Review of Holme for the Holidays by Miranda MacLeod

I recently read Holme for the Holidays by Miranda Macleod for the monthly book club on the Lesfic Readers and Writers Slack channel. I really like the thought of reading a Christmas themed book to get in the mood for the holidays. This book was just the thing to kickstart my holiday spirit.

Here is a short blurb about the book:

An American musician with a broken heart meets a local farmer with a hidden past on a holiday house swap in Yorkshire. A charming romantic comedy that will fill your heart with holiday cheer

A country cottage is the last place Paige expected to spend the holidays, but a year after her girlfriend dumped her, her life is in shambles. A last minute house swap sends her from California to Yorkshire to put her life back on track. She doesn’t believe in forever anymore, but when she meets a raven haired beauty in the local pub, she seizes the chance for a night of fun.

On the brink of fame and fortune, Fiona suffered an unthinkable loss, and a year later she’s given up on singing, and just about everything else. When the brother she relies on too much skips town “for her own good” and loans his cottage to a stranger for the holidays, her life is turned upside down. She knows she can’t make a new relationship work, but when she meets a purple haired American at the local pub, she figures it wouldn’t hurt to blow off some steam.

They never meant to see each other again, yet from the very first morning when the vicar comes to call and Paige gets mowed down by a runaway llama, they just can’t seem to escape their lives becoming increasingly, and hilariously, entwined. And when a series of calamities threatens Christmas in Holme village, the two must work together to save the day, and maybe find true love along the way.

A year ago, their lives fell apart. Can a bit of Christmas magic help them build a new life together?

Holme for the Holidays is the second book in the American’s Abroad series and functions as a standalone. I really enjoyed this book. Paige and Fiona make a really cute couple. While the book happens in a short span of time it doesn’t feel insta lovey. They really get to know each other over the short amount of time that they are together. Fiona’s backstory is really heartbreaking. I don’t know how if I would be able to handle losing someone I loved in the way that Fiona had.

The setting is one of the best parts of this book. There is something magical about Holme. The way the people in the town jumped in to help out when needed. Also, the thought of a white Yorkshire Christmas was so sweet.

The humor really makes this book stand out. The scene with the Vicar was one of the funniest things I have ever read. I also liked the addition of Dolly, the llama, and Maxine, the dog. The animals really brought life to this story.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes romantic comedies.

Holme for the Holidays  is available on Kindle Unlimited by clicking here.

Review of Dal Segno by Jax Meyer

I was intrigued when I heard about Dal Segno by Jax Meyer. There are not many lesfic novels that focus on overcoming a lost loved one. This book was heartfelt and moving. I couldn’t wait to delve deeper into the process with Cam as she explored her past making room for new love in her heart.

 

Here is a short blurb about the book:

On the verge of turning 40, former Marine Cameron ‘Cam’ Warren didn’t expect to be walking onto a community college campus to spend a year playing music. Instead of enjoying her career, Cam is still mourning the tragic death of her partner and fellow Marine Sharon. Five years have now passed but she is no further forward in dealing with her grief. Cam knows she needs to change so she can heal. Will taking a sabbatical to play the drums allow her to live fully again, connecting her to emotions in ways her autism has always prevented?

 

Jazz pianist and teacher Laura Clark has had enough of city life on the east coast and yearns for the quiet beauty of Colorado. When a faculty position opens at a small community college in Ft. Collins, she jumps at the chance to start a new life. However, what she couldn’t predict was that one of her star students was about to walk back into her life, 20 years later.

 

When Cam is introduced to the new jazz ensemble director she is shocked to see her high school music teacher, a thousand miles away from the small town where Ms. Clark first introduced her to jazz. But Cam is no longer a kid and, as their chemistry grows stronger, Cam has to choose which path her life will take – will she choose love or will she choose fear?

 

Dal Segno is a lesbian romance that shows the power of revisiting the past to create a completely different result. Everything changes the second time around.

 

Dal Segno is not your traditional romance novel. It is about overcoming the loss of a spouse. Cam Warren lost her partner in a freak accident and this book is her finding a way to overcome that loss and find love with someone else. Cam and Laura have a bit of a different history. Laura was Cam’s high school teacher. Normally I’m not all about student teacher relationships because I find the power dynamic a little creepy. That is not the case at all with this book. Cam is an adult college student who has gone back to college to enhance her musical abilities and the power dynamic never comes into play.

 

Cam is a great character. I liked how multifaceted she is. Cam is butch which is something I don’t tend to see in a lot of lesbian fiction. Also, there is something incredibly sexy about a butch marine. One of the most interesting aspects for me was how Cam’s autism affected her social interactions with Laura and others. It was nice to see her reasoning for her actions and what made her uncomfortable in certain situations.

 

I would recommend this book for anyone who is interested in love after loss type of romance novel.

 

Dal Segno is available on Kindle Unlimited by clicking here.

Review of Heist by M. J. Duncan

When I saw that M. J. Duncan had a new book out, I was ecstatic. She’s one of my all-time favorite authors. Heist was a little different from her other books. It kept me on the edge of my seat wanting to know how the book would play out.

 

Here is a short blurb about the book:

Life is full of choices. Some are easy, others are more difficult, and then there are the ones that aren’t really choices at all. For Parker Ravenscroft, helping her brother always fell into that last category—risks be damned. All that changes when Sheridan Sloan re-enters her life. As their relationship grows from friendship to something more she’s forced to choose between her brother and her own happiness. Picking one over the other isn’t the end of things, however, because the ghosts of her past choices have the very real power to destroy the future she so badly wants.

 

I was sucked into this book from the beginning. It reminded me a bit of a mystery novel in some respects. The way that Sheridan was looking for the thief while Parker was trying to hide her involvement in the heists. I also liked Parker’s motivation for stealing the books. She wasn’t doing it for the thrill or the money like a lot of thieves. Parker was doing it to help her brother. When he got too greedy, she knew when to step away.

 

The romance aspect of the book was phenomenal. I’m a sucker for a slow burn and this book delivered. The chemistry between Parker and Sheridan was electric. Even though Sheridan was an FBI agent and Parker was a criminal they fit together perfectly.

 

Kelly was one of my favorite characters. The way he gently teased Sheridan about her relationship with Parker really made the book for me. Also, the way he constantly was getting bested by the women in the FBI.

 

The one problem that I had with the book was the way that the conflict ended. It was kind of swept under the rug. Never really brought up again. I wish it had played out more and they were forced to deal with the consequences.

 

I would recommend this book for anyone who loves a slow burn romance.

 

Heist is available on Kindle Unlimited by clicking here.

Interview with debut author Lou J Bard

Who or what inspired your latest novel There’s A Possibility?
Actually, it was a Patrick Dempsey movie called Made of Honor and I loved the plot so much, but of course I wanted to see how you could twist it to be gay. This has been in the back of my mind ever since it came out in 2008. I’m glad it’s finally out of my head and on the pages!

 

Who or what inspired you to start writing?
I’ve been writing since as long as I can remember. I think the first time I ever realized fanfiction was a thing, I’d already been writing some for Pokémon! LOL

 

Who is your favorite character from your books and why?

Oh wow. I guess I’d have to go with Nymphadora Tonks from Harry Potter. She was always a badass in my opinion. Youngest Auror of her time AND a Hufflepuff. Fun colored hair. She was my idol when she appeared in the books.

 

How do you approach writing a new storyline?

Character sketches! My absolute favorite part of the story is understanding my characters and where they come from, what their purposes are and where I think they’re headed.

 

Where do your inspirations for characters and their lives come from?

Mostly everyday people I live around and myself. I think I put a little piece of me into all of my characters. I try to write what I know.

 

Where is your favorite place to write?

If it weren’t for my cat begging for my attention all of the time, I’d saythat it was my living room couch with lots of pillows and blankets and a hot cup of coffee. But I generally find myself at Starbucks to avoid distraction (go figure).

 

What is your writing process?

See the thing. Plot the thing. Write the thing. Get blocked by the thing. Cry over the thing. Write more of the thing. Send the thing to Editor and then cry when it returns looking like a crime scene. Finish polishing the thing. Cry again over the thing because it’s finished. Cry more over the thing when people enjoy the finished product.

 

How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?

I think it made me more aware of how I write, definitely with my use of adverbs and how I use the words “that” and “like” a LOT and how I need to correct it both in my speech and in my writing.

 

What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?

My editor. Claire works miracles with the shite I send her! LOL.

 

What is something memorable you have heard from your readers/fans?

Everything from my readers is memorable. Even if it’s not a stellar review, I am happy that someone took the time to read what I wrote and at least gave it a shot. Of course, I love the great reviews, but I take all of them in stride.

 

What book that you have read has most influenced your life?

Am I lame if I say Harry Potter? It was the first real set of books I ever fell in love with and have changed the way I look at books for the rest of my life. I may never be as great as Ms. Rowling, but I certainly thank her for giving me the gift of loving the written word and the magical places it can take you.

 

Do you have any new books coming out? If so what are they about?

My next book is called The Sound of Silenceand it’s about a young woman who has been mute for over half of her life, falling in love with one of her caretakers and her caretaker trying to defend her own emotions against the world that thinks they are wrong.

But that’s as far as I’ll tell 🙂

 

How do you take your coffee?

Cream and sugar with a splash of black coffee. Or just a soy caramel macchiato from Starbucks.

 

Lou’s upcoming book The Sound of Silence will be available on Amazon Kindle August 31st. It is available for preorder now by clicking here.

 

 

 

Review of Seeing Red by Cara Malone

I have always loved a good fairy tale. Seeing Red: A Sapphic Fairy Tale by Cara Malone hit the right spot with its modern-day retelling of Little Red Riding Hood by The Brothers Grimm.

 

Here is a short blurb about the book:

Hunter has spent the last two years running in place.

 

Trying to get ahead of the bills.

Trying to provide for her sister, Piper, and her nephews.

Trying to finish her nursing education.

Trying to keep Piper out of her criminal husband’s claws.

 

Big, bad Jed Wolfe is a con artist, a manipulator, and he’s currently doing ten years for counterfeiting. Now is Hunter’s best chance to convince Piper that he’s bad news and they can survive without him.

 

Except the mortgage is overdue again, there’s an eviction notice stapled to the front door, and Hunter can see it in Piper’s eyes. She wants to crawl back to Jed and ask him how to dig out of this mess.

 

They’re getting desperate and Hunter begs Piper not to be like him.

 

Then along comes a beautiful girl in a red cap. Her grandmother is sick, she needs Hunter’s nursing help, and the pay is great. It’s just what they need and soon Hunter is able to catch her breath. Stop running in place. Start to feel something that she hasn’t had time for in years.

 

Happiness. Desire. Love.

 

Until one day an old, familiar feeling returns.

 

Suspicion.

 

I thought the book started off kind of slow. It took me a little while to get into but once I got into it I was hooked. Hunter was a great character. She would do anything to keep her family safe. She didn’t want her nephews to have a hard life like she and her sister had. While Hunter worked hard to take care of her family. Piper pulled cons trying to provide. I loved how Piper’s character ended up.

 

I really liked Kiera’s grandmother. I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Alzheimer’s patients. Even though it wasn’t Kiera’s main reason for moving in with her grandma I think it became important for her as her grandmother’s disease progressed.

 

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes fairy tale retellings.

 

Thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

 

You can purchase a copy of Seeing Red by clicking here.

 

 

 

 

 

Review of Dangerous Waters by Radclyffe

So, everyone, I have a shameful secret. I have never read one of Radclyffe’s books. When I saw Dangerous Waters listed on NetGalley I thought I should take the opportunity to see if her books were as good as everyone says they are. I was not disappointed.

 

Here is a short blurb about the book:

Army National Guard Colonel Sawyer Kincaid has served her time dueling with death in the deserts of Africa. Now that she’s home, the only sand she wants to see is on the beach in South Florida. Too bad Tropical Storm Leo, swiftly gaining strength out over the Atlantic, is about to draw her in to another life or death war, this time on home soil.

 

Dr. Dara Sims has too many critical patients in the intensive care units at Miami Memorial to consider evacuation, no matter how determined the battle-hardened colonel is to make her. As far as Dara is concerned, evacuate is just another word for abandon. When a state of emergency becomes a state of siege waged by Leo, all she can do is hope the rising waters relent before she loses everyone, herself included.

 

I thought that the book started off kind of slow but once it picked up I couldn’t put it down. The book is action-packed. With a hurricane barreling towards Florida there is everything keeping Sawyer and Dara apart. Yet, they are drawn to each other. I liked how both women were strong and independent. They both respected each other’s authority in their given fields.

 

Sawyers backstory was amazing. I thought it brought so much to her character. It also gave great insight into why she does the thing she does. She has great respect for the damage a hurricane can cause.

 

I found the section at the nursing home after the storm particularly hard to read. It reminded me of what happened at the nursing home after hurricane Irma. It broke my heart. I have a soft spot for older people with dementia because of my grandmother who passed away last year.

 

If you enjoy action-packed romance, you will love this book.

 

You can purchase a copy of Dangerous Waters by clicking here.

Review of When the Stars Sang by Caren Werlinger

I have been wanting to read a book by Caren Werlinger since I first saw an interview with her on the Lesbian Book Readers Club on Facebook. I thought she was very charismatic and her books sounded amazing. When I saw her latest book When the Stars Sang listed on NetGalley I jumped at the chance to read it. Let me just say that I wasn’t disappointed.

Here is a short blurb about the book:

Nearly twenty-five years ago, Kathleen Halloran’s brother drowned during the last summer they ever spent with their grandmother on a remote island off Maine’s coast. Like a siren’s call she can’t resist, Kathleen is pulled back to Little Sister Island. She leaves her job and her girlfriend, packs up her few belongings, and moves into her grandmother’s cottage.

Molly Cooper loves life on Little Sister, where the islanders take care of their own. Kathleen Halloran doesn’t belong here, and her arrival stirs up unwelcome memories for the islanders—including Molly’s brother. Molly is certain Kathleen will pack up at the first big blow. When she doesn’t, Molly begins to see maybe there’s more to Kathleen than she thought.

Sometimes, before you can move forward, you have to look back.

This book hooked me in from the beginning. I couldn’t put it down. I really enjoyed how the characters had so much personality even the side characters. I liked how the island town kept to the old ways of their ancestors. It really drew me into the story. The book is so well written.  This book made me feel so many emotions and I enjoyed every minute of my reading.

The romance between Molly and Kathleen was so believable. Both women had so much to overcome in order to be together. They both needed to get over the past in order to commit to their relationship. I really liked how when Kathleen first came to the island Molly was hesitant about her. It made their relationship seem more real.

As everyone knows I am a sucker for a pet in books. This book delivered. Blossom, they stray dog Kathleen takes in, was amazingly written. He is so cute and derpy. I liked that he followed Kathleen everywhere she went. He also alerted Molly when Kathleen was in danger and helped to locate her. I also really enjoyed Miss Louisa and Miss. Oliva. I think they were my favorite characters in the whole story. The way they mothered and cared for Kathleen was amazing.

The only con for this book is that it has cut to black sex scenes. I didn’t find this to be a problem, but some readers might not like that.

I would recommend this book to everyone. It is one of the best books I have read this year. I cannot speak enough praise for it.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

You can purchase a copy of  When the Stars Sang by clicking here.

 

 

 

 

 

Interview With Hannah Carmack

I just finished reading Take Your Medicine by Hannah Carmack , and I have had the opportunity to interview the author about it!

Who or what inspired your latest novella Take Your Medicine?

Originally, the piece was written as a submission for Nine Star Press’ Once Upon a Rainbow anthology, but the editor liked it so much he suggested we release it as a stand-alone! In terms of content, I think Eve’s Bayou and Grey’s Anatomy both had big impacts on it.

Who or what inspired you to start writing?

I think I’ve been writing my whole life on my own accord, but what really got me writing consistently was Naruto fanfiction! LOL. From there I honed my craft and started writing my own original stuff.

Who is your favorite character from your books and why?

Overall?! Oh man, this is a fun one. I love most of the cast I’m working with for my next project, but from what’s currently released I think it’s gonna be Da Vinci from Seven-Sided Spy. He’s got such a story to tell and there are so many layers to it.

Where is your favorite place to write?

My bed! I feel incredibly comfortable burritoed in a bunch of blankets.

What is your writing process?

For a manuscript I do intense character development first. I’ve got to know the players on the stage before I can really get a plot going. Then, I do a light outline with the story’s general arc. After that, I go wild and write a first draft. I don’t hold back during this draft. I think the first time around it’s important to be as undisciplined as possible to encourage all the best writing. From there it’s editing, revising, rewriting, ad perfecting.

How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?

I learned so much about what was wrong with my work that I’ve really improved tenfold, especially with head-hopping and POV switching. Also, adverbs. I’m still learning to knock off the over-usage, but man it used to be bad.

What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?

Scrivner! This thing gives me life! It’s so fun to use and it’s a one-time fee.

What is something memorable you have heard from your readers/fans?

I think the response to Take Your Medicine really made me realize how lucky I am to be where I am in the time that I am. I have found so many other chronically ill writers just from this one project and we’re all able to connect at the swipe of a lock-screen.

What book that you have read has most influenced your life?

Oh man! THAT’S a big question. Likely The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly. At this point I have mentioned this book every time I’m asked questions like this, but I cannot stress how beautiful of a novel it is. I actually have a tattoo based on the cover’s imagery.

Do you have any up-and-coming projects that we should look out for?

Currently I’m working on a project titled Viva La Education! I’m super excited for it. It focuses on a group of queer educators fighting the department of education. I’m not sure on release as it’s still a WIP, but fingers are crossed sometime in the next year or two!

How do you take your coffee?

I don’t! Lol. I used to love getting frappes, but since I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis coffee has been on the no-no list.

Review of Hearts Like Hers By Melissa Brayden

Lately, I have been hooked on romance novels. When I saw Hearts Like Hers by Melissa Brayden listed on NetGalley I couldn’t pass it by.

 

Here is a short blurb about the book:

No one pencils in falling in love.

 

All work and no play has Autumn Primm in the market for a little excitement. Her Venice Beach coffee shop, The Cat’s Pajamas, is her pride and joy. While she doesn’t mind the long hours, she finds herself staring dreamily out the window, imagining the life she’s yet to lead. The time has come to take off the apron and see what the world has in store.

 

Kate Carpenter needs to get away. And quick. A small-town firefighter, Kate’s been crowned a local hero for reasons she can’t quite get behind. An open highway and some time off have her fleeing the scene to sunny California to catch her breath and put some distance between herself and the unwanted acclaim. Dreamy Autumn Primm was never supposed to be part of that bargain. What Kate needs is a temporary escape, emphasis on temporary.

 

I wanted to like the book more than I did. I just couldn’t get into the relationship between Autumn and Kate. I felt like everything in their relationship moved too quickly. The women seemed to fall in love almost instantly.

 

I also had a problem with Autumn’s fertility journey. I was really excited to see someone going to a fertility clinic for insemination. I have been looking for a book that would accurately portray the process that many lesbians go through. While this book tried it did not accurately portray what happens. Everything moved much too quickly.

 

While I did have problems with the relationship and the insemination there were good aspects of the book. I really liked Kates backstory about why she came to Venice Beach. She was my favorite character in the story. I also liked the details about Autumn and her friends. Their backstories made the story stand out.

 

While I wasn’t wowed by the relationship aspect of the book. I would still recommend it to anyone who is interested looking for a lighthearted read.

 

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

 

You can purchase a copy of  Hearts Like Hers by clicking here.