Monique S.'s Blog, page 16

light and funy

Always Hers by Bel Blackwood

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The dialogues didn't end up being as Monty-Pythonesque as I would have liked, but were funny, sometimes hilarious even, enough for a four star rating.

The rather silly, not to say absurd, storyline together with the dialogues made for an entertaining read. if you want a light funny read this is for you.



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Top notch

Across the Hall by Kat Jackson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is a lovely, heart-warming reading experience, that warranted my five stars for the simple fact alone, that Kat moves her wonderfully crafted, lovable characters along the cute story line gently, avoiding any contrived overly dramatic plot devices, concentrating on very human hurts and defences, the characters “live” through in a surprisingly reality simulating development. On top of that the humour permeating most of the dialogues is wonderful.

As a writer myself I was tempted to expand on the teachers, you end up wishing you had in your own school experience, but I kept all the welling up memories and feelings to myself as inspirations for another short story collection, perhaps. That is how much this novel spoke to me.

I highly recommend reading this.



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Perfect conclusion!

Beyond the Smoke by Stacy Lynn Miller

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Wonderful!

disappointed by my last two attenpts to get to know authors I didn't read so far I went for a sure fire
female detective/romance read by Stacy Lynn Miller. I loved the first two novels about Sloane and Finn and this is the the perfect conclusion of the tale. Yet it leaves room for more! I read it over the day and could not put it down.

If you read the first two, I highly recommend this, if you didn't, read the whole trilogy!



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unfortuunately another disappointment

Strength Check by Katherine McIntyre

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I'm not all that lucky with trying out new authors at the moment it seems.

At page 209 and I had to realise that I'm not masochistic enough to suffer through another hundred pages of self inflicted misery. Sorry, but lack of self esteem is one thing, but putting oneself down all the time is just psychotic and that is what both main ladies here do all the time. Not my cup of ... something.



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The best one yet!

That Woman Next Door by Harper Bliss

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


What do I say, I have just finished the book and it has left me sort of speechless, but not in a bad way!

Normally one knows to expect certain things in a lesbian romance novel, it sometimes seems that there is a kind of norm: fatal attraction through the roof, a certain back and forth then a stupid breaking up and finally a reunion and a happy end. After a while one knows most of the plot devices.

Imagine my surprise, when here from the start I felt like a neighbour watching a love affair unfold from a little distance, after all I, too, do live in Brittany and my best friend lives even more remotely than Olivia. What normally are plot devices is written here as things happening as they do in real life. Nothing even gives a hint of being contrived and the character development feels absolutely authentic.

But that is not surprising, once you read Harper’s afterword. Like in all of the best books you find, the author has left a piece of her soul here for you to find, a part of her heart, like the poems that Olivia left on Instagram. You close the book with a smile on your face and a couple of tears in your eyes for the beauty of it as well. From my point off view (not having read many of her books yet) it still feels, that this must be Harper’s best yet. Five stars are not enough!




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A must read!

The Hellion's Waltz by Olivia Waite

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Olivia Waite has quickly risen to be among my top favourite authors of period wlw romances. The expectations I had for this book were great, I could hardly wait to hold the book and I was not disappointed. Rather the opposite. The Hellions Waltz is slow to start, but turns into a tour de force on all planes, the character development of Sophie and Maddie, the lovely and important side characters, the sweet romance picking up momentum … and then the oh so inventive, amusing and hair raising plot … everything keeping you glued to the pages.

I had a busy time with changes in my personal life towards more financial freedom and less digital grievances, that more than once kept me from this addictive book, but I picked it up again and was soon even more enthralled than before. Five stars are not nearly enough to express my enjoyment. I have not found many wlw romances with historic settings but none ever came close to the quality of Olivia Waite’s.



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Un vrai plaisir!

Un parfum de scandale: Roman lesbien by Maude Perrier

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


On aurait des difficultes trouver un livre plus approprié aux temps que on vit!

Les deux heroines sont en train de lutter contre trois hommes, qui se croient avoir assez de pouvoir pour forcer leur volonté sur eux deux. Une situation, qui nous sont en train de souffrir tous, hommes femmes n'importe qui, à ce moment. Seulement si un homme essayait me forcer son penis dans ma bouche je pourrais le mordre avec tous mes forces, mais avec un président, qui me veut obliger porter une masque comme une idiote et un tas des autres conneries ... je manque certainement des heroines comme Hélène et Charlotte.

L'histoire ne peut être plus realiste. Les troubles des deux femmes sont bien exploré et dercrit, on sent la peur, le dégout et le couroux des deux comme le sien. J'ai aimé le moment, quand Charlotte et Charlie deviennent une même femme en face du Mr. le Député et il prend peur d'elle!



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I really enjoyed this

A female Indiana Jones meets Lara Croft in this enemies to lovers slow burn romance. Two determined women emerge from their families feud to be manipulated to work together and slowly but surely learn, that the feud has been build on lies and omissions that may cost one or both their lives.

When cupids arrows fially find their targets neither is really surprised, that their efforts to denie their mutual attraction was in vain. As the true culprit of the feud emerges things take a dramatic turn, that only the love between the two heroines can bring to a conclusion.

Both, Lana and Nel are well defined characters, who nevertheless cannot help to be changed by one another`s presence. There is danger roding in their wake and it drives them closer and closer until the final climax, that reviels all. All elements draw their due share of attention in this tale of love and adventure and make for a gripping read.

strong good vibes

Daring To Dream by Carol Wyatt

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I absolutely love this novel! Lesbian, age gap, coming out and a straight to the point plot. Yes one of the two women is dithering (sort of), but that is not really hampering the huge attraction they feel for the other and at the moment, when it counts, they find the courage to be honest with themselves and the other.

It was a very good, entertaining, heartwarming read that I will certainly come back to, if one day I need some strong good vibes to cheer me up!

Thank you, Carol Wyatt.



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not my cup of tea

Everything She Needs by Cynthia Dane

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Dnf at chapter 12, as I am not into dom/sub kink. I like lovers to be on equal terms, adult partners, age gap doesn't usually matter.
Here the story suggested quite a lot of potential, but the well drawn problematic background was not enough of a base to buid some credible character developement instead of kinky sex, evidently. Not my cup of tea.



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