Age of Aquarius - Sofia Antonia Milone

"The dawning of love"

This novella, set in 1960s New York tells the unlikely romance of two polar opposite women -  artist Charlotte and art critic Rachel.

Both women are appealing and flawed, and end up working together despite their instinctive dislike of each other.

As they get to know each other, their intense dislike turns into a different kind of intensity and lust wins out, with some passionate sex scenes to follow.

As their relationship twists and turns, an unexpected family tragedy on Charlotte's side sets the course for the two women's future together (or not!)

Accessible, saucy, passionate, this novella brings to life free love in 1960s America, the birth of social change and the routes women were able to choose for the first time.

Get your copy: 

• Download the PDF for free
• For a signed version, send the author a message

 View the trailer:
 
By Katie

Gretel: A Fairytale retold

Genre: Fantasy/Fairytale
Number of pages or word count: 12,400 words
eBook Smashwords: http://alturl.com/uzi9h
Paperback Lulu: http://alturl.com/ab9eq

This quirky but poignant tale flips traditional fairy tale monster narrative into a equality based morality tale with a lesbian twist. And with many relevancies for how things are for LGBT people today sadly. Along the lines of Angela Carter's 'The bloody Chamber'...

A likeable story about self-discovery, true love, and bigotry - and how to overcome all of that. A quick read, but packed full of detail and meaning and where the only thing to fear is discrimination, rather than mystical entities.

The Saz Martin series by Stella Duffy

To celebrate the release of the Saz Martin series as e-books some 19 years after the original publication of the first in ther series, I have had the pleasure of re-reading the books and th opportunity to talk about them here.

The first of the series, Calendar Girl, released in 1994, introduces us to Saz - an unconventional, London native PI who has difficulty separating work from her personal life. Meaning she goes all in for her client, meaning at times it's hard to wonder why new girlfriend Molly (who turns up in the second book) would stay with her and support her. It is also Duffy's first published novel.

With a story line that crosses the Atlantic - as many future stories in the series will, a narrative style that contains as many twists and turns as the plot, and a heroine as fallable as the rest of us (but perhaps more resourceful and more determined), Duffy is clearly setting out her stall to create her own genre, combining detective- female - noir - lesbian elements into something new. She drops in some information throughout the story, but the hook is, not enough of the pieces - with the gaps making their presence strongly felt - until the very end when it's been obvious all along how they would fit together not unlike the lesbian scene conveyed in the intricate story line.

Wavewalker takes us back across the Atlantic and delving into history, and into much deeper danger for Saz, as she once again follows trouble from London to the USA. Trouble in the form of the "bad guy" revered as a public hero, but for whom there is no clear evidence to prove otherwise. That's Saz's job. 

In the mean time, she's met Molly and is trying to establish a new relationship. Pretty challenging with thousands of miles between you. 

Saz's determination helps drive the plot forward and even though we know it's all going to work out in the end, it's not clear at all how Saz is going to make it happen - gripping stuff!

As the series develops, each novel more mature in the  last, reflecting the development of Saz and Molly's relationship, we are taken on new, inventive journies that present complex detective stories with psychological resonances - childhood bullying, psychosis and infidelity. The novels deliver direct insight into the villian's point of view, offering a contrast to our fair heroine, and debate the moral code - what is right might not always be right in context.

Published by Serpents' Tail, available at e-book retailers, RRP £3.99

By Katie

But She's My Student & Instigations (the Kat and Freya series) by Kiki Archer

"Feel good lesbian romance"

It's not very often we get lesbian romance stories with a happy ending, and that is what Kiki Archer offers us through these two journeys of Kat and Freya's relationship as it blossoms from a kiss in a nightclub to a lifetime of happiness.

Told in typical chick-lit style, a genre that is traditionally weak for lesbian audiences, the two novels are a good romp through the ups and downs life can throw at relationship, including dealing with some of the key problems many of us will know about: coming out, institutional and social homophobia, parents who don't quite get it, friends and their dramas. It's all here as well as a little contraversy to start off the story.

The central characters are warm and likeable, and you can't help root for the happy ending they deserve after always doing the right thing throughout the novels.

These novels are ideal for escapist fun, holiday reads. Download your copies before you hit the sun this summer!


Available in e-format, you can buy the books for just a few pounds here:

• But She is My Student (Winner of the SoSo gay award 2012)
• Instigations

Book Review: Leap by Z Egloff

Published: March 2013, Bywater Press. Available in paperback and e-book format

It's the start of Summer 1979 and Rowan Marks is in what should be the start of a carefree yawning gulf between high school graduation and College starting.

However, it turns on its head and becomes a summer of discovery, of past secrets, self identification, sex and first love.

LEAP is a well written coming-of-age novel set in that mysterious yet exotic small-town American summer. Rowan is the cool girl - the one we would have all been in love with at high school - smart, progressive, spunky and a lesbian. She prides herself on building a wall around her inner-most self, but we as readers are invited in behind the scenes, and soon newcomer Cathering dismantles the bricks one by one as well, planting herself in Rowan's heart. 

This is the kind of novel I've been waiting for - well written, imagery that speaks to the soul, and a coming-of-age story I can relate to on the surface as well as underneath. Rowan is a delightful character - not perfect, but real. The kind of 18-year-old we all wish we could have been. 

As lesbian, coming-of-age and coming out literary fiction this book stands out as one of the best.

By Katie
 

Book Review: The Path Not Chosen - QC Masters

When I first begun reading The Path Not Chosen my heart sank. Good Christian girl going to University didn’t seem to be a good start for any book. Was this going to be yet another lesbian novel with poor writing and an uninspiring plot development? Luckily it transpired that I had judged too harshly, too quickly, and by the time the lesbian scenes had started I was hooked. This novel is a believable portrayal of a new relationship with all of its sex, drama and pitfalls.

Paige is a modest and wholesome girl from a farming village, heading to University for the first time. With her ambitions set on studying medicine, she’s also hoping to meet a nice boy with whom to fall in love. She doesn’t just want to date however, as while not necessarily waiting for her wedding night, the virginal Paige is at least waiting for love and the prospect of marriage.

Her first day in the dorm sees her meet her new roommate Alyssa, the girl who is everything Paige is not - Beautiful, athletic and attractive to boys, yet also sweet and vulnerable. A rare medical disorder has made her a target for bullies and her looks have attracted bad behaviour from men. Alyssa is a source of fascination to Paige and they are soon best friends.

After Alyssa comes home in tears after being treated badly by a date, Paige realises her feelings are more than just friendly. Tormented by the sin of her feelings and overwhelmed with lust for Alyssa, Paige seeks out her local pastor for advice. A kindly man, he nonetheless points her towards ex-gay therapy to save her from becoming a sinner. Luckily Paige is in an environment with other intelligent adults and, after confessing all to her professor, is assured that same-sex longings are no threat to her inherent heterosexuality. Buoyed by her professor’s words and consumed by love, Paige decides to declare her feelings to Alyssa.

This is an interesting book as the developing relationship between Alyssa and Paige is well written and clearly based on real-life experiences. While being young and and full of hope, their relationship is not perfect, with their individual demons eventually impacting on their love. There are a lot of gratuitous sex scenes, which is fantastic considering sex is often whitewashed out in lesbian novels. What’s not so fabulous is the authors biased view of the lesbian scene around the two girls. When I came out and entered the lesbian scene, I gained friendship, lovers, support and family from the lesbians around me. Paige and Alyssa however, seem to immediately fall in with bullies, swingers, adulterers, and radical feminists. It’s an unnecessary stain in what could have been a rewarding lesbian novel.

I would recommend The Path Not Chosen as it’s a well put together portrayal of both first love, and despite both parties best intentions, how a relationship can slowly fall apart.

Review by Ida Raine

Book review: Binding Devotion - Kiki Archer

"Having it all...what's the price?"

Available to purchase from Smashwords for $4.99 (e book)

The perfect job, the perfect marriage and the perfect result in the campaigning fight. Or is all as it seems?

Set during the very recent and ultra topical campaign for equal marriage, high profile, glamorous, smart, Andi Armstrong, CEO of a leading LGBT campaigning organisation - public figure, voice for equal marriage is doing her best to win success and equal marriage. Women want to be like her AND be with her. Well, most women....

She's successfully married - well Civil Partnered - herself.  Loyal wife, but loyal to the cause, can she balance the two things and see it all through? Can she balance everything with new friends and new challenges? 

Being the public face of the campaign has its risks - not everyone wants equal marriage nor agrees with Andi. 

This book explores what things that look perfect from the outside, might actually feel like from the inside. Conviction, passion, temptation, desire and great sex scenes to boot. The story is gripping and the characters are easily imagineable within the London LGBT community.   

It explores what "having it all" might mean, and the challenges lesbians face even with the political actually goes our way. Having equality does not mean everyone will be perfect and relationships are still hard work and compromise - and don't always work out how people think they will. 

With a suprising twist, this book keeps the reader guessing  to the very end, whilst wrapping everything up in a pleasing way.

Fun, flirty, sexy, surprising - it's a good bit of escapism. Set in London, it's a little too detailed on the realism of living, working and travelling around London for my liking, but it definitely creates a picture you'll find easy to recognise.

By Katie