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Homecoming
When she was just 16 years old, Destiny "Dusty" Del Carmen suffered a series of losses and betrayals that left her shamed and nearly broken. Thanks to her inner strength and the unconditional support of the Native American family that took her in, Dusty is now a bestselling author and sought-after speaker. Her good looks and irresistible charm have also made her a much sought-after lover, but though she relishes the heat of sex, Dusty's past hurts have left her unable to accept the warmth of love.
Invited to give a workshop at the Northwest Urban Indian Federation's annual conference, Dusty is none too happy to discover the event is in her "home" state of Idahothe one place she swore she would never return to. So she does what she does bestsmothering painful memories of the past by picking up the smoking hot bartender at the local lesbian hangout. Dusty is unsettled by the night of mind-blowing sexand an intimacy she has never experienced before. But, as is her habit, she leaves before the woman awakens and leaves no contact info.
Dusty's life is complicated further by a very surprising meeting with the brilliant, caring Professor Morgan West who will also be attending the Conference. Something about Morgan stirs Dusty in a way she has never felt before, and the feeling scares the hell out of her. Against her better judgement, she agrees to go on an early morning hike with Morgan before the conference starts. When an earth-shattering disaster traps the two women in a rustic cabin, Dusty has nowhere to run from her past painor her present fears. Will this accident of fate finally lead her home?
"
Invited to give a workshop at the Northwest Urban Indian Federation's annual conference, Dusty is none too happy to discover the event is in her "home" state of Idahothe one place she swore she would never return to. So she does what she does bestsmothering painful memories of the past by picking up the smoking hot bartender at the local lesbian hangout. Dusty is unsettled by the night of mind-blowing sexand an intimacy she has never experienced before. But, as is her habit, she leaves before the woman awakens and leaves no contact info.
Dusty's life is complicated further by a very surprising meeting with the brilliant, caring Professor Morgan West who will also be attending the Conference. Something about Morgan stirs Dusty in a way she has never felt before, and the feeling scares the hell out of her. Against her better judgement, she agrees to go on an early morning hike with Morgan before the conference starts. When an earth-shattering disaster traps the two women in a rustic cabin, Dusty has nowhere to run from her past painor her present fears. Will this accident of fate finally lead her home?
"
240 pages, Paperback
First published May 19, 2017
7 people are currently reading
100 people want to read
About the author
Celeste Castro
4 books35 followersCeleste Castro is from small-town, rural Idaho where most of her stories take place. She grew up with learning differences though she always kept a journal. Her characters are a little like her, completely versed in the art of Chingóna and speaking Spanglish. When she’s not glued to her laptop, she’s digging in her garden, practicing Tai Chi or looking for something to deep clean. Celeste currently lives with her wife in Chicago-the best city on Earth!
Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
April 14, 2017
3 1/2 Stars. While this is a debut novel for Castro, I thought it was well written. While there are a few tropes in this story that we have seen before, overall it was a nice read and I enjoyed it.
The story is about Dusty, a women who is used to everyone leaving her. Because of that, she keeps people at arms length, never involving herself in a serious relationship. With her books success, she is asked to speak at a conference in Idaho, near her hometown. Dusty has not been back since her parents disowned her. After a one night stand that leaves her emotionally raw, Dusty just wants to go home. She meets the attractive Professor Morgan, and can't stop thinking of her. When the two decided to take a hike in the mountains, an earthquake changes everything, for both of them.
While I would classify this more as a sweet romance, I enjoyed that it had a little excitement when it came to the earthquake. The story flowed well, and I really got caught up into the book.
When it came to the characters, I really liked Morgan. Dusty, was dealing with a lot of her past, so she was more closed off. As a reader, you had to learn about her almost at the same pace that Morgan did. I thought the chemistry was obvious, and I was hoping for a happily ever after.
While there are some parts of this book that have been done before, I thought the story worked, and I liked the wrench the earthquake threw into it. As I said before, the story was well written and I will absolutely read more of Castro's books in the future.
An ARC was given to me by Bella, for a honest review.
The story is about Dusty, a women who is used to everyone leaving her. Because of that, she keeps people at arms length, never involving herself in a serious relationship. With her books success, she is asked to speak at a conference in Idaho, near her hometown. Dusty has not been back since her parents disowned her. After a one night stand that leaves her emotionally raw, Dusty just wants to go home. She meets the attractive Professor Morgan, and can't stop thinking of her. When the two decided to take a hike in the mountains, an earthquake changes everything, for both of them.
While I would classify this more as a sweet romance, I enjoyed that it had a little excitement when it came to the earthquake. The story flowed well, and I really got caught up into the book.
When it came to the characters, I really liked Morgan. Dusty, was dealing with a lot of her past, so she was more closed off. As a reader, you had to learn about her almost at the same pace that Morgan did. I thought the chemistry was obvious, and I was hoping for a happily ever after.
While there are some parts of this book that have been done before, I thought the story worked, and I liked the wrench the earthquake threw into it. As I said before, the story was well written and I will absolutely read more of Castro's books in the future.
An ARC was given to me by Bella, for a honest review.
April 3, 2017
Homecoming is a nicely done romance, especially for a debut novel. The main characters, Dusty and Morgan, are well-defined and believable. Morgan is totally likable (she is such a sweetheart), and Dusty (has some baggage from the past) somewhat less because her character has to heal to show her true (likable) self. There are a few common tropes in the story for creating drama and tension between protagonists, but it is done without overdoing it. The story is interesting, although not particularly original, with good pacing, and it reads easily and quickly. The setting is nice and well described, the mountains are very well shown to be as beautiful as they are dangerous.
All in all, this is a solid read for a first novel. I liked it, and will definitely check out the next book from Celeste Castro.
3.5 stars, rounded up considering it is the author's first published novel
Apr 3, 2017
*A review copy of this book was provided by the publisher.*
All in all, this is a solid read for a first novel. I liked it, and will definitely check out the next book from Celeste Castro.
3.5 stars, rounded up considering it is the author's first published novel
Apr 3, 2017
*A review copy of this book was provided by the publisher.*
December 24, 2017
2.4 stars. Toughed it out to the end but I didn't enjoy it. Everything's just too forced, the drama, the dialogue, everything. And everyone in this book has the same personality and speaks the same way.
Earthquake plot was a nice touch but events at the cabin also felt unnatural and forced. And they spend too much time in their own heads mulling over the same issues again and again. Even though they are in the same space they barely interact. It's mostly repetitive inner monologue about forced drama that shouldn't be an issue if they communicated like actual human beings.
They say they love each other but I can't see why besides that they are both incredibly hot. Sharing stories about your past for a day or two =/= love.
Disappointing read.
Earthquake plot was a nice touch but events at the cabin also felt unnatural and forced. And they spend too much time in their own heads mulling over the same issues again and again. Even though they are in the same space they barely interact. It's mostly repetitive inner monologue about forced drama that shouldn't be an issue if they communicated like actual human beings.
They say they love each other but I can't see why besides that they are both incredibly hot. Sharing stories about your past for a day or two =/= love.
Disappointing read.
June 19, 2017
This is really a very nice debut novel. I particularly loved the part of Dusty and Morgan being stranded in the mountain cabin. Dusty had a lot of baggage, but Morgan... Morgan was such a sweetheart.
July 26, 2020
This was an enjoyable read. Two professionals meet in a bar, have a one-night-stand and think they’ll never see each other again. Of course, they do. I loved how Castro built up to their second meeting. I knew it was coming but it was fun to read it. That’s how I felt about the whole book. It’s well written, has humor and pathos, and the earth moves in this well told tale. There are some things, like the cabin, which were fortuitous for the characters, but it would have been a totally different story without them. I stayed up late reading this because I needed to read the next chapter and then the next.
April 23, 2017
A friend of mine recently passed along the book "Homecoming" to me knowing that I liked books written by new authors. A quick glance at the summary and I thought "oh no, not another book about a woman growing up in a rural state (Idaho) trying to reconcile with her family, years after they had discovered her lesbian tendencies. seen that, heard that, read that.
But I was wrong. this was not just another tale of a lesbian family reunion. this was a book about two professionals, an intelligent university professor and a successful cultural author and their relationship of finding love, avoiding love, losing love, surviving love, and finally...sorry I don't do spoiler alerts.
What starts out with what sounds like a joke, "a successful writer walks into a bar", turns into an exciting suspenseful interaction between two intelligent women trapped by a force of nature, physically and mentally.
Ms Castro tells a sexy and literate story that was so entertaining and intriguing that i would call "Homecoming" the book form of a Netflix show. (Bookflix?). Every time I thought I would put the book down at the end of a chapter, I realized that I had to just read one more. Rather than seeing "the next episode will begin in 10 seconds", I found myself thinking "just one more chapter" . Needless to say I binged the book in one day. This is a book that calls for Homecoming 2 or at least a movie version of Writer walks into a bar...
Ms. Castro's writing style is smooth and flows eloquently as she has a gift for storytelling and narrative. I cant wait till her next book that will no doubt be promoted as "if you liked this book, you will love......"
But I was wrong. this was not just another tale of a lesbian family reunion. this was a book about two professionals, an intelligent university professor and a successful cultural author and their relationship of finding love, avoiding love, losing love, surviving love, and finally...sorry I don't do spoiler alerts.
What starts out with what sounds like a joke, "a successful writer walks into a bar", turns into an exciting suspenseful interaction between two intelligent women trapped by a force of nature, physically and mentally.
Ms Castro tells a sexy and literate story that was so entertaining and intriguing that i would call "Homecoming" the book form of a Netflix show. (Bookflix?). Every time I thought I would put the book down at the end of a chapter, I realized that I had to just read one more. Rather than seeing "the next episode will begin in 10 seconds", I found myself thinking "just one more chapter" . Needless to say I binged the book in one day. This is a book that calls for Homecoming 2 or at least a movie version of Writer walks into a bar...
Ms. Castro's writing style is smooth and flows eloquently as she has a gift for storytelling and narrative. I cant wait till her next book that will no doubt be promoted as "if you liked this book, you will love......"
April 21, 2017
I can’t say enough about how MUCH I enjoyed reading Homecoming. Historically I’m a big fan of film and some other book genres. However, the last couple years I’ve started reading more and more within the lesbian fiction realm. I must say, I LOVED the recent book by Celeste Castro. I’m familiar with Bella Books and happened to stumble across this recent publication. When I got my copy delivered, I ended up reading it over a weekend….just couldn’t put it down. I really liked both characters (Dusty and Morgan) and how I got to know them more deeply as each chapter unfolded. I could visualize each scene like a movie, could see the chemistry from the moment they met at the Balcony, and was cheering for a happy ending as each page turned. The author’s description of Idaho, the nearby mountains, terrain, and Native American history was also really interesting. Was nice to have a bit of history incorporated along with the passion the characters felt stemming from their upbringings and the series of events that unfolded. I highly recommend this book! This is a fantastic read for anyone that loves passion, adventure, and a bit of history thrown in. A MUST READ in my view!
October 20, 2017
A friend recommended “Homecoming” to me as a must-read love story. Once I picked it up I couldn’t set it down. The passion that develops between Dusty and Morgan draws you in and you get a real understanding of where each of the characters is coming from. The suspense makes it a real page turner. Needless to say it is a great read and I hope to see more from this author in the future.
December 24, 2017
On top of the usual "lust at first sight" and other lesfic clichés, this is very. white-saviory. and. racist.
March 23, 2021
3.75/5
I thought this book was a nice read. Not too much drama that it felt overdone, well-written, and some personal favorite tropes of mine.
Dusty and Morgan are our two main characters. Dusty is a writer who is scarred by events of her past. She doesn’t like to confront those events, so she runs from her feelings and aims to ignore any growing feelings with meaningless sex. She is scheduled to give a speech to Morgan’s class, but they meet before that. Morgan is a professor who also helps run an initiative with some of her students. The two meet and neither of them can deny that there is something there, even if they don’t want to acknowledge what it is. When the two go for a hike together and disaster strikes, can they stand being in forced proximity to each other.
I liked both characters. Dusty wasn’t really open about her feelings and her past but I found that I quite enjoyed her avoidance. Morgan was a lot more open about herself and it was enjoyable. She’s nice and helpful and such a sweetheart. The characters have nice chemistry with each other, and it was nice to see them play off each other.
Probably my biggest issue with this book is that it felt shorter than necessary. I just feel like Castro could have added more into the story, including an epilogue, and the story still would have been really good. There’s also a slight issue with the two falling in love with each other in mere days but that doesn’t really bother me.
I loved how Castro described the areas and emotions of the two characters. She made the feelings of the two obvious during their scenes and it was a nice way to connect with the characters. The setting also sounded really nice, even after the disastrous events happen.
This is a nice book, apparently Castro’s debut novel, and I look forward to reading more from the author in the future.
I thought this book was a nice read. Not too much drama that it felt overdone, well-written, and some personal favorite tropes of mine.
Dusty and Morgan are our two main characters. Dusty is a writer who is scarred by events of her past. She doesn’t like to confront those events, so she runs from her feelings and aims to ignore any growing feelings with meaningless sex. She is scheduled to give a speech to Morgan’s class, but they meet before that. Morgan is a professor who also helps run an initiative with some of her students. The two meet and neither of them can deny that there is something there, even if they don’t want to acknowledge what it is. When the two go for a hike together and disaster strikes, can they stand being in forced proximity to each other.
I liked both characters. Dusty wasn’t really open about her feelings and her past but I found that I quite enjoyed her avoidance. Morgan was a lot more open about herself and it was enjoyable. She’s nice and helpful and such a sweetheart. The characters have nice chemistry with each other, and it was nice to see them play off each other.
Probably my biggest issue with this book is that it felt shorter than necessary. I just feel like Castro could have added more into the story, including an epilogue, and the story still would have been really good. There’s also a slight issue with the two falling in love with each other in mere days but that doesn’t really bother me.
I loved how Castro described the areas and emotions of the two characters. She made the feelings of the two obvious during their scenes and it was a nice way to connect with the characters. The setting also sounded really nice, even after the disastrous events happen.
This is a nice book, apparently Castro’s debut novel, and I look forward to reading more from the author in the future.
August 9, 2017
It’s rare that I read a novel that consumes me emotionally, but Celeste Castro’s Homecoming was a heartwarming, romantic read that carried me away for several days.
Destiny “Dusty” Del Carmen is a renowned author reluctantly coming home to Idaho—a place of so much pain during her formative years—to speak at the University about her writing and her burgeoning project. She’s stunned to discover that a woman she slept with prior to her speaking engagement turns out to be the host professor. When an awkward second meeting turns a little dicey, Dusty becomes even more anxious to escape her former home. But she has a commitment she must fulfill.
Professor Morgan West invites Dusty on a hiking expedition, and Dusty is conflicted about joining her. Nevertheless, she suits up and makes the early-morning hike. When they get stranded in a cabin following a horrible landslide, Dusty is forced to confront her demons, and Morgan is there to help her.
Beautifully crafted, Homecoming will pull at the reader’s heartstrings from start to finish. Six lovely stars!
Destiny “Dusty” Del Carmen is a renowned author reluctantly coming home to Idaho—a place of so much pain during her formative years—to speak at the University about her writing and her burgeoning project. She’s stunned to discover that a woman she slept with prior to her speaking engagement turns out to be the host professor. When an awkward second meeting turns a little dicey, Dusty becomes even more anxious to escape her former home. But she has a commitment she must fulfill.
Professor Morgan West invites Dusty on a hiking expedition, and Dusty is conflicted about joining her. Nevertheless, she suits up and makes the early-morning hike. When they get stranded in a cabin following a horrible landslide, Dusty is forced to confront her demons, and Morgan is there to help her.
Beautifully crafted, Homecoming will pull at the reader’s heartstrings from start to finish. Six lovely stars!
October 31, 2021
Powerful!
A beautifully written journey of pain, angst, fear, and passionate loving. Dusty’s youth was almost destroyed by her parents when they threw her away because of who she loved. As an accomplished author, she put that pain on paper to help others see the harm that was fraught with abuses and dismissal of an innocent nation. Morgan found a way to help Dusty with enormous empathy, understanding, and love. These two beautiful characters were so very fortunate to have found each other. The secondary characters were also well developed and strong. I heartily and enthusiastically recommend this book and any other works by this author. Thank you Peace
A beautifully written journey of pain, angst, fear, and passionate loving. Dusty’s youth was almost destroyed by her parents when they threw her away because of who she loved. As an accomplished author, she put that pain on paper to help others see the harm that was fraught with abuses and dismissal of an innocent nation. Morgan found a way to help Dusty with enormous empathy, understanding, and love. These two beautiful characters were so very fortunate to have found each other. The secondary characters were also well developed and strong. I heartily and enthusiastically recommend this book and any other works by this author. Thank you Peace
January 8, 2018
Great book! Didn't want to stop reading it! Hoping for a sequel
Such a refreshing book, having the main character in the book deal with their issues and still finding love after is an important book structure if I am reading a book like this. Loved every page. It builds you up and makes you LOVE the characters. Would recommend! Do remember this is Lesbian Fiction.
Such a refreshing book, having the main character in the book deal with their issues and still finding love after is an important book structure if I am reading a book like this. Loved every page. It builds you up and makes you LOVE the characters. Would recommend! Do remember this is Lesbian Fiction.
February 24, 2020
Young love
Great read of redemption ,of finding, losing and renewing love. Girl meets girl in club is every lesbians dream. Wow. Come out is still trouble and can be dangerous to young adults. Doing so in a family with religious objections to LGBT youths. Hah
Great read of redemption ,of finding, losing and renewing love. Girl meets girl in club is every lesbians dream. Wow. Come out is still trouble and can be dangerous to young adults. Doing so in a family with religious objections to LGBT youths. Hah
June 9, 2017
Exciting, satisfying story of two beautiful, damaged women who find each other despite themselves. Plus a survival adventure!!
June 17, 2018
Great book, with strong and endearing characters. Bravo 🎈
A gift from the author
A gift from the author
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews