Lesbian Fiction Readers’ Choice Award 2011

It’s been a while since I updated my blog. My job kept me busy, but today I have some news I want to share with you.

The Lesbian Fiction Readers’ Choice Awards were just announced, and Hidden Truths is one of the winners. I know that most readers say that awards don’t influence their reading choices (I know I’m not actively searching out award-winning books either), but it still feels nice to be recognized by a group of readers who liked my book.

Here’s a complete list of the award winners:

Favorite Lesbian Fiction Writer:

• Georgia Beers
• R.E. Bradshaw
• Denise DeSio
• Susan X. Meagher
• LL Raand/Radclyffe
• Ali Vali

Favorite Lesbian Fiction Anthology/Short Story Collection

• The Old Woman and Other Lesbian Stories by Q. Kelly
• Women of the Mean Streets: Lesbian Noir – J.M. Redmann/G. Herren (ed.)

Favorite Lesbian Fiction Romance

• 96 Hours by Georgia Beers
• Before it Stains by R.E. Bradshaw
• Jericho by Ann McMan
• Parties in Congress by Colette Moody
• Sheltering Dunes by Radclyffe
• Waking up Gray by R.E. Bradshaw

Favorite Lesbian Fiction Mystery

• Cool Side of the Pillow by Gill McKnight

Favorite Lesbian Fiction Adventure

•   Dying to Live by Kim Baldwin & Xenia Alexiou
•   High Impact by Kim Baldwin

Favorite Lesbian Fiction Speculative Fiction/Sci-Fi/Fantasy

• After the Fall by Robin Summers
• Blood Hunt by LL Raand
• Indigo Moon by Gill McKnight
• Nightrise by Nell Stark & Trinity Tam
• Scarlet Masquerade by Jett Abbott

Favorite Lesbian Fiction General

• 96 Hours by Georgia Beers
• Before it Stains by R.E. Bradshaw
• Hell’s Highway by Gerri Hill
• Jericho by Ann McMan
• Rose’s Will by Denise DeSio

Favorite Lesbian Fiction Historical

• Hidden Truths by Jae

GLBT Bookshelf

Have you heard of the GLBT Bookshelf?

The GLBT Bookshelf is a community of writers, readers, publishers, reviewers, and artists, created by author Mel Keegan.

Right now, the emphasis is on gay fiction, but there are also lesbian novels.

It’s a Wiki, which means that members can build their own pages, embed sample chapters, link to their websites, blogs, and sales pages, post free stories, and many other things.

There’s also a review page. Nan Hawthorne added her growing list of historical fiction reviews.

You can find my profile here.

International Day of FemSlash

The online community is celebrating the 4th International Day of Femslash today.

For those of you who have never heard of it: Femslash is fanfiction featuring relationships between two women (who, most often, are straight in the canon universe of the tv show/movie).

This weekend, the FemSlash Con is taking place, an online convention that discusses various fandoms, pairings, and writing-related topics. Watch the promo on youtube

I’ll participate in the publishing panel, which starts tomorrow (Sunday, July 17) at 4 p.m. (Eastern US).

Last year was the first con, but I missed that one, so I’m curious to see how many people will participate and what kind of discussions we’ll have.

Take a look and come join us.

50-book challenge V

#41 - Larkin Rose – The Pleasure Planner

Brianna “Bree” Hendricks treats love like a commodity to be served up to her clients on demand, but has given up the search for a true love of her own. Logan Delaney is too busy trying to reconcile the legacy of her grandparents’ failed magazine company to invest in anything more than the occasional affair.

Can two women who aren’t looking for love find it in each other’s arms?

I’d call this one a PWP (Plot, What Plot?). It’s an okay read if you are reading for the love scenes, but the plot couldn’t convince me. The obstacles keeping the characters apart were too weak.

#42 - Karin Kallmaker – Watermark

Teresa Mandrell’s first encounter with advertising executive Rayann Germaine begins badly and goes downhill from there. Within minutes of their meeting, Rayann dubs Teresa a “bumbling amateur.” The event changes the course of Teresa’s life — she abandons the corporate world for what she hopes is a more satisfying career in Fine Arts Management. When budget cuts leave her without work, Teresa gets a job as a design artist in another firm, only to discover that the new department head is … Rayann! But the difference in the woman’s demeanor is so startling that Teresa can’t believe her eyes. Although the woman she’d fought with had been insensitive and rude, she was full of fire and passion. This Rayann is cold and withdrawn.

To Teresa’s chagrin, the woman doesn’t even remember their fight. In fact, the two fall easily into an increasingly harmonious work relationship. As they grow even closer, Teresa slowly uncovers layer after layer of Rayann’s hurt and pain. When she at last arrives at the terrible truth, Teresa is left with one burning question: How can she turn Rayann’s heart away from grief and lead her back toward life and love?

This novel is not light reading — it’s a novel of substance. It doesn’t take the easy way out by providing a happy ending in the traditional sense, but it’s still a hopeful ending.

#43 - VK Powell – Fever

Hired gun Zak Chambers expects to provide a simple escort service to philanthropist Sara Ambrosini, but nothing is as simple as it seems, especially love. Zak Chambers is a disillusioned hired gun who longs for a connection with life beyond her sat-phone and assignments she can’t share with anyone. Her boss lines up a cushy escort job to Africa to give her time to refocus. But the country she loved as a child holds memories she isn’t ready to face. Adding to her ambivalence about returning is the immensely attractive Sara Ambrosini, head of Ambrosini Philanthropic, who sees everything through the rose-colored glasses of wealth and privilege. Zak’s task is to provide security for Sara until they reach the future site of her primary school for tribal children in the bush country. But Zak soon discovers that Sara’s stubbornness and independence aren’t the only obstacles to the success of her assignment. Nothing is as simple as it seems, especially love.

This is VK Powell’s third novel, and it’s her best one so far. It’s an entertaining read with good descriptions of setting and characters.

#44 - Yolanda Wallace – In Medias Res

Sometimes you have to forget who you were to remember who you are.

For Sydney Stanton, nothing could be closer to the truth. Suffering from amnesia, Sydney finds herself alone in the middle of O’Hare Airport with no idea how she got there, where she’s headed, or even who she is. Her only clues to her identity are the ticket to Key West in her hand and the items in the backpack slung over her left shoulder.
Halfway around the world, Dr. Jennifer Rekowski, Sydney’s best friend and longtime confidante, holds the key to unlocking Sydney’s memory. But Jennifer, nursing a broken heart and trapped in the middle of a civil war, remains agonizingly out of reach.

This novel is different, but not in a bad way. It’s written in first person point of view, which worked well for this story. It’s a short read that will entertain you for a few hours.

#45 - D. Jackson Leigh – Long Shot

Equine veterinarian Tory Greyson has always played the safe bet. That is, until she runs into a very cute, opinionated, jobless journalist. The small town of Cherokee Falls is just a pit stop for Leah Montgomery while she figures out how to put her career back on track and deal with her grandmother’s slide into dementia. Tory is unable to resist when Leah talks her into putting money on a long shot at the track and then spending the winnings to buy a wild pony. Will Tory take a chance on Leah, too? Or will she stick with the safe bet and pursue Bridgette LeRoy, the calm, Zen-centered artist who arrives to teach at the local college?

This is Jackson Leigh’s second novel, and I could tell that she learned a lot from the first one and improved her writing skills. Long Shot is a solid, entertaining read that starts with a fast-paced, fun first chapter.

#46 - Ann Roberts – Beach Town

Kira Drake lives in the closet to protect her skyrocketing movie career. Controlled by her mother and her domineering agent, Kira’s love life consists of hidden affairs and short liaisons. She is miserable until a location shoot takes her to Ocean Beach, California, an idyllic seaside town. Away from her mother and agent, Kira savors her freedom and is charmed by the liberal locals who seem to embrace everyone.

Flynn McFadden, a veterinary student and surfing instructor, quickly catches Kira’s eye, and the women fall for each other almost immediately. But when Kira’s mother and agent discover their relationship, a plot is hatched to break them apart. Kira soon realizes she must choose between her love for Flynn and the realization of her dream.

I liked the concept of this story — love doesn’t immediately overcome all obstacles. What didn’t really work for me is the point of view Ann Roberts used. Each chapter is told from a different point of view, and even some of the minor characters get a chapter, which made it harder for me to identify with the main characters since we spent little time in their point of view.

#47 - Colette Moody – The Sublime and Spirited Voyage of Original Sin

The Gulf of Mexico, 1702: When pirates of the square-rigger Original Sin steal ashore to abduct a doctor to tend to their wounded, they end up settling for the doctor’s attractive fiancée–Celia Pierce, the town seamstress.

Together with Gayle Malvern, daughter of the wounded pirate captain “Madman” Malvern, Celia becomes a reluctant participant in an unexpectedly thrilling journey through the Caribbean. For Gayle, Celia’s presence is at first a welcome and shapely distraction, but as her attraction to the seamstress deepens, she realizes that Celia comes to mean more to her than is prudent. As Celia and Gayle navigate the perilous territories of gypsies, prostitutes, mercenaries, and slave traders, they forge a partnership born of necessity that Gayle soon hopes will veer away from insurmountable danger–and instead detour directly to her bed.

This one is different from all the other lesbian pirate stories out there. It’s a light, entertaining read with some great dialogue and lots of humor. The author managed not to stop the story by dumping information about the setting on us. The only irritating thing for me was the point of view, which included head hopping and wasn’t very deep — little reflection and no deep insight into the characters’ emotion. But then again, maybe it fits the light feel and quick pace of the novel.

#48 - Beth Moore – Risky Investment

Investment analyst Lynn Gregory was used to taking risks. But even Lynn has her doubts when Matt, her best friend and roommate, asks her to participate in a charade to hide his sexuality from his parents. The plan seemed simple enough – Matt would introduce his friend Chris as his fiancé. All Lynn had to do was back up the story.

The charade seems to be running smoothly as Chris, the straight woman persuaded to pose as Matt’s fiancé, plays her part well. But as the three are thrown closer and closer together, other tensions arise and Lynn is forced to decide if she is willing to make the riskiest investment of all, an investment in which she may lose her heart…

I couldn’t really get into this novel. It goes into backstory on page one (never a good idea), and the constant head hopping irritated me.

#49 - Gabrielle Goldsby – Paybacks

Cameron Howard’s first thought was to toss the invitation to her ten-year high school reunion into the garbage. After all, she spent most of her adult life trying to forget high school–more specifically, her tormentor Mackenzie Bryant. But then, maybe putting her old nemesis in her place is reason enough to show up. Unsuspecting Mackenzie has only one reason for attending the reunion. She wants to look into the eyes of the classmate responsible for getting her expelled weeks before her graduation…and apologize for making Cameron’s life hell.

First, let me say that I really liked Gabrielle Goldsby’s first novel, Wall of Silence. That book had two interesting, complex main characters. Paybacks wasn’t anywhere near as good. It’s a very short read, and the characters acted and reacted in ways that didn’t seem realistic or well-motivated to me.

#50 - The Spanish Pearl – Catherine Friend

When Kate Vincent and her partner travel to Spain, Kate is accidentally transported back in time…way back in time…to 1085. What does a woman like Kate do in a world of no antibiotics, no feminism, no Diet Coke? She denies it as long as possible, then sets her mind to getting home. Tricky with her now useless twenty-first century skills.

Things don’t go well. Kate is captured by a band of mercenary soldiers and becomes an unwitting pawn in the violent conflict between the Catholic kings and the Islamic Moors. In her struggle to stay alive and return to the future, Kate must flee exotic harems, filthy dungeons, and treacherous Moorish courts. But when a sword-brandishing woman with an astonishing secret sweeps into Kate’s life, Kate is suddenly torn between two women, and between two centuries.

This is a well-researched historical romance with rich details. The author managed not to bog down the story by providing clumps of information, and she made good use of the first-person point of view.

50-book challenge IV

#31 - Lindsey Stone – Awakening to Sunlight

Judith Hilford flees from an emotionally abusive relationship and accepts temporary lodging arranged by a friend until she can set her life on a new course. Lizzy Mayfield, a filmmaker who lost her lover three years ago, comes home from a business trip to find Judith and her child unexpectedly living in her apartment.

Lizzy wants nothing more than to be left alone, but as Judith has nowhere else to go, Lizzy allows her to stay. While Judith struggles to create a new life for her daughter and herself, Lizzy is confronted with the vibrancy their presence brings to her emotionally barren existence. As Lizzy and Judith gradually become involved in each other’s lives, they are both forced to confront the ghosts of their pasts.

Lately, there were a number of books dealing with grief and new beginnings. This one is a solid read. Sometimes, the author told when she should have shown, but it’s still an enjoyable read.

#32 - Julie Cannon – Come and Get Me

What would you do if an irresistibly desirable but utterly untouchable woman whispered to you, If you want me, you’ll have to come and get me?

That’s exactly the situation that Elliott Foster, CEO of Foster MacKenzie, finds herself in when she meets the alluring Lauren Collier, Chief Legal Counsel of a Fortune 500 company. Elliott never has a shortage of attractive women willing to share her bed, and she doesn’t care if they are attracted to her or just her money. By her rules, if two women are attracted to each other there’s no reason why they shouldn’t spend the night together–or in some cases, the afternoon. Lauren, intriguing but decidedly off-limits, doesn’t fit the mold and Elliot knows she should walk away. Instead she finds herself in the unusual position of pursuing another woman, and even more disconcertingly…on Lauren’s terms. 

The two main characters fall in lust at first sight, and that sets the tone for this novel. It provides lots of sexual tension and love scenes, but otherwise isn’t very deep.

The author often switched point of view abruptly, sometimes even head hopping every paragraph, and I would have preferred a more consistent point of view.

#33 - Gerri Hill – The Rainbow Cedar

As interior designer Jay Burns watches her long-term relationship slowly unravel, she runs into–literally–landscape designer Drew Montgomery. As their paths cross, both professionally and personally, a friendship develops, one they each try to maintain despite the obvious attraction between them. But still, Jay is not willing to throw away an eight-year relationship, even when it becomes painfully obvious the end is near.

Gerri Hill is an experienced writer, and The Rainbow Cedar is solidly written. It has an interesting theme (infidelity) and some strong dialogue. But I still felt it wasn’t her best work.

#34 - Vicki Stevenson – Family Values

Devastated by the collapse of her long-term relationship, Alice Cruz decides to begin life anew. She moves to a small town, rents an apartment, and establishes a career in real estate. But when she tries to liquidate some of her investments for a down payment on a house, she discovers that she has been victimized by a con artist.

Local resident Tyler Sorensen has a track record of countless affairs without any emotional involvement. Known for her sexy good looks, easygoing kindness, and unique approach to problems, Tyler is asked by a mutual friend to figure out how Alice can recover her money.

While Tyler’s elaborate plan progresses and members of her LGBT family work toward the solution, they discover that the con game involves more people and far higher stakes than they had imagined. As the family encounters unexpected obstacles, Tyler and Alice struggle with a growing emotional connection deeper than either woman has ever experienced.

I didn’t finish this one. The characters aren’t very well-developed, backstory and telling slow down the pace, and the point of view is unclear, so I stopped reading after a few chapters.

#35 - Kenna White – Skin Deep

Jordan Griffin is an attractive and dedicated assistant editor for Northwest Living Magazine. She is given an assignment to track down and interview one-time nationally renowned broadcast journalist, Reece McAllister who has been living a secretive and reclusive life. To get the story, Jordan follows Reece deep into the backwoods of Washington State. To her surprise, Jordan comes away with far more than just a story.

Should she betray a trust or deny her journalistic conscience? Their future together depends on her making the right choice.

This one is a good novel with characters that are nicely developed and three-dimensional. The ending felt a bit rushed, but still it’s an entertaining read with a nice sense of humor.

#36 - Maggie Ryan – The Deal

Laura Kasdan is cruising along as the News Director at the number one television station in Dallas. When a momentary lapse of control almost costs her a stellar career, she makes a deal to save her job and keep a promise and moves to a smaller station, where she meets a charismatic reporter who promises to turn her well-ordered world upside down.

I have to say that I read the Uber/online version of the story, not the published novel. It’s good storytelling and great characters, but the online version was in dire need of a good editor to remove all the character tags (“the news director”…) and participles. Has anyone read the published version?

#37 - Lynne Norris – One Promise

Teresa Parker, a carpenter, and her nephew Brian are struggling to find happiness and peace in their lives after Teresa’s brother and sister-in-law are killed in a tragic accident then shortly thereafter, Teresa’s partner ends their 5-year relationship.

Teresa contracts to build a house for Brian’s first grade teacher, Madeline Geddes, who has moved to New Jersey to reclaim her life after breaking up with her partner. Teresa falls hard for Madeline but feels betrayed and hurt when Madelines ex-girlfriend arrives in town. Madeline must try to regain Teresa’s trust. Can a child’s simple understanding of love and friendship be what they need to bring them back together?

I’d say this one is an average read. It gives a lot of backstory at the beginning, so I struggled a bit to finish it.

#38 - KI Thompson – Heart of the Matter

Ellen Webster, professor of history, can’t help but fantasize about her next door neighbor Kate Foster- after all, she sees her on the evening news every night.

Sexy and smart, Kate is Ellen’s dream girl, but the dynamic TV newscaster doesn’t know she exists. Struggling with a steadily worsening self-image and at a loss as to how to turn her life around, Ellen decides to take time out to finish the book she has always wanted to write. But a rainy night and near-tragedy changes everything when Kate is involved in an automobile accident and turns to Ellen for help. Withdrawing from the world, Kate comes to depend upon Ellen for far more than she realizes-until the day Ellen tells her that she is leaving on sabbatical.

Ellen and Kate’s journey takes them beyond the transitory nature of external beauty and into the heart of what is meaningful in a relationship, the inner beauty of each other.

I’d say this novel isn’t bad, but it’s not outstanding either. It has some interesting ideas and premises and characters who aren’t perfect, which is always a good thing.

#39 - Jennifer Fulton – Saving Grace

Champion swimmer and Olympic hopeful, Dawn Beaumont has been injured in a car crash she caused. Haunted by guilt over the death of a passenger, her career in ruins, her body damaged and scarred, she flees to Moon Island. Scientist Grace Ramsay welcomes her cute new neighbor, imaging Dawn could be a pleasant diversion from her secret mission to evaluate Moon Island for corporate purchase by a chemicals giant looking for a waste dump far from civilization. But Dawn won’t play ball, in fact she denies she is even a lesbian. Beset by troubling nightmares rooted in the past, and increasing ambivalence over her job, Grace sets out to prove otherwise. Meanwhile Annabel Worth, the owner of the island, is determined not to sell her home to a chemicals conglomerate. But then her plane goes down in the Pacific in suspicious circumstances.

This is the second book of the Moon Island series. It’s a solid read, but not outstanding. The ending felt a bit rushed, and some issues are glossed over or resolved “off-screen.”

#40 - Jennifer Fulton – Dark Garden

The Blakes and the Cavenders have been going at it since 1870 and Vienna Blake keeps up the family tradition, gunning for the Cavenders at every opportunity. All the same, she’s shocked when Mason Cavender confronts her in her office and accuses her of murder. Vienna has the stunningly sexual Mason thrown out by security, but she can’t rid herself so easily of her powerful, instant attraction to the woman she’s been groomed since childhood to destroy.

Last in a long line of “Cursed Cavenders,” as the media describes them, Mason has just walked away from the small plane crash that killed her brother. Now in charge of her family’s crumbling business empire, she suspects sabotage and believes beautiful, ruthless Vienna Blake is responsible. Fearing for her life and grieving for her brother, Mason hires a private investigator to get evidence she can take to the police. She is frustrated when the man finds nothing but makes the bizarre suggestion that she hire a psychic to undo the “curse” on her family. He gives her a name. Phoebe Temple. Phoebe’s dreams have always centered on the victims of crimes, but lately they have taken her night after night to the same dark garden where a reclusive, sorrowful woman walks her Doberman. She isn’t surprised when the woman steps from her dreams into her life, asking for help.

Exposing family secrets always comes at a price. With passion and family honor in the balance, Mason is willing to pay her dues. But can she persuade Vienna to accept a truce before it’s too late? Dark Garden brings together two powerful women who must confront the past if they want to seize the future.

Jennifer Fulton can always been counted on for a solid novel, and this one is no exception. But it’s not her best work, and the ending felt rushed after so many years of family feud. And I was puzzled that this is marketed as a paranormal romance. It has very few paranormal elements, but it does have a gothic feel.

50-book challenge III

#21 - Megan Carter – Passionate Kisses

Sara Stockton, Taylor Jenkins, and James Edwards have been best friends since pre-school. Their strong bond earned them the nickname of the Three Musketeers.

When Taylor turned fourteen and announced she was gay, James and Sara stood by her. When James and Sara began dating, Taylor hid her love for Sara and moved on with her life.

Now, fourteen years later, Sara and James are about to be married and Taylor is trying to deal with the upcoming wedding by rushing into a new relationship.

As Sara and James begin to face the truth about their relationship, Sara begins to realize who her love interest really is.

Will Sara and Taylor hide their feelings for each other to protect their friendship or will they realize they can’t run from love?

To tell the truth, I struggled to finish this one and skipped over some parts. We get to spend too little time with Taylor, so the relationship development wasn’t very deep.

#22 - Georgia Beers – Starting From Scratch

What happens when your life takes an unexpected turn?

What happens when you need to protect the one you love from the one you want to love?

What happens when you lose something you never knew you wanted?

Georgia Beers is probably one of the most successful writers of contemporary lesbian fiction. The writing in Starting From Scratch is good, and it’s a solid novel, but for some reason, I thought it was missing a certain “spark” to keep me captivated. For me, the novel had too little conflict and suspense. Maybe that’s just me.

But what I really liked about this book is that it portrayed complex and realistic relationships between the main characters and minor characters. Avery’s grandmother, for example, is not the (stereo-)typical grandmother. She’s not the “huggy” type, and she’s not all-accepting about her granddaughter’s sexual orientation, but she loves Avery.

#23 - Blayne Cooper – Stranded

Rachel Michaels is at the top of her profession, but she’s grown tired of trading barbs with her co-host/ex-husband on their popular morning radio talk show. Eager to stretch her wings, she takes a second job as the color commentator for Denver’s new professional women’s soccer team.

Along with her new job comes an exciting assignment, travel to Venezuela to profile the team’s sizzling star recruit, Miranda Gutierrez. But Rachel begins to long for a little of her old routine when her boss forces her to extend her stay to accompany team big-wig, Nora Butler, and the headstrong player on a “bonding” adventure.

Their journey gets off to a bad start, and things go downhill from there. All three women are tested mentally and physically as they fight for their lives. They must learn to depend on each other, shape their own destinies, and, ultimately, risk everything for what matters most.

What would you do to survive? How much would you risk for love?

I haven’t read a book like this before — it’s almost like the lesbian version of “chick lit.” It’s refreshingly different and an entertaining read. The story has witty dialogue and a strong adventure plot. The ending felt a bit rushed in comparison to the rest of the book, but it’s still a very good read.

This one just won a GCLS award in the category traditional contemporary romance, by the way, and I think it’s well-deserved.

#24 - Frankie J. Jones – Whispers in the Wind

Athletic photographer Dixon Hayes thinks she and her best friend, high school teacher Elizabeth Colter, would make the perfect couple. There’s just one little problem– Elizabeth is only interested sharing a friendship and nothing more.

When events occur on a hiking trip that changes the course of their lives forever, will Dixon be able to find the happiness that she’s wishing for… with or without Elizabeth…

The book tries to do and to be a lot of different things at the same time — time travel, romance, historical fiction… It didn’t really work for me. We meet the love interest relatively late in the story, so there was no time for relationship development.

#25 - Ronica Black – Wild Abandon

Doctor Chandler Brogan’s favorite things start with the letter S: Speed, Sex, and as she soon discovers when a cop pulls her over on her motorcycle for reckless driving—Sarah.

Chandler is a clinical psychologist who focuses on sexual dysfunction, but her professional expertise has never made her personal life any easier. She spends more and more time searching for the ultimate connection, and when she fails, she escapes on her bike. Officer Sarah Monroe enjoys being in control, so much so that she can’t let down her guard enough to achieve the intimacy she secretly craves.

From their first tumultuous meeting, the two women are drawn together in a battle of wills and a fiery sexual dance that neither can turn away from.

Lots of sex scenes, but the plot couldn’t really keep me interested. Also, one of the main characters is a psychologist, and she offers to counsel the woman she slept with. She didn’t quite cross the line, but it was too close for me.

#26 - Val Brown – In the Works

Civil Engineer Anne Schneider and her business partner, Patrick Ford, are struggling to make their new business enterprise, Clearly Perfect Water Systems, successful. They land a contract for a major project involving tainted wastewater from the Big Tree Paper Plant near the tiny town of Wood Mill, southeast of San Francisco. The job requires Anne to be on site for six months, under the watchful eye Adehm Trent, from the plant’s headquarters office in Detroit. Anne takes on the job, despite the fact that it takes her away from her parents in Albuquerque. Her mother’s health is failing badly, and her father relies on Anne to help with her care. Confident she can handle both her personal and her professional responsibilities, Anne heads to Wood Mill, ready to prove to Mr. Trent that Clearly Perfect Water Systems is equal to the task at hand.

One tiny problem… Mister Trent is really Ms. Trent, and not only that, but she’s drop-dead gorgeous, to boot, not to mention a demanding employer. Anne and Adehm find their way to workable relationships, both as colleagues and as something much more satisfying-until Anne’s mother’s condition deteriorates, forcing Anne to choose between fulfilling her obligations to Adehm and Big Tree and returning to Albuquerque to help her parents. In the aftermath of Anne’s choice, Adehm must face old demons that have haunted her for years. Like Anne, she too must decide what really matters in her life. Everything was going so well, but now both Anne and Adehm have to contend with serious derailments of their plans. What will happen to their goals and dreams that were In the Works?

It was fun to read about a German character, and the author got the German sentences right with one small exception. The beginning is relatively slow and I was tempted to skip ahead. Otherwise, a solid read.

I really had to laugh about the name of Anne’s hamsters: she named them Helmut and Angela — probably after Helmut Kohl and Angela Merkel.

#27 - Tracey Richardson – No Rules of Engagement

With wounded soldiers all around her, Major Logan Sharp doesn’t have time to pamper some photographer from stateside. What spare energy she does have goes to worrying what she’ll do when she ships home from Afghanistan. Home–for Logan, the word means nothing. But photographer Jillian Knight is not what she expects, and certainly not what she needs complicating her last tour. Leaving her partner and daughter at home, Jillian Knight is on assignment in Kandahar to record the heroic work of medical units in war zones. She knows it’ll be rough, but Logan Sharp’s dedication and competence is reassuring. Jillian finds herself looking forward to her encounters with the intriguing military doctor, understand that by-the-rules demeanor is a must for surviving in a land where life is cheap.

Under the pressures of danger and conflict, the intense feelings of comrades threaten to overwhelm their good sense, but they follow the rules. After a single heart-stopping kiss, they do the only thing they must–say goodbye. Keeping in touch is not part of the plan,but when their paths cross unexpectedly more than a year later,abiding by the rules is suddenly much harder than they ever expected.

A satisfying read with interesting characters in an interesting setting. The two characters establish a connection that goes deeper than just lust/love at first sight.

#28 - Jane Frances – Training Days

For many, traversing the Australian continent on a long-distance train would be a once in a lifetime opportunity. But for Morgan Silverstone, who travels the globe as anchor presenter for a prime-time Australian travel show, it’s just another few days at the office. Or at least that’s how it seems until she meets Marie, a French backpacker bound for the outback.

Closeted for the sake of her job, Morgan usually restricts her amorous activities for outside Australia. Marie, however, proves hard to resist, especially in the confined space of Morgan’s sleeper compartment.

Will a few hours of unbridled passion be Morgan’s professional undoing? Kitty, Morgan’s long-suffering producer, certainly thinks so, especially since the encounter was overheard by a fellow passenger, found standing outside Morgan’s door…

After Kitty’s quickly arranged ‘damage control’ dinner, the passenger–Ally–no longer appears to be a threat. Not professionally. But could the very appealing architect end up undoing Morgan emotionally? After all, she does have two very unfortunate qualities–one, she’s Australian, and two…she prefers men.

The beginning drags a little, but otherwise pretty solid.

#29 – Meghan O’Brien – Battle Scars star

Returning Iraq war veteran Ray McKenna struggles with battle scars that can only be healed by love.

Ray McKenna returns from the war in Iraq to find that she had attained unwanted celebrity status back home. As the only surviving American soldier of a well-publicized hostage crisis, she is the center of attention at a time when all she wants is solitude. Struggling to overcome the fear and anxiety that plague her, she relies on her psychiatric therapy dog Jagger to help her through the vicious symptoms of PTSD.

Veterinarian Dr. Carly Warner hasn’t yet figured out how to open her heart to the possibility of falling in love again after the death of her longtime partner. When Ray McKenna walks into the North Coast Veterinary Clinic with Jagger, she and Carly begin a friendship that takes them both by surprise. Brought together by their shared love of dogs, Ray and Carly discover that they are both capable of moving forward, if only they are brave enough to try

So far, the best read of the year. The relationship is developed at a nice pace, and the author described Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in a realistic way. And finally, there’s a psychologist in the story who isn’t a jerk, unethical, or incompetent.

I would have loved it if the book were a little longer.

#30 – Karin Kallmaker – Warming Trend

Anidyr Bycall is frozen in her past, regretting words never spoken to the woman she loves and the one impulsive act that cost her all her dreams. Running from the courts of public and academic opinion in Fairbanks, she has landed in Key West. The nights are hot but she is colder than the glaciers she once explored.

Tending bar by night, she spends her days immersed in the research of her only remaining passion in life: the ice fields of Alaska. But trends may be improving when news from home hints that those she harmed may have moved on, and she can at least recover the papers and books she left behind. The respect and affection she once saw in Eve Cambra’s eyes is gone beyond recall.

When a few innocent questions raise Ani’s doubts about what really happened three years ago, she realizes she may have a chance to clear her name and reclaim her career. But there’s no data to prove that Eve has thawed and that the fire they once shared can be rekindled.

This is a solid novel. Karin Kallmaker has been writing for a long time, and it shows. She finds great ways to describe her characters without violating point of view or stopping the plot. I didn’t really like the “It was all just a misunderstanding” plot that separated the main characters years ago, though.

50-book challenge II

#11 - Tracey Richardson – The Candidate

Presidential candidate Jane Kincaid–gorgeous, dynamic and extremely driven–is taking the country by storm, passionately outlining her blueprint for America. Voters quickly fall in love with her… and so, unwittingly, does Secret Service Agent Alexandria Warner.

Their mutual attraction begins to take on a fiery life of its own, and soon Jane fears that their intense feelings for each other are a tinder box that could destroy the landscape of her career… and alter the history of the country.

Jane had always expected the road to the White House would exact a high personal toll. She just never knew how high… until she’s forced to choose between her heart and her political destiny

It’s a solid romance, and I have no major complaints, but sometimes the characters are a bit stereotypical. Still, so far, every book I have read of Tracey Richardson gave me the impression that she’s a reliably good writer.

#12 - Paula Offutt – Butch Girls Can Fix Anything

Kelly Walker is known around town as the Fix-it Lady who can repair just about anything. That’s true, except for the hole in her life left by the death of her lover, Anna. Her fix-it business provides the perfect hideout as she resolves other people’s problems instead of focusing on her own shattered life. Grace Owens, single mother, is determined to stand on her own two feet and make a fresh start for herself and her nine-year-old daughter, Lucy. Lucy has a goal of her own: she wants to master her math homework, and that’s a hard task with a mother who doesn’t understand division. The three meet under a leaky kitchen ceiling. What each has to give, the others need. They must learn when to take risks and when to trust each other. Together, can they find the tools that will allow them to fix what most needs to be rebuilt?

Not perfect, but certainly interesting. Here we have two main characters who don’t look like supermodels.

#13 - Jove Belle – Split the Aces

In the neon glare of Sin City, two women ride a wave of passion that threatens to consume them in a world of fast money and fast times.

It’s lust at first sight for blackjack dealer Rae Sutherland and conventioneer Cori Romero. Rae wants more from life than the constant shuffling of cards in a smoke-filled casino, but for now, she revels in the excesses of life and appreciates the never-ending parade of women at the tables. Cori is looking for something besides her day-to-day grind and aching for a new adventure, but doesn’t expect to find it on the Vegas strip. Fueled by the encouragement of friends and Captain Morgan, she auditions for a singing gig and her path inevitably crosses Rae’s. In spite of themselves, their relationship develops into something deeper than the initial intoxication of attraction, but both wonder if it’s worth the gamble.

Maybe it’s a personal preference for longer books, but I thought there was too much sex and too little character development. It’s part of Bold Strokes Book’s Matinee romances, and I’m learning to avoid them since they don’t have enough “substance” for my liking.

#14 - Diana Tremaine Braund – Wicked Good Time

As a cop, she was trained to take control of every situation. As a woman, she couldn’t control her runaway heart.

Fleeing her painful past, Christina Reynolds hopes to find peace by moving to an isolated house in rural Maine. But the solitude she sought so desperately is soon disturbed by suspicious noises, crank calls, and signs of trespassing. When the local police write the incidents off as products of an overactive female imagination, the distraught Christina turns to Forest Ranger Miki Jamieson for help.

The first woman in her agency to make sergeant, Miki is unmatched when it comes to tracking poachers and dealing with the dangers of life in the wilderness. But dangers of the heart are another matter, for beneath Miki’s six-foot tall, rugged exterior is a shy, sensitive women who has opened up to few people and trusts even fewer. As the threats escalate, the frightened Christina seeks the safe refuge of Miki’s arms. But does Christina only need her as a protector… or want her as a lover?

The story had potential, but it was badly edited with a lot of typos and spelling or punctuation mistakes. Also, the mystery subplot wasn’t very strong.

I wonder who wrote the backcover blurb for this book. It amazed me how little the description of Miki in the backcover blurb resembles the Miki that I found in the story. In the novel, Miki isn’t shy or slow to trust at all.

#15 - Kim Baldwin – Breaking the Ice

Nothing is easy about life above the Arctic Circle. Except, perhaps, falling in love.

Bryson Faulkner embraces the challenges that come with making a home in one of the most beautiful but unforgiving places on earth: the isolation of the endless wilderness, the harsh and unpredictable climate, the predators that lurk about her remote cabin, and even the most perilous dangers of all–those that await her when she takes to the skies as one of Alaska’s most daring bush pilots. The only thing missing is a special woman to share it all with, but she’s resigned herself to the fact that few people can thrive in such an extreme environment.

Everything Karla Edwards thought she knew gets called into question when a series of events turns her comfortable and well-ordered life on its ear. Her partner leaves her, her mother dies, and Karla learns she has a sister in Alaska she never knew. She takes a leave of absence from her job as an ER nurse in Atlanta and heads to the far north, seeking answers and adventure. She finds all that and more when she crosses paths with a sexy bush pilot who opens her eyes to new possibilities. But can she open her heart as well and learn to trust again?

It was a solid romance, but not a perfect one. The last third of the book felt rushed — Karla went from not liking Bryson and Alaska to falling in love with them a bit too fast for me.

#16 - Meghan O’Brien – Thirteen Hours

Can you fall in love in thirteen hours?

It’s her birthday but lonely workaholic Dana Watts is at the office late, drafting a proposal. The very last interruption she expects comes in the form of the most beautiful breasts she has ever seen. These belong to an incredibly hot woman, who is standing in front of her, stripping to music.

Laurel Stanley performs strip-o-grams to pay her way through school. She has never encountered a more ungrateful recipient than Dana. The uptight project manager makes it clear that she is furious to be distracted from her work by the “gift” a colleague sent and equally appalled by Laurel’s occupation.

After Dana is rude and insulting, and insists on escorting Laurel from the building, the two women take an elevator ride that changes everything. Stuck with each other for thirteen long hours after the elevator breaks down, they discover how wrong first impressions can be and how right two strangers can feel together.

Can everything change in less than a day? Dana and Laurel set out to discover if their passionate elevator encounter can mean more in this fast-paced, erotic story of lust, loneliness, fantasy, and desire.

I like most of what Meghan O’Brien has written, and this story isn’t badly written either. But it’s different from her other stories. It starts with a clever first sentence and an interesting first meeting, and it has some great dialogue, but the rest was too much sex and too little plot for me. If you are in the mood for hot love scenes, I recommend it, otherwise, read “Battle Scars.”

#17 - Lynn Galli – Full Court Pressure

When Graysen Viola moves across the country to coach a college basketball team, she thought the hardest part of her job would be establishing a winning record. Being wrong has never been so challenging. A misunderstanding puts her in the unique position of coaching the men’s team, which is struggling just to be competitive. The last thing this team wants or thinks it needs is a female coach. Together they must find a way to understand and trust each other in order to succeed. Complicating matters is the lovely and persistent volleyball coach, Darby Evan, a former crush from their college days. Graysen isn’t sure starting a relationship with a colleague amidst her job turmoil is the wisest idea, but feelings rarely follow practicality. If she can figure out how to handle a team that disapproves of her, then dealing with an unexpected love life should be a breeze by comparison. Or so she hopes.

Lynn Galli can always be counted on for a good story. I buy each and every one of her books without even reading the summary. This one is written in first person POV, which I normally don’t like. I make an exception for Lynn Galli’s books. Full Court Pressure is good and I recommend it, but it’s not her best novel. The author spent so much time on showing Graysen in a doomed relationship that it allows for less time to focus on her later love interest.

#18 - Gill McKnight – Falling Star

Solley Rayner hopes a few weeks with her family will help heal her shattered dreams, but she hasn’t counted on meeting a woman who stirs her heart. With her marriage in crisis, Solley Rayner brings her children to her sister Janie and partner Marsha’s beach house for a much-needed summer break. But all hopes of rest and relaxation are interrupted when a movie stunt crew arrives to film a blockbuster in the bay. Professional stuntwoman Gin Ito, a paparazzi favorite rumored to be a killer in bed, heads up the team of daredevils. When Gin literally drops into Solley’s life, how could the lonely young mother’s interest not be piqued? And as for Gin Ito, what private pain draws her inexorably toward the small family and the woman who protects it with the fierceness of a lioness?

A really short read, and it shows. It had no deep character or relationship development. Toward the end, it seemed more like a parody. If you want to read one of Gill McKnight’s books, I recommend Ambereye instead.

#19 - C.P. Rowlands – Collision Course

Brie O’Malley, successful author and college professor, isn’t sure if she believes in destiny in a universe where a random act of violence extinguished her happy-ever-after. The life she had, the woman she loved, the future she was planning for, were stolen from her the day she and her lover were shot. The only survivor, Brie has “recovered” two years later, at least that’s how it seems to others. She is dedicated to her work, volunteering in the community, and researching her next historical novel. Yet she hasn’t laughed since the tragedy. Until the day she meets Jordan.

Skateboarding to show her two kids how an expert does it, Jordan Carter can’t believe her bad luck when she collides with beautiful blond Brie and meets her later at the hospital. A carpenter and partner in the family business, Jordan has also struggled to pull her life together after a tragedy.

Neither woman is looking for or expects a second chance at love but each must make a decision about the past that will open a door to the future.

This is a pretty good romance that deals with grief and falling in love again. The author gives enough backstory to make us share the characters’ grief, but the backstory doesn’t take over the book. I liked Collision Course better than CP Rowland’s first novel, and that wasn’t badly written either.

#20 - Karin Kallmaker – Stepping Stone

Motion picture producer Selena Ryan has the impossible: Fame and fortune and her integrity. Her reputation for playing fair in an industry rife with games has earned her respect from other producers, writers, and actors.

She’s learned the lesson that plenty of people would like to use her to get what they want–a starring role or some other way into the movies. Most of them feel no obligation to return any favors she might give. Burned badly by actress Jennifer Lamont, who used her and left her with a devastating aftermath, she’s wary of everyone related to the industry.

Surrounded by gatekeepers to keep the hopeful at bay, aspiring starlets have tried every trick in the book to make Selena’s acquaintance. When Gail Welles literally lands in Selena’s lap, she suspects another ploy. Jennifer’s sudden announcement that Selena is still her one-and-only is equally ill-timed and suspect. Selena wants everyone to leave her alone, even if that means living without love.

A solid romance with good character development. The characters are non-stereotypical, and they don’t fall in love at first sight. A satisfying read, but not one of my favorites.

A word of warning, though: there are a lot of typos and other mistakes (even a wonderful dangling participle that made me chuckle), and twice, she even changes her character’s name from “Selena” to “Serena.”

50-book challenge I

Some readers in groups like lesfic_unbound are participating in the 50-book challenge this year, and since I’ve reached # 50 a while ago, I thought I’d share my reading list of 2010.

The summaries are not mine; they’re from the author’s or publisher’s Web site. The comments in blue are mine.

#1 – Gerri Hill – The Scorpion

Poking a sleeping bear with a sharp stick is foolish. Marty Edwards is about to be very foolish.

Investigative reporter Marty Edwards has found her niche: cold cases. She loves pouring over old notes, hunting down long-forgotten witnesses, and digging down through the layers of an unsolved murder case. But this time, Marty is digging where someone obviously doesn’t want her. And that someone might also include the Brownsville Police Department. Why else would they assign Detective Kristen Bailey to baby-sit her?

Barely surviving two attempts on her life, Marty abandons Brownsville and the case. Danger follows her as the case turns red hot. With Detective Bailey along for protection, they race along the Gulf Coast, neither knowing who, if anyone, they can trust. The hardest part is learning to trust each other before it’s too late for their hearts–and their lives.

I like most of Gerri Hill’s novels, and this one is a good read with really interesting characters. Some parts of the plot seemed a bit unrealistic to me, but I still enjoyed this novel.

It won a well-deserved GCLS award in the category romantic suspense.

#2 – Marianne K. Martin – Love in the Balance

Accountant Connie Bradford feels her life is changing for the better. Riding high on the crest of a huge promotion, she has finally ended the unsatisfying relationship with her boyfriend. Everything is moving in logical transition. Until she meets Kasey Hollander. . .Carpenter Kasey Hollander lives a life of work-centered exclusion. Owner of a successful renovation company she hires Connie to handle her books, and the two quickly hit it off. Since her ex-lover left her hurt and humiliated, Kasey has been determined to play it safe as far as relationships go — and what could be safer than a platonic friendship with a straight woman?

A lesbian and a straight woman become friends and then fall in love. A solid romance.

#3 - Marianne K. Martin – Legacy of Love

What was it about Sage Bristo that drew women to her? Maybe it was the tall, toned body and androgynous good looks. Perhaps they liked her confidence — her movements and manner so sure and decisive. Or was it the air of mystery, the temptation of a challenge to unravel? Sage couldn’t explain the attraction, but she had certainly benefited from it, at least physically. Women would do anything for her. But never the woman she needed the most — the one woman who could lead her through the realm of desire, to the one thing she desires most.

Good novel with a strong main character. I could relate to Sage’s respect for the elderly women in her life.

#4 – SX Meagher – The Legacy

The good news is that you’ve just been given a guest house in a great gay and lesbian resort area. The bad news is that your mother, who gave you away at birth, left it to you in her will.

Noel wants to sell her gift as soon as possible. But when she makes a few trips down to Rehoboth Beach before putting it on the market she’s convinced that she’d get a much better price if she made some repairs.

Enter Toni, handywoman extraordinaire and noted ladykiller. As Noel gets more involved in repairing the house she finds she’s more interested in the renovator than the renovations. Toni is just the kind of woman who gets her motor running.

But there are so many complications: they live in different states, Toni’s in no hurry to settle down, and Noel’s still stinging from her recent breakup. But when she and Toni are alone, they can’t keep their hands off each other. Noel wishes she could just sell the place and walk away. But when she lies in bed and looks into  Toni’s eyes, she realizes just how hard that will be.

It’s not my favorite SX Meagher novel, but still enjoyable

#5 - Jordan Falconer – Knight Predator

Carlisle Crowley is a striking, beautiful vampire hell-bent on living her undead life to the fullest. The last thing she needs hanging around her is Bronwyn Hunter, a seventeen-year-old love-struck human girl. As Crowley struggles to reconcile her blood-thirsty instincts with her human past, Bronwyn proves to be an insightful and steadfast ally. When Crowley’s dark and mysterious past comes back to haunt her, the pair embark on a journey of self discovery that tests their relationship to the limit.

A vampire story. I’m sorry to say that the plot couldn’t really capture my interest. I stopped reading halfway through.

#6 - Blayne Cooper / SX Meagher / KG MacGregor – Undercover Tales

Undercover Tales is a trilogy of complimentary works penned by three authors with very distinctive styles. Stories range from melt-the-pages erotica, to humor-laced romance, to twist-filled adventure… all with a touch of mystery.

Three (or rather four) not-so-short short stories. I enjoyed Narc and Quicksand most.

#7 - Lynn Ames / Georgia Beers / JD Glass / SX Meagher / Susan Smith – Outsiders

What happens when you take five beloved, powerhouse authors, each with a unique voice and style, give them one word to work with, and put them between the sheets together, no holds barred? Magic!!

Enjoyable short stories whose main characters are “outsiders” in very different ways. I enjoyed the stories from Lynn Ames and Susan Smith best.

This collection of short stories just won a GCLS award.

#8 - Robbi McCoy – Waltzing at Midnight:

First crush, first passion, first love.

Trying to fill the empty places left by children going to college, Jean Davis decides to get out of the house and volunteer in the local mayoral campaign. It soon becomes obvious – though not to Jean – that she has a major crush on the candidate, Rosie Monroe.

Thrilled by the excitement of politics and strangely flustered every time Rosie calls on her for help, Jean has never felt more alive. Rising to every challenge with newfound passion, she surprises everyone, including her husband, by flourishing under the stress of the hard-fought campaign.

When dirty tricks by the other side damage Rosie’s reputation at the worst possible moment, Jean finally realizes that her feelings are not entirely about the thrill of the job. Two decades of doing what was expected of her are abruptly turned upside down, and she realizes she may just be in love – for the first time in her life.

A romance about two mature women. I’m usually not too fond of first person POV, but it worked for this novel. It’s a solid novel, but probably not one I’ll re-read.

#9 - Gill McKnight – Goldenseal

When Amy Fortune returns to her childhood home, she discovers something sinister in the air—but is former lover Leone Garoul stalking her or protecting her?

Amy Fortune and Leone Garoul were teenage lovers. Now, years later, Amy returns to Little Dip, the Garoul home valley to help her aunt finish a botanical project. Except Little Dip is no longer the happy place of Amy’s childhood memories. There’s something sinister in the woods. And why hasn’t Leone moved on? Why does she still dog Amy’s every move?

As more and more of the Garoul family arrive for a special hunting weekend, parts of the puzzle come together and Amy’s fears escalate as she moves closer to the truth—and the secret that has eluded her since childhood.

Not a bad story, but the character development wasn’t deep enough for me and there’s a sex scene that comes too close to being non-consensual and it’s never addressed by the characters.

#10 – Gill McKnight – Ambereye

Hope Glassy loves her job at Ambereye, Inc., despite having Jolie Garoul as her new boss.

Jolie is a moody workaholic. She is awkward, contrary, and on occasion just plain mean. Hope is hardworking, popular, and in recovery from a serious illness. She doesn’t need a bizarre boss. She doesn’t need office politics. And she doesn’t need to work over Thanksgiving either. Nevertheless, that’s what she and Jolie end up doing in Little Dip, home of the Garoul clan.

An important meeting brings them to the valley where it’s assumed Jolie has brought her chosen mate to meet her pack. Much to her consternation Jolie finds she likes this idea, but Hope has no time for romance. She is eager to get her life, health, and career back on track, nothing more. Jolie is determined to change her mind, but how does a lycanthrope woo a human? A small and super-efficient, bossy boots human at that?

I enjoyed this one much more than the first in the series, and it can be read as a standalone. The characters are better developed, and the author captured my interest from the beginning by making me curious about the characters and not revealing too much too soon. Also, there were some really funny scenes. One of the best reads of 2010 so far.

Things I liked in lesbian fiction

Yesterday, I blogged about the common mistakes I find in lesbian fiction. Since I don’t want you to think I’m seeing just the negative things, here’s a list of what I liked in the thirty-six lesfic novels I read in 2010.

You can click on the covers for more information on the books.

Fresh, beautiful language and vivid descriptions in “Barking at the Moon” by Nene Adams. Examples: superman blue pickup truck. Or: Hennaed hair teased as high as gravity and industrial-strength hairspray allowed.




A psychologist who’s neither unethical nor incompetent in “Battle Scars” by Meghan O’Brien. The book also describes posttraumatic stress disorder in a realistic way.




The funniest read so far has been “Ambereye” by Gill McKnight. The first chapters have a continuing struggle over an office chair that is hilarious.






Characters who don’t look like supermodels in “Butch Girls Can Fix Anything” by Paula Offutt.






Good use of sound words (The blip blip blip of a heart monitor. The rhythmic rap rap rap of windshield wipers) in “Wicked Good Time” by Diana Tremaine Braund.






A great opening sentence in “Thirteen Hours” by Meghan O’Brien. (At approximately seven o’clock of the evening of her twenty-eighth birthday, during an otherwise uneventful Friday night at the office, Dana Watts was confronted by the most perfect pair of naked female breasts she’d ever seen). The way she teases us by delaying the main clause is very fitting for a novel starring a stripper.




An interesting novel about grief and new love: “Collision Course” by CP Rowlands.






A refreshingly different book that read like the lesbian version of chick lit: “Stranded” by Blayne Cooper.






A clever way to describe the POV character’s looks without violating point of view in “Warming Trend” by Karin Kallmaker. Kallmaker uses plot and dialogue to describe her main character (Black-eyed girls with mops of inky hair never got away with anything – at least that was her experience. … “I like Slavic looks on a woman. Tall, dark, and moody.”)




An interesting first sentence that made me want to read on in “No Rules of Engagement” by Tracey Richardson (Jesus, don’t tell me I’m going to die before I even get there.)




A complex relationship of the main character with a minor character, her grandmother, in “Starting from Scratch” by Georgia Beers.






A German main character who named her hamsters Angela and Helmut in “In the Works” by Val Brown. Did anyone else catch that little joke?




Three-dimensional characters and a wonderful relationship development in “Silent Legacy” a.k.a. “Glass Houses” by Ciaran Llachlan Leavitt. I recently re-read it. Guess which main character is my favorite?




So, what were the things you liked about the lesfic novels you read this year?

common mistakes in lesbian fiction

Some readers on lesfic_unbound are participating in the fifty books challenge to see if they can read fifty (lesbian fiction) novels in 2010. I just finished my number 36, and there are a few mistakes I see over and over again.

I’m not saying that you’ll find these mistakes just in lesbian fiction. I’m also not saying that I never committed any of these mistakes (I wish!). But they’re what I most often notice in lesbian fiction and what pulls me out of the story for a moment, so they’re on my list of things to look for when I revise and edit my own novels.

So here’s my list of annoying mistakes that I often found in the thirty-six lesfic novels I read this year. I’m replacing character names with X/Y.

1. POV violations. I talked about that in a previous blog post. A few of those 36 novels mentioned the “light brown eyes” or “thick blond hair” of the POV character within the first paragraph of the novel. Another book had sentences like this one: “Standing inside my doorway was a fairly tall…” And in the next sentence, it turned out that this fairly tall man is a good friend of the POV character.
2. Constant head hopping. The majority of lesfic novels happily switches point of view in mid-scene, some of them every paragraph.
3. The author stops the story cold to tell us the backstory of the character, sometimes even on the very first page (“X had grown up in this town…“).
4. The relationship development is sometimes just too fast for me. In some novels, they go from bickering to being in love within a few pages.
5. Telling instead of showing. I blogged about this before. This includes naming emotions instead of describing visceral reactions or body language, e.g., “she felt angry.“
6. In some novels, the opening drags. They start with a character sitting and thinking. I’ve even seen a story that starts with description of the weather.
7. Too many flashbacks. Some even have flashbacks within the first chapter, when we’re not yet anchored in the here and now of the story.
8. Overusing participles, sometimes even using two or three in one sentence. Often, participles are even used for sequential actions, e.g., Rushing up the stairs, she threw open the door. Unless she has very, very long arms, that’s just not possible.
9. Overusing “as,” sometimes even for sequential actions, e.g., She threw open the door as she rushed up the stairs. Not possible either.
10. Dangling participles or other dangling modifiers. Here are a few examples that made me chuckle. Slipping into bed, X was still on Y’s mind (The character slipping into bed was Y, not X). Tugging at it again, it refused to budge. And my favorite one: As a child, her father had driven them… (I hope her father wasn’t driving as a child!). This one is from the first draft of Hidden Truths: After cleaning the cabin all morning, the cool rain felt refreshing.
11. Using character tags such as “the other woman” to refer to the characters. One novel even used “the cop” during a love scene.
12. Overuse of adjectives and adverbs. In one novel, I counted 12 adjectives in the opening paragraph.
13. Overusing dialogue tags other than “said,” e.g., she excitedly exclaimed.
14. Using “she smiled” or “she chuckled” or “she sighed” as a dialogue tag.
15. Mixing up “lie” and “lay,” e.g., she lay them on the table.
16. Amazingly many authors have a problem distinguishing between “onto” and “on to” and between “into” and “in to.” One third of those thirty-six novels had at least one “held onto” or “grabbed onto.” One used “She went into change.“
17. Almost as many authors use “like” and “as if” as if (no pun intended) they were interchangeable. Example: It looked like she blinked.
18. A personal pet peeve of mine: One book had a psychologist who offered to counsel a woman she’d slept with. I don’t even have coffee with my clients. I know there are some black sheep, psychologists who don’t shy away from having affairs with clients or former clients, but they don’t make for likable main characters.
19. Spelling mistakes. I don’t mind one or two spelling mistakes in a novel. But when I’m stumbling across them on every page, it gets annoying. The uncrowned queen of spelling mistakes is definitely Bella Books.
20. I don’t know how to categorize it, but my favorite sentence was this one: “She would have had to have seen to it that…” Wow. It makes me laugh every time.

I’m not searching for things like that when I read. Honestly. They just jump out at me.

So, what are your pet peeves or things that you often notice when you read?