Gift of Time by Robin Alexander

Gift of Time by Robin Alexander
Pages: 242
Date: September 18 2017
Publisher: Intaglio Publications
Series: None

Review
Rating: 3.75
Read: October 6 to 7 2016

Deciding to kill some time during a lunch break, Leah Marks pops into an antique store near her work. She isn't really into antiques, but . . . see: boredom. While there Leah spots a rather neat looking snow globe. While examining said globe, a woman approaches - one Reagan Montgomery.

Leah is quite taken by two things - the snow globe, and Reagan. She's lived something like 35 years without finding much in the way of love, and scoffs at those who hint at the concept of instant-love. So she has something of a problem - she's feeling strange feelings towards Reagan. From glimpses seen through Leah's eyes, Reagan might feel something for Leah as well. Leah acquires two things before she leaves that store - the snow globe, and Reagan's number.

Turns out there's a reason for why Leah and Reagan seem to fall into something like 'insta-love', but I'll let the reader find out what's going on.

The snow globe has a twin, owned by Reagan. Both snow globes have neat little houses in them, quite detailed. While examining the snow globe, Leah sees something she saw while in the store and played off, in her mind, as a trick of the light. Smoke appears to be rising from the chimney in the snow globe. And then . . . a small woman baring a striking similarity to Reagan exists the house. In the snow globe. Leah, as might be expected, is freaked.

One thing leads to another, and Leah and Reagan begin investigating these snow globes. Find some rather freaky stuff. And, eventually, that 'gift of time' part of the title comes into play - both end up sucked into 1907. Roughly around the same area they reside in in 2004, just with a different date.

I'm not exactly when it occurred, but for the longest time I was thinking that this book was falling into the occasional 3 star level. Occasional for Alexander books. Some neat things started to occur, though, and I got pulled into the book. By the end I quite enjoyed it.

Quite strange book. Mix of fantasy/science fiction/romance/historical fiction, etc. Fantasy has to do with the snow globes and the mini people in them; science fiction has to do with the time travel and how the snow globes came to be (though there's a mix of fantasy in there as well).

October 9 2016

The Wrong Place at the Right Time by M.E. Tudor

The Wrong Place at the Right Time
by M.E. Tudor
Pages: 114
Date: March 6 2013
Publisher: Self
Series: There is a sequel following a different couple

Review
Rating: 4.75
Read: October 7 2016

Mary and Ashley are roommates and tend to do stuff together. As in work together, go to parties together, etc. Not as in sex. Though both are lesbians - closeted lesbians (more on that later). They just never fancied the other.

After a, to Mary, boring party, Ashley needs to rush to her 'date' and can't take the time to drop Mary off at their apartment (they also share a car on occasion, though both have cars - Ashley just doesn't like Mary's car because it's one of those mini ones that get like 800 miles to the gallon but is the size of a condom), but will drive to the date and turn over the car to Mary to get home. Ashley will catch a ride from there.

Mary is kind of trapped in the passenger seat without a choice, so it's good she's basically okay with this arranagment. Until they go into an interesting area of town. Pass a bunch of biker, and leather bars. And stop at a lesbian leather club (lesbian leather bar? one or the other). Still basically okay. But . . . Ashley forgot to leave the keys.

Mary is forced to either wait in the car or push her way inside the club. She's heckled by some leather wearing women outside (well, heckled might not be the right word, whatever term is used when a construction worker sexually harasses a woman who walks past - the leather women standing outside smoking do that to Mary as she's going inside).

Almost immediately upon entering the super packed club, various people start aggressively hitting on Mary. And by aggressively, I mean seriously. Really aggressive. Might include a little groping.

Mary can't seem to spot her roommate, and asking for a woman wearing basically black while having blond hair causes the bartender to laugh at her then point out everyone out on the floor.

Mary did finally see someone, though, who she recognized - Dyke Thug, or, as she prefers to be called (since it's her actual name and not an insult Mary flung at her earlier that day) Jackie Meredith.

While being basically groped by three women at the bar, Jackie slides in and 'saves' Mary from them. Implying that Mary was there looking for her. The other women tentatively back off while Jackie pulls Mary onto the packed dance floor. Mary's kind of wide eyed starring at some rather obvious activity going on around her while Jackie's asking questions. Jackie learns of Mary's plight - looking for Ashley, and tries to help.

They go back to the back area and Mary finally spots Ashley. On all fours. Licking a woman.

Things proceed from there. Two things to note: considering everything, the 'aggressor/agressee' in the Jackie-Mary situation was both surprising and quite neat; there's more to this story than just erotically graphic sex scenes. Just like Mary has to learn that there's more to Jackie, a reader has to learn that there's more to the book than the cover would suggest (if the reader gave the book time).

Somewhere near the beginning I mentioned something about closeted lesbians and that I'd say more later. Well, apparenty Mary, along with Ashley, belong to a particular class of lesbians that seems more fitting to the 1940s/50s (and possibly 60s/70s) - the closeted professional kind. The kind of lesbian who fears for their job if their sexual orientation is found out by their employers (despite legal safeguards put in place; as . . . someone put at some point in the book, Ashley?, Kentucky is a right to work state (or something like that), meaning that the company can fire at any time for any reason (as long as the reason is legal), so even though there are safeguards, the company could find something else to point at as the reason to dismiss).

This was a fun, exciting book. There's a sequel involving Ashley and her 'friend', but a) I do not really like Ashley and b) the description of that sequel sounds very alarming. So this might be one of my dipping into and then quickly out of a series that I sometimes do. Even when I enjoy the books.

October 9 2016

Not-So-Straight Sue by Cheyenne Blue

Not-So-Straight Sue
by Cheyenne Blue
Pages: 278
Date: October 19 2016
Publisher: Ylva Publishing
Series: Girl Meets Girl (2nd in Series)

Review
Rating: 3.0
Read: October 5 to 6 2016

*I received this book from NetGalley and Ylva Publishing in return for a fair review.*

Sue Brent is a lawyer living in London. She's happy and excited, for she's just about to be promoted to Senior Associate (years before she thought she would be). She has some great friends, great job, and good solid life.

Two of her best friends are Nora and Ger, and since both are lesbians, Sue spends a good bit of time in lesbian bars. Where she gets hit upon, but her response is always 'Sorry-I'm-Straight'. A response she's been giving out for a long time now, since back in college days.

Sue isn't just someone who says that they are straight; she also goes on a lot of dates. And aggressively fucks men. So, obviously . . ..

Thoughts of dusty home in Australia keep popping up in Sue's mind, though, even while she's living the good life and enjoying her near promotion. Thoughts that cause her to, on something like a spur of the moment, quit her job and return home.

Sue's from a small conservative town in the Australian outback - quite a difference between it and London. But she feels this strong pull and so heads back (after setting things up in London to unwind her life there, and setting things up in Australia to start, or restart, a life there).

There's a twist, or secret, though, one that can be picked up by glancing at the title of the book. Though I assumed something that turned out to be wrong, but whatever (I was assuming 'bisexual', especially with all the sex with men. I was wrong.). A secret that turns out to be known, or guessed at by at least two of the people Sue meets in London, though not known by most. A secret that was almost a secret to herself. Though it was buried deep down in her. For you see - Sue isn't exactly as 'straight' as she always proclaims when hit on by lesbians.

One of Sue's former boyfriends, one who remained a friend after the break-up, mentions something to Sue before she heads back to Australia - something about freeing herself - and living her life (or maybe he just said something like 'I knew we weren't going to make a go of it, since I was the wrong gender for what you need for happiness'). Sue's thoughts swirl around this idea as she heads back to conservative small thinly populated outback steakhouse. I mean the Australian outback.

Into this mix are two people who have no points of view of their own (since Sue's the only one with a POV) - Felix the horse owner lesbian, and Moni the doctor from Dallas (and one of the only two who seemed to see the lesbian hidden in Sue while Sue was in London).

Felix is an older woman, lean and tough, and her story will be told in the third book in this series. Just like Nora and Ger’s story, the London friends, were told in the first book in this series.

Moni’s, of course, gets told in this book here, though, as noted, she doesn’t get to have a POV, so everything’s from Sue’s point of view.

I was gliding along, loosely connected to this story. There were some interesting aspects, wandering the Australian countryside in a camper, etc. Though I didn’t really have much of a ‘feel’ for London when the book was briefly there in the beginning.

This book is a combination of wordy and thin. Lots of time passing, but in a 'months passed' kind of way. The main character is kind of flighty - dropping everything on a whim to return to her homeland of Australia. Leaping upon the first lesbian she runs across when she decides she's willing to be a lesbian now; then barely communicating with that woman again afterwards despite their close-ish living situations.

Apparently forming a long term love-lust relationship with someone just because they are one of only two people who recognized, while she was still living in London, that she was actually a lesbian despite her claims to be 'sorry-I'm-straight'. Sadly that is how the relationship seemed to read to me - they recognized that Sue was a lesbian so Sue was interested in them; especially when she happened to end up in Australia 'near-ish'.

Then, because she’s something like a passive push-over moron, she takes in an ex-girlfriend - and does not tell her current girlfriend about the situation - about the fact that her ex is living with her. Because she'd sound defensive (WTF?), so instead she just looks like she's cheating on her current girlfriend - yes much better.

The entire situation with Denise, that ex-girlfriend, was in many ways very annoying, frustrating, and not the least needed in this book. At least the part wherein Denise turned up at Sue’s place. But that’s life. Books like this need conflict and a certain amount of padding, so let’s stuff in an ex-girlfriend.

Maybe it’s the nature of a first person point of view, but I never really got much of a feeling for this person named ‘Moni’. She’s blond, has big hair, and is a doctor. And that’s about it. There’s enough there to tell that she has a personality and isn’t just there, isn’t just a dead fish, but it’s hard to see more with the information given.

If I was to pick out a favorite scene in the book, I’d probably have to go with the one wherein Moni and Sue are stuck by the side of the road because Moni’s car has broken down. It’s been a while now with them waiting. Sue mentions that stripping down would likely bring someone along – she knows because her camper’s shower is an outdoor shower. So Moni begins stripping in the middle of the road while Sue sings. That was quite an interesting thing to visualize.

My least favorite scene might be obvious considering, though I’ve played with this review so much I’m not sure I’ve included it . . . no, I see it now when I blink and my eyes slide up the screen. Right, so my least favorite scene would be when Denise has dropped by because she wants some help leaving her husband. And Sue offers to let her stay the night – on the spare bed. And decides that it’d be ‘stupid’ for her to tell her girlfriend that her ex-girlfriend is staying over. Because, reasons. Yes, this is my least favorite scene in the book – not when the expected happened and the new girlfriend, Moni, caught Denise and Sue in a compromising position, though that wasn’t exactly a great thing to read; nor was it when Sue was thinking about what happened and has thoughts like ‘wasn’t blameless’ – worded in a way that sounds like she is grudgingly accepting some of the blame, when the blame is entirely hers – again, not my least favorite scene, though maybe my second least favorite scene.

Sex? Well yes, there is graphic sex in this book. Possible I overlooked something here or there, but there were several scenes involving three people (heh, no not threesomes, two people in each scene, just involved three people total – 2 by 2; okay, Sue fucked Felix and then later fucked Moni, see three people). Author did a bit of teasing though, at least with Moni and Sue, with them almost doing it a few times before they finally did for the first time. In terms of eroticism, the stripping scene would still be my favorite in the book.

I do not really know what to rate this book. I had to pause around the 70% mark, and then decided to not continue by the 72% mark, but then, because hey that’s what I do, I finished the book. It actually did get interesting and good there near the end, but then the book went and ended abruptly. So. Rating. I’m going to slap a 3 on it for now and might raise or lower it as my thoughts congeal (yes, my thoughts are liquid, and I wish for them to freeze together into a solid).

October 6 2016

21 Questions by Mason Dixon

21 Questions
by Mason Dixon
Pages: 240
Date: November 15 2016
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Series: None

Review
Rating: 3.0
Read: October 5 2016

*I received this book from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books in return for a fair review.*

This is my first book by ‘Mason Dixon’, though my fifth book by the author (the other four books I have read were put out under the ‘Yolanda Wallace’ name).

There are three main characters in this book – though you know immediately how the book will likely turn out by two facts – only two of those three characters have their POV’s expressed in the book (though I've been tricked before by books that had two point of views for most of the book only to have a third suddenly pop up late in the game), and the book description only mentions two of the main characters. But hey, that’s the ‘likely’ outcome, not necessarily the outcome (I mean, I did just read two lesbian romances in a row wherein my little comment wouldn’t apply – or was misleading or . . . something).

This book is also a love triangle – the pivot point of this triangle . . . hmm, broken triangle? Bah, it’s normally described as a love triangle so I’ll continue with that phrase, even though there’s no line between two of the points to close off the triangle. So the pivot point of the triangle, and something of the driving force of the novel, is one Kenya Davis. Kenya is also one of the two points of views in the book.

Kenya is 36 and has a very successful and productive career. She does not have, though, someone to live her life with. And she wishes to change that factoid. So, the book opens with her outside a night club – about to enter and begin a round of speed dating (I mean the club has arranged a speed dating event, not that Kenya herself is going to attempt to put together . . bah, I think people understand what I’m saying).

Before she can even get to that event she meets and is romanced by the two other main characters in this book. Needing something to wet her tongue (okay, I don’t actually recall what triggered her heading immediately to the bar to get a drink, but . . meh), Kenya wanders to the very busy bar. She immediately makes snap judgments about the people behind said bar. Kenya is very judgmental and falls easily into stereotyping people. The people behind the bar are obviously loose, fast, immature, young players who are good for nothing more than a fling (hmms, maybe not read this spoiler?’funny’ how the two older successful women in this book, Kenya and Mackenzie, end up being the more flighty and immature while the two ‘players behind the bar’ end up being more capable of long term love, but I’m getting ahead of myself). When Kenya gets up to the bar, the woman behind it guesses, correctly, what drink Kenya wants then flirts with her. Kenya immediately shuts her down and walks away. Because. ‘Obviously’ the bartender is just a slut and not worthy of any type of polite conversation. Well, that bartender is the second point of view in the book – Simone Bailey, 26.

Still on Kenya, though, since she still needs to bump into the other main character. Which she does. When ‘gorgeous rich fabulous’ Mackenzie sits at Kenya’s table, before the speed dating event, and flirts with Kenya. Sets up several dates at once with Kenya.

So, that’s the book. Over immediately. Kenya wanted a partner, shot down Simone, and will now spend the rest of her life with Mackenzie.

Heh.

So then the speed dating event begins, but because Mackenzie forced herself into the event at the last minute, the numbers are off. So they need another person. Simone jumps in. And this is where the title of the book comes into play – 21 questions. Simone gets a promise from Kenya that she will be able to ask, and have answered, 21 questions – even if they go past the 10 minute mark set aside for each of the speed dates. 10 minutes fly by so fast that they are only able to get through, barely, one of the 21 questions. So, obviously, they need to exchange numbers. Though Kenya stresses, again, that she has no romantic interest, what-so-ever, in Simone. Simone lies and says something along the lines of that being okay.

Okay then. That’s the set up. Mackenzie, who – remember – has no point of view; and Kenya date. Simone and Kenya discuss 21 questions.

There is zero, and I mean zero, chemistry between Mackenzie and Kenya. I’ve no idea what’s going on with this book. Kenya makes a snap judgment based entirely on occupation and age to decide to have nothing romantically to do with Simone (because ‘obviously’ a bartender (‘eww a bartender’) would only be a fling), while at the same time drooling over and wanting everything to do with Mackenzie.

Two points: 1) Kenya’s last major relationship involved a somewhat immature young woman who was dishonest, cheated on her, and after the breakup, stole her identity to run up some credit card debt in Kenya’s name; 2) Mackenzie has her own money so Kenya doesn’t have to worry about that, but – a) she’s massively immature (despite her age and appearance of being an accomplished business woman); and b) is widely known as being a massive player. Huge player. A woman who has never shown a spark of desire of having anything but flings. And yet Kenya makes a snap decision that Simone is beneath her and that she wants Mackenzie beneath her in bed. Despite wanting something long term she leaps for the huge massive player with a rotten, and I mean rotten, reputation.

The 21 questions thing is an interesting idea. Cut Mackenzie from the book and there might have been a really good book here. There are reasons why Kenya might, initially not want anything to do with Simone – and that 21 questions thing is a good way to keep them tethered to each other.

The Mackenzie thread, though, just made me dislike Kenya. Mackenzie’s bad side is shown throughout so obviously the reader isn’t going to like her – they aren’t supposed to like her. (Vaguely curious if Mackenzie is based on anyone in real life because that out of the blue ‘take down’ of Mackenzie, wherein she is ‘cut down to size’ is just . . . . Well seems like a wet dream kind of thing. I mean, it just seemed over the top what happened to Mackenzie in the end).

So. I disliked Kenya, and I disliked Mackenzie (as I was supposed to). For the most part I liked Simone. And the music subplot that she was involved with. (I’ve no clue why the ‘dishonesty’ part had to be added. What the fuck was that about? Both having Simone see Mackenzie with another woman; and her decision that it just wouldn’t be right to tell Kenya . . . because . . . um . . . because . . . no idea really (the ‘she won’t believe the picture, and would believe Mackenzie over my word’ concept was thrust forward but . . meh)..

Right, sorry. I liked Simone. I liked Reagan. I mentioned in my status updates that Reagan and Simone had more chemistry with each other in the first few seconds after Reagan appeared than anyone else had with anyone else in the book. Though I kind of see why we couldn’t have gone the Simone-Reagan route. I also liked Simone’s Jamaican family.

A lot of things I didn’t like about Kenya. Like her snap stereotypical judgments mixed with an odd blindness and trust towards Mackenzie. And didn’t like how she basically ordered her employee to do her bidding outside the office hours (there was a hint that Celia would have done these things anyway, but the word choices seemed to indicate that Celia had no choice in the matter).

Quite frankly, I don’t know why anyone was interested in Kenya (okay, I know why Mackenzie was – out of the blue – putting out ‘I want to settle down now with one woman, that woman being you’ vibes Only read this if already read the book and wish to remind yourself of the reasonMackenzie wanted a respectable woman, like Kenya, who she could install as her wife to take to high class function and add a layer of respectability, while at the same time continuing to fuck others – an open relationship like her parents have. Though Mackenzie lied about her intentions (at least when she was whispering things like ‘you are the only woman I want now’; though she did keep dropping massive hints that an open relationship was both wanted and expected).

I like reading books where not everyone is lily white, and/or the only non-white people appear as if tokens in a white world. So that’s a positive for this book – since everyone involved (except Mackenzie’s mother) are black (Simone, Mackenzie (father – rich, successful, black), Kenya, Reagan, Dre, etc.).

And now I do not know what else to write. Hmm. Well, I’ve both liked and loved books by Yolanda Wallace in the past, and will continue to read her books; and likely try the other two Mason Dixon books (like ‘Charm City’ looks interesting, though I do not know why a white woman’s on the cover).

October 6 2016

Game Time by Kate Christie

Game Time
by Kate Christie
Pages: 313
Date: September 30 2016
Publisher: Second Growth Books
Series: Girls of Summer (2)

Review
Rating: 4.75
Read: October 4 to 5 2016

Important note before anyone dives into this book or this review – this book continues a story begun in Training Ground - it should not be read on its own, nor should its review be examined prior to completion of book one.

This book does not pick up directly from the end of the first book – but it is still directly linked to the first and heavily based on the first. No, instead of beginning an hour, day, week, or even a month later, this book opens ten years later.

The first book focused on two people (and their friends and family) in 2003, Jamie Maxwell, and Emma Blakeley. Book two sees these same people, but ten years later in 2013.

I am somewhat padding my beginning portion so that I do not reveal anything in the tiny snippet that will appear on other people’s feeds. Are we there yet? Maybe.

As noted, it’s ten years later. Emma and Jamie’s lives have continued – separately. Both have graduated from college. Both have pursued careers in soccer – one playing for two different US based professional women’s soccer leagues while also playing for the National team; while the other went directly from college into the pros, then drifted over to Europe to play for an English soccer team when the professional league folded. Both have had lovers, lives, changes – some in the public eye, some not.

When the book opens, Jamie has had some success with soccer, and advancing up the levels, but every time she seems on the cusp of true success, she gets injured (two times so far) – now she’s been invited to her first national team residency camp – over in California. She’s 26 (or reaches that milestone in this book), and hasn’t been ‘frozen’ in time – as in, she has a lovely English girlfriend who she lives with – and has done so for the last 18 months. Both, apparently, love the other. Though the girlfriend is a little . . . worried about this opportunity that Jamie has before her – since it will bring Jamie close to Emma again.

It’s not actually true that they, Emma and Jamie, haven’t talked in ten years, but it’s close to being true. Fate has kept them apart. When Emma was having success on the national team, Jamie hadn’t been advanced enough, yet, to be on the team at the same time; when Jamie advanced for a moment or two, Emma was off recovering from injury. And the few times they have been near each other, prior to this ‘residency camp’ (as in – something like 24 women living in the same location, with roommates, and spending time practicing, exercising, etc.), the two have been near – there was one prior camp, but that time Jamie didn’t’ live ‘on campus’ so they only saw each other, briefly, ‘on the pitch’. Now they might actually have to talk to each other.

So – Jamie is in a long established healthy relationship (though there are ‘signs’), while Emma is currently unentangled.

Its good then, that Jamie is in a relationship, eh, since she doesn’t need the distraction of what might be, what might happen from interacting with her lost love– her mission is to get on the National team – to show what she can do.

But can they interact in these close confines without combusting? Can they become friends again?

I rather enjoyed this book here – I liked seeing the characters at a different stage in their life (and yes, someone at the age of 16, and someone at the age of 26 are at different stages of their lives). And there were some rather neat things along the way. Like for example – “her little moans of contentment making Jamie lean away and Maddie drift closer” – referencing here a woman named Angie eating some pancakes. Angie and Maddie have been eyeballing each other for a little while, but, at that moment, hadn’t reached relationship status – seeing them flirting was neat. They aren’t the main characters, of course and their time on the page is brief.

On one level this book was both more and less satisfying than the prior book in the series. As human beings, both main characters seem healthier now – emotionally I mean; while at the same time the book itself feels slightly less deep than the prior book. Just a vague feeling.

I look forward to the next book in the series. Whenever that might appear.

October 5 2016