Fast paced and entertaining.
Blurb: “Bridesmaiding is a tedious business at the best of times, but as Julia discovers, the task is particularly cumbersome when one of the brides is your ex and her fiancée won’t stop sulking about it. With the wedding threatening to dominate everything for the rest of the year, a bewildering embrace with a devastatingly attractive pop star offers a welcome distraction. Dating Krisha catapults Julia away from the paltry concerns of dress fittings and hen dos, but it also takes her away from her friends, and directly leads to her most disastrous f**k up yet. Much to her surprise, she discovers that embracing the role she’d accepted so reluctantly might just be exactly what she needs.” This is Holmes’ debut novel and I enjoyed it. The story was fun and entertaining with lots of unexpected twists and turns. The main character Julia, a 27-year-old single woman, has not much interest in her job, not much luck in finding a new girlfriend and in general she's a real mess. With a strong desire for finding love, she was pretty active on online dating. Unfortunately with not much luck. While being a bridesmaid for her friend Freya, something that she didn't enjoy very much, on the verge of losing her job and messing up everything else, Julia's future didn't show very bright. Still, hope exists. Love is out there. Maybe closer than she thinks. Chances are that she will mess up things again. All are variables and everything fluctuates in Julia’s life and mind but still, she does find the strength to make a bit of order. “Julia looked at her old friend, her new girlfriend, her greatest adventure yet, and shook her head.” For the first time in her life, she knew with absolute certainty that she was exactly where she needed to be. Will she manage to keep it that way? I look forward to reading more from this author. My rating: 5/5. Find it on Goodreads Follow the author on Amazon Author’s website
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For the time being, some of the books are only available in their original language hence, my review will be in that specific language. This book is in Spanish, though a little bird told me that the author has plans to make it available in English. I hope so.
Un romance encantador, desgarrador y emocionante. Blurb/ Desc: “La sargento Bates toma la decisión de retornar a las calles para vencer la criminalidad en su ciudad. Su mayor enemigo, el destino. Tracy Mecher vive en las frías calles de la ciudad en una lucha incansable contra ese mismo destino. El sendero del destino es un relato de amor envuelto en escenas conmovedoras entre estas jóvenes mujeres con sus vidas encaminadas en el mismo destino. Dos mundos contrarios se entrelazan donde tienen que tomar complicadas decisiones para demostrar que el amor no tiene límites. Con una sublime narración, se llega a giros inesperados con los que se descubre la verdadera identidad de una de las protagonistas con sucesos llenos de romance, acción y suspenso. Es una historia que te mantendrá conectada hasta el final para descubrir, ¿cuál será el verdadero sendero a seguir en sus vidas?.” Esta es una dulce y a menudo triste historia de amor entre dos mujeres jóvenes. Al encontrarse, se les ofrece la posibilidad de un futuro más brillante. Es la historia de Tracy y Kristen, ambas de diferentes orígenes, hermosas y con un corazón incorrupto. Kristen es policía y se enamora de Tracy con solo mirarla. No importaba que Tracy pareciera estar sin hogar o que Kristen tuviera novio. Todo lo que importaba era que sentía la necesidad de estar con Tracy. Por otro lado, Tracy ha tenido algunos años difíciles dejando a su familia y viviendo en las calles, una decisión que tomó porque se lastimó al no ser aceptada por su familia. Tracy misma necesitaba algo de tiempo para aceptar quién era y, con la ayuda de Kristen, se las arregló. Fue el destino lo que los colocó juntos, aún así, el mismo destino pone en riesgo su relación y su vida muchas veces. Es un romance encantador, desgarrador y emocionante con mucho drama, giros y vueltas, y un final feliz. This is a sweet and sad love story between two young women. By finding each other they are offered the possibility of a brighter future. It is the story of Tracy and Kristen, both coming from different backgrounds, both beautiful and with an uncorrupted heart. Kristen is a cop and she fell for Tracy just by looking at her. It didn't matter that Tracy appeared to be homeless or that Kristen had a boyfriend. All that mattered was that she felt the urge to be with Tracy. On the other hand, Tracy had some hard few years leaving her family and living on the streets, a decision she made because she was hurt by not being accepted by her family. Tracy needed some time too to accept who she was and with Kristen’s help, she managed. It was destiny that placed them together, still, the same destiny puts their relation and life at risk many times. It is a lovely, heartbreaking, exciting romance with lots of drama, twists-and-turns, and a happy ending. My rating: 5/5. Find it on Goodreads Follow the author on Amazon Author’s Facebook page A paranormal novel about love, family, bullying, and special gifts.
Blurb: “Henrietta Bailey is a mysterious woman who has spent her entire life living in the town of Crescent, a sleepy beach community in Central Coastal California. She loves the beach, the ocean air, and the town itself. Her simple life fulfills her. However, she spends much of her time reminiscing about her long-lost love, a woman who left her devastated. Now, another woman awaits on the horizon; a wise, intelligent, and sexy lady who is sophisticated beyond her years. This woman yearns for her soul mate and lover. Will she be able to win Henrietta’s heart, or will Henrietta be fated to live the rest of her days alone? All her life, Henrietta has held a gift, one that most of the townspeople fear and do not understand. Still, this doesn’t deter her from pursuing these extraordinary talents, and she does what she can to help others improve their lives. Those close to her encourage her, and new people enter the picture who offer enlightenment. Personal secrets emerge that change the course of Henrietta’s life. Can she do the right thing and move forward? A long-lost mystery comes to the surface, causing upset among some of the town’s residents. Come meet this incredible woman who strives to attain the things in the world she values the most – family, love, and respect.” The story moves along nicely. It contains paranormal elements, and lots of intertwined stories combined with memories, one of them being a fictional lesbian one. Through the memories, we find out a lot about the history of the house in Crescent, his owners over the years and also about Henrietta and her relationship with her mother and grandmother. Henrietta was a good person as a child and also as an adult. “My life is a journey and I celebrate each step of the way with love and joy. I am all knowing, all loving, and an important being in this universe.” Emphatic, shy, hard-working, appreciated by few, including her employers but unfortunately not accepted by many others. She had the capabilities to do readings and talk to those that passed on the other side. Henrietta is now 60 years old, not married, with a tough past and suffering from anxiety because of it. She is quite an introvert, hardly speaking to anyone about the most intimate things. While we get pretty much into details into Henrietta’s life and thoughts we get to find out about Mary, the woman from her past, and also that she gave birth to a son, Andrew, when she was only seventeen. Mary, the love of her life was now trying to get in touch after 20 years after she finally divorced the husband she never loved. Sophia, the gorgeous Italian woman, 30 years younger than Henrietta, tried to seduce her and they had some intimate moments, to Henrietta's surprise having in mind the age gap. Henrietta had a special gift that made others refrain from accepting her, calling her a witch. “...thoughts create our reality and we are in control of them.” With all the added mysteries, the novel is easily gripping. This is a paranormal novel but it's about love, family, bullying, and special gifts. A very pleasant and intriguing read. My rating: 5/5. Find it on Goodreads Follow the author on Amazon Author’s website Poignant and gripping novel.
Blurb: “Between the fast-paced New York City, a rural Mississippi town and a charming Pennsylvania college campus filled with secrets, two young girls learn the consequences of growing up too quickly. Amalia Graeme, abused by her mother for most of her life, longs to escape her desolate hometown and fall in love. Contemplating her loss of innocence and conflicting feelings between her boyfriend and the dangerous attraction she’s developed for an older man, Amalia faces life-altering tragedies. Brianna Porter, a sassy, angst-ridden teenager raised in New York City, yearns to find her life’s true purpose, conquer her fear of abandonment, and interpret an intimidating desire for her best friend, Shanelle. Desperate to find the father whom her mother refuses to reveal, Brianna accidentally finds out a shocking truth about her missing parent. Set in alternating chapters two decades apart, the parallels between their lives and the unavoidable collision that is bound to happen is revealed. FATHER FIGURE is an emotional story filled with mystery, romance, and suspense.” This was a truly engaging read. Structured in alternative chapters, it presented the story of two young women living twenty years apart, one desperately trying to run away and forget her past, the other one eager to find answers about her past and her true sexuality. Twenty years ago, Amalia suffered from the actions and words of an abusive mother. Her father tried to soften the pain, showing more understanding, but unfortunately not brave enough to stand up to his wife. He was the only person that comforted her in her young age. Still, she had to leave Brant and start a new life. Life plays with us often and it played big with Amelia too while she was in college. Instead of starting a new beautiful life, being happily in-love, she experienced a series of events that made her run away. What was supposed to be her way out proved to be another painful period. What did she do? She ran away and decided to keep the past buried. Was this the best decision? Did she manage to finally be happy and live a careless life? Was love again in the cards for her? The future will show. Now, twenty years later, Brianna was about to start college and turning 18 made her wish to find out who her father is stronger. She was at a point in life where she wanted to find answers about herself too, including her true sexuality. She felt the need to find out more about her family. Do we really need to know where we come from to know who we are? Humorous at times, this beautifully written and perfectly paced story deals with many themes (aggressive behaviors, physical and emotional abuse, family issues, sexuality, etc) that are far from being happy, but are definitely a part of the real life. The characters are strong, well-described, and unique. The twists and turns, with a dash of mystery, are often unexpected. A real page-turner and another proof that the author is one of my favorites. Quotes: “She can never know the truth. I'm not even sure I know the whole truth. I promise you with all my heart that I'll keep the past buried in the past for her sake and for yours. If she ever needs to know who her father is, I'll tell her you disappeared—that I never had a chance to find you, but you were a good man. A good man I will love until the day I die.” “Life just happens sometimes. You can't predict it. You don't know where it will drop you off unexpectedly. You only get to pick up the pieces when it's all said and done.” My rating: 5/5. Find it on Goodreads Follow the author on Amazon Author’s website Love can be found when you least expect it.
This is a different kind of lesbian romance novel, where erotica elements are more present than the emotions related to a love between two people. This is the story of Virginia and Sage, both with some traumatic past and lots of personal issues. Virginia, a well-known actress, decided to take a break from the spotlight and drugs related issues, and move to a cabin in a remote place in Wisconsin in order to recover and find herself. Sage, a successful writer, was living a solitaire life in the same place, trying to recover from a hard past. They were brought together by Sage’s dog, named Denzel and Bartleby. While the dog only made the introduction, series of events, quite unusual and tragic I must say, made them realize that they rescued themselves from life-threatening events and offered them a possibility for a brighter future. A fun, heartwarming read, dark at times, steamy in big proportion. Does it bring a happily ever after? Will their sexual relationship go beyond intensive sexual moments, and love for the same cute little dog? Will they manage to move further from the dark point in life? Will they make peace with their past? These are all questions that I invite you to discover the answer on your own. Type of reader: Readers of contemporary lesbian erotica. Quotes from the book: “This was what Denzel was doing the other day. He wasn’t watching anything in particular, just looking into the deep beauty of the world around him. How much time do we spend looking at our phones? Looking at our walls? Closing ourselves in, away from this great big wonderful wide world that we were born into?” “He’s like a rescue dog, but so much more than that. I think he brought us together for a reason.” “I had this revelation,” Virginia swallowed. “About me. About everyone, I guess.” Callie nodded. “We’re all just characters trying to play our scenes right,” Virginia licked her dry lips. “But the thing about life is that you can change the script without anyone throwing a shit fit.” My rating: 5/5. Find it on Goodreads Follow the author on Amazon Author’s website This is a wonderfully written contemporary romance about a woman who doesn't really know what she wants. Something normal, right? Despite the fact that the main character is rich and successful, her problems have nothing to do with that. She needs to learn to be secure enough in herself to accept love from others and learn to leave all the bitterness behind.
The struggle of the main character, Lizzie, in finding herself and all the happening really got me hooked. On a funny note, I could say that I felt often hungry reading about all the meals in the story. The story is presented from Lizzie's point of view. I admired her occasional sarcasm, especially during her regular meetings with Ethan. I admit at times I didn't resonate with her but that is fine. Everyone is different and each and every one of us, in fiction or in reality, has its own past; sometimes a dark one. I loved Sarah’s character and I do believe she was the perfect match for Lizzie. At times I couldn't understand how could she tolerate everything Lizzie had said, done or didn't do? Opposite attracts, right? I loved seeing how Lizzie and Sarah met and fell in love. With a good number of necessarily steamy scenes, a lot of humor and heartbreaking scenes, the plot flows smoothly as Lizzie tugs us along, enveloping us in her world and taking us on a whirling emotional ride. An easy and enjoyable read. Type of reader: Readers of contemporary lesbian romance fiction with a strong voice, fantastic writing, deep character development, and an engrossing story. My rating: 5/5. Find it on Goodreads Follow the author on Amazon Author’s website The main character of this novel is Jackie, a young attractive woman. She is married but has her husband’s approval to pursue her inclination for being with women as long as he remains the only man in her life. After a car accident, Jackie suffers a concussion that causes her something impossible to understand and accept, at first. Her world is turned upside down and only when she tries finding out more about what had happened she is starting to understand. Initially, Jackie’s reaction is normal as everything is strange and hard to accept. In a course of events and with the help of her friends she makes slow steps forward. A new woman starts being part of her life that plays the role of a lover and offers her a tremendous support. Looking at the name of the book it was normal to expect an awakening.
Even though this book has a paranormal element I loved that the author created real-life characters and happenings. Jackie was a heavy drinker and she didn't acknowledge her problem, despite her husband’s comments and certain events. Her husband was not perfect either, he had his alcohol and gambling issues and didn’t seem to be the best partner. Jackie hasn’t been in the past very close to her family but during her transformation, she managed to solve this issue. With her sister’s big help she started her alcohol-free period. I didn't have to resonate fully with the main character to let myself withdrawn in the story and I loved it. I followed carefully her journey and I found myself inspired by the way she was developing her spiritual side. The more she evolved in that area the more she was making the other parts of her life right. I enjoyed everything related to spirituality, Reiki, meditation, grounding exercises that inspired me to dig further in this area. I liked the ending too, which answered some questions and left me feeling eager to know what is going to be next. I loved the Lawler’s writing style. I felt it sincere and very comforting and I am looking forward to reading other works by this author. Type of reader: Although this novel falls under lesbian paranormal fiction I recommend it to a wider audience with love for a strong female lead facing personal transformation. My favorite quotes from this book: “As she lay there, she thought about her day. It had been a very spiritual experience. There were times that she’d felt at one with the trees, and she understood their language.” “Let go and open up and allow the good things to manifest.” “If you want change, then you need to be that change.” My rating: 5/5. Find it on Goodreads Follow the author on Amazon Author’s website Layla and Adrienne, two young beautiful women with a tough past spend a month together prior Christmas. While Layla is in town for the holiday visiting her Nana, Adrienne found its home their for the past years under Nana’s wing. Even though they weren't related, Nana became pretty soon her own family. Spending time with Layla was something that at first was expected from her, as to entertain the granddaughter of Nana Harvey. It is a sweet story that doesn't start with an immediate sympathy for each other, on the contrary, they both find annoying things to one another. But it looks that Nana Harvey is quite the matchmaker. It is not just Christmas that does the magic, it is only the fact that they are right for each other, but until feelings are spoken they both think the feelings are only one-sided. It surely does have a happy ending but be prepared to shed a tear or two now and then.
Reader type: If you like lesbian romance, the cheesy sweet type and love Christmas, this novella it is especially for you. If you realized that you read it in one sitting, it won’t surprise me. I can recommend it to YA readers too. My favorite quotes from this book: “It always amazes me how naive kids could be. But I guess that was the beauty of childhood. You could believe in everything because the world hadn't proven otherwise yet. If only life could stay that way. My life would be a whole lot easier if I could just believe in things like a child would.” “If you keep an open mind, I bet you’ll find something that is even better than you ever dreamed. It could be in front of you the whole time and if you don’t give it a chance, you could miss out on something spectacular.” My rating: 4/5. Find it on Goodreads Follow the author on Amazon What would you do when your family pressures you into having a child using as a reason something that you hardly believe in? You have your doubts but you will think your parents got a bit crazy and even if you love them, you simply can’t believe that they are telling the truth. But then you start to believe and you also realize that you wish to have a child more than anything in the world. Wanting a child is one thing, but conceiving one in a gay relationship seems a bit complicated. Well, nothing would be impossible if you would be able to get pregnant. Despite the seriousness of the topic, the novel is full of humor also. As the main character comes from an Indian family and the big secret is related to India, the book gives you some insights in this area too. It is mysterious, sweet, funny and entertaining at the same time. The words are flowing nicely and you get caught up in the story before you even realize.
Reader type: If you like romance, with or without lesbian characters and with a bit of mystery, this is the book for you. Give it a try if you didn't already, I am sure you will love it. My favorite quotes from this book: “Sometimes the answers are right in front of our face, but we just don’t listen.” “It’s not just ‘old stuff’,” her grandmother said adamantly. “It is proof that you are related to our Great Teacher and are the last in line. Do not take this lightly. It is not just a matter of faith. It is your responsibility and the greatest of all honors.” “Sometimes we’re so close to a situation or problem that we can’t see the solution, even when it’s as close as our own womb?” My rating: 5/5. Find it on Goodreads Follow the author on Amazon Author’s website Knowing this novel is lesbian fiction, my first thought was that the name OUT means that one of the characters will come OUT (I admit I didn’t read the blurb at that moment:-)) and, while reading it, soon I realized that OUT it’s also the name of a gay bar, cool wordplay. I liked that this coming out was for a movie star, which makes it harder in a different way than for not-famous people. Gorgeous movie star Shelly Hamilton falls in love with blue-eyed blonde Cam, the owner of the gay bar. While for Cam this means finding love again after a harsh breakup, for Shelly this means finally following her sexual orientation. The story is sweet, nothing very new as a concept, but still lovely and some twists and quite steamy at times. It features a fair amount of betrayal and angst but the happy ending will do. I liked the writing style of the author and hats off for this being her debut novel.
Reader type: If you like lesbian fiction and you're looking for some sweet romance with steamy scenes, look no further! Or better say, if you like romance, curl up and enjoy reading it. A real page-turner. My favorite quotes from this book: “...and it burned her to the core to see it so up close and personal. Watching as someone else leant in and kissed her, those same soft lips that until two weeks ago had been solely hers to kiss.” “Even under these circumstances, with her heart hurting the way that it was, Cam still saw the beauty of it all.” My rating: 4/5. Find it on Goodreads |
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Message to you:In order to be a good writer, one has to read a lot. And I do and I love it....and I chose to share my readings with you. Feel free to share with me any of the books you have read or wrote, if I find them interesting I will add them to my list. I'll post my reviews on Goodreads, Amazon and all my social accounts. |