Betrayal: Abby’s Guilt by Sofia Velardi

One for your reading list...

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Abigail & Kyle have been together for almost three years; they met at a freshman orientation session and have been inseparable ever since. 

Abby knows everything there is to know about Kyle apart from anything to do with his older sister Brianna. All she knows is that Brianna ran away from home when she was 18 and that Kyle doesn’t seem to like her very much. Abby finally gets to meet Brianna when she is in town for an audition and her life changes forever.

I really liked this story because it constantly kept me guessing. Why doesn’t Kyle seem to like his sister? Will Abby & Brianna ever meet? What will Abby find out? And more but I don’t want to say too much on that for fear of giving too much away. 

The book is very well written and the characters thoughts & feelings are portrayed very well. When Abby tries to speak to Kyle about Brianna, after the first meeting, about seeing her again, Kyle’s reaction is not pleasant. This really made me feel sorry for both Abby & Brianna, I wanted them to meet again just to spite Kyle, that and the fact I wanted to know why Kyle didn’t want him or Abby seeing her again.

The end of the book makes me want to know more and again raises more questions. Will Abby see Brianna again? Will Kyle find out? And if so what will his reaction be? I will definitely be adding the next two books in the series to my reading list & I suggest you do too.

Get your copy here: Amazon (£1)

By Amy

How will I Know? "When you Know" by Kiki Archer

The highly anticipated sequel to One Foot Onto the Ice reviewed.

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This is the sequel to Archer's recent One Foot Onto the Ice, picking up almost immediately after where the first novel left off, however with the twist that this novel is set back in England, and for much of the time Jenna and Susan are long distance.

A week has passed for Jenna and Susan and love is still very much in the air, the women have committed to making it work but as Jenna returns to France to hit the slopes. but it's not going to be plain sailing. From the farcical airport-dildo opening scene, we know there's hurdles to be faced.

Susan's insecurities go into overdrive as social media means she hears tidbits of rumours, fuelled by trouble makers taking compromising photos, and by the tedious Marcus winding up Susan whom he is still trying to seduce.

Will Jenna succumb to a tempting sexy seductress? Will Susan learn to trust Jenna to be true to her word?

Making the most of a modern day long distance relationship, with sexy scenes that traverse thousands of miles through cyber space, the story is very much of the here and now.

Whilst hoping that the two women can work things out, overcome stirrers and teething problems, coupled with an incredible amount of patience from Jenna, will the happy ending come to fruition?

And with an unexpected twist at the end of novel, we wonder what could be in store next for our favourite Kiki Archer characters?

Available: Amazon Kindle from £3.39

 

By Katie

 

 

'Say Something' by Jade Winters

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For all those lovers who never forgot their first love. 

The deep scars of childhood angst and tribulations run deep for childhood lovers Jessie and Toni. 

When they reconnect after ten years and a gulf of tension between them, the question is can they overcome their past together, and their individual baggage to end up together?

This book explores some intense experiences of classroom bullying, emotional abuse, familial death and some of the possible consequences of these, through the developing relationship of Jessie and Toni, who are drawn together in a way neither can ignore.


Two strong female leads blend together in romance, friendship and possibly more, in this story that leads a windy, twisty path to a happy conclusion.

Available: Kindle Edition (£3.00) from Amazon

By Katie

Little Whispers (Short Story collection) by Karen Campbell

Little Whispers by Karen Campbell
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This lovely collection of short stories combines heart with a range of interesting characters, and a common thread of fond retrospect. A few are picked out below...

The first story Voices Carry opens the conversation, as an older woman takes a train journey that transports her into the past, remembering a special love. 

Silent Love conveys the challenges but rewards of a relationship that friends and family find it difficult to accept, however from the point of view that adds an extra twist to the tale. 

Forever Lost conveys the beauty of a lifetime of love and a well-weathered relationship that fades into all but memory as dementia sets in for one partner. Something that could sadly be a horribly-familiar story for couples that go the distance. 

Buy a copy on Amazon (from £1.86)

By Katie 

'Jess' by Pauline George

An interesting debut, this writer shows promise, Pauline has based her book around Jess a 'love them and leave them' type of lesbian who falls in love with a straight friend and turns her live upside down. 
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If that sounds like a cliched story, it doesn't come across like that in the book. 

Set in Croydon this book is a welcome addition to lesbian fiction from the UK. The author tells a good story, keeps you interested in the characters which keeps you reading because you want to know whats happens next. 

She writes particularly well about friendships, you can feel the closeness between these women, although some are more developed than others who are just names on a page.

The author is less adept at writing dialogue, it can come across as stilted, or like its being used just to move the plot along and as a result often doesn't sound realistic. Which is a shame as this has a bit of an impact on quite big scenes in the book and some of the emotional moments. 

Some of the plot also didn't work for me, predictable at times as you might expect from a romantic drama/chick lit style piece. As a writer you can get away with that if the way that you write is gripping enough or full of meaning and careful use of words that as a reader you are swept away with the beauty of the language, unfortunately this writer doesn't do that. However, as a first book it may be forgivable and the style can develop; the story and characters are there and those are the essential factors. George does write very good sex scenes not cliched but real and believable, (even though they all have washboard stomachs!!!)

The book was a good read, I found myself caring about and engaging with Jess - wanting her to find happiness, getting frustrated with her at points when she was uncomfortable with her feelings.

The ending was a little unsatisfactory, I won't say more so as not to ruin the story, but I think it put the main character through unnecessary soul searching, it seemed to me that what she was being asked to accept was a huge change without any time to adjust so punishing her for months seemed a little harsh. The fact that I cared so much about her though, has to be a good sign! 

I look forward to reading the author's next book.

Available on Amazon from £6

By Claire

 

Moon Chilled by Caitlin Ricci

Moon Chilled is a story of two werewolf mates, Shae & Maiki. Shae leaves the pack when she is 13 years old; she’s had enough of being abused by the alpha.

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They do not speak for 10-years until Maiki calls her asking her to come back: Shae feels guilty about leaving her mate behind all those years ago and so instantly sets off back to the pack, her mate & the alpha she so despises.

I had never really read any werewolf books before but I really enjoyed this one. Shae & Maiki have been separated for a decade but Shae will still do anything for her mate, even if it means facing the alpha again. 

I really liked how they story is told from the viewpoints of the two main characters, switching between them from chapter to chapter so we really get to know them well. 

This is a simple but very effective story, one that I thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend to anyone, whether you like werewolf stories or not.

Pre-order a copy now from just £2.50 (subject to exchange rates) at Less Than Three Press

By Amy

 

A Map of Everything, by Elizabeth Earley

A Map of Everything by Elizabeth Earley

Available: (RRP from $9.99 digital download) from Jaded Ibis Productions

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A Map of Everything is literally what it says on the tin (or the book cover in this case), it is a map (or a novel) about everything: love, tragedy, despair, complex family, and personal, relationships and personal transformation. The story follows a family through

their ups and downs, good times & bad after one very wet day changed their lives forever.

We are told this story by Anne, the youngest child, the “fifth-born” who is hit hard by what has happened to her sister June. Anne was just a young girl when the accident happened & through this story we see how she coped as a young child, how it affected her when she hit her teens and on into adulthood. Anne also tells us, through stories & anecdotes, how the rest of her family were affected by and coped with what happened.

By the end of the novel I felt like I knew Anne very well, I’d watched her grow from a young troublesome teenager into a very well-rounded woman. At times I actually felt like I was living Anne’s life right alongside her: I felt her pain, her sadness, her joy.

An exceptionally well written novel that I would recommend to anyone. Elizabeth Earley draws us into the story and makes us feel everything the characters are feeling, near the end of the book we are rooting for this family we know so well, we want everything to work out because god-knows they deserve it.

• Further info from the author

By Amy