Forty Love

by Diana Simmonds

American tennis champ Julia Ross is at the top of her game - and the top of the world. With corporate sponsors and adoring women falling at her feet, the gloriously talented athlete believes she is living a dream. And she is. Until a career-threatening injury wakes her up to the harsh reality that fans are notoriously fickle and fair-weather friends (and lovers) are a dime a dozen.
Australian painter Eliot Barron is wealthy enough to lead a very comfortable life, and her active lifestyle keeps her beautiful body tanned and toned. But for what? Trapped in a loveless marriage, Eliot has wrapped her life around her beloved ten-year-old daughter, ignoring her own inner feelings - and desires...
A chance meeting between these two women will soon change their lives forever. And one of them will be forced to decide how high a price she dares pay for the forbidden embrace of the woman she loves.

Genres: Lesbian, Romance, Sports, Lesbian Romance

240 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1997

About the author

Diana Simmonds (born 1953) is an Australian journalist and arts critic, currently editor of Stage Noise and Sydney Alumni Magazine. She has written several novels and non-fiction books.

Reviews

[Barbara]

Easy read, but I hate, hate ,hate stories of weak, frightened woman who let everyone walk all over them.

[Sarah Thornton]

I'm not that into tennis; fortunately this book contained almost none of that.

[FSH78]

I really wanted to love this book as I am a Sydney girl living in the US. For the most part it was enjoyable however the jumps in time and place were sometimes hard to keep up with and I found myself turning back a page or so to see if I missed anything. The ending was disappointing as there was a quick resolution to both issues that had me wishing for more information.

[Jen]

talk about a sloppily resolved ending.

[Amy]

I liked the characters, but felt the story was slow and jumped around, which caused confusion.

[Sandy]

This is an oldie having been published in 1997, long before the Equal Rights movement came to the forefront. It shows the hatred that gays and lesbians faced, at the turn of the 20th Century. Story involves a Pro tennis player and a married woman in Australia who meet while the tennis player is recovering from a nasty knee injury. There is a precocious child who brings them together and the story plays out predictably when the family of the married woman Eliot, shows its stripes. Julia, has some interesting family as well, that make an appearance at the end that brings everything to a head. It was a good romance and an easy read and I am hoping that later stories by the author enable and seek out stronger women to feature.

[SussexCat]

I enjoy Diana Simmonds style.
I really love Eliot and Julia is a sweet soul.
Julia's young daughter, Morgan steals it.
It is a lovely romance set in Sydney and New York.
The downside is that there is so much angry man in this.
It really kills my buzz.
I don't really like my lesbian romances to be full of shitty men.
It really sours the whole romantic experience.
I do like Diana Simmonds' style though.

[Elena]

Love to revisit this book every once in a while.

[Dide]

The dialogue of this novel aren't so great and as unsurprising as fiction is some aspects are just so unrealistic but all this aside the novel made for an entertaining read.