Blindsided/Lesbian novel
921834
Wish I could have used a 0 rating!  Nothing I read in the blurb or in the sample from Amazon led me to realize this is a lesbian romance.  Definitely NOT what I am interested in reading.  I deleted it from my Kindle immediately--and I haven't even paid for it yet.  I'm angry and "ripped off."
2240460
The book has an interesting premise, but as a straight woman, I prefer for the focus to be on the female. Most erotic romance book descriptions let you know when a book contains M/M, BDSM, rape, spanking, etc., etc., so the reader knows whether the book includes their favorite fantasies. To me, menage means hetero pleasuring between one woman and two men (or two women and one man). When, in addition, the male characters indulge one another, the description usually says M/M/F. Like anyone else, I enjoy reading about certain sexual situations, while I don't identify with others.

By the looks of the first sexual scenario, the book's title should've been Menage A Draco. I lost interest after that.
4246360
I liked this book and gave it three stars, because I felt the plot could have been more a mystery, but I liked the characters, especially the females.  The female characters were both likable and strong, and much more fully developed than the males, so I think women should enjoy this book, so I would recommend it mostly to women, but men should have no qualms reading this book, as I don't think it is a "women's" novel, per se.  One last note; I wanted to know more about what happened to some of the principal characters, of which I found lacking.
4478196
I think it really says something about the characters in the book when the reader wants to interact with them.  I found this to be the case with Canvas; throughout the book I just wished that I could interact with the main characters,  Mitch and Lindsey, and talk some sense into them!  The novel is about these two characters, their love for each other, and the roadblocks that life puts up in front of them.  It is part of a series, and I am interested in seeing where the next book takes them.
3213870
I thoroughly enjoyed this Lesbian Erotica novel.  I liked the stories and the characters. Older Woman Younger First Time is an exceptional book about Lesbian Romance.
4132707
During a class reunion cruise to the Caribbean, Maxine Chandler and Mya Rivers restore their broken relationship. Also, Mya has news about her job that she knows she needs to tell her husband, Garrett, about, but she's waiting for the right moment. And, because of a computer mix-up, Maxine ends up in the same cabin with Christopher Chandler (no relation; they just have the same last name).

Christopher Chandler is a successful business man, who is referred to as a loner. One night stands is all he's interested in; no closeness, no strings attached, no meaningful relationships, no commitments.  But then he ends up in the same cabin with Maxine Chandler, the one girl he felt close to in high school and still has feelings for, even though he denies it.

Perfect Timing fell into the category of many other novels I have (purchased around the publication date, but not yet read) until yesterday. I must confess that I didn't read every page. Some years ago I began to steer away from books with pervasive profanity or with sexual relations that take place "all throughout" the story and each act is vividly described. Whether it's a book, a movie or a television show, I don't need to know every detail of what goes on behind the closed doors of a couples bedroom. There is very little profanity throughout the story, but there are numerous sex scenes. But then again, it is a romance novel.
As for the pages I did read: Maxine and Christopher's situation was somewhat interesting, and I was glad about the way things ended for them. But what interested me most was Mya & Garrett's relationship. I really liked reading about them. Together since middle school, deeply in love with each other for many years, and then that love is tested. And National Bestselling Author, Brenda Jackson, also adds God to the mix. There is a message of forgiveness in this story that will be beneficial to anyone who reads it.
866755
Review: I found this to be a really compelling read, a real page turner. Such an original idea for a storyline, I've never read a love story between a sighted person and a visually impaired person, that's for sure and it was a real experience. The love story wasn't really any different because of on persons vision, there is the usual build up and roller coaster of emotions but the issues they come across and the problems they face are definitely different form the usual coupe. The storyline starts of fairly pacey, introducing us to the characters and their blossoming relationship but parts of the book do slow down a little bit, giving the impression that you're going through each and every issue with the characters. It is a bit like sitting in traffic sometimes you're going along fine, nice and quickly and other times you are suddenly crawling along, stuck in a fight with these two main characters. This was really clever writing because it involves you so much in the plot and the novel as a whole.

I loved Heathers character. She was realistic, was driven in her teaching career and loathed to give up her independence to be in a relationship. Jason, however, I wasn't so keen on, in fact I did spend the novel hating him (I'm really sorry!) He was a cute, sensitive guy but had a massively short temper and was really bad at being flexible to accommodate others. I think I disliked him so much because I know guys like this and really don't like them so it hit a bit too close to home, but he caused his friends and family so much hurt with the short temper I just couldn't warm to him and embrace him like I might have done. There are some wonderful supporting characters in this story too, amongst Jason's family and Heathr's friends.

The blindness was dealt with really well and I think it takes a lot of courage to write a character with some sort of disability, but I think it was written really well, acknowledged and yet not what the whole story was about. There are some real highs and lows in this book, I laughed and I cried, I loved and I hated and I was amazed by things I didn't know about visual impairment. Overall I really enjoyed reading this book and it's definitely one that stayed with me long after I finished!
1621571
Fun to read about the possibility of a lesbian President and good to see the family aspects.  The main characters were almost too perfect. Subplot of Lauren's mother's suicide could have been explored more....future books?
1502796
When I read "Eleanor & Park" I decided to check out more of this Rainbow Rowell person. Delightedly, my library had her latest, newly-released novel available. This is about Cath, one of twin girls, going to college freshman year. The primary conflict is that she's forced to live an independent life and come out of her shell. She's used to retreating into her computer and writing fan fiction.

I guess I'd categorize this book as a romance. There aren't a lot of plot twists or problems or obstacles. The main character is simply trying to cope with her severe introversion and reaching an adult identity. It was a subject I could easily identify with -- I was very scared as a freshman, and frequently stayed in my dorm. The stakes are not epic, but character-focused. Which is fine. If you loved Eleanor & Park, but thought it was too depressing, this one is not.
1941018
I had picked up "Blindside" and read it, and took Catherine Coulter's invitation to e-mail her my thoughts.  She e-mailed back and suggested I read "The Cove" which I did, and enjoyed (in case you can't tell from the five stars).  If you like suspense, I would recommend it, with the caveat of there being language in it I would never use and what another reviewer referred to as gratitious sex (I agree with that accessment).

You are about to enter the spoiler zone -- enter it at your own risk.  Okay?

Comparing this with Blindside, I have some comments.

First, both have several things in common.  There is a whirlwind romance in both novels, resulting in marriage, with the major character of the story, though those characters are not the main character of the series, Dillon Savitch.  Both have a major story and a minor story, though this one has some tie-ins between the two other than the FBI's involvement.

Second, let me share something that concerns me about both of these novels.  In "Blindside" (again, we are in spoiler territory) is a minister.  In "The Cove", there is also a minister, and I had a hunch he would be the lead bad guy.  My hunch about him being the lead was wrong, but I was right that he was a bad guy.  Being an ordained minister, I find it bothersome that people who share my love for sharing the word of God are always the bad guys; I consider this unrealistic, disinformation, and prejudiced against people like myself.  I doubt Coulter or any other author would regularly cast African Americans or gays or Muslims as bad guys; why are Christians (like myself) and conservatives (again, like myself) fair game for being negatively sterotyped and the other groups aren't?

Having stated this concern, there are positive things I would comment.  First, Coulter seems to have a favorable view of marriage:  as I said, the main hero and the main heroine are married in both books I've read, as opposed to the book ending up with a non-committed sexual relationship.  I wish more authors would promote marriage like this.  Second, there is a jab on the Antagonistic Crazy Loons Unleashed (yes, I know that the initials ACLU stand for something else, but I believe mine is more accurate, as is Jay Sekulow's term Anti-Christian Litigation Unit).

If you can tolerate language and sex and violence and like a thriller, go for this book.  It does leave you guessing.
801946
Henriette Greenberg is a college student in 1930s Chicago. The novel focuses on her relationship with her parents and with anthropology Master's student Dilly Brannigan, her struggles to understand herself, and her radical political involvement. At one point she takes a train to Alabama to protest the unfair trial of the Scottsboro Boys and ends up in jail. Later she does anthropology field work on an Apache reservation.

There are several unique and interesting aspects of the novel, such as Henriette's family background (her parents are Jews who converted to Unitarianism), differences between her upbringing and that of her boyfriend (e.g. he comes from a small town, where his family farms and hunts; Henriette's parents hate guns in all forms), and Henriette's regular psychotherapy appointments.

As you can imagine from her interest in psychoanalysis, Henriette has many issues that she tries to work through. Her emotions and reactions seemed true to life. On the other hand, I was often annoyed by her saucy repartee.

A Free, Unsullied Land is divided into three parts and covers the years 1927-1934. I found myself enjoying Parts II and III more than Part I, mainly because the first part of the novel jumped back and forth in time in a confusing manner. I also found that, although the tension in Henriette's family was introduced at the beginning, it was vague and I had trouble sympathizing with her.

The main thing I disliked about this novel is that sexuality is a recurring theme. If sex is not something you enjoy focusing on in fiction, you won't want to pick up this book.

Finally, I would like to make a few comments about the novel's ending. I really liked that Henriette turned from anthropology to writing, since poetry was her first love. I'm glad that marriage was presented positively, but since Henriette wasn't completely honest about her sexual past it was hard to feel entirely hopeful about her marriage. I also wish Henriette's relationship with her parents were more resolved. Obviously I prefer more closure than the author!

Turning now to the historical references in A Free, Unsullied Land, you'll discover them on nearly every page. If you find that historical fiction brings past decades to life before your eyes, you'll probably be intrigued by many aspects of this novel. You could take any one of these topics as a starting point for your own research: Anarchism, College life in the 1930s, Communist Party USA, Execution of Nicola Sacco & Bartolomeo Vanzetti, Freud and psychoanalysis, The Great Depression, The International Labor Defense, The International Workers of the World ("Wobblies"), Jazz, NAACP, Native reservations, The New Masses magazine, Prohibition, The Scottsboro Boys, The study and practice of anthropology.
3012620
We need to have a book so M finds her true love. Yes she Straight but the rest are still gay so it can still be a LGBTQ book. We can't just leave her alone
638173
As far as I can tell this is not a GLBT book. If it is, please correct me. It looks like a bit of a romance/mystery/strong female character, but not what I was looking for at all. Not sure who tagged it as such, but I would think someone trying to mislead readers. Just an FYI for anyone considering purchasing.
2355947
Tracey Richardson is a skilled writer, and after experiencing her work in this novel, I will be reading others by her. This is a mature lesbian romance featuring professional lesbians who fall in love while visiting Vancouver, B.C. Each one is working through some serious baggage, and the baggage initially gets in the way of their being able to make a commitment beyond physical pleasure and attraction and the feeling of loving for the moment. So they have to withdraw to their respective corners to deal with their own "stuff" before they can reach out to each other again. The "stuff" takes up a lot of the novel, and it is serious stuff, giving the novel a heavy flavor. Thankfully there is a happy ending. But very well written and fleshed out with detail.
940314
To be honest, this is my first lesbian story, more or less. I've never really read anything about contemporary lesbians, particularly in such an urban setting. What bothered me is that the characters are portrayed in an almost masculine light, and I don't mean their appearances. I mean their actions. The casual sex, the emotionlessness ~ the women in this book have fallen into the traditional stereotypes usually reserved for men, and as a feminist this upset me. I guess I just never thought that a liberated women (particularly a lesbian) would succumb to objectifying women in the same ways that men do.

Other than that issue, though, the book was ... intriguing, to say the least. It was very strangely written ~ the author has a definite style that you either love or hate. I liked her metaphors but found her personification confusing at times. The book, though a mystery, isn't written in the straight-forward manner that most modern mysteries (say, Mary Higgins Clark) are written. This is much more wordy, with more subplots, much like a literary or non-genre fiction novel. Sex doesn't play a large role in the book but there are two sex scenes as well as many little spots where a character remembers loving another. It's lesbian sex, another "first" for me as I tend to like to read gay male erotica, and it struck me as too cut and dry, too masculine, in a way that gay male sex in fiction tends not to be. It's hard to explain, but the reversal of traditional gender roles is a very large part of this story.

Maybe it's because I'm not one for mysteries, but I didn't reach the same conclusion as Emma did at the end of the book. She managed to tie up all the loose ends and I was left wondering how she jumped to those conclusions. One reason for this is that whenever she finds a "clue," she doesn't go into what it means for her investigation or what she thinks about it at the time. In that respect, I guess Mary Wings writes for a smarter reader than me! Or at least a more deductive one. I'm still amazed by the way Sherlock Holmes solves his cases, so there you go.

But overall, a good read. Near the end I couldn't put it down. If you haven't read lesbian fiction before and want something to start with, I recommend this. There were enough references to previous cases that made me want to read Wings' other books, and I closed the book with satisfaction at the finish because everything was tied up neatly.
103349
If you like slow-burn, angsty friends to lovers lesbian romance stories, then this is for you. I enjoyed the setting and the minor characters. I sometimes had a hard time distinguishing the main characters and they didn't have quite as much chemistry as I would've liked. In addition the obstacle/angst went on a little long for me. But, in general I would recommend this book to fans of the genre.

*I received an ebook from Ylva in exchange for a review*
901643
I read this book hoping to find a good book with a lesbian main character. The story was intermixed with random fairytales that didn't seem to connect to the story at all. It left me confused and dissatisfied.