Monique S.'s Blog, page 6

Not worth the bother for me.

Fighting for Eve: An Eve Sumptor Novel by Jourdyn Kelly

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


This has an even worse vibe of gratuitous cruelty than the first volume and I really do not need to ruin my weekend with reading on, so I'll not finish it.



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A nice follow up.

It's in Her Kiss by Rachel Lacey

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


For a second in a series this was better than I expected. The plot line as unusual as that of volume one it is set in the orbit of Eve and Josie's club and kitten rescue operation, only here one both the ladies are an actress/dancer in an off Broadway musical production. The one thing about the talented and beautiful Julia I do not dig is her preference to be called Jules and every time in a conversation she actually corrects people calling her Julia caused an Eye roll, which is why my five stars are reallyonly 4.6 stars rounded up. A beautiful very feminine bisexual (I still doubt that, too) woman calling herself by her elder brothers' childhood nickname?

OK. Otherwise the storyline is very inventive and even the use of the same plot device in two difffrent contexts with different outcomes doesn't seem forced or incongruous. There are, of course, doubts and lacks of self esteem (as native German I refuse to use the German word Angst, as it has a very clear meaning) that the two ladies have to work through, but here it is said plot device, that helps them finding each other in the end and admit how irrational they sometimes behaved.



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A must read.

The Arrangement by Melissa Tereze

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


As I might have said here before, with only two books of hers I read, she's become one of my four top favourite authors. Seeing and hering her on the GCLS Vroom event also helped a lot.

The arrangement is playing a reasonably common trope, but so far I have read only one other novel, that rivals all I find here, too, a highly inventive plot, fantastic writing, incredibly well worked characters who are almost instantly lovable, an age difference that doesn't matter to either of both women and neither does the fact, that they meet through one being an escort at the time of their first encounter. The other book I am talking about is in French called "Escorte Moi". Both are slow moving delicate romances with meddling friends and former lovers and in both cases it is the maturity of the ladies involved, that helps them finding one another in the end.

I had not even the slightest doubt in both cases to happily click the five stars. "The Arrangement" definitively is an absolute must read in my opinion. If you actually read French, don't miss "Escorte Moi" either.



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Absolutely great!

Pelagia: A Transgender Tale by Diane Woods

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I started this almost the moment I got it out of the letter box this morning and finished it in one go! I am so tickled about this on so many levels. It is a tongue in cheek comic on one hand, at least where the story is concerned, with only a few illustrations, but two transgender (male to female) super heroines and a lesbian one as love interest for Pelagia. There are super and even hyper villains threatening the world, a team of super heroes, the protectors, and another "illegal" team, the Q (and yes it even might stand for queer) team and of course a host of gullible typical humans, who believe everything they are fed by the government. I just could not put this fantastic, funny and cute book down.

This definitely is Diane's best one yet. Five stars just aren't enough.



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Finally!

The Truth About Eve by Jourdyn Kelly

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I was frustrated with the end of volume one and, as a result of that, skipped book two. This one, now, was all I hoped for from the beginning of the tale about Eve and Lainey. Add to that the character of Willamena plus the therapy sessions and it made the perfect read out ot volume three for me. No hesitance at all for clicking five stars here.

Now on to volume four.



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One of my pet peeves ...

is when authors make themselves untouchable outside of Fakebook (no, that is not a spelling error!)

As an author myself I do not like to put serious criticisms in my reviews, I prefer to quietly make another author aware of serious mistakes in their works with direct messages or emails. And, NO, Fakebook is NOT a viable option for me, I hate that site!

Here (Euro Tripped) it is obvious from the start, that Sally Bryan has taken her information from either tourist brochures or the internet. I live in Brittany, Ms. Bryan. the people here calls themselves Breton like their original language, that is quite like Welsh in some respects, and one speaks of the Breton landscape, Breton dishes etc. So for me the beginning was more than just a stumbling block to start with. Add to that, that pretty much every village in France has special parking with a water supply and more often than not a dumping station for chemical toilets, so that you can stop legally without problems all over the place with no matter what camper. A little more in depth reading about the life here would have considerably improved the book.

I hope, Ms. Bryan, that this reaches your awareness in some form or other. If you want more insight about France and us Breton citizens, I live here since 2000 and speak the French language fluently.

Absolutely lovely.

The Woman at the Top of the Stairs by Jamey Moody

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Give me a sapphic romance that moves forward in a straight line without any real black moments and I'm hooked. This is exactly that and what's even better it's love at first sight for two highly unlikely candidates. But what I relly like about this is the plot, two strong feminine women meeting under difficult cicumstances but on equal terms, my dream, too. A great read, wonderful writing. Now on for volume two.



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Good Spin indeed :)

Good Spin by Monica McCallan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


What a lovely "spin" that fits several tropes, but I'll book it under friends to lovers for the I heart SapphFic challenge.

The story is fun, the characters very well defined and lovable, I particularly loved the qurkiness of the dialogues in the beginning. It's a very enjoyable read with a great climax and resolution of the black moment. Highly recommended.



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unique and daring

The Night Festival: A Transgender Tale by Diane Woods

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I just read this again, this time the paperback copy. I am actually changing my rating from four to five stars in spite of some of the formal and editing errors, but the concept and story are quite unique, daring and fascinating. I really love the writing, too



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Sweet and cushy.

Tipping the Barrel by B.A. Tortuga

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is a sweet, cushy tale about two cowgirls finding back to one another. Evie, against all odds, takes in her ex Cheyenne at her Ranch, after an almost fatal accident in Barrel racing. She's determined to be a good friend and help her heal, physically as well as emotionally. Cheyenne is badly traumatised not only by the loss of her beloved favourite horse but also physically scarred, the worst for her, though, is her crazy mother's attitude.

[Spoiler]As Cheyenne's healing advances and they start truly working the Ranch and their little side gigs together, the old, never fully repressed feelings re-emerge and Evie slowly lets down her security walls, while Cheyenne finds out she's determined to win her lady back and make the ranch her home [End Spoiler]

What I like about this book is that there are several attempts at driving them apart, but they all fail, there is no black moment as such.



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