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The Hummingbird Sanctuary by Erin Zak

The Hummingbird Sanctuary
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Published: 4/12/22

Olive, Harriet and Eleanor are best friends. They are also the owners of The Hummingbird Sanctuary, an idyllic resort in Colorado for women. The women love each other but Olive’s control freak tendencies and overspending are causing issues. The arrival of a reporter who is doing a story on the sanctuary and her two friends turns the women’s lives even more upside down.

I love every last thing about this book. The story is told from three points of view, which I really enjoyed. I love to get into the mind of the characters I’m reading about. Harriet or Hattie, as she prefers to be called, is a force of nature and my favorite character in the book. She has been a player for a long time, but things have begun to shift, and Judy arrives at the perfect time. After Olive’s husband’s death, opening the Hummingbird Sanctuary becomes her primary focus. She is a self-described pain in the ass and a complete control freak. She has a secret that’s tearing her apart. And then there’s Eleanor. She’s the resorts marketing director, she’s classically beautiful. After having her heart broken years ago, she wants nothing more than to find happiness.

These three women are more than best friends, They’re family. It doesn’t matter how much they argue or how much they may disagree, the love they feel for each other is a constant. The arrival of the reporter and her friends threatens to tear them apart. Olive, Eleanor and Hattie are all well- crafted characters. Erin Zak does a wonderful job of developing these characters and they all evolve so beautifully throughout the story. The secondary characters of Mabel, Judy and Sunny are fabulous.  I would happily read a story featuring any of these as a main character.

This is my favorite Erin Zak book. I love how she featured lesbian, bisexual and ace characters. It’s so refreshing to see a book with so much representation. I really want to be friends with these women. I want Hattie to cook for me, I want to do some meditating with Olive to calm her down and, frankly, I just want to swoon over Eleanor. I recommend you book a stay at The Hummingbird Sanctuary as soon as possible.

An ARC was received from Bold Strokes via NetGalley for an honest review.

Something Between Us by Krystina Rivers

Something Between Us
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Published: 4/12/22

Kirby never expects or wants to see Quinn again. So, when they run into each other at Pride, nine years after Quinn stomped on her heart, Kirby is less than thrilled. In a city as big as Chicago, they start running into each other a lot. Fate seems to be trying to give them another chance if Kirby can open her heart again to Quinn.

This is a very good debut novel. Krystina Rivers uses her personal experience of being in the military during Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell to bring us a captivating, second chance romance. I was invested almost immediately. I felt for Quinn, who wanted nothing more than to make amends for the decision she made to break up with Kirby to protect her career. And I felt for Kirby, who wanted to protect her heart from Quinn, the only woman who she ever allowed herself to love.

The two meet in 2008 and that time frame is told in flashbacks. Their relationship is idyllic and the two are truly soulmates. Flashbacks are hit or miss for me but they were really well done in this story. Without them, I wouldn’t have had such a sense of how much love the two shared and how truly devastated Kirby was by Quinn’s decision. Second chance romances are one of my favorite tropes when done well. And Something Between Us was done very well. I look forward to reading more from Krystina Rivers. She is a new author with a bright future.

An ARC was received from Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley for an honest review.

 

Exclusive by Melissa Brayden

Exclusive
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Published: 3/15/22
A big break leads to an unexpected connection.

Skyler Ruiz has had enough of covering small town news After years of flailing, her big break finally comes in the form of a reporter position in San Diego. She gets to be close to family and friends and she will be working with her idol and crush, Caroline McNamara. Carrie isn’t exactly welcoming to the new reporter but when she realizes that Sky is more than just a pretty face, their relationship takes an unexpected turn.

My love affair with lesbian fiction started with Melissa Brayden. I devoured all of her books and haven’t looked back. Whether it’s the love I felt for Brooklyn and Jessica in Kiss the Girls or the empathy I felt for Isabelle Chase in Eyes Like Those, her characters always find a way into my heart. And I can now add Skyler and Carrie that list. I adore Skyler. She has such an intense drive to succeed but isn’t willing to compromise her ideals to make that happen. She is goodness personified and can’t understand Carrie’s aloofness when she first arrives at the station, considering how kind Carrie is to everyone else.

When Carrie starts opening up, Sky, couldn’t stop herself from falling if she tried. Carrie isn’t just her crush, she’s someone Sky admires professionally. This story is told from Skyler’s point of view, so we know a lot more of what she is feeling as the story progresses. I would have liked to have gotten more about Carrie’s backstory but through her interactions with Skyler, we are witness to her insecurities and vulnerability but also to how kind and compassionate she is. Carrie and Skyler are wonderful for each other and I really enjoyed their story.

I enjoyed Ty and Grace and Skyler’s aunt, who provides her the love her mother has always been too busy to give her. And what a treat it was to Emory and Sarah from Melissa’s book, Heart Block. Melissa Brayden’s books have always been a source of comfort, like seeing a friend you’ve lost touch with but can pick right up where you left off. They have always made my heart happy and this one does the same.

An ARC was received from Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley for an honest review.