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Out of Love
ISBN 9781594931055 moved to the more recent edition
Clients and coworkers know Carmen Delallo, owner and CEO of a Chicago consulting firm for the travel industry, as a smart, engaging woman driven to succeed in business by a genuine love of her work.
Judith O'Shea is focused on her work too. Born and raised in Brooklyn, she makes do in a small studio apartment in Chelsea, wondering how she will salvage a livelihood in a dying field. Career motives take a back seat when she finds herself falling hard for the enigmatic Carmen Delallo.
For Carmen Delallo and Judith O'Shea, falling in love proves to be the easy part. Separated from Carmen by miles, economic class, and a duty to care for her family, Judith won't allow herself to imagine her life fulfilled. And Carmen, whose secret, unrequited love for her married best friend has compelled her to devote her life to her work, must break both addictions before her love for Judith can flourish.
Romance; 83,000 words
Clients and coworkers know Carmen Delallo, owner and CEO of a Chicago consulting firm for the travel industry, as a smart, engaging woman driven to succeed in business by a genuine love of her work.
Judith O'Shea is focused on her work too. Born and raised in Brooklyn, she makes do in a small studio apartment in Chelsea, wondering how she will salvage a livelihood in a dying field. Career motives take a back seat when she finds herself falling hard for the enigmatic Carmen Delallo.
For Carmen Delallo and Judith O'Shea, falling in love proves to be the easy part. Separated from Carmen by miles, economic class, and a duty to care for her family, Judith won't allow herself to imagine her life fulfilled. And Carmen, whose secret, unrequited love for her married best friend has compelled her to devote her life to her work, must break both addictions before her love for Judith can flourish.
Romance; 83,000 words
187 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2007
11 people are currently reading
507 people want to read
About the author
K.G. MacGregor
37 books331 followersA former teacher and market research consultant, KG MacGregor holds a PhD in journalism and mass communication. Infatuation with Xena: Warrior Princess fanfiction prompted her to try her own hand at storytelling in 2002. In 2005, she signed with Bella Books, which published the Goldie Award finalist Just This Once. Her sixth Bella novel, Out of Love, won the 2007 Lambda Literary Award for Women's Romance, and the 2008 Goldie Award in Lesbian Romance. In 2009, she picked up Goldies for Without Warning (Contemporary Romance) and Secrets So Deep (Romantic Suspense).
Other honors include the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Royal Academy of Bards, the Alice B. Readers Appreciation Medal, and several Readers Choice Awards. An avid supporter of queer literature, KG currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the Lambda Literary Foundation.
KG MacGregor divides her time between her homes in Miami and Blowing Rock, North Carolina. When she isn't writing, she's either on a hiking trail, a golf course, or if she's really lucky, a cruise ship.
Other honors include the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Royal Academy of Bards, the Alice B. Readers Appreciation Medal, and several Readers Choice Awards. An avid supporter of queer literature, KG currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the Lambda Literary Foundation.
KG MacGregor divides her time between her homes in Miami and Blowing Rock, North Carolina. When she isn't writing, she's either on a hiking trail, a golf course, or if she's really lucky, a cruise ship.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
August 1, 2017
Great read! complex,family issues,sexually explicit,depth,good supporting cast and a very good love story...(paperback!)
February 24, 2016
Really nice romance. I've enjoyed other K.G books and this one is no exception. She writes really great dialog between her character. The characters are warm funny and likable. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this one!
October 14, 2018
CEO and workaholic Carmen Dellalo attends a conference in New York and there meets Judith O'Shea, a travel agent looking to hopefully find a new and better employer than her current one. Judith, who finds herself immediately taken by the enigmatic woman, can't help but wonder why she of all people is able to capture someone like Carmen's attention. What she doesn't yet realize is that Carmen has no choice but to notice her.
Slowly, with one or two bumps along the way, the two women get to know each other better and start dating. There's just the small matter of roughly 800 miles between them. As if that's not enough, Judith has a family member with special needs and Carmen has a company to run.
Their story is filled with funny banter and some really sweet moments. Their chemistry was fantastic once it had time to develop and there are a few pretty hot sex scenes in the book. Even the secondary characters were great fun to read about and the pacing kept me turning page after page. However the book ended a little too abruptly for my taste.
I would have loved to see more of their relationship in perhaps an epilogue because here's the thing about long distance relationships. They're dangerously deceptive. By that I mean the limited amount of time you spend together allows you to easily overlook matters that you normally wouldn't. Fights or arguments are almost non existent because there's simply no time for them. Because of this I feel the story has a touch of insta-love since Carmen and Judith are caught on cloud no 9 whenever they're together.
It really is a shame the author didn't write a second book about these women because there is definitely enough material for perhaps a novelette or even a novella. Perhaps it's time for me to finish the rest of MacGregor's Shaken series. Full 4* rating for this book.
Slowly, with one or two bumps along the way, the two women get to know each other better and start dating. There's just the small matter of roughly 800 miles between them. As if that's not enough, Judith has a family member with special needs and Carmen has a company to run.
Their story is filled with funny banter and some really sweet moments. Their chemistry was fantastic once it had time to develop and there are a few pretty hot sex scenes in the book. Even the secondary characters were great fun to read about and the pacing kept me turning page after page. However the book ended a little too abruptly for my taste.
I would have loved to see more of their relationship in perhaps an epilogue because here's the thing about long distance relationships. They're dangerously deceptive. By that I mean the limited amount of time you spend together allows you to easily overlook matters that you normally wouldn't. Fights or arguments are almost non existent because there's simply no time for them. Because of this I feel the story has a touch of insta-love since Carmen and Judith are caught on cloud no 9 whenever they're together.
It really is a shame the author didn't write a second book about these women because there is definitely enough material for perhaps a novelette or even a novella. Perhaps it's time for me to finish the rest of MacGregor's Shaken series. Full 4* rating for this book.
January 26, 2019
My, did this book feel sort of like a blast from the past. For two reasons:
1. It was published in 2007, so the internet's colossal presence in our lives now comes off sort of alien in this world. Of course, the internet was big, but dated terms like "surfed the Internet" and "Bluetooth earpiece" are still around. Also, I cringed whenever the word was acceptable for a special needs character, Vincent. It wasn't used in a douchey way, but I'm glad we're pretty much past that.
2. The writing style. It felt very old school lesfic in a way I can't put my finger on.
Now that we've cleared out my Millennial-centric thoughts, I can focus on the stars of Out of Love's romance, Carmen and Judith. Carmen's a high powered CEO and Judith is something of a travel agent, I think. In the beginning, some effort is needed to survive all the work lingo and shop talk. I'm sure it set up for later, when work grievances plague Carmen's character, though it could've been scaled back.
Their romance is a charming slow burn. At one point, I didn't realize how my mild interest in them together turned into something strong. Well done, K.G. MacGregor! MacGregor's kind of humor grew on me, too. Carmen and even Judith's witty banter gave me many chuckles and Kindle highlights. Especially whenever Carmen roasted her dog to cover her insecurities. So adorable!
MacGregor actually accomplished something few writers do. She's given us a situation where the stakes seemed very high to maintain Carmen and Judith's relationship. I'd stop reading and try to work out how to reconcile it. We get a HEA, yay!
I genuinely enjoyed the journey. Cathy's a wonderful side character who kept the ship afloat and even put me at ease. The tension surrounding Brooke got old very quickly. I needed people get by that because Brooke wasn't even a likeable character. She complained about her dumb husband all the time, led Carmen on, and contributed nothing to Carmen's wellbeing as a friend. Blah.
Like I said before, the stakes were high, but it wasn't a stressful read. I found their Chicago to NYC and vice versa correspondence pretty romantic. They were destined for each other. The storyline around Vincent and Judith's mother was nicely done, too. I loved those bits more than I'd expected. I already mentioned Prissy, the dog, and I'll do it again. Funny stuff.
It may be Kindle's formatting of this book, but it lacked very much needed dividers. Carmen or Judith's perspectives would swap literally in the next line and I'd reread to make sure I read correctly. The ending was happy, but very abrupt.
Another pleasant romance for 2019!
1. It was published in 2007, so the internet's colossal presence in our lives now comes off sort of alien in this world. Of course, the internet was big, but dated terms like "surfed the Internet" and "Bluetooth earpiece" are still around. Also, I cringed whenever the word was acceptable for a special needs character, Vincent. It wasn't used in a douchey way, but I'm glad we're pretty much past that.
2. The writing style. It felt very old school lesfic in a way I can't put my finger on.
Now that we've cleared out my Millennial-centric thoughts, I can focus on the stars of Out of Love's romance, Carmen and Judith. Carmen's a high powered CEO and Judith is something of a travel agent, I think. In the beginning, some effort is needed to survive all the work lingo and shop talk. I'm sure it set up for later, when work grievances plague Carmen's character, though it could've been scaled back.
Their romance is a charming slow burn. At one point, I didn't realize how my mild interest in them together turned into something strong. Well done, K.G. MacGregor! MacGregor's kind of humor grew on me, too. Carmen and even Judith's witty banter gave me many chuckles and Kindle highlights. Especially whenever Carmen roasted her dog to cover her insecurities. So adorable!
MacGregor actually accomplished something few writers do. She's given us a situation where the stakes seemed very high to maintain Carmen and Judith's relationship. I'd stop reading and try to work out how to reconcile it. We get a HEA, yay!
I genuinely enjoyed the journey. Cathy's a wonderful side character who kept the ship afloat and even put me at ease. The tension surrounding Brooke got old very quickly. I needed people get by that because Brooke wasn't even a likeable character. She complained about her dumb husband all the time, led Carmen on, and contributed nothing to Carmen's wellbeing as a friend. Blah.
Like I said before, the stakes were high, but it wasn't a stressful read. I found their Chicago to NYC and vice versa correspondence pretty romantic. They were destined for each other. The storyline around Vincent and Judith's mother was nicely done, too. I loved those bits more than I'd expected. I already mentioned Prissy, the dog, and I'll do it again. Funny stuff.
It may be Kindle's formatting of this book, but it lacked very much needed dividers. Carmen or Judith's perspectives would swap literally in the next line and I'd reread to make sure I read correctly. The ending was happy, but very abrupt.
Another pleasant romance for 2019!
October 12, 2018
A great read - read it through one sitting, just can’t put it down! Loved the 2 MCs, Carmen and Judith who are in their 40s. Their banters were simply hilarious and had me wanting for more! Yes, there were serious dialogues with a little pinch of angst but their banters really kept me going - all up to 3 in the morning!
CEO Carmen met travel consultant Judith during a conference and both were smitten with each other; cos Judith looked eerily similar to Carmen’s bestie whom she’s been so hung up with for the last 30 years and Carmen is just Carmen, the alluring powerhouse. Their romance took off from there; albeit with a misunderstanding what’s with the look-alike/similarity. They had to endure family issues, long distance relationship, health issues before coming up winners in their pursue for love. Oh... the bedroom scenes are pretty hot.
The ending is a bit too rush and an epilogue who have been great given the ending.
Ratings: 4.5 ⭐️ - rounding up to 5 cos I just loved their banters 😃
CEO Carmen met travel consultant Judith during a conference and both were smitten with each other; cos Judith looked eerily similar to Carmen’s bestie whom she’s been so hung up with for the last 30 years and Carmen is just Carmen, the alluring powerhouse. Their romance took off from there; albeit with a misunderstanding what’s with the look-alike/similarity. They had to endure family issues, long distance relationship, health issues before coming up winners in their pursue for love. Oh... the bedroom scenes are pretty hot.
The ending is a bit too rush and an epilogue who have been great given the ending.
Ratings: 4.5 ⭐️ - rounding up to 5 cos I just loved their banters 😃
August 22, 2017
Loved it loved it loved it. This book was all romance, there wasn't any angst, it was funny, the banter between characters was really good, the chemistry was hot. The only little gripe I had was when they called Judith's brother retarded. I hate that word, because it's been used to offend so many people out of context so now I see it as offensive to those who require special needs. I read this book in a day, brilliant rom com.
October 20, 2018
3.75 Stars. Good romance but the ending was really rushed.
February 23, 2017
3.5 stars This is an interesting book and not what I expected. It is a pure romance and by that I mean that there's no crime, mystery, or disaster involved. I felt rather tepid about the whole experience and then WHAMO! The author just pulls the rug out from under the reader and I'm thinking, no way is this happening. All that to say, this was not a 4 star I REALLY liked it book for me. It was, however, better than than my usual 3 star rating because of the angst/drama at the end.
July 16, 2008
I'm reading my way through the Lambda literarary awards list, trying to find books for my online gay lit class for Fall. This one is really a romance novel, kind of light and predictable, but filled with likeable characters and well written. I might include it for the class because its setting is contemporary and while a bit schmaltzy, the sex scenes are on par with mainstream novels -- hot but not voyeuristic. Also, the main characters are comfortable with their sexual orientation, so the central tension isn't focused on issues of being out -- this would engender some good discussion amongst my students I think.
October 15, 2018
I really liked this. The banter between the leads was perfect. Only thing I didn't like was the abrupt ending. There should be part 2!
December 4, 2016
I loved this book.
I loved 'Out of Love'. I loved Carmen and Judith. Great development of both lead characters. Knowing the background and story of the lead characters lives really gives the book depth. Thank You to KG MacGregor for giving us the happy ending and especially for not leaving us hanging with no ending.
I loved 'Out of Love'. I loved Carmen and Judith. Great development of both lead characters. Knowing the background and story of the lead characters lives really gives the book depth. Thank You to KG MacGregor for giving us the happy ending and especially for not leaving us hanging with no ending.
April 29, 2022
Will read this one again.
This was a really satisfying read. I loved both MCs, and the path they took to be together. I sometimes get bored with the part of the story involving the characters’ jobs and relationships with secondary characters, but I really loved every part of this book and had a hard time putting it down. Highly recommend.
This was a really satisfying read. I loved both MCs, and the path they took to be together. I sometimes get bored with the part of the story involving the characters’ jobs and relationships with secondary characters, but I really loved every part of this book and had a hard time putting it down. Highly recommend.
April 2, 2018
Absolutely loved the book, this one was much different than others by the author in the sense that it had a very intriguing story and the characters were just someone you could fall in love with yourselves.
There was enough drama in the plot to spice up but not so much that it would spoil the mood and digress from the main theme.
There was enough drama in the plot to spice up but not so much that it would spoil the mood and digress from the main theme.
April 17, 2023
Out of Love is one of those sweet, feel good stories that you'll visit often. With outrageously witty banter, Carmen and Judith kept me howling in laughter, even as they deal with personal obstacles that could sideline their hope for a life together. As in every KG MacGregor book, the movement through the story is easy and believable, and ultimately very satisfying. Great read!
December 27, 2022
This is one of the 10 books that I picked when I started reading lesbian fiction. And this book is totally great, it's makes me love this genre. So yea, it's having special place in my heart for that reason.
January 10, 2018
Just loved it. I've read and re-read this book several times over the last few years. And every time I get sucked in just as the first time.
April 27, 2020
Enjoyable, fun read. Witty banter and humor; likeable characters; good storyline; it felt like a good story with some romance rather than a romance with little to no story, which happens too often.
Read
October 3, 2018this popped up as a recommendation on my goodreads shelf, and when I went to check it out on Amazon, it informed me that I already owned it. Further investigation proved that apparently I have read this book and within the last two years -- I didn't delete it from my Kindle meaning that I enjoyed it, but I have no recollection of this story, suggesting that it wasn't all that great. So... um yeah.
July 8, 2016
A good, solid romance. I think this is the third time I've read it. I had already read my favorites of the author's this year and am working on my A-Z challenge and GR reading challenge so I didn't want to duplicate. I like the themes in Out of Love.
May 2, 2010
Wondeerful book funny and amazing
July 22, 2010
It was good but a moved forward in time too quickly. It would've been better if it was longer and more detail.
March 5, 2016
Pretty predictable story, but I still enjoyed reading it. A nice light read for a lazy Saturday morning.
March 27, 2016
The book is my favorite because I read it like 100 times!!! You have to read it, if you like it and you read it again ha!
November 9, 2007
Another great Lesbian Romance Novel.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews