, is here also but barely interacted with; just like husband Evan is barely meet in this story)); and let’s not forget Chris & Lonna – wife and wife friends of Taryn (who, for some reason, have the same haircut (by accident)) – a lovely couple. There’s also mother Lucy, but she only bounces in and out of the story a few times. Hard to get a read on her from that interaction. Oh and then there are/is also the ghost question – a character in their own right. You see – old houses tend to make groaning sounds as they . . . rest on their foundations. But we aren’t talking about groaning – we are talking about distinctive very clearly heard footsteps. So – there’s that aspect as well.

A good light fluffy slice of life with a dash of romance, humor, and ghosts. Quite fun and enjoyable.

Rating: 5.0

December 30 2016




View all my reviews

Warriors of the Heart by BadSquirrel

Warriors of the Heart
by BadSquirrel
Pages: 173
Date: December 2012
Publisher: Self
Series: None
URL: http://xenafiction.net/scrolls/badsquirrel_warriors_of_the_heart.html

Review
Rating: 5.0 out of 5.0
Read: August 17 2016

It is funny in it's way. One of the reasons I decided to try this book was because it involved an undercover police officer. More directly, because it involved said police officer operating undercover as a stripper.

And nearly the first scene, or around there, involved a lap dance by said undercover officer given to a woman. Who promptly orgasmed. One of those 'quickest to orgasm' type moments, eh?

Who knew, from that background, what I'd actually find when I continued reading? The two main characters, Rachel and Stevie, are probably my two favorite characters I've come across. There's family turmoil, religious turmoil, crime, passion, thrills and chills.

This might be the best family/religious/LGBT-related book I've read.

While reading I was thinking several thoughts, one of which is - why am I able to read this book for free? Other than a few mentions here or there of green eyes, I noticed nothing that would put either woman as being stamped from the mold of the two main women from Xena. Maybe Stevie and Rachel are modeled on some other couple?

There was one moment wherein I think the author or someone got confused (maybe it is I who got confused), but there is one moment when it appeared that Rachel, for one brief scene, had her name switch from Rachel to Teresa, to Rachel again. Other than that specific issue, this was a lot more polished than I'd have expected (granted I'm not talking about the formatting, that was annoying how scenes/etc, meshed together; while other scenes kept getting interupted by large blocks of text informing everyone the name of the book and the page number). Right, think I lost my focus there, I had meant to just note that I did not see anything specifically that would have kept this book from being published for pay.

Not sure which would have lead me to it quicker, free, published for pay, or published for free. *shrugs* No matter. I rather enjoyed the book.

August 17 2016

Speed Demons by Gun Brooke

Speed Demons
by Gun Brooke
Pages: 264
Date: November 1 2012
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Series: None

Review
Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0
Read: July 27 2016

My fifth book I've read by this author. Giving this book 4 stars brings my average rating for books read Brooke to 3.5. A far fall from the first book I'd read, or the rating I gave it, 5.5. The 3.5, though, is actually an increase over my previous overall rating of 3.3 for the combined average of the four books read before this one.

I've recently been testing some of those authors I'd somewhat pushed to the side along the way for one reason or another, and found some good things, which is how I ended up reading this book here.

So, what can I saw about this one . . . hmms. Evie is a race car driver on the NASCAR circuit. Blythe is a photojournalist who is doing a photo book about Evie. This is where the book starts. Blythe watches through her camera, then her eyes as Evie races around on a race track in a Dodge Viper. Screaming. Clouds of smoke, flames, crashing explosions – two of Evie’s fellow race car drivers have crashed, and Evie’s right behind them . . . following her pit bosses instructions, going low, until she rams into the side of one of the crashing cars and is herself engulfed in flames. Blythe, who happened to have her camera pointing the right way, keeps pushing the button to take pictures, until she can’t any longer and rushes toward the crash.

The book opens as above. It’s now a year later and the very shy 43 year old Blythe has worked herself up to approach Evie about a proposal – continuation of that book they had been working on, with Blythe following Evie as she attempts her comeback from the tragic accident which had claimed two lives. A certain amount of tension and mistrust occurs, but an agreement is reached. They will continue with the project. This will include some rather close living quarters . . . because that’s just what you do in a situation like this, apparently.

So, while Evangeline ‘Evie’ Marshall is working on her comeback, Blythe Pierce is basically living in her pocket (I’d make a short joke, since Blythe is tiny, but she might gut me – she’s kind of fierce). Certain ‘feelings’ develop.

Meanwhile there are other characters and issues occurring in this book. Family: Evie’s dick of a father and, to a lesser extent (appearance in the book wise), grandfather make several rude snide undermining appearances (Brooke sure doesn’t like father characters); Blythe’s family itself also plays its own little role – well, largely the role being so abusive that roughly 25 years ago, Blythe had to run away. So that’s happening.

Nice enough book. Those looking for detailed long stretches of car racing should look elsewhere. I kind of knew that going in so that did not have an impact on my rating (good or bad). I think I’d rate this somewhere around 3.70 if I still rated using decimals; otherwise this book gets marked as being 4 stars.

July 27 2016

Scaredy Cat by Robin Alexander

Scaredy Cat
by Robin Alexander
Pages: 221
Date: October 30 2013
Publisher: Intaglio Publications
Series: None

Review
Rating: 5.0 out of 5.0
Read: July 22 2016

This is a) the seventh book I've read by Alexander (and fourth in 4 days); b) there is no b.

As is normal, this book involves a small town in Louisiana, and the antics of the people in it. Unlike those people in White Oak, the people of Cypress Glade are not very open/friendly to those in the LGBT community.

Quinn Scott is a local woman who works with her brother in a family owned plumbing business. She was outed by the local gossipy bitch of the town as a lesbian. Unlike the events that unfolded in White Oak during a similar incident involving Jaclyn (sex between two women that is observed by a third party who tells everyone about it), the people did not rally around Quinn and keep/develop/become friendly to the lesbian and lesbian kind. No, they figuratively or literally spat upon her (I forget if any literal spitting occurred). So Quinn mostly sticks with her job, her brother Jacob, and sister Dawn, and is kind of an outsider in her own town.

Dawn, a real estate person, finds a dwelling place for a celebrity author. Dawn also, through this author's agent, volunteers her sister to act as something of a guide to this author. For pay (I believe it was stated as being $1000 a month). Quinn is not exactly happy about this but . . .. By the way, it's known from the beginning that both the author and Quinn are lesbians - that's why Quinn was offered up as a 'guide' (no, I do not mean that as code for escort or prostitute or the like, the 'guide' isn't really what Quinn ends up being, at least not the typical kind of 'tour guide' kind of guide).

The author is a best-selling horror novelist named Blake Taylor. Who is the 'Scaredy Cat' of this novel. Since she really is scared of basically everything.

This was/is a rather neat, exciting, fun book. Humorous. Graphic sex. Etc.

Of note: there are three cats on the cover of this book (if you include the word 'cat' as part of the three cats). There are no cats in this book (at least I do not recall any). There is a dog, an owl, various other birds, squirrels, and other 'things', but no cats.

Of note 2: I read three books by Alexander in 2014. Now I've read 4 in 2016. Alexander is . . . um, well not rapidly, becoming one of my favorite authors (unexpectedly).

July 22 2016

The Magic of White Oak Lake by Robin Alexander

The Magic of White Oak Lake
by Robin Alexander
Pages: 208
Date: February 18th 2014
Publisher: Intaglio Publications
Series: White Oak Lake (2nd in Series)

Review
Rating: 5.0 out of 5.0
Read: July 21 2016

This is a) the sixth book I've read by Alexander (and third in 3 days); b) the second book in the White Oak Lake series.

I entered this book with the vague understanding that this would be like other series I've read in the lesbian fiction field - a book that featured new characters, with an appearance by other characters from the series (whether at a cameo level, or a slightly larger role). To a certain extent, that is both true and misleading to come into this series with that background. For the simple fact that this is not a change in lead characters so much as an addition of new characters. For the characters of the first book, Lure, play a massive role in this book here (Morgan, Jaclyn, and Austin (Austin was fascinated by penis in the first book; this time he is . . . both horrified by (because of revelations regarding his moms), and intrigued by the opposite gender (pretty girl his own age) - "He wanted to know all about women's bodies and what he called a cleat and if he should push it six or seven times."); and, to a somewhat larger extent, the three batty old women, I, C, and B (what are their names, Idris, Clarice, and Betsy? I forget now)).

Added to the cast are Wendy and Leslie. Both of whom are kind of seen as being mentored by the elder Morgan and Jaclyn (a feeling gained from reading the book), but who are actually around the same age (Wendy, at 43, may or may not be the oldest of the four).

Right, so. Wendy lives nearby and works in a far off place. She regularly stops in White Oak for store items. Leslie is renting Morgan's cabin, and also works in some far off place. Both of them (Wendy and Leslie) are single and lesbians. They also do not meet each other until about 33% into the book.

For the longest time, the book seemed to focus a little too much on the characters from the previous book, to the detriment of whatever budding story could be found with Wendy and Leslie. But, eventually, both characters grew on me, and felt more fully involved in the book.

hmms. Not sure what all else I can write, now, since I'm writing this after completing my 7th Alexander book today. So I'll continue bumbling along, sliding on by. Leaving with a few thoughts:

1) there was humor, I liked the humor, it was not an overly humorous book though;
2) I like(d) the characters, I want to read more about White Oak.

July 22 2016