Cherry Grove

by Susan X. Meagher

When Hayden Chandler rented a house in Cherry Grove on Fire Island for the summer she was looking for nothing more than a quiet place to write. Accessible only by ferry, the island promised to give her the solitude she needed. But she hadn’t counted on the allure of the ferry driver; a headstrong, proud, prickly woman named Gina Scognamiglio. Gina is happy with her life, and she’s not quite ready to get into another relationship. But Hayden gets under her skin, and they wind up making a very quick trip to bed. Once that itch is scratched the women have to decide if there’s more between them than lust. They’re both fairly certain that their lives are too different to really mesh, but…still…there’s something that keeps leading them back to bed. Is steaming-hot sex enough to build a relationship on? Find out in Cherry Grove.

Genres: Lesbian, Romance, LGBT, Lesbian Romance, Lesbian Fiction, Queer

304 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2007

About the author

Susan X Meagher was born in southern Illinois and grew up in East St Louis. She attended college in Chicago and started her working career there. She and her partner moved to the Los Angeles area in the late 80's. It was there that she started to write. Her first few books were simply posted on the web and became the I Found My Heart in San Francisco series. In 2002 she moved to New York and divides her time between Manhattan and the Jersey Shore. She has published thirteen books in the series and has gone on to write many individual books as well. She has partnered with other authors on two short story books and has written many stories that have been published in other mainstream anthologies. Susan is active in the lesbian author community and loves to attend Women's week at Provincetown and the GCLS annual conventions. Her stories revolve around the relationships that two women can build when given a chance and how those relationships can strengthen the individual and the partnership. Her genre is lesbian romance/fiction and she believes strongly in the happy ending that we all so deserve. Susan X Meagher was awarded a 2011 Lesbian Fiction Readers’ Choice Award for Favorite Lesbian Fiction Writer. She is the recipient of the 2014 Alice B. Medal for her body of work.

From the author's website: I live in New York with my spouse, Carrie. We've lived in Chicago and Los Angeles for significant periods, but New York fits us very well. I love to discuss my work and fiction in general. My goal in writing is to explore feelings. I want to entertain, but I also want to make people think. I've heard that life is all about finding out who we are. To me, life if about finding out who other people are. I'm interested in the small details of life, that's how a story about two young women in college is slowly becoming a 26 book series. The joke in Seinfield was that it was about nothing. I feel the same about most of my books. They are about the many things that happen when nothing is happening. The small joys and sorrows of everyday life can be fascinating, especially if you care about the people involved. I try to create characters that will make a reader care deeply. I'm always interested in hearing how close I am to that goal. So please drop me a line whenever you have a comment or a question about a story. Writing is a pretty solitary pursuit and it's great to know that I'm not alone.

Reviews

[Astrid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one, despite not really liking 1st person most of the time. This was a sexy, fluffy read. Very nice.

[Cheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd rate this one 3 1/2, I think. I like Meagher's work but some more than others. Cherry Grove is in the upper layer for me.

11/7/14 **On a SXM text-to-speech kick. This one was next. I don't know why I always pass up The Legacy and Cherry Grove when I'm in need of a nice, medium-level angsty romance by Meagher fix. I've just read them back to back and enjoyed them both. For some reason, when I'm looking for a re-read to listen to with the text-to-speech function, I zoom past these two and go for either All That Matters or Almost Heaven. I think I need to give the other stand-alones that I skip over another look, too.

Still sticking with the 3.5 stars though.

[Kelly Bishop · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't like the main character. I thought she was annoying and stuck up. Her views on people without college degrees were dumbfounding! The character assumes the other woman must be living in some kind of squaller because she didn't go to college. It was hard to get through.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ohhhh Susan.

I love Susan X. Meagher because her characters are so endearing, adorable, and lovable that you can't help but care deeply for them by the time you're through.

My only complaint with this one is the fact that she inexplicably changes tense in strange places. It wasn't enough to turn me off of the book, just confuse me.

Despite that, this is a great, quick, read.

[Pricelessfem · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book that had real issues and very realistic. Susan Meagher is a great author with believable romance stories.

[Midnightjava · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the typical Susan X. Meagher novel. Very difficult to get into the story. I normally devour her novels but this one seemed to be a bit choppy and did not flow well.

[susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

I struggled between a 4 or 5 star. Because I wasn't so sure about the book. I read some of the other reviews and processed them. I realized this was a different type of love story...The storyline was of two women two different worlds and dealing with everything out there. I found my self cheering for them. I did like the comedy in there. I would definitely recommend this book.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light-hearted, and my preferred type of romance novel. I enjoyed the story and the eccentricities of the characters. There was one point where I was really turned off from a character, but it's up to you to read it. Other than that odd character blemish (which is actually predictable), it is a fun story to curl up with as you sip your choice of an evening drink.

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have really enjoyed all of this author's previous books that I have read, i have to admit that this particular book didn't grab me. While the setting was described in evocative detail, the main characters failed to grab me and the drama and pay off felt flat and easily resolved.

Interesting but not this authors best.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a little wary about first person POV, but Susan handled it well. It allowed the reader to experience Gina's mystery right along with Hayden.

[Pinkdturtle tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not my fav book by this author. At times I could have just put the book down. Cant put my finger on why I didn't like it, Susan is one fantastic author thou amazing artist

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very real, I loved how they had to really work on their realationship for the LOVE to shine through.

[Elma Vanilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE LOVE LOVED THIS BOOK!!!