Monique S.'s Blog, page 23

This is a lovely book

Hairpin Curves by Elia Winters

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


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Since I had already decided to read as many lesbian romnces as I can this summer, this book was devoured in little over a day.
The premise of this story is so very real life and the two chare almost larger than liferacters, Scarlett and Megan are almost larger than life.

You can't help the feeling of " been there, done that" All through the book, especially in Megan's case, but Scarlett is nevertheless equally convincing. Both charaters are incredibly well worked out. At ma age, of course I have been on similar road trips a number of times, but none ever was such a revelation for me, yet I can so well relate to the feeelings of both ladies.

What I really liked most was the anti-climay at the end. The fact that the goal of the trip turned out nowhere near as satisfying as the other the result of the trip itself is a brave, but ever so clever a move. I also like the quirky and mostly funny dialigues, once the road trip starts and neither of the two girls holding back.

Not that I'd discard the deep emotional insight, that permeates the story, mind you. Anyone who's had to cope with being "different" will be able to empathise with both, Meagn and Scarlett about a lot of things. Also, having friends in some places being visited on the way, I can very well relate to Megan's feelings of awe and exitement.



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New YA novel

My new Novel "A Tale of Seduction" is now being published on Amazon Kindle and Kindle unlimited. It should be available from the weekend on.

Incredible!

Hi all my friends,

I don't know if any of you are aware of this, I certainly wasn't!
Please join in to stop such abhorrent proceedings going on.

https://www.thepetitionsite.com/269/9...

My best wishes and Thanks,
Monique.

Brilliant story!

Anyone But You by K.G. MacGregor

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


What a brilliant story!

I might have missed that one, if Clare Lydon’s review had not shown in my feed. I liked all I read of her books so far, so her 5 star review got me hooked.

Not only is this book in my momentary favourite genre. lesbian fiction, It deals with a struggle I have had professionally myself since 1995, clean energy versus fossil fuel, only in my case have also been protesting against nuclear energy since 1970.

So of course the book drew me. As an author of a crime/romance mix novel I could write a book aboutt how difficult it sometimes is to ramp up the tension again and again without losing or even killing off the romance, even more so if it is a lesbian one. Here, though, it has been done perfectly and so has the romance!

Some of the arguments of the MC’s environmental group are a little narrow minded, but I really should not expect a writer of romance novels to know as much about the topic as a technical consultant with a highly scientifically minded training and 20 years of experience in living with a maximum of energy self-sufficiency and organic food production.

As it is a brilliant thriller I can even recommend it to non lesbian and/or non romanctically minded readers, as you could just skim th love scenes focussing on the dialogue and you probably wouldn’t miss anything important of the fascinating action.



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Just soo good!

Mrs. Martin’s Incomparable Adventure by Courtney Milan




What a woderful book! Not only is it rare to find a lesbian romance about people more or less my age, but such a quirky and funny yet deeply touching plot is rare, too.

Bertrice, you might think is bat-shit crazy, but her mind is just working fine, especially when her nephew is concerned. Violetta could be mistaken for a mouse, but ... [sorry, no spoilers :)].

The story gives us a rather clear insight into the mindset of the regency society as to a woman's role and the importance of her opinion (not be taken seriously). Bertrice has a real grudge against the male of her species and her nephew is trying his level best to annoy and exploit her, but now, at 73 she is fighting back! Her allies are Violetta and a host of unusual helpers, some human and some not.

In the end Bertrice and Violetta carry the day with the help of a (male) judge, who for once listenes to common sense rather than male arrogance.

With this book I had some of my best laughs, quite a bit of surprises and a lot of emotions as the two struggle through their relationship.

It is not young adult and not quite clean, there is one wonderfully soft and beautiful love scene, that is nevertheless not too outspoken and very tasteful. I really can recommend this even for my young adult friends.

I would not call this a feminist book and yet in a way it is, as it gives us a pretty good glimpse, what women had to cope with 200 odd years ago. From there to our position in life and society it was a long arduous path.



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Viper

Now availabe on Amazon/KDP-select in the original version (book one in the series). A paperback will be availabe once I have finised part two: "Mother of the Dragon Queen", the two being cmbined into one paperback edition.

For those of you, who migh be led astray by the title of volume 2, it is not a fantasy story, as the Dragon in question is a symbol for the commuity of peaceful Kung Fu warriors, that the heroine becomes part of.

Her Adventures in Germany and Italy shortly after the second world war are the theme of the series and are fictional, but the historical background is experienced by myself growing up in Germany and trvelling a lot as a teen, having learned Latin for several years at my school. I actually managed to get by with that in stead of Italian in Rome during my first visit. ;).

Sad about the language problem

'Owning Lili' by Adrienne Nash

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


In a certain way I am a little sad about this book. The story is nice, yet I am not clued up about the French fashion scene enough, to judge whether it is overly optimistic about the acceptance of male to female trans persons, but that, in itself is not a fault of the book.

The problem I have with this book is, that neither Christine nor her mother or any other supposedly native speakers here speak proper French, they speak at best Google Translate or some such. For someone who actually speaks colloquial French fluently that is a major problem, as I sat there rolling my eyes several times wondering about abandoning the book. Apart from that it could have profited a lot from some more editing. That said I know only too well, how difficult it is to edit your own work, so really, if it was possibe, I'd give 3.5 stars. Without those two problems above It would definitely be four.



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A deeply touching tale

Meurtre en écho by Anne Perry

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I am writing this review still calming my emotions after the incroyable finale.

Encore Mme Bertrand nous a livré un livre de Anne Perry en une traduction plus que fascinante. Moi je parle le Français couramment et je suis bilingue avec mon Allemand natal et l'Anglais Brittonique, donc normalement je préférerais lire l'original.

With this series, though, I read the first book in French and was more than just surprised by the fact, that a week after my lecture I could not tell, whether I had read the book in French or English. The atmosphere was so clear in my mind, everything so English ...

In this case the uncommonly high quality of the writing was met by an equal ability to translate and I really enjoyed reading the complete series up to this volume in French. The plot is - if anything - even more complex than the rest of the series and we touch upon the horrors our female heroine, the nurse Hester Latterly, the now wife of William Monk, has experienced during her time with Florence Nightingale in the Crimean war.

Tennyson's "The Charge of the Light Brigade" doesn't quite describe the horrors those few courageous young women, the orderlies, doctors and soldiers had to face and live with the experience. Anne Perry gives us a glimpse here and it is nothing for the faint hearted. But ... it is an excellent book and and well worth the tears you will not be able to repress in certain scenes.

Like all her books in the series our heroes and heroine come out victorious, the expectation of that fact helped me through some of those scenes. Five stars certainly are not enough for this book and its Traductrice!



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A fantastic read!

Olivia Twist by Lorie Langdon

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


To be honest I only read this because of a buddy read challenge, it was the one book that really caught my attention in my buddies read list!

Nevertheless I am so glad I read this! I am well into historical novels, my preference for Anne Perry's William Monk series and Jean-François Parot's series about Nicolas Le Floch is proof of that. As with those two Lorie Langdon made me smell the dirt and waste as well as the perfume and flowers, see the dereliction before my minds eyes and feel the resulting emotions of the charaters.

The plot is well thought through and working towards a very rewarding climax, that would, were it a movie, have you on the edge of your seat. That is all I'll say to avoid spoilers, but I really can wholeheartedly recommend to read this book!



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I was not sure at first

Mask of the Highwaywoman by Niamh Murphy

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I was not sure at first, as it started slow, but the story got better and better. It is a slow burn romance and has one of the ladies continuously doubt heself and the other, but the climax is gripping, the plot good and the descriptions clear and to the point, so you feel both the heroines' emotions.

Once I had stopped after the slow bit I read the remaining 3/4 in one session the next day, I simply could not stop. It is that good a book! Well done, Niamh.



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