Standby Counsel – Alexi Venice

Jan 6, 2021Jan 5, 2021 ~ lgbtqreader85 ~ Leave a comment

3.5 stars.

The second part in the Monica Spade series, Monica is just settling in after having started her own law practice with her other colleagues who also escaped the misogynistic, homophobic practice they were previously at.

Monica doesn’t specialises in criminal law, yet she finds herself requested by the court to act as standby counsel for Stela – a female student at the local university who has been arrested for murdering her boyfriend.

I enjoyed the premise of the book. I’m a fan of queer law/crime based books and wasn’t previously aware of the concept of a standby counsel, so I found this refreshing. The interactions Monica has with Stela are both strangely amusing and kind of creepy, adding another dimension to the book.

The case isn’t straightforward and brings unexpected elements into Monica’s life, including some stalking and some of the acronym based law enforcement agencies. These inclusions were done well, stoking but not over-exaggerating conspiracy theories.

One of my frustrations with the book was the length. There were times where things could have been shortened as they repeated things that had previously happened. For instance this happens when counsellors are undertaking their closing arguments. I found myself skimming over these sections.

Monica’s interactions with non-crime related characters were a little hit and miss. Her relationships with her colleagues are well written. There was a bit of a jealously sub plot with her girlfriend and her girlfriend’s ex that left me feeling a little strange about the HEA.

I’d definitely be interested in a third part to this series if it happens and would recommend anyone who likes some queer romance and lawyers combined to give this series a go.

I received an e-ARC via BookSirens in exchange for an honest review.

The Real Story – Sienna Waters

Jan 5, 2021 ~ lgbtqreader85 ~ Leave a comment

3.5 stars. An enjoyable easy read. Waters has become a reliably enjoyable author for me and I liked how this one is again completely different from the book before.

Elle is failing at Edina magazine. She cares more about partying and recovering from hangovers than pitching good ideas. When she feels her job threatened she’s forced to come up with a job saving idea on the fly. Her bright idea – a profile of one of the most reclusive business successful business women – Alya Goldstein.

I found the first part of book to be awkward in that we know the big secret, that Elle has fallen into Alya’s life due to her deception and need for the story, so when they start to fall for each other it made me anxious as I was waiting for the moment that would inevitably cause hurt. However it’s cleverly written in that there is still a lot of honesty when you look for it.

Whilst I didn’t enjoy the deception as such, I liked the premise in that it wasn’t one I’ve encountered personally in this way before in queer fiction. A byproduct of the deception meant that the conflict between the two had a genuine reason to happen and Waters didn’t continue it any longer than necessary, which I found to be a relief.

I liked that Elle’s relationship with her best friend is brutally honest and truthful, in perfect contrast to the beginning of her relationship with Alya. Alya’s relationship with her grandmother mirrors this. Both of these relationships force each of the MCs to explore things more honestly.

I would recommend this to any queer romance fans.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Liberty Bay – Karis Walsh

Dec 27, 2020 ~ lgbtqreader85 ~ Leave a comment

This one didn’t quite work for me unfortunately.

Wren lives a quiet life on her farm, training horses and free from technology. She’s experiencing money difficulties and prefers to live by a barter system. Her accountant encourages her to find new avenues for income to ensure that she gets to keep the farm she enjoys so much.

Gina is a social media influencer. When she experiences a cyber threat and her identity and residence are leaked to the general public she begins the search for a new place to live and alternate sources of income. She answers the advert to help Wren with her publicity.

I really liked both characters – separately. Both are written really well, and their respective careers and feelings are explored in depth. I just couldn’t see them together. Whilst we’re told they have this instant connection and feelings for each other – I didn’t feel it. The reasons why they couldn’t be together also felt very repetitive as we hear it from both of them, repeatedly. When they do get together there’s very little discussion of them being a couple outside of the bedroom.

This had so much potential and I’m sad I didn’t enjoy it more. The setting is depicted really well – both Seattle itself and Wren’s farm. There’s also plenty of animals providing amusement which I really enjoyed.

I think romance fans will probably find something to enjoy in this book, but if you’re new to Walsh’s work I’d probably recommend starting elsewhere.

I received an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Last Christmas Ball – Lily Seabrooke

Dec 24, 2020 ~ lgbtqreader85 ~ Leave a comment

A sweet second chance romance about family meddling, strange Christmas traditions and chosen families.

This is the second book in the series after The Christmas Ball. Alice and Lisette are from two close families who have a Christmas ball every 10 years to ‘pair off’ everyone in the traditional debutante ball kind of manner, something I find hard to comprehend and certainly have no experience of, so I’m fascinated by the concept and the group of characters this brings together.

I’ve liked Seabrooke’s work in the past and I enjoyed her writing again. The setting means things can feel a little repetitive at times, especially if you read both books in quick succession, but I think Seabrooke does a good job of not making it too repetitive. This second book is more character focussed and diverse as she draws out the strangeness of the arrangement and how to modern the families.

I’m not really in the Christmas mood, I’m more in the it’s been a long 18 months and I just want to sleep mood, so at first I wanted to put this book down because I couldn’t connect with the Christmas theme, however I’m glad I persevered as I liked both of these characters in the first instalment and was happy to find out the resolution to their story.

There are a lot of secondary characters, all with their own issues and reasons for wanting things to either stay stuck in their ways or for things to move in a new direction. I was impressed that I was never lost as to who anyone was, even with two large families involved.

It’s a little on the long side, so you’ll need to make time for this book, but the storyline is worth it in the end. I’d also recommend reading the first in the series The Christmas Ball as whilst this could be read as a standalone, I don’t think it would be particularly enjoyable, as all of the characters appear in the first instalment and it sets up the romance of Lisette and Alice falling in love and all of the family dynamics that are so important in this narrative.

Also, whilst this is set at Christmastime, I don’t think you have to read it at Christmas, should you be considering this at a different time of year. There are some inherently Christmas elements of it, but at its heart it’s really about chosen families and love.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Femme Like Her – Fiona Zedde

Dec 21, 2020 ~ lgbtqreader85 ~ Leave a comment

I have to admit this wasn’t what I was expecting from my first opportunity to read a Zedde work. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing – I was just a little surprised. It was somehow sweeter than I anticipated, despite the obvious steam and some hard topics.

Nailah isn’t in to femmes. She’s been telling herself this for years. Scottie, a femme, spots Nailah in a crowded bar she’s been dragged to and goes after what she wants.

The book starts steamy, then quietens down to the point where I was beginning to wonder where Zedde was taking us in the narrative. Once things heat up again the chemistry between Nailah and Scottie is very apparent. There’s an inevitable conflict that lies in lack of communication and some growing that needs to be done.

I liked all of the characters in this book. Both MCs are well written. Nailah’s best friend Pauline is crazy but good at the same time. The ex’s and the hangers on were at least somewhat interesting and the parents were great. No character in this narrative is perfect, they’re all treated to good and bad moments (mostly) and whilst in many respects I enjoyed that it almost felt a little overplayed – no group of people is so fully individually self aware in that regard – but it’s nice to dream.

Despite my surprise as to the heart of the book, I did enjoy this and would give it a high three stars. The book is written from Nailah’s point of view, which was interesting but I wanted to know more about Scottie’s thoughts and feelings too.

There’s a lot of potential for more stories from Nailah and Scottie and I’d happily read another instalment.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.