Survival of Love

by Frankie J. Jones

What do you do when you fall in love with your best friend's daughter?

Denise and Jody have been best friends for over 35 years. They've been through everything together, always finding comfort and solace in their enduring friendship. After living apart for years, they're now following their lifelong dream of opening their own flower shop together. Life has never been better.

The last time Jody met Denise's daughter, Ellen was nothing more than a seventeen-year-old whiney, spoiled brat. So when Denise announces that the now twenty-six-year-old Ellen is returning home with a broken heart, Jody can't help feeling a total lack of sympathy for the younger woman. But then Denise tells Jody that Ellen has confided that she's a lesbian…and who better than Jody to take Ellen under her wing and show her the lesbian life in San Antonio?

Jody cannot believe that the once spoiled child has grown into such a kind and exquisite woman. She and Ellen find their attraction for each other overwhelming…but can they confront and overcome all of the challenges that lay ahead?

Not only is Denise furious about their new relationship, but Ellen's ex-lover has come to town to try to win her back…and then there's something even more devastating that could threaten to tear all of them apart forever…

Genres: Lesbian, Romance, Lesbian Fiction, LGBT, Fiction

310 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2004

About the author

All About Frankie... I was born in a town so small, that rather than listing the population figure on the city limit sign, we simply listed the citizen's names. From there I joined the Army and spent three great years in Germany. It's a beautiful country that everyone should visit if given the opportunity. However, I wouldn't recommend joining the Army as a method of traveling there.
After leaving the Army, I moved to San Antonio, Texas. I was now living in a city so large that the population figure would barely fit on the city limit sign. I soon went to work for a giant telecommunication company and served a long sentence there. Now through a strange twist of events I find myself writing full-time.
Someone once told me that I should list my hobbies in order for my readers to get to know me better. Well, I'm one of those people who never met a hobby she didn't like. It's much easier for me simply to tell you that short of jumping out of a perfectly good plane, there's not much I dislike.
I live with an extraordinary woman, Martha Cabrera, extraordinary in the sense that she doesn't mind my wild never-ending string of hobbies. We love to spend free weekends at the coast, fishing. I harbor a dream of someday catching a fish that's actually bigger than my bait.
I began writing when I was a kid. In my stories, the girls kept dumping the boys and running away with each other. This was a curiosity for me, since at that time; I had no idea what a lesbian was. Thankfully, the Army corrected that lapse in my education. You can imagine my surprise when I learned that not only was it all right to write these stories, but a place called Naiad Press would actually pay for them.
Naiad Press published my first three novels: Rhythm Tide, Whispers in the Wind and Captive Heart. I moved over to Bella Books 2001. (from the author's website)

Frankie J. Jones has also written a number of books as Megan Carter.

Reviews

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Survival of Love is definitely a good read. I've even found myself thinking about it today, though I finished it yesterday. I think I just can't give it more stars because there's something missing I can't put my finger on, though I liked the characters very much and found everything more than believable. One thing I wish there had more been of was better build-up, with a deeper connection between the two main characters.

[Tara · Rating 2 out of 5]

So... I rooted for the Ellen and Jody, but this book just didn't work for me. Everything felt rushed and a little overblown, especially all of the interactions not specific to the flower shop. Beth and Sharon were more caricatures than characters. Also, and this was a major problem for me, it was all telling with little to no showing. I wish we had seen some of Ellen's perspective because I found her a lot more interesting than Jody or Denise.

[Dide · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is more of a 2.5 star rating for me. The personalities were interesting to read but the relationships were just not as interesting. I find it rushed especially that of Jody and Ellen, I would have liked a little more on Eric, Denise and Jody's relationship though seemed one sided to me... I would have loved to see how their relationship before Ellen came into picture was fulfilling for Jody. In all, it kept me occupied just not satisfying

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a great book. This is Frankie J. Jones's best novel yet.

[Diana P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.4