Lesbian

Rough Love ROLLER GIRL–A Review

Hi there! Today I’m sharing a review for a new contemporary F/F romance from Vanessa North. ROLLER GIRL is the third book in her Lake Lovelace series, which includes DOUBLE UP and ROUGH ROAD. The book features a transwoman finding strength, love and community.

Roller Girl (Lake Lovelace, #3)About the book:
Recently divorced Tina Durham is trying to be self-sufficient, but her personal-training career is floundering, her closest friends are swept up in new relationships, and her washing machine has just flooded her kitchen. It’s enough to make a girl cry.

Instead, she calls a plumbing service, and Joanne “Joe Mama” Delario comes to the rescue. Joe is sweet, funny, and good at fixing things. She also sees something special in Tina and invites her to try out for the roller derby team she coaches.

Derby offers Tina an outlet for her frustrations, a chance to excel, and the female friendships she’s never had before. And as Tina starts to thrive at derby, the tension between her and Joe cranks up. Despite their player/coach relationship, they give in to their mutual attraction. Sex in secret is hot, but Tina can’t help but want more.

With work still on the rocks and her relationship in the closet, Tina is forced to reevaluate her life. Can she be content with a secret lover? Or with being dependent on someone else again? It’s time for Tina to tackle her fears, both on and off the track.

My Review:
This is the third book in the Lake Lovelace series and features a trans-female character and a F/F romance. It can be enjoyed on its own.

Tina Durham was a professional wakeboarder who married young, before she could articulate that she was really a woman. This came as a surprise to her wife, and ended their marriage once Tina’s transition became complete. Tina now works as a personal trainer, and struggles with social anxiety, afraid that she’ll be assailed by transphobic people.

Tina meets Joanne “Joe” Delario when she responds to Tina’s frantic call for a plumber. They hit it off, and Tina accepts Joe’s invitation for a drink. Tina’s a bit disappointed when Joe uses the meeting to ask Tina to try out for her roller derby team. Tina’s never played, but the idea of competing again is attractive, and the derby is trans-friendly. She agrees, even if it means not pursuing a relationship with Joe; Joe has a no-dating policy for her team, due to a previous problem with it all going bad. Tina likes the idea of a girl-bonding experience, and she does well at the first try-out.

Despite their intentions, Joe and Tina begin a physical relationship. They’re really too attracted to each other; and Tina hasn’t been with anyone since her divorce. Their interactions are steamy, and affirming. But Tina doesn’t want to be a secret, and doesn’t understand why she should be: other women on the team are dating. It’s Joe’s hang up, and it causes Tina a lot of pain, especially because she’s dealt with secrets most of her life.

I liked the story here. I’ve read a few lesbian romances, and a few trans ones, too. I love the diversity I saw on the page, and Tina’s positive experiences. As a transitioned former pro-athlete, she becomes a bit of a sensation for her team, garnering news coverage. It leads to some great experiences for her with fans in transition. That was really sweet. I also liked her professional persona, and how compassionate she was with her favorite training client, and all her uplifting moments with despairing teammates. That was great. On the flip side, the time frame didn’t match up with the pacing, for me, so the romance felt a bit rushed. Also, the “no dating”/secret dating policy didn’t work for me as a conflict. It felt like a false choice, and brought in unnecessary drama. There were likely other issues that could have kept Joe and Tina separate, that would have had more emotional punch, so that fell a little short, for me.

In all, I expected that Ms. North would write a F/F story that would be filled with heat and heart, and I wasn’t disappointed. I’m not a fan of roller derby, and have about zero interest in it, personally, but those scenes were clear enough that an ignorant reader like myself could follow along, and feel the tension of the team, and Tina’s emotional investment. When I consider adult recreational sports, most are co-ed. Roller derby initially seemed an odd choice, but I understood it, because it was an activity that was exclusively female, and accessible to novice non-athletes. Any other type of sport would have likely been closed-off for Tina, or her less athletic teammates. The friendships, and team dynamics, that Tina explores in the course of the story really helps to pull her loose from her social anxiety, as does her relationship with Joe. For a character who’s growth arc was already enormous before she appeared on the page, Tina still found ways to expand her life and find unexpected happiness.

Interested? You can find ROLLER GIRL on Goodreads, Riptide Publishing, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and AllRomance. I received a review copy via NetGalley.

Vanessa NorthAbout the Author:
Author of over a dozen novels, novellas, and short stories, Vanessa North delights in giving happy-ever-afters to characters who don’t think they deserve them. Relentless curiosity led her to take up knitting and run a few marathons “just to see if she could.” She started writing for the same reason. Her very patient husband pretends not to notice when her hobbies take over the house. Living and writing in Northwest Georgia, she finds her attempts to keep a quiet home are frequently thwarted by twin boy-children and a very, very large dog.

You can catch up with Vanessa on her website, Goodreads, and twitter.

Thanks for popping in and keep reading my friends!

Indulging in PRIVATE PLEASURE–Excerpt and Giveaway!

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Hi there! Today I’m spreading the news about an historical erotic menage novella from Shiloh Saddler. PRIVATE PLEASURE is a F/F/M romance set in Ancient Rome and features a young woman being forced to marry a man, and unwilling to let her slave lover go…

Check out the note from the author and be sure to enter the giveaway for an audiobook of PRIVATE PLEASURE.

PrivatePleasureAbout the book:
A member of the Roman elite, Livia, shares a secret Sapphic relationship with her slave that’s threatened when her father forces her to marry a powerful senator. But after her new husband introduces her to the pleasures of sex with men, she finds her attraction torn. Is it the senator she wants in her bed, or her slave?

Sensuous Naomi has been a devoted slave and lover to Livia for many years, but she too, feels a desire for the senator that’s too powerful to stop. When he discovers their secret, he offers Naomi a choice – marry another slave, or live as a threesome. Naomi jumps at the chance to lie in the senator’s arms, even if only for one night.

Felix’s political ambition knows no bounds, nor his appetite for women. But when a critical mission results in his capture, it’s only getting back to his two lovers he desires, no matter what the diplomatic fallout. Little does he know the risks he’s taken in his bed and in the field have not gone unnoticed by the emperor, but will he be rewarded or reprimanded for his actions?

Warning: this is ancient history on the erotic romance side. This contains two women lusting after each other and a powerful man determined to have them both.

Note from the author:
What is a woman to do when her father forces her to get married? Try everything she can to keep her servant lover with her, of course! Livia didn’t expect to have the same feelings for her betrothed Senator Felix as she did for her maid, Naomi. When her wedding night arrives, she quickly realizes that Felix can light a fire in her just the same as her female lover.

Set in Ancient Rome, Private Pleasure was a lot of fun to write! Doing research, I learned a lot about Rome. They were quite free sexually at this time. Prominent men often held orgies, and men fucked women as well as other men. However, in my research little was mentioned about women loving other women. It seemed that such a topic remained hidden. That sparked the idea for Private Pleasure. I love writing GLBT historicals. I’m happy to say that the community has gained more acceptance in modern times, but it was quite taboo in the past. What can I say? I love taboo.

A decadent taste…

Naomi rose to her knees and took the silent direction, trailing light kisses across her sensitive skin. Domina breathed heavier, their breasts pressed against each other. Naomi felt every breath, every heartbeat, every shudder.

Naomi inhaled Domina’s expensive Iris perfume. Iris, a dainty, fragile flower, fit Domina well. The scent excited Naomi, her stomach coiled with heat.

Domina threaded her fingers through Naomi’s hair and a shiver crawled up Naomi’s spine. Every intimate touch from Domina only increased her hunger and desire for more.

Naomi covered every uncia of her alabaster neck. She kissed the tip of her chin, and then tried to kiss her lips, but Domina moved backward and the kiss turned into a merely awkward brush.

Naomi scrambled off the bed and followed, not wanting their intimacy to end so soon.

Domina pushed Naomi to the floor, forcing her to kneel at her feet. The commanding action sped Naomi’s heartbeat.

The spicy aroma of Domina’s intimate need filled the room and made Naomi tingle. She gently pushed up the ankle-length tunica, caressing and massaging her calves and working her way up her thighs.

Domina closed her eyes. “Mmm,” she said softly.

Naomi grinned, her chest warming at the sight of Domina’s bliss.

Interested? You can find PRIVATE PLEASURE on Goodreads, Amazon Universal, Barnes and Noble, ARe, iTunes, Kobo, Smashwords, and Audio. It’s currently on sale for $.99!

****GIVEAWAY****

Click the Rafflecopter link below for your chance to win and audiobook fo PRIVATE PLEASURE
Increase your odds by following each day of the tour.
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Good luck and keep reading my friends!

Shiloh SaddlerAbout the Author:
Shiloh Saddler likes to do research for her steamy romances first hand. She has invented a time machine and travels back to the 19th century on a regular basis. There are experimental settings on her time machine which could propel her into the future and even other worlds. She believes love and a good book makes anything possible.

Find Shiloh on her blog, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and Amazon.

Happy Book Birthday: THE RIGHT KIND OF WOMAN–Excerpt and Giveaway!

RKOW--BannerTemplateHi there! Wishing a happy book birthday to THE RIGHT KIND OF WOMAN, a contemporary F/F romance from Voss Porter. This is the first book in the Southern Lesbians series, and sounds like it’s chock full of feels.

Be sure to drop down and enter the giveaway!

rkow - c-3About the book:

Just when free-spirited farm girl, Cara Spencer Holloway, feels the regulatory world of her closeted, Southern enclave will swallow her whole, her three miscreant brothers team up to carelessly throw her together with regimented, Northern software designer, Dre Martin, on a misguided stop en route to Florida. One steamy stop leads to another and soon the two women will learn more about what the right kind of partner can bring to life than they had ever suspected, but can Cara Spencer move forward and out of the pain of her past, or will she succumb to the doubts that have plagued her romantic life from its very inception?

How about a little taste?

In the mirror over the pedestal sink, she saw Cara Spencer, hands on her hourglass hips, skimming the half-inch of exposed flesh just below her navel. The scent of lavender and yellow jasmine hung in the air around her and her stare was intense, however intense did little to describe the feeling of being nailed with her almond, obsidian black eyes. Severe? Critical? Daring?

Her deep and even breaths stole the air from the room and Dre put her hands to her own throat, heart racing.

What was it with this woman? It was like she’d never really been attracted to anyone before, never fully had any appreciation or desire for a woman’s body until the moment she laid eyes on the dominant female standing in the lone stall doorway with a paper towel in her hands.

“Hello?” Cara Spencer tittered. “You can’t possibly be that blind.”

“Blind?” Was something on her face? Shit, was she blushing? Shit, shit, shit…

“They’re all smitten with you, honey. All of the Holloway boys…Like you’re the last steak on the savanna.”

Gross. Dre didn’t want to be anyone’s steak, least of all the steak any man wanted to sink his teeth into. The one male experience she’d had, back at Northwestern, had been far less than satisfying, not that it was any of his fault. Greg was his name, Greg Fillman. The only guy dumb enough to think the girl who shaved her head and dressed in men’s pants would ever want to be his girlfriend. Nope. It had been the one time in her life that Andrea had convinced herself to try a penis and see if the sensation was one she could live with… Hadn’t gone well. Had gone laughably unwell. Had necessitated ringing up Tris in the middle of the night, after she’d driven Greg home.

“Your brothers aren’t really my… Type.” She slurred.

Cara Spencer winked. “Ya don’t say…” Her hips swayed past and she put her hand on the door. “And what is your type?”

“You are.” FUCK why had she said that? Why had Dre said something so stupid?

Fuck this was embarrassing.

Dre had never so much as approached a woman like this for a quarter at a pay phone (were pay phones even a thing anymore?) and here she was, doused with liquid courage (how many beers had she had now?), and flinging about pick-up lines in a public fucking bathroom. What the fuck?!

Thankfully, and by the grace of God, Cara Spencer laughed, and not in a mocking way. Not at her, but with her. Like it was a good attempt, not a corny attempt. Like it was a real pick-up line. Like she was really, in fact, picking her up and it wasn’t wholly unsuccessful.

Surely these gals will find a happy ending, or three… 😉

Interested? You can find THE RIGHT KIND OF WOMAN on Goodreads, Dark Hollows Press and Amazon.

****GIVEAWAY****

Click the Rafflecopter link below for your chance to win an ebook of THE RIGHT KIND OF WOMAN, and a silly pic of the author!
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Good luck and keep reading my friends!

About the author:
Writing under the pseudonym of Voss Porter, I am married to an amazing woman, I am mother to two human children who keep me on my toes, and four canine progeny. I am a proud lesbian in an LGBTQ community that is yet undiscovered, and I have been a writer from the age of six. I am a passionate storyteller, a little bit of a nerd, and a complete badass.

Find Voss online on her website, Facebook and twitter.
pride

Power to OVERWHELM–Review and Giveaway

overwhelm tour banner
Hi there! Today I’m sharing my review for a paranormal YA non-traditional romance coming out this Friday from Layla Messner. OVERWHELM is an epic tale set in the end days of Atlantis, and features two forbidden loves….

Check out my review and enter to win the $35 GC giveaway below!

OVERWHELM E-book coverAbout the book:
The living crystals that feed elemental power to Atlantis are exhausted. They give and give, but the Altantians just want more energy to fuel their magical city. Sixteen years ago, the crystals came up with a plan to make it all stop, a plan that revolves around three teens:

KALIOPE is a soulsinger, an empath with the power to sing the souls of the dead to their next lives. She just wants to grow up, but her mother won’t let her.

DANICA is Kaliope’s whipping girl. She gets punished whenever Kali disobeys.

CHIARAN is a firestarter, so reckless even his family considers him a monster.

When Chiaran arrives in Atlantis, he’s the first fire person to set foot on the island in a hundred years. Kaliope naturally considers him an enemy and uses the last of her depleted power against him. But the battle reveals that the two have more in common than anyone could have guessed.

Anyone, that is, except the crystals.

Three teenage antiheroes, a bisexual love triangle, and an island about to sink.

Overwhelm is a darkly sensual fairy tale about growing up against all odds.

My Review:
Kaliope, Danica and Chiaran are Atlanteans. Kaliope and Danica are from the water tribe, and have the ability to turn into a dolphin and shark, respectively. Danica is a Guardian, the servant of Kaliope, charged with protecting Kaliope–a powerful soulsinger–and is also her whipping girl, beaten by Kaliope’s ruthless herbalist mother whenever Kaliope “misbehaves.” Also, Kaliope and Danica have a sexual relationship that is forbidden, and Danica is punished routinely for this.

Chiaran is a Fire Tribe person, heir to Fire Island, the place all the fire shifters moved to 100 years ago. They were tired of the Water tribe persons squandering the energy of the living Power Crystals that support life on Atlantis.

The queen of Atlantis has foretold the end of days to happen when Fire and Water bond–the chance meeting of Kaliope and Chiaran results in a forbidden word bond, and a lot of heartache for all involved.

This was an interesting read, but I had some reservations. Mostly, there is so much happening, so many characters tell this story, and it gets muddled. Kaliope’s mother is an abusive woman, and it seems she relishes the idea of keeping Kaliope under her authority. Kaliope cannot leave their home until she is a full-fledged woman (menstruates) which has yet to happen and Kaliope’s 16 already. I have a suspicion that her mother is really not the person she proclaims to be, but none of that was discussed in this book.

Chiaran is a young man, and a dragon shifter. His power is equal to Kaliope’s, or exceeds it, but the word bond causes them to share each other’s power. It’s a frightening experience for them, and the attraction between them is fierce. They have a hard time touching, or more, due to their powers clashing. Water douses water, and fire boils water.

There was a lot going on, but not much was resolved, unfortunately. We get to know a lot about the characters, there’s a hint that the end is nigh, and there’s a conspiracy to hide that knowledge, Kaliope and Danica suffer due to Kaliope’s abusive mother, and that’s most of it. The world building is lush, but the pace bogged for me. All the shifting points of view meant I had a bit of repetition to deal with…which was exhausting after a while.

The story ends in an abrupt confrontation and there’s a whole lot of story left to tell. I appreciated the difficulties for Kaliope and Danica. They have a master/slave relationship, which cripples their ability to have a loving partnership even though they have a lot of love fore each other. Chiaran and Kaliope have the potential to be equals, and that’s good, but I’m not sure how that will pan out in the sequel. This is clearly an epic story, but it’s not as fully developed as I would have liked. I’m still not clear regarding the purpose of the action, and how it will lead to the survival of Atlantis, if that is even possible.

Interested? You can find OVERWHELM on Goodreads and pre-order it on Amazon. It’s available for reading Nov 13th.

****GIVEAWAY****

Click the Rafflecopter link below for your chance to win a $35 gift card to Amazon.
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Good luck and Keep reading my friends!

layla messner newAbout the Author
Láyla Messner is a young-adult author and the founder of ChrysalisSanctuary.com for healing childhood sexual abuse. She has an M.A. in embodied writing from Goddard College and her novels provide New Sexual Mythology for teens. She believes that love is real. She does not believe in unsolicited advice or the word “impossible.”

Catch up with Láyla online on her website, Goodreads, Twitter, and Facebook.

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