Tag: Romance

Spindrift – Anna Burke

~ lgbtqreader85 ~ Leave a comment

Rating: 5 out of 5.
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.

Out on the Ice – Kelly Farmer

~ lgbtqreader85 ~ Leave a comment

Rating: 4 out of 5.
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.

Thinking About Her – Ophelia Alexander

~ lgbtqreader85 ~ Leave a comment

Rating: 4 out of 5.
A surprisingly good book from a debut author.

The story is told from the point of view of Clare, a senior at high school and part of the popular crowd. She dreams of using photography as her way out of her small town and constricting life. Hilda enters her life as a transfer student from Germany, returning to her hometown and forces Clare to examine all that she knows about herself.

This is the second book I’ve read recently that included controlling religious parents, and I thought the tone of this book was done really well so that it had impact but was appropriate for a YA novel.

There a lots of characters in Clare’s friend group, something that can be a little hard to keep track of at times. As you’d probably expect there is quite a bit of angst in this book – both from the main characters and those around them, but for the most part it works well within the narrative.

The book keeps a hopeful tone, especially in the ending, but doesn’t promise anything. All in all this kind of book I wish had been around when I was a teenager.

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

On the Square – Brenda Murphy

~ lgbtqreader85 ~ Leave a comment

Rating: 4 out of 5.
I’d never read Murphy before this book but I found myself unable to put this down – reading the whole thing in one sitting. Mai, a TV chef, moves back to small town life after losing her show and hires Dale as a contractor to renovate her restaurant. They try to deny their feelings for each other for the sake of their business arrangement, so the majority of the book is about the MCs getting to know each other.

I really appreciated the different ways Murphy explored all of the contrasting elements of both MCs characteristics, through their jobs, their gender presentations, their families and in bed. The sex scenes are steamy and include some light BDSM in places. I really liked both characters and rarely for me I couldn’t choose a favourite between the two.

I especially enjoyed the family dynamics in this story, with both characters being in their 40s and the sons being older, it gave a new dimension to things I’ve been reading recently. As a step-parent of older children Mai’s interactions with the boys felt familiar from the getting to know each other stage – adding an authenticity to the story I really welcomed. There is also a secondary story in the book regarding one of Dale’s sons that comes across as enjoyably authentic.

Overall this is a good romance with enough compelling aspects to keep things interesting and make it a worthwhile read.

It should be noted the book does include some incidences of racism and homophobia.

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

Pride and Joy – M.L. Rice

~ lgbtqreader85 ~ Leave a comment

Rating: 4 out of 5.
I don’t quite know how to describe a book that is both incredibly depressing and a page-turner. I felt so sad reading this but I couldn’t stop reading, despite the domino effect of each event playing out on the page.

Don’t get me wrong, this is a great book – I’ll even want to read it again, but the attempted rape, homophobia, conversion therapy and life-changing accident are hard hitting so make sure you’re in the right place to read this before you start.

The book is split into parts – spanning approximately 10 years of the main characters life, starting with senior year in high school. Bryce’s realisation that she’s gay came a little quickly for my liking but her comfort level with the realisation is a welcome change of pace. I really enjoyed the friendship group that features around Bryce, especially as they’re another great example of chosen family.

This is a quick read, which despite it’s heavy storyline has lots of redeeming features and is well worth the time to read.