Vic Davies is very happy as Sandford Secondary Academy’s Site Manager. She’s well known around Birmingham to be good with her hands – both in her job and at Tulips, her favourite local nightclub. She loves helping others — but something is missing.
Redhead English teacher Georgia Smith-Ashfield doesn’t need anyone. She’s laser focussed on her career and has a life plan with her fictional dream woman – straight haired, suit-wearing, professional Veronica.
What happens when a mistake by a confident butch Site Manager ignites a lust that the career focussed English teacher didn’t know she held? Will the fiery literary fan’s pride get the better of her or will she recognise in time that her career and cat need some company to complete her personal literary tale?
Sometimes love works best complemented by tools, paint and plenty of books… See for yourself whether the sparks are due to dodgy building wiring or Georgia and Vic’s chemistry…
Chloe Keto is a new author but a longtime passionate fan of the romantic WLW genre. She lives at home in the south of England with her wife and two nearly teenage football loving children. She believes that all stories can be improved with a good dose of romantic magic!
Non binary and trans rep and pronoun introductions. I would have liked a bit more depth to this novel, the subjects are serious enough to take it. I'm not buying into the "I'm not looking, but even if I was looking I'm not worthy" the two mains have going on. There is an incident at the start, when the mains meet, that is then retold to several different people. The same event, the same way. Neither the mains retelling, or peoples reactions to the story add anything. I have no idea of the ages of the mains, it may have been mentioned early on but I know the ages I think they are which seems young for their roles. Also I don't feel I'm seeing the setting in enough detail. It doesn't feel 3D. There are things I'm enjoying, the literature lessons, certain turns of phrase, but there is a wee bit of not quite buying in to the whole thing. Apart from the mains putting each other in the friend zone, after the enemies zone, there is no barrier, therefor no tension. I am also having the thought, what will fill the rest of the book? Well the break up of course. I have to say I think it was well done. I'm still not 100% on the barrier which is a bit of nurtured view "only x is good enough" and "your not good enough" and both mains, from their parents, "you don't have the X factor". I think their fight clarified the writers idea of barrier, but until that point, over half way, I hadn't been made to see it. Which is odd because a lot of other things I have been told rather than saw. Perhaps my complaint early on about the oft repeated first meeting was supposed to lay that foundation? Obvs, for me, it didn't. I enjoyed much more the second half, from the argument onwards. The tension was well done and I was involved in a way I wasn't before. The ending wrapped one mains back story up neatly.
Caretaking Love is a lovely romantic story that really touched my heart. As an introduction, the story mostly takes place in a high school where our two mains both work. Georgia is the Key Stage Head of English, very professional and well-dressed, with lofty life goals. She meets Vic Davies, the site manager for the academy. Vic is a very skilled and talented hands-on worker and is so much more than a maintenance employee. She is very highly-respected and loved by everyone.
The ladies met when they worked together on the refurbishment of the library, and had an immediate attraction to each other. They began seeing each other romantically until Georgia said something hurtful that left Vic feeling disrespected and less than worthy. Hurtful parting of the ways followed.
The story went on to follow the efforts of recovering the relationship and the self-discoveries of the characters as they saw themselves in a new light and each experienced personal growth. This was beautifully presented by the author. There were also other wonderful and interesting side characters, including Mercuito, Georgia’s lovable cat. I enjoyed the humor and delightfully steamy love scenes!
Georgia is only focused on her career, but an unexpected moment with the site manager, Vic, at the school they work for, leads her to think again about her goals. Vic is just enjoying life, and loves helping others, so when Georgia is reluctant to let her in, she has a bit of a challenge on her hands.
Such a cute romance, with that frustration of all good romances where both the main characters make assumptions that could have disastrous consequences if they won’t speak to one another. The instant tension Georgia created between her and Vic was great, especially when Vic really didn’t understand why Georgia was being that way. What I adored about Vic though, was the way she didn’t let that deter her, she shrugged it off at first and continued to be that amazing, kind, person who just wanted to help anyone she could.
When Georgia finally let her guard down a bit, we all got the opportunity to learn more about both her situation and feelings, and Vic. There were hidden depths to Vic I hadn’t expected, and I think they really took Georgia by surprise too. Once they’d made that initial connection though, there really shouldn’t have been any stopping them, because they just suited one another and were good for each other. That didn’t stop both of them from misreading the situation though and ending up on a bit of a bumpy road for a while.
I really enjoyed this. It ticks all the boxes for romance, and delivers a wonderful story with some lovely surprises.
At 54% and still reading but omg it’s pretty badly written. The amount of times that I had to groan out loud at words like “delicious” and “vulva” had my entire family worried, not to mention the fact that it instantly pulls you out of the story. It’s so cheesy. Too cheesy. So cheesy it makes you want to swear off any lactose product in existence for the rest of your life. I’m only half way through but the story is predictable. My guess is it’ll be social expectations that will pull them apart and then they’ll eventually come back together. It’s quite generic, if I’m being honest. Giving it a 2 stars for now, but if I’m guessing correctly, I’ll come back to bring it down to a one.
Vic is site manager and head of maintenance at a secondary school in the UK. She is very protective of her job title; her father is constantly belittling her as she has a good degree from one of the better British universities. He thinks she should have a better profession, and this is always a sticking point between them. Georgia is an English teacher in the same school - Key Stage head of English. All her life her parents have instilled in her an ‘us and them’ mentality; it’s necessary to have a profession, rather than a job, and even her current post is not good enough for them. There is a wonderfully warm romance between Vic and Georgia, but it is marred by the way each of the women has been raised. This results in a fair amount of angst later in their story. Both women are really warm caring characters, but their communication is often difficult because of their cultural and social differences. Vic’s sister Jasmine and friend Beth bring a welcome lightness to the story, especially Jasmine being such an off the wall character. Later in the story, we see Georgia being introduced to Vic’s father, and things go surprisingly well, especially when Georgia defends Vic against his ranting. It’s a pity that we never see Vic being introduced to Georgia’s family - that has the possibility of being a fun confrontation!
Chloe Keto Caretaking Love: A Sapphic Romance Novel June 15 , 2024 Arc
Vic, an empathetic and gentle woman, possessed a deep fondness for the children in her vicinity. As a dedicated member of the school community, she understood the immense importance of lending an attentive ear to these young individuals. This heartening tale not only encapsulates the essence of compassion but also brings together two individuals whose genuine spirits harmonize flawlessly. Georgia and Vic radiate a natural chemistry that effortlessly captivates the reader, as their affection for both the children and the educational institution blossoms. Embarking on a journey of reconciliation, the characters embark on a quest of self-discovery, unraveling new dimensions of their identities and experiencing personal growth. The author's masterful presentation of these profound revelations is truly praiseworthy. I wish to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the author for bestowing upon me an advanced copy of this remarkable book. The author's writing prowess is unmistakable, as the story gracefully unfolds, enthralling readers with its seamless beauty. Mark your calendars for June 15, 2024, when this enchanting love story will be made available on Amazon. Prepare yourself for an enchanting read that is bound to leave an indelible mark.
Another lovely story from Chloe Keto. The main characters, Georgia and Vic, provide the basis for a lovely, funny story situated on a meeting at the school they both work at. One teaches English, is career minded and dresses up for work each day. The other is the site manager who enjoys her job, turns her hand to anything and is happy where she is in life. But she is so much more than her job suggests to people who do not know her. There are some great, well rounded characters here - I am a firm believer in stories representing who is out there in the world living their lives. And this story does that - just people being people. There is a lot about Shakespeare here - so there is a lot of knowledge shared. I also liked the reference to talking about reading sapphic lit. There is much in this book about the expectations that we build for ourselves as to who we deem it appropriate to have relationships with. Do we require a certain degree of education, professional status, income etc. And in the end maybe those 'aspirations' were false - what we want is someone we connect with, who is kind, funny and gets you.
There is of course an epilogue - I like that it gives an idea of a future with everyone moving forward in life.
I liked Caretaking Love. It was fun to imagine a dedicated site manager, with a heart for students, to become enamored with a driven English teacher. Vic’s and Georgia’s interactions were cute and had the stumbling advances of women who feel they shouldn’t be attracted to each other admit that they are. The plot follows a normal sapphic romance pattern - which is a plus for me. A school in Birmingham provides the setting for this tale. And while the love interest is primary, the story touches various themes: discouraged love, ingrained classism, parental approval, true kindness, and parent induced trauma. The main characters all have a youthful idealism, and minor issues sometimes overshadow the major ones. The style of writing supports the idealistic spirit of the book. The author chose to follow the two main characters’ thoughts in detail establishing a stark contrast between than when conflict arose. As they returned together their thoughts also came more together, but … I won’t spoil the rest.
If you are looking for a rather youthful, fun feeling romance, Caretaking Love may be a good read for you.
This is another wonderful book by Chloe Keto. All the characters are well developed and lovingly described. At first glance very opposite - the academic teacher who strives for a career and the craftswoman. Both suffer from ambitious parents, who set unhealthy ideas of life goals. Despite the differences the two fell strong pulls of attraction, and so the story evolves from irritation to coworkers on a project to friends to friends-with-flirting to hot and bothered. Eventually, miscommunication and expectations lead to heart break. With me, my heart hurt. A lot of growing and healing has to be done either side, luckily with help of friends. Of course there is a HEA. And on the way there are very steamy and well written scenes.
Highly recommend.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This book is crammed full of life's drama and issues. From friend-zone, break-up, identity, acceptance, self-worth, all the way to judgemental thoughts thrown from ivory towers.
It then feels odd to say that this was quite a superficial read, considering all of the issues that were crammed into it!
I would have liked more depth and substance to the subjects raised to feel the main characters rounded out more... however, it was not to be.
This is definitely a summer read for the beach or, if you live in the UK, a read for a Sunday afternoon whilst watching the rain pelt against the windows.
*I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout, and I'm voluntarily leaving a review.*
The love story between the site manager Vic and English teacher Georgia is a really sweet love story. They fall hard for each other when they work on a library project but Georgia does not respect the sweet butch Vic since she does not show enough ambitions in her mind and thus does not match her expectations for the woman in her life. Fortunately Georgia understands her mistakes and Vic also shows she actually has ambitions with her life and they get back together after they both grow as persons.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is a beautiful story of colorful and relatable characters. I love the idea of a school that embraces diversity. Add to that the amazing kids and teachers, plus support staff who all appear to know and love what they do. The few questionable characters add flavor to the story and the book is really hard to put down. From the lovely main couple’s difficult times, here’s a favorite quote:
"She said something that implied she thinks you’re less than successful or important and you threw the baby, bathwater and rubber ducks out the window?"
The characters were well composed, each with their flaws and liabilities. At first, I didn't think I would enjoy the story, having been a teacher during the Section 28 era. Now I wish there could have been other openly lesbian staff in my schools and I could have been happy to be out, like the couple in this story. so, I was cheered by their involvement in the education system and the help they gave the children in the school.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Georgia and Vic are opposites that meet at the school where they both work. The story follows the relationship that develops between the two after they are assigned to a joint project. This was an engaging meet cute that walks you through the growth of the MCs from insecurities stemming from family trauma. This was a very enjoyable read. I appreciated how the author presents that we all have flaws and blind spots that are often mask until someone holds up a mirror. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes romance with light angst and a bit of spice.
Vic's the schools caretaker is very good at her job and adores the students. Georgia one of the English teacher's in the school when Vic come's into Georgia's classroom to fix an issue, they get off on the wrong feet. However they get pushed together to work on a the school's library project while working together realize they have misjudged each other. After working throw there own hurt's and misconceptions Vic and Georgia come back together and grow very well together.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This delightful story was sweet, hot and luscious!
Chloe Keto has impresses me with this writing. She has a style not usually found in one so young. Her story does not lag, it is quite numerous and is very sensual and sensitive. I am impressed with her characters depth. The overall storyline is well balanced. She is able to bring the reader effortlessly from laughter to tears then back. Throw in some pretty intense heat and bam you have a winner!
I really liked the story. I thoroughly enjoyed it until I got about 90% of the way done. I never mind a good Domme/Sib relationship, but the psychology has to be right. I'm sorry, but there is no way after everything Vic went through that she would ever submit to Georgia. There is no way you will ever get me to believe that. The psychology is all messed up. This was a five star story until I got to that part.
I love the fact that the story is told from both sides, so many don’t do it and I’m always left wondering what the second character thought. These two have so much in common but are also different in many ways. I wouldn’t go as far as to say enemies to lovers more like simple misunderstanding to forever. Both characters are relatable and the side characters are just great.
Chloe Keto writes wonderfully gentle romance with just enough angst and character growth to keep the pages turning. I love having to check with my Brit friends about some of the phrases she uses but it’s a sneaky way to get them to read the books too. I look forward to her next work… whenever life spares her a moment.
I enjoyed the dichotomy between the main characters. The interaction between them when they struggled with class and social issues gave perspective and insight to how we as people might interact with others. It was interesting to see how they reacted and overcame these issues.
I really enjoy the story. Good reality and background that adds to the story. Strong characters and relationships among them. Some issues and difficult emotions flying around. All together a nice love story.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A little gem in the butch/femme genre. Lovely plot, great characters, and just enough flavor to keep it interesting. A tiny bit of spice, but more fade to black than actual heat, for the most part. Very impressed, and I read a lot of these books so I know from good.
Great story of two very different women who work at the same school. One is an English teacher and one is a Site Manager. Their first encounter does not go well. When they are forced to work together things change.
I found this story very cute and adorable. Both characters are a bit insecure of them selfs because of their upbringing. This makes them shy away, Together they learn and get more confident.
I was really enjoying this until about 60% through. It just didn’t hit for me and I didn’t see the vibe between Georgia and Vic really after a certain point.