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On the Square

(University Square #1)

Brenda Murphy

3.94 · Rating details · 109 ratings · 55 reviews

Dropped from her television show after a very public split with her cheating ex, celebrity chef Mai Li wants nothing more than to reopen her parents’ shuttered restaurant and make a fresh start in her former hometown. So what if twenty years of neglect has left the building in need of a major renovation?

Seduced by Mai’s charm and determination, hard-edged contractor Dale M ...more

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Published August 17th 2020 by NineStar Press

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Average rating 3.94 ·

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· 109 ratings · 55 reviews

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Aug 14, 2020 Lex Kent rated it really liked it

Shelves: butch-femme, f-f-ninestar-press, steamy-romance

3.75 Stars. This was a good, steamy-romance. I have had a little trouble clicking with some of Murphy’s previous books. It’s like they would be close but just didn’t come all together for me. I’m very happy to say that this book was what I’ve been hoping for and I really enjoyed it. In fact, this looks to be the start of a series that will take place in the same town and I’m excited to read more in this series.

For those of you newer to reading my reviews, when I call a book a steamy-romance, I’ 3.75 Stars. This was a good, steamy-romance. I have had a little trouble clicking with some of Murphy’s previous books. It’s like they would be close but just didn’t come all together for me. I’m very happy to say that this book was what I’ve been hoping for and I really enjoyed it. In fact, this looks to be the start of a series that will take place in the same town and I’m excited to read more in this series.

For those of you newer to reading my reviews, when I call a book a steamy-romance, I’m saying that the heat level is above a normal romance yet not quite at the level of being erotica. This is very close to being an erotic-romance but the heat level is a bit below some of Murphy’s other books. This book has some kink, but it wasn’t centered on BDSM like her Rowan House series is.

What I really liked about this book is that it was very readable. Once I picked it up, I didn’t want to stop reading. It had a really nice even pace so it never dragged. In fact, I was surprised I got to the end as quickly as I did and was happy to see the hints about this becoming a series and then later Murphy actually confirming it. She gives you a hint at who the next book might be about and I’m really looking forward to that read.

For me the star of this book was the cast of characters. I liked the two mains quite a bit. This is a butch/femme relationship but it was nice seeing a softer butch character with a strong mom type character. You don’t see either of those characters as much as we should in WLW fiction. And it wasn’t just the mains but the whole cast of characters I enjoyed. One of the mains is a single mom with three older boys and the youngest one, 16-ish, was the star of the secondary characters.

When it came to the romance I enjoyed it. The chemistry was there and I liked the pace of the romance. I would not call this slow burn, but it was a nice length to make you believe that these characters were developing feelings. The steamy sex scenes are an important part of the book. I felt like I learned more about the character through them which is also good in a romance. They are not vanilla, they are a bit kinky, but they are well done with a good variety so that they don’t feel repetitive.

My only minor complaint is I found some of the angst to be a little eye-rolling. There was some worst case scenario thinking inner dialogue that drove me nuts and a lot of the angst issues where just based on poor communication, which I am never a fan of. But, I was happy that Murphy didn’t drag things out for a long period of time. The angst wasn’t that kind of angst so I’m glad she kept the length of time right to fit the severity of their issues. So really even when I was little annoyed, Murphy did something to make things better.

This was a good steamy-romance. If you are new to Murphy, I think this would be a good book to start out on. If you are already a fan of Murphy, I’m sure you will enjoy this one too. I still have a good amount of her back library to read, but this is easily my favorite book by her so far. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series.

An ARC was given to me for a honest review. ...more

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Aug 17, 2020 Jude in the Stars rated it really liked it

3.5* – I like when authors take risks and that’s what Brenda Murphy did with this book, the first in a new series. To me, Brenda Murphy’s name means extremely well-written BDSM erotic romance. While there’s some mild kink in On the Square, it’s much heavier on the romance (and sex).

Dale Miller is a contractor and a single mother trying to give her three sons the best life possible. A previous girlfriend almost ruined her so when a huge job comes her way, she really doesn’t want it to pass her by 3.5* – I like when authors take risks and that’s what Brenda Murphy did with this book, the first in a new series. To me, Brenda Murphy’s name means extremely well-written BDSM erotic romance. While there’s some mild kink in On the Square, it’s much heavier on the romance (and sex).

Dale Miller is a contractor and a single mother trying to give her three sons the best life possible. A previous girlfriend almost ruined her so when a huge job comes her way, she really doesn’t want it to pass her by. Which almost happens when the client, celebrity chef Mai Li, annoys her before she even got her morning coffee. That first meet between the two women sets the tone for their relationship –both professional and on a more personal level – and they’ll have to learn to go beyond appearances and bruised egos to find love.

I enjoyed On the Square, especially the relationship between Mai and Noah, Dale’s youngest son who wants to go to culinary school, but I missed the tension Murphy managed to inject in her more intense stories. The instalust that makes sense when characters meet in a sex-dominated setting doesn’t work as well here. What does work, though, is the chemistry between the characters.

And Murphy is excellent at writing sex. Which is good news because there is a lot of sex in this book. A lot.

A little more communication would have been nice but I’m not complaining too much. Physical intimacy is a form of communication too, and with Dale’s track record, her behaviour is understandable. I still wanted to shake her and/or Mai at times for jumping to conclusions without asking questions, but I could understand.

I also wish Mai’s backstory was more developed, especially when it comes to her sister. We get to know Dale’s family pretty well, which makes it feel even more unbalanced. However, the way the author introduced Yvonne’s character, I’m hoping she’ll get her own novel…

ARC provided by the author to www.lezreviewbooks.com in exchange for an honest review ...more

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Aug 19, 2020 Elske rated it really liked it

3,5 stars.
I enjoyed a lot of this book, the characters, the description of their interactions, Dale’s family and the interactions between all characters, main and supporting. Though Dale’s family paid an important part in the story I would say Mai’s sister Yvonne was important for the story too, but very little was said about her. We still don’t know anything about her disease. Another thing that I want to mention is that the non communication between the mains made me itchy at some times. Stil ...more

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Aug 17, 2020 Hsinju rated it liked it

Shelves: lgbtq, wlw-fiction, reviewed, romance, arc, fiction, sapphic

General contractor Dale Miller's (42, lesbian) ex-girlfriend took all her savings. Tight on money, Dale knows that she needs this business deal when celebrity chef Mai Li (~39, mixed race, lesbian) contacts her to renovate her old family house. Then Dale learns that Mai has nowhere to stay for the time being, so she offers her own basement as temporary lodging. With the both of them being burned in past relationships, Dale and Mai have to figure out if being together is something they both want. ...more

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Aug 22, 2020 Karin A rated it really liked it

Shelves: romance

Reading books from certain authors feels like coming home. This is one of those books: I loved reading it. As a slow reader, I devoured this book, it is easy to read.
Other books by Murphy I read were very steamy BDSM novels, this book is also very steamy, but then in romance instead of BDSM spectrum. I wouldn't dare to call it an erotic novel. It's an in-between.

Like in (I believe) every book by Murphy, this book has a woman of colour in the lead. I can really appreciate that! Also, Murphy is o ...more

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Aug 14, 2020 Skip rated it really liked it

I'd never read Murphy before this book but I found myself unable to put this down - reading the whole thing in one sitting. Mai, a TV chef, moves back to small town life after losing her show and hires Dale as a contractor to renovate her restaurant. They try to deny their feelings for each other for the sake of their business arrangement, so the majority of the book is about the MCs getting to know each other.

I really appreciated the different ways Murphy explored all of the contrasting element ...more

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Nov 18, 2020 Tara rated it liked it

Shelves: cooks-or-chefs-or-bartenders, reviewed-at-tlr, ff, contemporary, small-town, single-moms, read-in-2020

Sometimes I loved Dale and Mai, because they had such a tremendous capacity for love, both for each other and for Dale’s three sons. Sometimes I wanted to shake them because they’re both hotheaded and fly off the handle easily. That said, even when their actions, words, or thoughts raised my eyebrows, I still understood why they were behaving badly, because they’re both SO damaged by their previous relationships. That makes them slow to trust, quick to anger, and even quicker to second guess eac ...more

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Sep 20, 2020 MJS rated it liked it

Shelves: small-town, butch-femme, home-town-girl, poc, inter-racial-couple, lesbian, friends-to-lovers, returning-home, teenager, restaurant

ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I haven’t read anything else by Murphy, but thought this was ok. There was a lot I liked, but it fell short in other areas.

The MCs are Dale, a contractor living in her home town and Mai, a who is returning home to renovate what used to be the family restaurant and apartment above. Mai hires Dale to oversee the renovations and ends up living with her through a series of circumstances. Dale has three sons, Noah, who is in high school, S ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I haven’t read anything else by Murphy, but thought this was ok. There was a lot I liked, but it fell short in other areas.

The MCs are Dale, a contractor living in her home town and Mai, a who is returning home to renovate what used to be the family restaurant and apartment above. Mai hires Dale to oversee the renovations and ends up living with her through a series of circumstances. Dale has three sons, Noah, who is in high school, Seth who ends up living back home again and her oldest Thomas, but Noah is the only one who really gets any decent story time, and he was one of my favourite characters. There’s a few other side characters in Dale’s dad and Mai’s sister and some people from the town, but most aren’t fleshed out that much. For all that Mai’s sister is mentioned as the driving plot for the renovation she doesn’t feature much and little is explained about her condition.

I liked both MCs and really liked that Mai was both a POC and butch, I also liked the issues raised around this and how she stood up for herself. Dale was also interesting, and I liked how she was portrayed as a strong woman who had raised three lovely sons.

The relationship between the MCs was a sticking point for me though. They are each attracted to the other but the first half of the book is just filled with mutual pining but no forward movement. There’s also a time jump in the middle of the book and I found it hard to believe their relationship didn’t progress at all during that time. Once they do get together there’s a series of miscommunications that I just found annoying, you would hope that grown women would be more mature in how the dealt with each other, but not so here. The annoying thing was that this felt like it was just done to insert some drama. There’s also a side plot with a homophobic jerk that I felt could have been more strongly plotted.

Overall, I enjoyed the characters, and Mai’s relationship with Noah was also a highlight, but the main romance didn’t do enough for me, I would have liked to see the restaurant open and how that worked out for them all. This is the start of the series, so maybe that will be in the next book. Anyway, as the start of a series it was fine, and I’m interested to see what book 2 brings. 3.5 stars. ...more

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Aug 27, 2020 Loek Krancher rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A great start to this new series.

Dale and Mai have a relationship with a lot of ups and downs. They have both issues to work out. Just when you think everything goes in the right direction, the author throws another curve ball. Both characters are strong personalities but they are not strong in communication. On The Square is a great story that tackles some important topics, such as bullying, racism and homophobia. It has insta-lust, amazing chemistry, sizzling sex (mild kink) scenes, strong fam ...more

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Aug 15, 2020 KarenC rated it really liked it

I'm a big fan of the Rowan House series, so I was anxious to get my hands on this one. And it did not disappoint. It's a classic butch/femme pairing, but I loved the twist that the butch is the chef and the femme is a contractor. I couldn't picture either of them in my head, but if you read the acknowledgements at the end you'll learn that Dale is inspired by Cate Blanchett.

Brenda Murphy's writing style is smooth and very readable, and I found that I was sucked in immediately and didn't want to ...more

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Oct 23, 2020 Patricia Foort rated it really liked it

Shelves: hot-sex-scenes-for-me

This was a good book, but not a great book. I love it when I can imagine the lead ladies more(butch, femme, in between, long hair, short hair etc) and I had difficulty placing/seeing Dale and Mai. Some parts I had a feeling that the story switched a bit. Like with the money part. I just didn’t feel this book as much as I like to. 3,5 stars.

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Sep 08, 2020 Bárbara Sousa rated it liked it

Shelves: sapphic-books

I had a lot of expectations for this book after reading the description, but sadly they weren’t met. I guess I was just expecting something different. I like all the characters a lot, except for Ethan. And I enjoyed the overall story, but it just felt like something was missing. I loved the smut but I just couldn’t feel that intensity and chemistry between the main characters. But I still enjoyed it nonetheless. And I really liked the sons, especially Noah. Hope he got to go to culinary school s ...more

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Aug 23, 2020 Helen Gee rated it really liked it

This is a first Brenda Murphy novel for me and I found it really enjoyable. It was an easy read and it was one of those I just didn't want to put down.

Dale is a contractor, hired by Mai to complete some renovation works on her restaurant. Both single and actively dating, they try to hide their feelings for each other - for the sake of their business agreement.

I loved the family dynamics of Dale's family - her sons and father. It's nice to see a close knit family accepting of everyone. In contras ...more

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Aug 17, 2020 Ameliah Faith rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

A Delicious Delight
Dale is a single mom who is struggling to make ends meet. She’s strong, loving and loyal. Celebrity Chef Mai is back in town after leaving years ago. She wants to re-open the family restaurant and renovate the apartment above but massive restoration has to happen first. That’s where Dale comes in, Mai wants her construction company to do the work. Money is tight for Mai so she is sleeping in the apartment until the roof caves in. When Dale invites Mai to move in until the work ...more

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Aug 17, 2020 Sam rated it liked it

This book touches on some very heavy subjects, but I think it doesn't do enough with them, makes too light of it.

Dale married her high school sweetheart and has 3 kids with him when he split a decade ago Dale was finally able to admit to her true feelings. Dale is a lesbian and a contractor who presents more on the feminine side. When her eldest son books her a new job she has to be up earlier than usual and she arrives late. Arriving late to a disgruntled former tv chef, someone who used to liv ...more

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Aug 24, 2020 Karen rated it really liked it

I finally got a chance to read this and it was very enjoyable. Mai Li, a chef, returned to her home town to rebuild her mother’s diner. Dale is the contractor who she hires to do the work. They get off to a rough start, although there is some attraction. Both have been burned by previous lovers so they’re a bit reluctant to start anything. Nevertheless, the attraction is irresistible, of course, despite their misgivings. Murphy writes short, disjointed inner thoughts for her characters, and does ...more

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Dec 30, 2020 Kexx rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: lesbian-romance, single-mum-carer, family, business-work-colleague, cafe-restaurant, series, abused

A good rough book (and I mean that in the best sense) that doesn't pull any punches (sometimes literally) and is a good read. I loved the reality and longed to hear more about Mai's sister. (Perhaps she'll be around in Book 2? I'll buy it just for that!) ...more

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Oct 10, 2020 Althea rated it liked it

Shelves: lgbt, adult, lesbian, sapphic, ebooks, romance, lgbt-authors, protags-of-colour, 2020-releases, novellas

Whenever I read butch/femme romance, I know I need to read it. I feel like there’s a real lack of butch lesbians in popular, mainstream sapphic books, and it’s why I love reading books from indie publishers so much (but also, bigger publishers, do better)! I also really love romance books set in small towns where everyone knows each other and everyone seems to run their own family-run shops or restaurants, so I really was sold on this book straight away. And I had so much fun reading it! This fi Whenever I read butch/femme romance, I know I need to read it. I feel like there’s a real lack of butch lesbians in popular, mainstream sapphic books, and it’s why I love reading books from indie publishers so much (but also, bigger publishers, do better)! I also really love romance books set in small towns where everyone knows each other and everyone seems to run their own family-run shops or restaurants, so I really was sold on this book straight away. And I had so much fun reading it! This first book follows celebrity chef Mai, who after getting dropped from her TV cooking show, returns home to reopen her parents’ old restaurant. However, when she arrives back in her small hometown, the restaurant is in need of a pretty big overhaul. So, in steps Dale, a very femme contractor, who offers to help Mai with her renovation project when sparks begin to fly.

First and foremost, let’s get into the plot. As I mentioned, I love small town settings in romance books, and I also enjoy plots where a main character returns to said small town in order to set up their own business. Although there are a plethora of sapphic romance books like this out there, I really liked that the other main character, and love interest, played a crucial role in setting up the business. Because Mai and Dale are both pretty strapped for cash, Dale offers to take on Mai’s project, and temporarily house her, if Mai helps teach her youngest son some culinary skills. Of course, Mai, having no other choice after a storm causes the restaurant’s roof to cave in, takes the offer. I’m not going to lie, I did feel a little let down by the plot. I felt that, yes although this is a romance novel, the romance overshadowed the plot just a little too much. We saw quite a bit of Mai teaching Dale’s son, Noah, but we never really got to see much of the renovation and Mai opening her restaurant. It felt like they signed the contract, then lots of romance and a little of Mai teaching Noah ensued, then oh looks like the renovation has finished and the book has ended. Because of this, I also felt that the small town aspect was a little underdeveloped, too. However, although this was a problem for me, I know it won’t be a problem for everybody, especially if you’re just looking for a good sapphic romance!

As for the characters, I did also really enjoy them. Of course, I loved the butch/femme dynamic and our two main characters had a lot of chemistry (and the sex scenes were really great). Aside from them, I loved Dale’s dad, Eli, who was absolutely hilarious, and Dale’s family dynamic as a whole. I really loved Noah a lot and I thought it was really great to see how much Dale’s three sons cared for her. I do wish there was time to develop the characters a bit more, but I’m hopeful that we’ll get to see more of them in the other books in the series. Speaking of underdevelopment, I did find it a little hard at times differentiating between Mai and Dale’s points of view. Brenda Murphy jumps between POV between paragraphs with no warning, and the change in voice wasn’t strong enough for me to figure out who was narrating, so at times I was a bit lost.

This book does deal with some important themes, and I enjoyed the commentary on them. In one scene Mai deals with some very outward racism from a minor side character and there’s a good discussion on confronting the racism she faces. Said minor character is also a homophobic bully and gets into a fight with two of the characters, but thankfully there is some justice in the end. All of the racist and homophobic views are explicitly challenged throughout.

Overall, I did enjoy this first book in the series and, despite the little niggles I had with it, it left me eager to move onto the sequel, which I also received an eARC of!

Thanks to Netgalley and NineStar Press for an eARC copy in return for an honest review! ...more

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Aug 17, 2020 Aj Smith rated it really liked it

I’m a big fan of Brenda Murphy’s writing, the Rowan House series in particular, so I was glad to read that she was starting a new series. For those of you who have also read and loved the Rowan House books, “On the Square” is quite different, even though it does still have some of the hallmarks of Murphy’s writing (very engaging characters and smoking sex scenes to name a few!)

The blurb describes Dale as a “hard-edged contractor” so I was pleasantly surprised to find that she was a stunning femm I’m a big fan of Brenda Murphy’s writing, the Rowan House series in particular, so I was glad to read that she was starting a new series. For those of you who have also read and loved the Rowan House books, “On the Square” is quite different, even though it does still have some of the hallmarks of Murphy’s writing (very engaging characters and smoking sex scenes to name a few!)

The blurb describes Dale as a “hard-edged contractor” so I was pleasantly surprised to find that she was a stunning femme character, yes she wears jeans and boots when she’s on-site but we also see her in dresses and the combination of these different sides to her character is not only realistic but sexy. Dale’s life is complicated by a cruel ex who left her with serious debt that nearly cost her her home and business, as well as crippling emotional pain and trust issues. Two of Dale’s three sons still live with her and looking after them and their future is another source of stress for her. Mai is trying to rebuild her life after losing her partner in life and business; she’s changing from being a celebrity tv chef alongside her (cheating) ex to running her mother’s old small town diner. As luck would have it, the diner is in dire need of refurbishment and the contractor with the best quote just so happens to be Dale!

The chemistry between Mai and Dale is sizzling from the off, despite the fact that they clash early and often and they seem perfectly matched. However, both of them are very guarded and their inability to communicate properly over even the slightest thing nearly drove me up the walls! Some of this contributed to well plotted dramatic tension as part of the narrative arc of the novel, but some felt forced and unrealistic (such as Mai telling Dale’s son a major piece of news but not Dale). Both women also do the seemingly traditional lesfic thing of half listening to something, hearing the worst possible part, and jumping to a catastrophic conclusion before running away/running their mouth before the other person can give the perfectly innocent explanation. Personally I find this tendency of fictional characters highly irritating, but I think that’s just me so I don’t hold it against writers.

Anyway, short version, I definitely recommend this book – not just for the kinky sex but that really is a top notch selling point! ...more

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Aug 14, 2020 Karen rated it really liked it

Shelves: butch-femme, arc, 2020-published, read-in-2020, woc

Mai Li returns to her the place she grew after being dropped from her cooking show. She is determined to renovated her parents shuttered restaurant so she hires contractor Dale Miller. Dale really needs this job to help support 3 boys but she might not get the chance because of the rocky start. And so the story flows.

I have read a few of Murphy's romances and they are similar in the writing style. I think initially it took me a min to get use to it, but now I like it. I was a little tripped up a ...more

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Aug 16, 2020 Ameliah Faith rated it it was amazing

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Aug 14, 2020 Alyce Caswell rated it liked it

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Stung by an ex and the cancellation of her cooking show, Mai Li has come back to her hometown to restore her family's restaurant. She enlists the services of Dale Miller, a contractor who is adamant about never mixing business with pleasure. But the heat simmering between them is about to boil over.

I'll admit I expected something a little different based on the cover. Maybe a greater focus on the cooking and renovation aspects? ...more

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Aug 16, 2020 Best Lesfic Reviews rated it liked it

Dale Miller, mom of three, is a contractor. After her ex wiped out Dale’s finances, she’s been struggling to make ends meet. One big project in the offing could set her well on the path of financial recovery. Except that when she meets the potential client, Mai Li, they start off on the wrong footing and Dale walks away from the job.

Read the full review @ https://www.bestlesficreviews.com/202... ...more

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Aug 22, 2020 RNPride rated it it was amazing

Although different from her previous books, this is is yet another wonderful book from Ms. Murphy! It's one of those books you don't want to put down. I was up way too late on more than one night because I wanted to know what was going to happen next. I read every spare minute I had. It was a really sweet love story. I wanted to yell at them to hurry up and figure it out but it was so worth the wait. The sex scenes were incredibly hot! I didn't want it to end. Even though I wanted more of Dale a ...more

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Aug 18, 2020 AC rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I’ll admit right up front, I’m a fan of Brenda Murphy’s work. She creates wonderfully diverse characters and develops interesting personalities. I was drawn in from the first paragraph. Murphy has a keen talent for showing the reader with her descriptions, dialogue, and narration. True, this is different from her Rowan House series—nah, I don’t give spoilers. Just know that this is an exceptional romance with plenty of heat between the MCs, enough angst and surprises to keep you engaged so that ...more

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Oct 12, 2020 Cathy Geha rated it really liked it

On the Square by Brenda Murphy
University Square #1

Dale Miller needs a couple cups of coffee in the morning to feel human so is not a happy camper when she encounters rather rude Mai Li at a too early meeting for a building renovation estimate. It is a rocky start to what might eventually lead to romance for the two.

What I liked:
* Mai: someone who knew what she wanted
* Dale: unlucky in love but with a great family
* That both women were capable, independent, intelligent and caring even if they ...more

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Aug 17, 2020 Charkie rated it it was amazing

A contractor, Dale, meets a chef, Mai, when the chef hire her to restore her childhood home. A series of events leads to Mai living with Dale’s family and teaching Dale’s son to cook.

Dale: A contractor whose husband left her with their three children. She has since come out and has had a few relationships with women. One of the longer ones ended with her partner stealing almost all Dales money almost bankrupting Dales business.

Mai: Having led a cooking show on TV and having a relationship with ...more

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Sep 26, 2020 V rated it really liked it

Shelves: angst, lesfic, women-of-color, romance, foodie, bdsm, brings-the-heat

This is a great start to a new series. Murphy gives us two complex characters with loads of insecurities on board from previous heartbreaks. They were their own worst enemies, but I was pulling for them to push past their fears and open their hearts. I wasn’t disappointed. As with all of Murphy’s books, the sex is sizzling. (I highly recommend her Rowan House series if you’re interested in BDSM erotic romance.) What really entertained me? Dale’s son, Noah is a delight. His relationship with Mai ...more

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Aug 19, 2020 Em Lewis rated it really liked it

This is a slightly different genre for Brenda..romance and I thoroughly enjoyed the tamer side. The family dynamics in this story is front and centre and for me is heart warming. The romance is a little slow burn as both MC have been previously burnt but oh my when they get it together are they hot. Brenda is one of the best at writing sex scenes, so it’s hot.
This is the first in a series and I can’t wait for more.

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Aug 24, 2020 D.M. Mulvaney rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley

You know what is an awesome indicator of a great LesRom book?
When you find yourself championing the couple at their worst as the author allows them to remain flawed and frustrating, yet still we fall in love right with them.

And that happened. This book and I are now in a relationship, holding hands, all smitten and dorky.
Allow me to list my new found love’s attributes:
1.) Mai’s race is black and Asian. She is a main character. This was not a superfluous or token character, Mai is complex, brav You know what is an awesome indicator of a great LesRom book?
When you find yourself championing the couple at their worst as the author allows them to remain flawed and frustrating, yet still we fall in love right with them.

And that happened. This book and I are now in a relationship, holding hands, all smitten and dorky.
Allow me to list my new found love’s attributes:
1.) Mai’s race is black and Asian. She is a main character. This was not a superfluous or token character, Mai is complex, brave, honest and fully alive to the realities of micro aggression. There is a scene in this book that addresses racism directly in a vital way. It wasn’t too heavy, but it was oh so real.
2.) Sex is about sensuality. The author found ways to add sensuality to domesticity and it was... hot. Like really hot. Very, very hot. It builds beautifully.
3.) There is a lot going on for all of the characters and the storylines stayed clear, clean and satisfying at the end.
4.) The push and pull eases and builds, eases and builds, eases and builds. A few times. This was also hot. Some frustrating turns, but these two are redeemable and sturdy.
5.) The author knows how to write sex. Did I mention it's hot?
6.) So much tenderness between Dale, Mai and both of their families. I love this family.
7.) I learned a bit about cooking food.
8.) Gender was not stereotypical or forced in anyway.
9.) Mai has such a sweet relationship with Dale's son, Noah. It made me want to hug them.

There are some continuity errors, a few grammar issues and a couple of misspelled words. I didn't find that overly distracting and the writer clearly knows how to write so the errors simply are mistakes, not a lack of skill. I was not a fan all the internal thoughts. Some were far too clunky and slowed down the flow at times, but again... minor irritation and it only happened a few times. There was also some ping ponging off of each other in terms of anger and a reliance on emotional blackmail that felt incongruent with the characters at times. I could have been happy with a few less moments of that.

There is a sentence in Chapter 17 that could be the tagline for this book:
“Sometimes it takes someone else showing us how much easier our life could be if we fix the stuff we’ve let slide.”
This story is about rebuilding, nourishing and repairing. It is really beautiful and well written. The author has tremendous capacity and I will read this one again as well as add her to my list of authors I can't get enough of.

Well done! ...more

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About Brenda Murphy

Brenda Murphy

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Brenda Murphy writes short fiction and novels. She loves tattoos and sideshows and yes, those are her monkeys. When she is not swilling gallons of hot tea and writing, she wrangles two kids, two dogs, and one unrepentant parrot. She reviews books, blogs about life as a writer with ADHD and publishes photographs on her blog Writing While Distracted.

Librarian note: There is more than one author in t ...more