Monique S.'s Blog, page 12

What if?

All five signed and dedicated copies of the paperback have already been bid on in the GCLS virtual auction, YAY!

https://event.auctria.com/ec425a89-1f...

I am really split about this.

After Sunset by Lise Gold

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Warning, this reiew has some weird references to the German editions of Pippi Longstocking.

They say: "don't judge a book by it's cover;" and it's true, because if I had, I would not have read this wonderful book. I have four paperbacks of Lise Gold in my top favourites bookshelf and all four covers are absolutely perfect. This one, though, even if the writing is incredible, AGAIN!, is not getting there, because the cover, I am sorry to say, is CRAP! Why for heaven's sake is evryone going for these at best mediocre graphics for covers? I am absolutely horrified!

Sorry, but back to the book itself ... It is the best second chance romance I have read so far, lt's too realistic, believable and -for me - very close to home. I am a transwoman and as a teen I fell in love with a lesbian girl, but I was so deep in the closet, that I could have met Chief Rabenaas in Taka Tuka Land!

What I'd give, to meet her again these days, now that I'm female myself! What I'd give to have a love story like this!



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Golden Crown Literary Society

I've just been able to ask Stacy Lynn Miller and the other panelists some quetions on the GCLS Thriller event on zoom, what a treat!

A gripping read!

Dead Pretty by Robyn Nyx

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is a well worked crime procedural novel with a hot lesbian romance worked into it. The plot is inventive and unusual in the choices of characters.

CJ and Dak at first glance couldn't be more different, but they both have family issues, that have made them build walls around their heart. Their chance encounter hits both of them unexpectedly with the instant chemistry. The dialogues are as witty as they are revealing. While mischievously playful CJ tries to lure Dak out of her shell, she unwittingly drives herself deeper and deeper into the "unknown" feelings that she will finally have to admit to being love.

As the case Dak is working on gets worse their mutual feelings get stronger until the perp starts going after them. The resolution is as unexpected as it is inventive, I simply could not put the book down before I'd read it to the last page.



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Fund raising auction

The Golden Crown Literary Society has an online auction throughout March for a lot of interesting items. If you are keen on signed copies of your favourite authors of WLW fiction or a video chat with your favourite author and some other amazing offer you need to have a look.



I donated five signed paperback copies of my "What if?" designated to the 5 winners, so if you'd like your signed copy with your name in it get bidding!

I wish you all luck, whatever you'll be bidding on,
Monique.

Here's the Link:
https://event.auctria.com/ec425a89-1f...

A nice satifying short read.

Inside Fighter: A Lesbian Romance by Ruby Scott

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is a short, to the point, well written story around a difficult topic, PTSD in a woman after an attack and how to get over it.

Both main characters share a traumatic past, Logan has overcome some of it by becoming a self defence instructor, Dani is fresh from the experience and in Logan's beginner class. When Dani panics in class, Logan decides to follow her home to talk to her bout herself and her experience and that actually turns out to be the beginning of Dani's healing. It also is a first for Logan to share her experience and thus Dani, too, becomes a kind of catalystfor Logan to start thinking about her own damage, how she is still seeing herself in a bad light and how that keeps her from findig peace and the courage to open up.

In the end each of them has a different kind of strenght that helps the other to finally heal. A nice satifying read with some hot spicy scenes thrown in.



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Un peu deçu.

New Heaven by Lena Clarke

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Pour la plupart ce livre m'a bien plu, mais vers le fin c'etait un peu confus ... et j'aurais donné cinque etoiles sans les surprises trop deplaisant dans les trente pages avant la fin.

J'ai vraiement aimé les deux, Angelina et Samantha, leur development vers l'amour, leur trouble et la façon ils en ont cherché des solutions, mais Madison était mon personnage préféré.

En fin de compte pour presque trois quarts la lecture était un vrai plaisir et j'avais espéré, que pour un fois l'écrivaine allait laisser à coté les difficultés apparement obligatoires pour les 10 ou 15% des romances lebiennes. J'étais deçu.



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Hmmmm ...

Her Royal Happiness by Lola Keeley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Well, 3,5 stars, really because of the setting. The way the Royals and their relationship with the press are described just went against the grain of my experience of living and experiencing life in the UK ever since I went on a student exchange in 1967 and later to live there in 1986. I left in 1999, already feeling the change in energy there that led to Brexit.

The romance in itself is nicely written, believable -if set elsewhere- and without the quality of it I woud not even have dithered between 3 or 4 stars, it woul have been a 2 at best. In the end, once I had dissolved my distraction of the romance by the awareness of where it was set with almost a complete bottle of Chardonnay, I decided on 3.5 rounded to 4, as people who, have not personally experienced life in the UK, can surely enjoy this as the fairy-tale romance it is.



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Wonderful!

Musical Chairs by Nicolette Dane

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


As I said before, Nico is a friend and I am an old roadie, so there was no way I'd miss this one!

I think Nico got the feelings of Winnie and Kirsten, two aspiring musicians, to a T, as well as the scene and the struggle to get it all togetheer and get known. The sweet romance between the two of course adds spice to the tale of their ascent to becoming full time musicians and songwriters for their band. The side characters are well worked, too, but what I like most about this book is that there is no stupid and unnecessary breakup shortly before the climax! Well done, Nico!



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Incredible!

Trails of the Heart: A Lesbian Medical Romance by Ruby Scott

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book speaks to me on so many levels and I think after this I will be much less generous with 5 star ratings.
What touched me so much? Well, first of all in my youth I volunteered with the Red Cross Ambulance Corps in Hamburg, Germany and was trained as a first responder (Rettungssanitaeter/paramedic); I spent six months in the university clinic, 2 in the Emergency Reception for surgical emergencies, one in theatre prep and sometimes the theatre, two in the intensive care ward, where I was always replaced by a nurse if there was more than one reanimation (I had to relay or even replace the experienced doctors/nurses at CPR) and the last one in the delivery room. I know only too well what the work there does to you.

Then I am an absolute fan of trekking, or rather long distance walks in beautiful nature. Nothing revives me better and gets rid of stress for me, so of course Andy is a woman after my own heart; I have not kept accounts of my walks, but I have carried my about 20Kg pack with tent, sleeping bag and all other necessities over at least 2000 miles of the UK's public footpaths.

So I can definitely feel both, Andy and Rachel, and yes, I did most of that long distance walking in my forties and early fifties. So I hold with Mark Twain: "Age is about mind over matter; if you don't mind it doesn't matter." :)

And finally-ofcourse- there is the romance, the wonderful emerging feelings between Andy and Rachel, that turn into sizzeling hot attraction and steamy sexual encounters, which overcomes all self-doubt and wins the day.

It will be hard for future reads to beat this experience or even draw level to garner five stars.



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