Satisfaction Guaranteed by Karelia Stetz-Waters

Satisfaction Guaranteed
Category:
Author:
Publisher:
Published: 6/1/21

This is my first Karelia Stetz-Waters book and it won’t be my last. Satisfaction Guaranteed is absolutely hilarious and brings to mind the books of Robin Alexander. I hadn’t thought about naming my clitoris before and now I am. I think Princess Buttercup may be the winner!

Cade Elgin is as uptight as it gets and when she arrives at her aunt’s funeral to see everyone wearing gold lame and passing around flasks of whiskey she is properly horrified. But she’s the only one who takes issues with the shenanigans. Everyone else seems to be hopped up on edibles and enjoying the organ performance of “Uptown Funk”.

Ruth was like a mother to Selena Mathis so when her friends pressure her to give a speech at the funeral she can’t refuse. When Selena is nervous she tends to ramble and ramble. She reveals Ruth’s name for her clitoris, Belinda, Ruth’s feelings on teacups and tampons versus the cup. She keeps looking at Cade because on the worst day of her life, she can still appreciate a little eye candy.

Cade is ready to return home to her families art gallery that she pretty much runs on her own because her parents are too busy planning to buy a alpaca and getting high. Cade is 29 and has never had an orgasm. Seems like the perfect person to run a sex shop!  Her aunt Ruth leaves her store, Satisfaction Guaranteed to Cade and Selena to run together. Ruth isn’t a big fan of paying bills so the store is in serious trouble.

Despite her reservations Cade agrees to stay for a month and try to save the sex shop for her aunt and for this strange creature Selena. Selena intrigues Cade. She is beautiful, sweet and completely ok with working at a store that sells dildos, cookware and Christmas stuff. As they work together to try to save the store, they learn more about each other and their attraction grows. However, Selena is celibate and Cade is an orgasm virgin.

I adore Selena and Cade. Selena has an interesting backstory involving her ex and Cade sees the evil that woman is working with and has no problem pretending to be Selena’s fiance. Cade needs Selena to help her loosen up and Selena needs Cade to fight for her and help her see that she has value.

If you are looking for a low angst, laugh out loud funny book, I highly recommend. Instead of adding my favorite quotes, I implore you to just read the beginning of the book and enjoy the funeral. Not something I think I’ve ever said before, but this is what I hope my funeral will someday be. People talking about clits, getting high and rocking out to Bruno Mars!

Never Mine by Bryce Oakley

no title has been provided for this book
Category:
Author:
Published: 5/14/21
It's Only Pretend, Right?

I enjoy Bryce Oakley’s books immensely and Never Mine is a complete delight. Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes and this book pulls it off beautifully.

Sage Carson is a world cup and Olympic soccer star recovering from her latest knee injury. Her reckless partying and sleeping around has her agent concerned. She suggests Sage find a respectable steady girlfriend to help secure an endorsement deal with Player One, a shoe company.

Willa Bellamy is an event planner at the Denver Zoo. She works with her best friend Kirk and has an adorable dog named Puddles. Willa needs a date for her ex girlfriends bachelorette gathering in Belize.

When Sage and Willa run into each other at their high school reunion Sage asks her if she wants to get out of there. Willa takes her out to a pizza joint. Not exactly what Sage was suggesting, but Willa’s cluelessness is charming. Sage and Willa chat and both are surprised at the good time they have together. They weren’t close in high school as Sage was the athlete and Willa nearly invisible as she lived in her brothers shadow.

Willa agrees to accompany Sage to her Gay-la event and Sage will be Willa’s plus one to the bachelorette festivities in Belize. Both are trying to deny their attraction. But the more time they spend together the more the lines get blurred. Will they have to courage to make the other one theirs?

I would slay dragons for Willa. She is the Meg Ryan of lesfic (before the bad plastic surgery). Willa is all rainbows, bunnies and good intentions. She is one of the few people who “see” Sage, not as a world champion athlete but as the amazing person she is. She instantly recognizes Sage’s reckless behavior as fear that without soccer she doesn’t know who she is. That the possible end of her soccer career has her floating along without a life raft. She helps Sage to see that she is a trailblazer and even without soccer, she is valuable. She can start a foundation to do good outside of soccer. Willa is Sage’s champion.

Sage fights for Willa. She hates to see her friends let another friend pick on Willa and knows Willa is too kind to speak up for herself. Sage can’t help but be drawn to Willa’s goodness and authenticity. They simply fit each other perfectly, no matter how much they try to deny it.

I adore this book and highly recommend it. It will leave a smile on your face and a lightness in your heart. Willa and Sage are simply adorable.

Memorable quotes: Willa had always been the nice girl in high school, the type of person everyone kind of dreaded being around because it made them feel worse about themselves.

Why in the world would Sage Carson hit on her? She wasn’t bad looking, but she wasn’t exactly the models and actresses that Sage was normally photographed with. Maybe Sage was just desperate. But good lord, even if it was an act of desperation, she’d had a shot at making out with Sage fucking Carson and had just… not.

Willa did her best to reach out and give Sage’s arm a pat. “Did I just win a Little League game or are we in love?” Sage asked through a laugh.

Willa pauses, “Let me ask you a question. Can you name all of the athletes who have come out since you did? Not only your team, but other sports, as well?”                                                  Sage shook her head, “Luckily, there’s a lot.”                                                                                    “But how many of them would have been comfortable being the first major lesbian athlete at that level? Probably not as many. What you did was brave.”

Seeing Sage stand at the podium was surreal. She knew Sage as the woman who ate salad at a pizza place, who was worried about not knowing the name of anyone who wanted a selfie with her, who asked her to practice a kiss in the kitchen… She was human then. Now she was otherworldly, the bright lights making her dark hair glow golden in an aura around her.

“She’s kind and caring. She volunteers at a women’s shelter. She is thoughtful and generous beyond measure. She loves animals and has a very cute dog. She’s an all-around dream girl.”

All The Little Moments by G Benson

All The Little Moments
Category:
Author:
Genre:
Publisher:
Published: 8/12/2015

G Benson is one of favorite writers. In 2015 her debut novel, All the Little Moments, was released. I just read it this year and I am awed that it’s a debut novel. It allows all of the emotions to come out, just like life’s little moments do.

Anna Foster is a successful anesthesiologist in Brisbane. She returns home to Melbourne after her brother Jake and his wife Sally are killed by a drunk driver. She is shocked when she learns that Jake and Sally named her the guardian to  their two children, fifteen month old Toby and six year old Ella. Anna doesn’t want kids. Her and her girlfriend of three years, Hayley, are both too focused on their careers and even if they weren’t, motherhood is something they both agree isn’t for them. But looking into the faces of her niece and nephew and seeing so much of Jake and Sally, she knows she has no other choice but to be there for them.

Hayley ends things with Anna not wanting to to the long distance thing and knowing she won’t compromise her career to move to Melbourne. Anna is barely keeping it together as she moves into her brother’s home to raise her niece and nephew. Things take a turn when Anna, literally, runs into a beautiful woman at the grocery store. She then sees that same woman at the new hospital she gets a job in. Lane is so wonderful. She just wants to spend time with Anna, at whatever speed she is comfortable. Anna also makes a good friend in Kym, they bond over shared grief and Kym becomes a part of Anna’s new little family.

Anna loved the kids as her niece and nephew but the little moments they share, make it so clear to her that her place is with them. The way Toby clings to her when she drops him at daycare and says “Na” over and over begging her not to leave him. The way Ella snuggles into her and tells her about her day at school. Sitting on the couch watching Disney movies as Kym and Ella dose off and she makes eyes at Lane. Watching how the kids greet her Mom and how her Mom’s eye light up even through her sadness over the death of her son. These little moments all bring Anna to a place of peace she never expected to feel after losing her brother. It doesn’t come easily but Anna has the love and support of so many and she is a strong woman who deserves happiness.

I can’t even begin to express how much I love G Benson’s writing in this book. These characters were so well developed and nuanced.  I love Anna and how she cared for Ella and Toby, even though she was scared and angry that her life was disrupted. Lane is the perfect partner for Anna. She understand that the kids come first and that Anna has a lot going on and she just wants to be there to support and care for her. Kym is the perfect best friend and having Anna and the kids come into her life helps her just as much as it helps Anna.  Anna’s mother, Sandra is shattered at the loss of her son but is there to help Anna with the grandchildren she loves so much. Anna’s father shuts down and locks himself away because he can’t handle the loss.  Sally’s mother is a horrible person!  I have nothing nice to say about her.

I read this book a few weeks after my brothers death. Probably not the best idea I’ve ever had. But it actually helped me to see that life does go on and that despite the sadness there are little moments that not only show us that we will survive but that’s it ok to smile and laugh. All the Little Moments is a beautiful book that will make you laugh, cry (a lot of crying from all of the feelings)  and say some curse words (Sally’s Mom, legit asshole). Even with all of the feelings that that brings to the surface, I consider this to be a simply fantastic book.

Memorable moments: She pushed the thought that Jake was dead to the back of her mind, buried it as deep as she could. But there were times when she was doing something completely mundane, that her chest would tighten and, for no apparent reason, it felt like she couldn’t breathe.

“Anna, I’m sorry. I wanted to try. I didn’t want to be the bitch that left you after your brother died and you got dumped with this… this huge responsibility but I just… I can’t do this. It’s not me. And the firm… I just got promoted.” I’m sorry. Kid- I can’t. I can’t I love you. But I can’t.”

“Mama.” He gave a nonsensical cry again and then, “Da.”. The sound almost broke her heart. She wondered how long until he’d forget, until he no longer cried for the parents who had once shown up without fail.

Fuck, she missed her brother. She missed talking to him, hearing his laugh. While accidentally calling him had ripped a new hole in her, she kind of wanted to do it again just to hear his voice, like a balm- the sound could wash over her and take her away for a minute.

“Okay. My brother and his wife died in a car accident, leaving behind two tiny children. My girlfriend of the time, Hayley, and I flew over for the funeral, and when they read the will, we found out he had name me guardian of the kids. I never wanted kids, ever. It was why Hayley and I worked; we wanted the same things. But I agreed to take them on and so Hayley left me. Now I live in my dead brother’s house and am attempting to raise his kids in a city that I hate.” Anna picked her glass back up. “No offense”  Kym leant back in her chair. “Whoa.” A playful smile crossed her lips. Wait, you’re gay.”

Lane had walked in wearing a clingy white dress that draped over every curve like it had been made just for her. It was cut low- low enough that Anna was concerned she wouldn’t be able to look anywhere else. The white set off Lane’s dark sin in a way that had Anna mesmerised. In that moment, she couldn’t remember a single reason why seeing Lane was a bad idea. “Oi, do you need a napkin to get that drool.” Anna turned around to find Kym and a nurse friend of her grinning.

 

Sprinkled in the Stars by Violet Morley

Sprinkled in the Stars
Category:
Author:
Published: 6/1/2021

Violet Morley’s debut novel Sprinkled in the Stars is a sweet story of love and understanding. The main characters seem at first glance like they wouldn’t fit in each other’s lives but some times the stars align in the most unexpected ways.

AJ Beckett is a paramedic with a seven year old daughter, Parker,  who is on the autism spectrum. They live with AJ’s sister Kate, who helps AJ with Parker. AJ works extra shifts and is barely scrapping by financially.  Melanie Cooper is an actress who has decided her current movie will be her last. She is seen as being difficult but really has anxiety and is probably on the spectrum as well.

The two women literally run into each other when Mel is trying to get away from the paparazzi. Their collision causes Parker’s ice cream to fall on the ground causing her to freak out. Mel scurries off with barely an apology. Their next encounter is at a benefit where Mel stumbles upon Parker when they both go in search of a quiet place as they are both overwhelmed by the noise.

On the set of Mel’s last movie she has an accident and AJ is called in to help. She saves Melanie’s life and afterwards Mel wants to meet her to thank her. AJ hasn’t been impressed with Mel’s behavior in the past and isn’t very interested in spending any time in her presence. But Melanie persists and they slowly get to know each other.

Despite AJ’s earlier impressions, she is impressed with how well Mel interacts with Parker. Parker is comfortable with Melanie right away. AJ and Melanie’s attraction continues to grow and despite AJ’s concerns about their financial disparity, they begin dating. They have Mel’s crazy ex and the tabloids trying to cause problems in their budding relationship but they can’t help but hope that they find their happiness with each other.

I am very impressed with this debut from Violet Morley. It is refreshing to have a character with autism and Parker was fabulous.  Young in age but an old soul who really was the glue that tied the whole story together. I felt for AJ having to take care of Parker during the tough moments while her dad flew in and got to be the fun parent. Melanie and Parker’s relationship was touching as they found kindred spirits in each other. The chemistry between AJ and Melanie was clear and they fit well as a couple and as a family unit with Parker.  I recommend this book if you want a low angst, heartwarming story.

Sleepless Nights by Iona Kane

Sleepless Nights
Category:
Author:
Published: 8/31/21

Sleepless Nights is an impressive debut from writer Iona Kane. It’s a charming story of a closeted singer and an out and proud drummer navigating through their fears and feelings to find love.

Tyra MacLean had her first hit at fifteen but her career quickly nosedived after she came out. She spiraled out of control and only got herself straightened out when she was called upon to help raise her twin cousins Jamie and Mhairi. When the twins started a band Ty stepped in to be their drummer knowing she would soon retreat back to producing as she is wary of the limelight performing brings.

Alex Knight is preparing for her US tour and sees a clip on Dandylions performing. She decides immediately that she wants them to open for her. The meeting the members on Dandylions doesn’t go as planned when Tyra shows up drunk. The next day Ty shows up to apologize. She tells Alex that she only wants to do the tour for the twins. All the attention that will come with it is a huge turn off for her. She also reveals that she has issues with celebrities who stay in the closet to avoid damage to their careers. She came out before it was accepted and her career never recovered. Alex appreciates the honesty, although, not the commentary of her closet status, and Dandylions are signed as her opening act.

Tyra is invited by Alex to stay at her house for the week she comes to New York without the twins. The two have sizzling chemistry and during the week they have dinner together and get to know each other. Alex talks to Ty about her teenage daughter Dora, who she has a strained relationship and Ty tells Alex about her past struggles after her mom passed away and her career tanked. The week is blissful but after they decide that it can’t go any farther as they have a tour to work on together and Alex isn’t ready to come out. While on tour can Alex and Tyra keep their distance or will they give in to their desires and try to make a relationship work?

Alex and Tyra are charming characters. I became invested in their happiness. I wanted Alex to work things out with her daughter and realize that it was time for her to own her sexuality. I wanted Ty to have career vindication and find true love. The conflict was well conceived as the events that transpired understandably caused Alex to retreat into herself and take a step back from a relationship.

Iona Kane has given us a very well written celebrity romance. I look forward to what comes next from her.

 

Mutual Benefits by HP Munro

Mutual Benefits
Category:
Author:
Publisher:
Published: 9/13/20

Mutual Benefits by HP Munro is so delightful and hilarious. Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes but this one is unique and will keep you entertained from start to finish.

Hannah Melville is a clothing designer who owns her own shop with her best friend Phillip in Edinburgh, Scotland. Hannah has a meddlesome mother who is always trying to find Mr. Right for her to marry. Hannah and Phillip are joking and say that Hannah should just tell her mom she is dating a woman. During dinner when Isobel starts in on Hannah and her dating life she says her last relationship was with Jamie, a woman. She expects this to get her mom off of her back but the opposite occurs. Both Hannah’s mom and dad are thrilled she finally feels comfortable enough to come out to them. Her mom has been in a group called “Parents of Diversity” for years just waiting for Hannah to “come out” to her.

Hannah’s mom sets her up with one of the daughters of a woman in her group and Hannah sees no way out but to go. She goes out on a date with Ashley, telling her she is straight and the story behind their meeting. Ashley has a meddlesome mother as well and during over many drinks Hannah and Ashley devise a plan to fake date to get their mothers off of their backs. Of course, the best laid plans never work out as intended.

The girls start “dating” and find they enjoy each other’s company. Ashley quickly develops a crush on Hannah and Hannah decides the flutter she gets in Ashley’s presence is only because she’s excited to have a new friend. Getting to know Ashley causes Hannah to see herself in a new light, one she never expected.

I adore Hannah and Ashley. From the moment they met they “saw” each other. Ashley recognizes that Hannah tends to play down her accomplishments and Ashley encourages her to be proud of herself. Hannah sees how being the only kid with brown skin in school still affects Ashley. They click not just physically but emotionally as well.  Their friends are wonderful. Hannah’s best friend Phillip and Ashley’s friends Jude and Haz are hilarious and are the kind of supportive yet skeptical friends we all need. Hannah’s mom is irritating but does only wants to see her daughter happy.

HP Munro is a great writer of comedy and this is one of my favorite romcom’s. If you want a story that will make you laugh and warm your heart this is a great choice.

Favorite Quotes: “Dear God, what are you wearing on your feet? You look like a Roman Centurion. Plus, your toenails are an entirely different shade than your fingernails. If you’re going to flash your feet, you could at least make sure the carpet and curtains match.”

“She was flattered her mum thought that as a lesbian. this was the league she would be playing in. The woman was, from a purely objective position, stunning.”

“A little pee might come out. Not that I have an issue in that regard. My pelvic floor is taut, so the nurse said at my last smear. ”  Are you sure you’re not a lesbian? I’m only asking cause it only took you an hour to start talking about your vagina.”

“Her parents think she’s gay and she doesn’t want to disappoint them.”  “Well, that’s not a phrase you hear too often.”

“I’m going to have to get you to skim over any reference to your lady bits. In my head you’re like a Barbie doll- you have boobs but no nipples and definitely nothing netherly.”

Warm Pearls and Paper Cranes by E.V. Bancroft

Warm Pearls and Paper Cranes
Category:
Author:
Published: 10/15/21
True Love Can't Be Stopped

E.V. Bancroft’s debut novel is a sweeping epic of the enduring power of love. Maud and Bea have been in love with each other since 1939. They have stayed together through war, family interference and their careers only to be sent to separate nursing homes in the twilight of their lives. Maud is devastated and her only hope is her great niece, Hannah, who Maud raised after the death of her mother and grandmother, along with her “best friend” Bea.

One look at Beatrice Williams and Maud Heaston’s life is changed forever. Bea arrives as Maud’s brothers tutor and the two have an instant connection. Maud isn’t only attracted to Bea, they also share a desire to learn and have careers and not just marry and have children. Maud’s brother Harry is also smitten with Bea but she rejects him letting him know where her heart lies. Harry goes off to war and Maud’s family finds out about her and Bea’s relationship when her sister sees them kissing. Maud is forbidden from seeing Bea so she decides to join the war effort in the Land Army so she could earn her own money and wouldn’t have to marry George, the poor bloke whom her mother pressured her to get engaged to.

Bea and Maud wrote to each other and met up when they could and eventually after the war was over settled in London together. Over the years they continued to love each other although to the outside world they presented themselves as just best friends. When Maud’s sister and niece were killed in a car accident, teenager Hannah came to live with them. She was angry and struggling to accept her sexuality and her and Maud often butted heads. But when Maud and Bea are put in separate nursing homes, their letters are sent to Hannah. Reading of the love between them that she never knew existed, she begins to see her Aunt in a new light. The letters bring her closer to her roommate Suki, who she’s been in love with for some time. Hannah is determined to help reunite Maud with her true love and hopefully get her own happy ending as well.

E.V. Bancroft really went for it with her first novel. Writing an epic that spans over 75 years is no small feat.  The way the past and present were interweaved was seamless. We not only get to experience Hannah’s relationship to Maud, Bea and Suki but we get to take the journey with Maud and Bea as they meet and fall in love. The characters are really well developed. I loved the sweetness of Bea and the stubbornness and passion of Maud. I appreciated Hannah’s desire to understand the aunt she had always had issues with and in the process discovers more about herself and her capacity to love. Suki is Hannah’s roommate and in the shared experience of reading Maud and Bea’s letters, finds her courage to follow her heart. I may actually love Maud’s brother, Harry, most of all. Despite his love for Bea, he knew what she shared with Maud was stronger, and gave his blessing to his sister. For a man to do that anytime shows such strength of character but to do so during the 1940’s, is really beautiful.

It is wonderful to read a love story that spans so many years. We are all searching for what Maud and Bea have, a love that not only survives but gets even stronger the more time that passes. The ending was beautiful and brought a tear to my eyes. I highly recommend and will be looking forward to what comes next from E.V. Bancroft.

ARC received from the author for an honest review.

The Tell Tale by Clare Ashton

The Tell Tale
Author:
Publisher:
Published: 10/1/2021
The Tell Tale has been watching

The Tell Tale is an absolutely riveting read. There is a reason that I have Clare Ashton at the top of my favorite authors list. She creates unforgettable characters and stories that stay with you long after the last page is read. From the delightfulness of Poppy Jenkins, the drama of The Goodmans, or the shared experiences that lead to love in Finding Jessica Lambert, Clare Ashton has proven to be one of the most versatile writers in the lesfic community. We can now add the mystery of The Tell Tale to her impressive catalog of work.

The story is set in the 70’s in the village of Foel in Wales. It centers on how the town and residents are still impacted by two teenagers who eloped together twenty years ago and were never heard from again. The story is told  from the perspectives of four members of the community, Lady Sophie Melling, Beth Harris and Rhian and Geraint Thomas.

Lady Sophie and her husband Daniel returned to Foel a year ago when her father died and left her the family estate. Daniel spends a great deal of time in London leaving Sophie alone. Sophie was a friend to Elin and distant cousin to Alywn.

Beth Harris has returned to Foel with her daughter Nia in tow to care for her ailing mother. Beth was best friends with Elin in school along with Meg, who still lives in the village. Beth’s daughter Nia has the carefree nature of youth that Beth misses in herself.

Rhian is Alwyn and Geraint’s mother and wife to town council member Bryn. The years since her sons departure have been nearly unbearable and she self medicates just to be able to survive each day. Alwyn always protected little brother Geraint, who has longed for his mother’s attention and his father’s approval.

Residents begin receiving notes letting it be none their secrets aren’t so secret. The quest to find the culprit takes us down a road no one expected to travel and changes the lives of the townspeople forever.

Clare Ashton doesn’t shy away from difficult topics. The misogyny displayed by the townspeople of the 1970’s is still true for many men in all parts of the world. The majority of the men of Foel see women as subservient to men, their only role to raise the children and take care of the home. Their opinions are not asked for nor appreciated. If a woman is single clearly there is something wrong with her and a failed marriage only fails because the woman didn’t live up to her duties. Men are just being men and can do whatever they want and women should fall in line and accept their place. There were a lot of men in this book that I wanted to punch in the throat.

Despite my need to perpetuate violence against the menfolk of this town, all of the characters were so fully developed I felt that I understood their motivations and sympathized with those worthy of my compassion. This is a mystery keeps you engaged and will leave you shaking your head in wonder at the talent that Clare Ashton is working with. She seamlessly connected these characters and their stories. She has an uncanny ability to write prose that leaves you breathless at how beautiful words can be when in the hands of a virtuoso. There are a lot of twists and turns along the way that help to make this one of my favorite books of the year.

ARC received from the author for an honest review

 

When I’m With You by Monica McCallan

When I'm With You
Category:
Author:
Published: 6/6/21

Brooke Nicholas has gotten under Kennedy Ryan’s skin since the moment they met two and a half years ago. Kennedy became friends with Brooke’s roommates Julia and Hannah their junior year of college and has no idea what the two see in Brooke. When Brooke and Kennedy get stranded in a cabin during a snowstorm without their friends to run interference Kennedy begins to see how wrong she’s been.

Kennedy is responsible, she always has a plan, she’s reserved. Brooke is undependable, unpredictable and never has a plan. Or at least, that’s how Kennedy has always seen her. During the time they have alone at the cabin Kennedy talks about her big family of six brothers and sisters. When Brooke reveals that she’s on her own Kennedy begins to see Brooke in a new light and regrets having judged her so harshly.

After returning home Brooke goes with Kennedy to her parents for Christmas Eve dinner. Kennedy’s family welcomes Brooke and makes her long for what she only had briefly when she lived with her grandparents, a family to love and support her. Brooke and Kennedy’s friendship continues to flourish. Brooke finds an abandoned puppy and they become co-parents. They spend evenings together watching tv cuddling up with Frankie, text each other at work and think about each other when they aren’t together. Brooke realizes first that her feelings have moved beyond friendship but Kennedy isn’t far behind. However, both are scared to lose the friendship that has come to mean so much to both of them and neither wants to be the first to confess their feelings.

I am a big fan of Monica McCallan’s books and this one is now my favorite. I love Brooke and just want to snuggle her and tell her how wonderful she is despite losing big in the mother department. Brooke is one of those people who brightens a room just by entering it, she talks to strangers on the sidewalk, rescues puppies and always puts others before herself. Add that she knows her wine and even knows when Julia’s fish Simon’s food is on sale and she is really the perfect woman. Her childhood looms large in her interactions despite her cheery disposition. She doesn’t let too many people get to know who she is beneath the outgoing, fun persona she projects. She expects people to let her down so when she lets Kennedy in, it means even more.

Kennedy’s outright dismissal of Brooke’s value as a person stems from her own issues and nothing that Brooke is responsible for. Kennedy is the oldest child in her family and has always been overwhelmed with the chaos that is her family. Brooke represented more chaos and she automatically dismissed her as someone she wanted to spend time with. It wasn’t until she realized that Brooke didn’t have a family that she began to see how important Brooke’s relationships with Hannah and Julia are and how they are her chosen family and she wants to be a safe space for Brooke as well.

Kennedy had always thought that her and Brooke were polar opposites but as Hannah states they really aren’t. “You two seem different, but you’re really the same. You keep everyone at arms length, but you’re really a big softie on the inside. And Brooke’s the same, just inverted. She’s open and approachable and always has a kind word for a stranger.”  When Kennedy opens her mind and heart to Brooke she sees how badly she misjudged her and how she was always meant to be her person.

This book has sweetness, angst (because Monica’s books always bring the angst), laughter, love and wonderful supporting characters. I highly recommend it and dare you not to fall in love with Brooke and Kennedy.

Favorite Quotes: “She wanted whatever that thing was that made you search a person’s face for meaning or to find reasons to touch them. A hand of the back through a narrow exit. A quick tap on their wrist to get their attention in a loud space. The gentle brush against each other’s shoulders while you moved to the music.”

“Hey Elsa! You want to help me with these bags, or are you going to spend all day dreamily floating through winter wonderland.”

“The icing on the cake was being stuck with freaking Brooke Nicholas, fairy nymph and sprite of exuberance and extroversion.”

“I’d tell him to get bent, but his head’s already so far up his own ass he’s a perfect circle.”

 

The Brutal Truth by Lee Winter

The Brutal Truth
Category:
Author:

Lee Winter is a brilliant writer. Her books provide some of the things I love most: witty banter, icy queens who need an adorable woman to thaw them and hilarious supporting characters. The Brutal Truth has all of these things and is one of my absolute favorite books.

Elena Bartell isn’t prepared for Maddie Grey when she buys the failing Hudson Metro News. Maddie is the overnight girl who writes obits and crime stories. Maddie isn’t at all intimidated by Elena’s outward terrifying demeanor. Over late night conversations they begin to know each other and Elena is fascinated and exasperated with Maddie. She is just uniquely herself. She doesn’t want anything from Elena, she just seems to genuinely like her company. Elena is surrounded by people who wants something from her and Maddie is refreshing. It doesn’t take long for Elena to deduce that Maddie is the author of a blog called “Aliens of New York” that Elena has been reading for years. The blog details Maddie’s loneliness in New York City and how she longs to return to Sydney. Elena and Maddie see in each other what others overlook. Elena see Maddie’s loneliness as it mirrors her own and Maddie sees the humanity that Elena tries so hard to keep  hidden. It doesn’t take long for Maddie to develop feelings for her hot, intense boss until she fires her and tells her she isn’t a journalist.

A few days later Elena offers Maddie a job as her personal assistant and asks her to go with her to Sydney where she has to return to work on her Style Sydney magazine. Elena is giving Maddie a way to return to the city she loves but without the humiliation of coming back a failure in her career. They go to Sydney but their late night talks and teasing banter are gone. Maddie misses their interactions. She is consumed with thoughts of Elena. “She wanted to see her throw her back her head in laughter. Or in ecstasy. That thought thrilled her. It was a fantasy that sent shivers through Maddie. God, how she wanted her in every way imaginable”.

Elena is consumed with getting the elusive designer Veronique Duchamp for an interview. She sends loads of flowers which are rejected. Maddie thinks that was the wrong approach. Thus the truth bet comes about. If Maddie can’t get the attention of Veronique she must give Elena an entire day of honesty and if Maddie succeeds, Elena must be entirely honest for a week. Before the truth bet can get interesting Elena learns some some brutal truths about her husband that she refuses to accept and fires Maddie yet again.

Maddie befriends Veronique’s daughter Natalii and confesses her crush on Elena despite the fact that she is insufferable and keeps firing her.  Natalii finds her refreshing and she is granted access to Veronique for one question. That question will change Maddie’s life forever and may help her succeed in getting the love of one very acerbic tongued media mogul.

This book has some of the best supporting characters. Felicity, who will be getting her own story The Awkward Truth releasing in November, is absolutely hilarious. She can’t understand Elena’s fascination with the grunge t-shirt wearing Aussie and is befuddled when Maddie seems to be unstoppable. “Well, look who it is. The star of the whole damn universe”.  “You’ll look at me all doe-eyed with that aw-shucks Australian innocence and explained it all just happened. If I didn’t somewhat like you I would poke your eyes out with a cheese knife. Well, I would, if cheese knives weren’t so bloody close to the cheese platter.”  Natalii and Veronique Duchamp are two larger than life characters who provide some comic relief as well.

This book is simply riddled with perfect dialogue. “Was it wrong to be jealous of the whole world who owned Madeleine now? They would see her magnificence and never let her go. Sure, she would miss her. Her smile could be quite cheeky. As was the way she looked at Elena, past her title and mask, as though what lay beneath was all that really mattered. She was unaccustomed to anyone caring that much for her.”  “Madeleine I have long admired beauty in all its forms. Your unblemished, creamy skin the way it dips and flows and glows with vitality. What lover of beautiful things could resist looking at it?” “Do you know how rare and beautiful it is for two watchful, lonely souls like us to find each other?”

That is what makes this book so special. It’s a story of two lonely souls who find the person they are meant for in the most unlikely of packages. Elena may have a global empire but is missing someone who sees behind the mask she wears. When Maddie comes along and starts pealing it away Elena realizes how truly lonely she has been. Maddie is the sweet, observant woman we all want to fall in love with. She finds in Elena a kindred spirit who pushes her to be her best.  Both of these characters are so well developed and this book is truly a brilliant piece of writing. Lee Winter is on my Mt Rushmore of lesbian fiction writers. She writes dialogue that is intelligent and filled with humor. There is just no one better at creating memorable characters who are thought provoking and entertaining.  I love this book and I highly recommend reading it or listening to it on Audible.