Review of ‘Georgetown Glen: Queermunity Living At Its Finest’ by Annette Mori

‘Georgetown Glen: Queermunity Living At Its Finest’ by Annette Mori is a book you’ll want to devour. Lucy and Bea buy an old ghost town, with the hope of turning the ramshackle old buildings into a retirement village for sapphic ladies of a certain age. As they make plans, they hire Fi, an expert in architectural restoration, and Saville an electrician. With the help of Lucy’s niece they begin to knock the old town into shape – until the resident ghost objects. As the group are forced to deal with the spirit in their midst, they uncover secrets and start to investigate the history of Georgetown. And there might even be time for a love story in there too.

Mori has a winner on her hands here. Her trademark humour shines through, and she has managed to weave a fascinating tale encompassing love, friendship and sapphic history. I loved the multigenerational nature of the story and the historical aspects too. I think Saville was my favourite character. She tried to come across as confident and a player.  But she wasn’t. She was caring and sensitive underneath it all. I love the fact that there can be many more stories to tell with this group of characters and those who end up living there. 

I was given this ARC to review.

Review of ‘Darcy Comes Home’ by Jen Silver

‘Darcy Comes Home’ is a at first glance a second chance romance story. Darcy was sent away as a teenager to a Christian conversion camp and has not seen the love of her life for twenty five years. Now she’s back home and unsure what Angie will make of her return. There are plenty of added complications, with family issues and a myriad of other problems to deal with. Will the couple find a future together or will those other matters mean it can’t work out?

For me this wasn’t primarily a romance. Yes, it is a part of it, but it makes up a smaller part of the book. There are serious issues and they are not at all lightweight. I found the story engaging from the start and I really liked the descriptions of the village, what goes on there and the people. The two main characters are interesting and I appreciated the time and effort that went into the other characters too. It was certainly more of an ensemble story. 

I was given this ARC for review.

Review of ‘Footprints’ by Ali Spooner

I must admit to being a huge fan of the Strong Southern Women Series by Ali Spooner. ‘Footprints’ is book 4 and follows the story of Sandy, the youngest of the family. She has looked up to her older sister Cam, and hopes to be as good as her some day in helping run the family businesses. When floods endanger the people of Baton Rouge, Sandy and Cam volunteer with the Cajun Navy and help save those affected. 

I loved reading more about Sandy, and seeing her as a grown woman. The whole family come together to keep their way of life going in the Bayou. I felt a part of their lives for a while, as the writing flows so well. The descriptions are wonderfully vivid and the emotional and romantic lives of the sisters so true. A great story.

I was given this ARC for review. 

Review of ‘Love At Leighton Lake’ by Samantha Hicks

‘Love at Leighton Lake’ is a lovely romance with two very endearing characters. Tally returns to the place of her childhood holidays when she needs time to recover from a serious injury at work. There she becomes reacquainted with Caitlyn, the daughter of the owner. Caitlyn has continued to live there, helping her mother and swimming in the lake everyday. But as they spend time together it becomes apparent that secrets have been kept from Caitlyn. Together they aim to find out the truth.

I loved the Devon setting and the relaxing vibe that came from spending time there. I could see why Tally wanted to be there, and why Caitlyn didn’t leave. Their growing feelings for each other felt genuine and I wanted it to work out for them. Working together to find out why so many secrets were being kept brought them closer and it had a healing effect. This healing was a major part of it for both of them, but in different ways. The love and passion came so naturally. An enjoyable read.

I was given this ARC for review.

Review of ‘Three Mile Cache’ by Jen Silver

I’ve read most of Jen Silver’s full length novels and enjoyed them immensely, so was looking forward to this new novella. She does not disappoint. ‘Three Mile Cache’ may be shorter than her usual work, but she manages to capture so much regardless of the length of the work. Carolyn Wells is an archaeologist and travels the world most of the time. Her relationship with Sydney Detective Inspector Alex Graham suffers as a result. When Alex is wounded in the line of duty and goes to the Australian outback to recover, Carolyn realises just how important their relationship is, and flies there to be with her. But Alex’s wandering eye hasn’t stopped just because she is injured. Is there still enough worth between them? And will they realise how they feel about each other before it is too late? Meanwhile Alex has been poking her nose into some mysterious goings on in the area and she might have bitten off more than she can chew.

I was impressed by how much character development Jen Silver got into this novella. I felt as if I knew these characters so well and wanted to know more. The story started off as a romance, but there was an exciting mystery involved too. It was a good story with interesting characters, in a setting we don’t usually get to read about. I loved the finding out about the Outback and the Flying Doctors Service and, like Jen, I too was a fan of the 80s TV series. A very enjoyable novella. 

I was given this ARC to review,

Review of ‘The Others’ by Annette Mori

‘The Others’ is a thought-provoking dystopian story, full of tension and adventure. Em is a scientist, and along with her wife Lise, has been hiding in a bomb shelter for ten months. The world, and specifically the United States, went crazy after the last election, and the other superpowers took advantage. Now that the cities are presumably destroyed, groups of survivors try their best to live with what is left. Once on the outside again Em and Lise become aware of other people who managed to keep going. But who can they trust? And what will life mean after the war?

Annette Mori uses truth and imagination and mixes them to make a compelling story that kept me up into the wee hours reading. There are some tense and disturbing moments – some of them not too far off the mark from our reality. And that makes the story all the more powerful. The main characters were appealing, strong women, and it is through their interactions with the people they meet, that we see just what it takes to survive. I was hooked from page one and couldn’t put it down.

I was given this ARC for review.

Review of ‘Before The Light’ by Samantha Hicks

I really enjoyed ‘Before The Light’, a romantic suspense from Samantha Hicks. When Kathleen Bowden-Scott’s boss suggests a long sabbatical to get herself sorted out, she’s not surprised. After the abduction of her partner and their break-up not long after, her life is on a downward spiral. She can’t see the point in anything anymore. When her ex, Meredith, suggests taking on a volunteering role in a local women’s centre she reluctantly agrees. Meeting Bethany Jones, the most impressive woman she’s ever come across, was the last thing she expected to happen. But Beth has her own problems and is reluctant to let her feelings towards her new colleague go anywhere. A problematic and angry ex has made her wary of opening up to anyone. When danger enters their lives, the two women need to work together if they are going to stop the worst from happening.

Ms Hicks has written an edge-of your-seat story that I couldn’t put down. Kathleen was a troubled and unhappy woman with so much guilt over her reaction to Meredith’s abduction. She had sunk so low that the only way out was to help other people worse off. Her journey throughout the story was beautifully done and I began to really understand her as she opened up to Beth. Working in the women’s centre let her see that she wasn’t alone, and by helping other women she could find a way to heal. Beth was an amazing character. She was strong and brave and committed to her work with abused women. I wanted her to find happiness. She did so much for other people, without thinking about herself. The story was tense and exciting and quite a rollercoaster. I loved it.

I was given this ARC for review.

Review of ‘The Panty Thief’ by Annette Mori

‘The Panty Thief’ is told with Annette Mori’s trademark quirky humour – but there’s a serious side too. And that’s her standout skill as a writer. She manages to make us laugh one minute, then finds a way to make us think the next. 

Joey and Sabrina are neighbours who become study buddies. But it’s clear from day one that they both want more. Heavy workloads, friends with major problems and a reluctance to commit conspire to keep that on hold. Will the pair ever find time for themselves – and will they see that all work and no play is no fun at all?

I enjoyed spending time with Joey and Sabrina and hoped that they would get their happily ever after story. Stealing panties was the light relief in this story that tackled a pretty serious issue too. Throughout it all was the attraction between them, an undercurrent of fizzing passion that they struggled to keep under control. Joey seemed to be a wise-cracking joker at the start, but there was a lot more to her character. I liked seeing how she grew, and how she began to see what was really important in her life. Sabrina was just as dedicated to her studies as Joey, but she found a way to attend to the other tings life threw at her, without neglecting them. Joey was a good influence on her as she allowed her to loosen up a bit – especially regarding those infamous panties! I really enjoyed ‘The Panty Thief’. 

I was given this ARC for review.

Review of ‘Country Living’ by Jen Silver

I have just spent a wonderful few hours in the beautiful Yorkshire countryside thanks to author Jen Silver. Her latest novel ‘Country Living’ is the perfect book to read right now. Escape with unexpected and exciting storylines and get to know her believable and well-rounded characters. 

Peri has always dreamed of a life in the English countryside, with an old stone cottage, a vegetable garden and walks in the hills and fields. Her wife is not so keen, but goes along with it as long as she has time in London to finish off some projects before joining her. Moving near the lesbian mecca of Hebden Bridge, Peri expects a quiet life and ordinary neighbours. That’s not exactly what she gets though. There are a few secrets being kept from her and life may not turn out as she expected.

I loved Peri. She’s the woman you want living next door. She was kind and approachable and deserved to be treasured. I liked seeing her interact with her neighbours. It brought out something unexpected in her. There are a few different storyline strands woven through the novel and that takes it a notch above most others. Oh and it is very hot too! A great book and highly recommended.

I was given this ARC for review. 

Review of ‘Pleasure Workers’ by Annette Mori

‘Pleasure Workers’ by Annette Mori is the follow-up to ’The Trophy Wives Club’ by Ali Spooner. These two authors have managed to weave some wonderful stories together. In ‘Pleasure Workers’ we find out the backstory of Alex, the handy-woman taken on at the TWC – but she also performs some special services upstairs. How she got to Atlanta is mired in controversy and she has to keep under the radar. Meeting one of the rich socialites in Sisters lesbian bar turns her head, but can she get past the different social status and the money? As a proud woman who makes her own way in life, it won’t be easy. Danna Nichols, a recent widow, joins the spa at the insistence of a friend and realises what she’s been missing. But it’s the tall mysterious butch doing odd jobs that has caught her eye. 

Alex’s story was fascinating and certainly a story of our time. I can imagine meany readers will fall for her – and when they read about those aforementioned special services, they’ll be hooked. I really liked Danna too. Although from a very privileged background, she was a good woman who insisted on putting back in to society. I really wanted her to have her happy ever after. There was also a great collection of supporting characters. They really helped make the story resonate with me. The story was very sweet and fairly low on angst, which I appreciated. Sometimes that’s exactly what you are in the mood for. When the sex scenes came into play, they were absolutely scorching. And with some very interesting techniques! I really enjoyed it. 

I was given this ARC for review.