MyQueerSapphfic.com has a huge festive sale on at the moment and one of my books is part of it. You’ll be able to find Kilbirnie, Scotland – one of the Loving Blue in Red States series on sale for $0.99. If you love sapphic romance, then I’m hoping you’ll give it a try.
The link for this special sale is:
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
‘In The Mood’ by MW Arnold is set in 1944 at the Air Transport Auxiliary service in Hamble, Hampshire. The female pilots are helping the war effort by delivering aeroplanes all over the country, at great risk. In this, the fourth in the series, they are again faced with mysteries to solve, and personal tragedies to face. Blackmail is the least of their problems, as peril mounts and they find themselves in grave danger.
They were an interesting group of women, and I found that I wanted to read more about them. The camaraderie between them was inspiring. MW Arnold captured the intense relationships and friendships that are part of war. His chatty style allows the reader to feel a part of the group, as they live day to day with war and the losses that entails.
MW Arnold also managed to weave this group friendship with a mystery. I liked it and I liked them. They were a very diverse set of women, each with their own skills and challenges in life. An enjoyable read.
I was given this ARC to review.
‘Addie Mae’ hits the sweet spot when it comes to lesbian romance. Maddy is ending an awful marriage but her husband and his family aren’t going to make it easy. How can she escape with her dignity and finances intact, when her rich in-laws have the means to make her suffer? Will she spill the beans on her unfaithful husband and his philandering ways? All that matters is the love and respect of her son. What will his reaction be?
As she adjusts to her new life, gorgeous butch Jessie appears on the scene. Can Maddy take a chance on love? Is Jessie all she seems?
It’s a well-written and engaging story, with a fascinating setting and premise. I really liked the main characters, and those around them. There was ultimately a feel-good vibe. I loved it.
Who doesn’t jump for joy at the prospect of a new Melissa Brayden series? I was delighted to find out I could wallow in some new stories and new characters from one of my favourite romance writers. ‘Entangled’ is the first in the Tangle Valley Romance Series and is set amongst the vineyards run and owned by Joey Wilder. She knows where she wants to go with her business and it doesn’t involve intrusion by corporate America, in the form of the new Jade hotel. She likes the local town, Whisper Wall, just the way it is. And she’s determined not to cave to the charms of the gorgeous hotel manager, Becca Crawford. But the best laid plans……
This novel has a group of friends, women and men, who are going to become part of my reading life for the next few years. I can see wonderful things coming. The setting is cosy and friendly and makes me wish I could visit. In this story we meet Joey, who has had a difficult time and is not open to relationships. But when you meet someone who takes your breath away, it’s not easy to resist. Becca was ambitious and smart, but it was her kindness and caring nature that appealed to me most about her. They were meant to be together. I loved seeing their feelings for each other grow. The people around them were instrumental in helping it happen. It was a feel-good story, with the perfect setting, adorable characters and Ms Brayden’s beautiful writing. I can’t wait for the next in the series.
I was given this ARC for review.
Two Hearts Alone’ by Harper Bliss is the first novella in a trilogy, told from the point of view of Anna and Zoe in alternating chapters. Set in the charming small town of Donovan Grove, upstate New York, we get to know the inhabitants and their relationships through the eyes of the two main characters. I liked the alternating POV as we were able to get inside their heads as they go about their lives .
Anna needs her life to be organised and predictable and likes things to be done a certain way. Her particular way of thinking and behaving points a certain way and is interesting and authentic and will resonate with many readers . The fact that her experience feels real works because you never once feel it is written by someone who doesn’t know what it means . The writing feels very intimate, very true. It’s about raw feelings and thoughts. I really got the pain that’s involved in dealing with life, with everyday ‘normal’ interactions when you are different. Zoe is the complete opposite to Anna – but sometimes that’s exactly what we need. She is kind and funny and perceptive. I liked her.
I really enjoyed the story. As the first part of a larger story it worked for me. I want to know what happens next
Don’t expect it to be chock full of sex scenes just because it’s a Harper Bliss book, though. It needed to be told this way.
I was given this ARC for review.
I found it so difficult to narrow down my list of favourite books this year. And even more difficult put them in order of preference. I loved them all. So, this is my top twelve, and in alphabetical order. I highly recommend all of these books and will certainly be re-reading them again in 2020.
Alone by E.J. Noyes
Blood of the Pack by Jenny Frame
Borage by Gill McKnight
Breathe by Cari Hunter
Coming Home by K.J.
Floodtide by Heather Rose Jones
Galileo by Ann McMan
Legacy by Charlotte Greene
Spinning Tales by Brey Willows
Steel City Confidential by Anne Hagan
The Sovereign of Psiere by K Aten
Uncharted by Robyn Nyx
Davina Trent is a divorce lawyer and doesn’t believe in marriage or family. When her cousin dies and she’s left to look after his kids, her answer is to get rid of them to boarding schools as quickly as possible. In the meantime she needs a nanny.
Wendy Darling wants kids and a family of her own. Until that happens, she’s working as a nanny, and a job with ice queen divorce lawyer Davina Trent will help her get back on her feet financially after a bad breakup. But she’s shocked and dismayed at Trent’s attitude to the kids and her responsibilities. She wants to help Trent see that being part of a family can be wonderful. Can two women with such opposing views of the world ever be together – irrespective of the smoking hot attraction between them?
Trent is another butch character to crush over, and very different from any of the others Jenny Frame has written. She’s like a wounded animal, retreating into a tough and hard persona. But that’s not the real her. Seeing Wendy chip away at the ice, slowly but surely, was wonderful. We know Trent from her role in ‘Unexpected’ and I found it fascinating to see a side of her I didn’t realise was there. Dale and Becca are back, along with their two kids. They play an important part in the story and I really enjoyed being with them again. The interaction between Trent and Dale was especially sweet and endearing.
Wendy was a warm and loving character and the perfect person to bring Trent and the children together. She was younger than Trent, but wiser in a lot of ways. Their attraction was always going to be a problem given the age gap and the boss/employee thing – but who can resist true love? It was about getting to be who you really want to be. About finding the love of your life and the family you want and need. A really great story.
I was given this ARC to review.
‘Legacy’ is a scary, creepy story that had me jumping out of my skin. It was brilliant. Jo and Carter are cousins and have spent their whole lives taking vacations in the family cabin in the mountains. But after a few years of neglect, the cabin is in need of repair and a good cleaning out. With a few friends, they hike to the remote cabin and hope to spend a couple of relaxing weeks sorting it out. The trip is anything but relaxing though. Strange occurrences give Jo cause for concern, but when it starts to become dangerous, and people get hurt, she has to start thinking the unthinkable. Meeting the most gorgeous woman out of the blue takes her mind off it for a moment, but all of the women have to admit that the cabin, and the mountain are not safe places to be.
The creeping tension is beautifully done and I was seriously spooked. Charlotte Greene ramps up the fear factor slowly and with delicate precision. Her masterful writing is so suited to this genre and I can’t imagine anyone doing it better. She weaves the relationship dynamics of the group, with references to the past and manages to introduce the scary elements bit by bit, never overdoing it. There were some surprising twist to the tale and some lovely romantic moments too. Jo’s burgeoning relationship with ranger Andy was tender and sweet, but also had an intensity that caught my breath. It was an amazing story, about family, love, history and fulfilment. Highly recommended.
I was given this ARC for review.
When workaholic Holly travels to Poppy Island in need of a complete break from her life as CEO of her own tech company, she is not a happy woman. She has to be forced to step back and think of her own mental health. Meeting a beautiful woman on the ferry piques her interest, but she’s confused about the goat the woman is transporting with her. Ivy is a conundrum she is quite willing to unravel. It would certainly help her sabbatical pass more pleasantly with a pretty woman to keep her company. But both women have secrets they’d rather not reveal. Can they really manage to keep it light and not get involved? Because once they begin to open up to each other, things might not go exactly as planned.
I really enjoyed this story. I knew it was written by two authors, but I was hard pushed to work out who wrote which parts. It blended seamlessly and kept my interest throughout . Holly was a complex character, with issues from her past that determined how she reacted to Ivy, and to the others on the island. I enjoyed seeing a different side to her as she began to see how other people lived. Her position of extreme privilege and being brought up in a military family had skewed her views in a particular direction. Ivy was able to let her see something else. Ivy was kind and determined to help others, often at the expense of her own dreams. Being with Holly let her do something just for herself. When they were together it was scorching – and something neither of them expected. Neither believed they would find ‘the one’ – but sometimes they walk into your life when you least expect it. I liked Ivy’s friends Betty and Scarlett – they provided some hilarious moments and an insight into island life. ’Holly and Ivy’ was heart-warming, emotional, very funny – and very sexy.
I was given this ARC for review.
Melissa Brayden writes beautiful romances that never fail to be tender, loving and hot. ‘Back to September’ is no exception. But this time she went that little bit further. Hannah and Parker’s story had me gripped and I thought my heart would break in two. Here were two characters that needed to be together, but it wasn’t going to be that easy.
Hannah liked her life to be fairly predictable and ordered. She was not overly concerned about romance. If it happened it happened. In walks Parker Bristow to her life. She’s smart and sexy and full of positive energy and Hannah can’t help but fall for her charms. Parker is a world-famous romance author and just having her visit Hannah’s store makes a huge impact. When they are together it’s adorable and unexpected, but can it ever really work out? Long-distance relationships are hard enough, but other issues get in the way too.
I really loved Hannah. She was loyal and kind and seemed to blossom when Parker was around. Parker was wonderful, and who wouldn’t love a romance writer anyway? But it was her struggles that tore at my heart. I just wanted everything to come right for her. I wanted her to see she was worth it, worth loving. As with all of Melissa Brayden’s books I got my ‘aaah’ moment though. It was so beautifully written and love always wins.
I was given this ARC for review.
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