I’ve not really had the opportunity to read very much in the last couple of weeks and to be honest I’ve missed it a lot – so it was nice to try and get back into the swing of things with this one. I have an ARC for the second part of this series – Finding Family – and I didn’t want to read it without having read Finding Home first.
I really enjoyed the main characters in Frankie and Olivia – but as is normal with me I most enjoyed the friendship group around them and how the characters interacted with each other. I enjoyed getting to know both MCs through the friendship discussions and it made things seem much more believable when they got together.
The addition of the ex-girlfriend worked from a story point of view but frustrated me none-the-less. The body positivity messages throughout the book are great and I appreciated that whilst there could have been a source of angst towards the end of the book it wasn’t treated that way.
I’m looking forward to reading more of Moody and reading more about this friendship group.
This is the second part in the Your Way series and Moody produced something I actually slightly enjoyed more than the first instalment of the series – Finding Home. This could be read alone, but I would recommend Finding Home first as it sets up key details about the lives of the minor characters in this storyline.
I loved both Desi and Erin as main characters and enjoyed being able to read progression of Frankie and Olivia’s relationship from the first book. It was also good to read about more of the friendship group and I’m hoping there will be at least one more book so that we have Stella as a main character. It was fun reading about the kids in their respective families too.
As someone who has experienced the stereotypical meet, fall for each other, move in, get married in a short period of time, I felt this storyline was written really well. The family pushback was also aptly incorporated. The pace of the relationship was matched well by the pace of the book – but key elements of the narrative were explored in appropriate depth so it was clear why the MCs loved each other.
The ex-girlfriend trope is quickly dispatched expertly by Erin and any angst/turmoil for the remainder of the book is created through life events rather than the often typical desire to split the MCs close to the end just to get them back together. I found this refreshing as it makes the book a sweet romance tale of two people falling in love and getting everything they could ever dream of.
I would recommend this series to anyone who enjoys wlw romance but particularly to anyone who enjoys a series about friendship groups. I’m hoping there isn’t too long to wait for book three.
I received an e-ARC directly from the author in exchange for an honest review.
This is my third book by Waters and whilst I didn’t enjoy this one quite as much as the others I’ve read, this is still a really good book. Waters is rapidly becoming one of my favourites.
Alex has recently taken on custody of her niece Libby. Kat works as Libby’s teacher at her new school. They don’t see eye to eye on anything regarding Libby’s education, making this an opposites attract romance.
I found the book to have an interesting storytelling technique in that a lot of things happen off-the-page. At first I found this very confusing when the scene jumped but once I’d got used to it I actually enjoyed the way the approach moved the story forwards.
The reason the inevitable relationship difficulties come about felt fresh to me personally because I haven’t encountered it elsewhere, so that was refreshing. I also really appreciated the depiction of the realities of being a teacher and the financial decisions they have to make.
I didn’t particularly connect to either MC, which is what makes this a four star rather than a five for me, but I would still recommend this to any lovers of wlw romance.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I’d read a couple of reviews of Spindrift which had encouraged me to want to read the book and I was not disappointed. It’s taken me a couple of days after I’d finished reading to think about what I wanted to say, as to be honest I almost feel like I can’t do it justice in a review.
Set in Seal Cove, Emilia returns to the town after the death of her father and a life changing period of depression. She very quickly runs into Morgan, her childhood crush and as it transpires friend of her father. Both have recently lost significant partners and are trying to piece together what is left of their lives.
Everything about this book crept up on me slowly. I was merrily reading, thinking I was reading a well written romance that I was really enjoying, and then all of a sudden came the feelings. I’m not a vet, and what I do for a living can’t be considered a matter of life or death sometimes, but I am someone who has walked away from what I believed to be my dream job due to the impact it had on my mental health. Emilia’s depression is depicted and discussed so well I felt like I was experiencing all of her feelings with her. I loved the ways her family are also woven into the storyline, both as supportive factors, but also in the genuine way worry and love were expressed.
Morgan is a great character; another I’d add to my list of characters on the page I’d want to be friends with in real life. Her loyalty, work ethic and soft butchness all really spoke to me. Her wariness of falling for Emilia didn’t feel contrived and her eventual examination of why she felt that way seemed plausible.
Once they get together their relationship felt believable, with both giving each other space to be their authentic selves and to recover from their pasts. When the inevitable crunch point of a lesbian romance book happened, I was rooting for a resolution far more than I normally would.
The secondary characters in their friendship group are three dimensional and not just there to add angst, they provide real depth and great moments in the narrative. The animals were great too. I’m extremely happy to know we’ll be seeing more of these characters in the Seal Cove series and that we might have more of an opportunity to read about Emilia and Morgan.
I’d highly recommend this to anyone to be honest and I’m now off to find some space in my TBR pile for Nottingham.
I received an e-ARC directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Like many I was attracted to this book by the cover and I’m glad I decided to chance it. Farmer as a first time author does a good job of bringing something enjoyable to the genre. Caro is a retired professional ice hockey player, now running a hockey centre for girls in Chicago. She brings Amy, a current pro player, to coach at the centre for the summer.
Sports crossed with lesbian romance is one of my favourite genres so I was really looking forward to this book. It’s a bit different to many of these types I’ve books I’ve read recently, in that no real sporting action actually happens. Any time spent on the ice is minor with a focus on the coaching when it does happen. When Amy is with her professional team the on ice action is alluded to but not ‘seen’. In that respect this book is about relationships, and not just the romantic kind, so even if you’re not a hockey fan, or even a sports fan you can appreciate the narrative.
I found one of the most significant parts of the narrative to be the character growth of both MCs. The development of the relationship between Amy and Caro was strong and I liked the development of Caro throughout the book. I also appreciated the discussions about bisexual erasure and internalised homophobia.
The beginning started off a bit samey for me. I felt like I was going through many similar filler type scenes and I was wondering when it was really going to get started. However once it does it moves along at a nice pace. The secondary characters are for the most part are interesting and worthwhile in the storyline – and there’s even one that would make a great character for a sequel should Farmer feel inclined.
I would recommend to anyone who is a fan of wlw romances or sports romances in general.
I received an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
LGBTQ+ Reader 