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Wingspan
When architect Kendall Pearson finds an injured osprey on her property, she expects to simply drop it off at a local wild bird rehabilitation center and be done with it. Quick and painless, like every other relationship she has. But wildlife biologist Bailey Chase has other plans for Ken. First, as surgical assistant, and second, as the designer for her new raptor sanctuary.
Bailey protects her privacy with the vigilance of a hawk, hiding in her rescue center where she has complete control over her life and her work. Isolated on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, she’s surrounded by natural beauty and plenty of solitude. Until sexy Ken Pearson walks in with a wounded bird and Bailey finds her life has been invaded by more than just an extra beak to feed.
Sometimes pain is invisible, and only love can soar over protective barriers and heal a wounded heart.
Bailey protects her privacy with the vigilance of a hawk, hiding in her rescue center where she has complete control over her life and her work. Isolated on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, she’s surrounded by natural beauty and plenty of solitude. Until sexy Ken Pearson walks in with a wounded bird and Bailey finds her life has been invaded by more than just an extra beak to feed.
Sometimes pain is invisible, and only love can soar over protective barriers and heal a wounded heart.
264 pages, Paperback
First published February 17, 2014
12 people are currently reading
104 people want to read
About the author
Karis Walsh
34 books153 followersKaris Walsh is a native of the Pacific Northwest and an adopted citizen of Texas. When she isn’t wrapped up in a book—either reading or writing one—she spends her time with her animals, playing music on her viola or violin, or hiking among the prickly pears.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
July 9, 2016
This might not be everyone's cup of tea. For me, this was a well written enjoyable read. Something about the way Walsh writes, really appeals to me. Now I must admit, this is not an exciting book. If the writing wasn't so good and the characters jobs interesting, I might have found it boring.
This story deals with 2 MC's that have emotional issues steaming from their childhood. This makes both characters build up a wall that doesn't want to let anyone in. It made the romance extremely slow to develop. You really have to read almost to the end of the book to figure out if these characters even have a chance together. I can enjoy a slow burn romance, but this was a snails pace. But it still didn't stop me from liking this book. I don't know if was learning more about saving wild birds or architecture.. or maybe the characters who even with their flaws were still likeable, I just still enjoyed this book.
I don't know that I can give this a wide spread recommendation to all romance fans. The slow pace might not appeal to everyone. But for those who don't mind that and enjoy how Walsh writes, you might enjoy this as much as I did.
This story deals with 2 MC's that have emotional issues steaming from their childhood. This makes both characters build up a wall that doesn't want to let anyone in. It made the romance extremely slow to develop. You really have to read almost to the end of the book to figure out if these characters even have a chance together. I can enjoy a slow burn romance, but this was a snails pace. But it still didn't stop me from liking this book. I don't know if was learning more about saving wild birds or architecture.. or maybe the characters who even with their flaws were still likeable, I just still enjoyed this book.
I don't know that I can give this a wide spread recommendation to all romance fans. The slow pace might not appeal to everyone. But for those who don't mind that and enjoy how Walsh writes, you might enjoy this as much as I did.
November 1, 2014
This story is very much a slow burn, with two very emotionally damaged people finding the strength to come together and find both themselves and each other.
The book is not without it's fails, but the two main characters are so well realized that I was able to overlook the exposition when dropped in.
Refreshing change in a genre abounding with main characters that are, for all intents and purposes, heroic Demi gods of lesbian perfection.
The book is not without it's fails, but the two main characters are so well realized that I was able to overlook the exposition when dropped in.
Refreshing change in a genre abounding with main characters that are, for all intents and purposes, heroic Demi gods of lesbian perfection.
January 10, 2014
I know a lot about birds now ;) I expected something else becuase I read Karis Walsh other books and they were awesome. This one was okay, but for my taste it was too much blabla and the relationship between the two main character, well, you really didn't get a strong sense of the connection between the two of them. They were likeable and the story was okay, but that's it.
November 20, 2017
In a detached distant kind of way, both of the women who are the main characters and main points of view, are full-formed and likable by me. In a closer view of the situation, both seem to have the building blocks to be fully formed characters, but both are still somewhat fuzzy. Don't ask me what I mean, I don't really know.
Two women had somewhat unfortunate 'growing up years'; one decided to embrace life on the fringe, on the outside, and put her desires, trust, faith into the avian kind (this isn't a fantasy book, I mean that she likes birds, not that she is romantically interested in intelligent bipeds that have the look and ability to fly); while the other saw what happened, what was happening, what would likely happen if she allowed herself to be on the fringe, to express herself, to live life as herself - so she went deep into conformity. In clothing, in occupation (going for the cookie-cutter career, instead of taking a risk on allowing her imagination to fly free), in relationships (going for the sophisticated city dweller type who always is well-groomed, drives a fancy car, and can acknowledge the view from a rural area, but would rather visit it than live in it), and in other ways.
Bailey Chase is the avian loner one - though instead of living free in the woods with nature, she got educated to be able to be a veterinarian and built an avian rescue/rehap place. A place people bring eagles with injured wings so the eagle could be saved and released back to the wild. Also other birds. Like ospreys.
Kendall Pearson is the one hiding in a beige life. Though cracks occasionally form in the walls hiding her inner geeky rebel, and risky things she wouldn't normally do occur. Like buying an old classic corvette, or an acre of land in a wild, rural area that would require a very long commute by car and ferry to her job. Mostly, though, she lives a bland beige life. Until her acquisition of land, her impulsive acquisition, lead her to find an injured osprey on her land. Which lead her to attempt to save the bird. Which lead her to finding herself outside Bailey's place with an osprey in a box.
The two, Ken and Bailey not the osprey and Ken, circle each other, somewhat distantly, somewhat close, somewhat desiring the other but 'knowing' they can't have the other. Bailey is too . . . delicate and fragile (where Ken got that initial idea eludes me), and definitely not beige or bland - too unsophisticated city slicker for Ken's desires to blend in and hide in conformity (overlooking the part where a sophisticated city dweller type, the kind overly conscious of 'looking good' and 'hair always in place' would stand out a mile in a rural area - where Ken desires to live). While Ken . . . I didn't actually get Bailey's 'can't touch her!' reason, other than repeating thirteen dozen times that 'she's going to leave', and therefore . . . something something.
Can they break down the walls both have built? Well, this is a romance book so . . ..
There was sex. Don't ask me how graphic it was, I kind of more lightly skimmed it than anything else - I didn't particularly want to read sexually explicit stuff right then and there so . . . *shrugs*.
Rating: 3.3
November 20 2017
Two women had somewhat unfortunate 'growing up years'; one decided to embrace life on the fringe, on the outside, and put her desires, trust, faith into the avian kind (this isn't a fantasy book, I mean that she likes birds, not that she is romantically interested in intelligent bipeds that have the look and ability to fly); while the other saw what happened, what was happening, what would likely happen if she allowed herself to be on the fringe, to express herself, to live life as herself - so she went deep into conformity. In clothing, in occupation (going for the cookie-cutter career, instead of taking a risk on allowing her imagination to fly free), in relationships (going for the sophisticated city dweller type who always is well-groomed, drives a fancy car, and can acknowledge the view from a rural area, but would rather visit it than live in it), and in other ways.
Bailey Chase is the avian loner one - though instead of living free in the woods with nature, she got educated to be able to be a veterinarian and built an avian rescue/rehap place. A place people bring eagles with injured wings so the eagle could be saved and released back to the wild. Also other birds. Like ospreys.
Kendall Pearson is the one hiding in a beige life. Though cracks occasionally form in the walls hiding her inner geeky rebel, and risky things she wouldn't normally do occur. Like buying an old classic corvette, or an acre of land in a wild, rural area that would require a very long commute by car and ferry to her job. Mostly, though, she lives a bland beige life. Until her acquisition of land, her impulsive acquisition, lead her to find an injured osprey on her land. Which lead her to attempt to save the bird. Which lead her to finding herself outside Bailey's place with an osprey in a box.
The two, Ken and Bailey not the osprey and Ken, circle each other, somewhat distantly, somewhat close, somewhat desiring the other but 'knowing' they can't have the other. Bailey is too . . . delicate and fragile (where Ken got that initial idea eludes me), and definitely not beige or bland - too unsophisticated city slicker for Ken's desires to blend in and hide in conformity (overlooking the part where a sophisticated city dweller type, the kind overly conscious of 'looking good' and 'hair always in place' would stand out a mile in a rural area - where Ken desires to live). While Ken . . . I didn't actually get Bailey's 'can't touch her!' reason, other than repeating thirteen dozen times that 'she's going to leave', and therefore . . . something something.
Can they break down the walls both have built? Well, this is a romance book so . . ..
There was sex. Don't ask me how graphic it was, I kind of more lightly skimmed it than anything else - I didn't particularly want to read sexually explicit stuff right then and there so . . . *shrugs*.
Rating: 3.3
November 20 2017
January 4, 2016
I wanted to love this book so much. I really liked the premise and I've enjoyed other books by this author, but this one really didn't work for me and I almost put it down several times.
The pacing was kind of off, and I was surprised that there was as much or more time spent on the opening breakup scene as there was showing the main couple in a relationship. I would have liked to see more of Ken and Bailey actually together, seen how they were both changed by their relationship rather than just be told that they were. Ken's views about needing a lifestyle of conformity were so deeply rooted that I found it a little hard to believe that she just flipped a switch, no matter how irritated I was by her unwillingness to bend earlier in the book.
There was also way too much about bird care/rehabilitation for me and I found myself frequently skimming to get to the next bit with people actually talking to each other.
I'll still give books by this author a chance. Harmony and Improvisation were both wonderful and books I'll definitely reread. I just didn't care for this one. Maybe read it if you like really slow-paced romances.
The pacing was kind of off, and I was surprised that there was as much or more time spent on the opening breakup scene as there was showing the main couple in a relationship. I would have liked to see more of Ken and Bailey actually together, seen how they were both changed by their relationship rather than just be told that they were. Ken's views about needing a lifestyle of conformity were so deeply rooted that I found it a little hard to believe that she just flipped a switch, no matter how irritated I was by her unwillingness to bend earlier in the book.
There was also way too much about bird care/rehabilitation for me and I found myself frequently skimming to get to the next bit with people actually talking to each other.
I'll still give books by this author a chance. Harmony and Improvisation were both wonderful and books I'll definitely reread. I just didn't care for this one. Maybe read it if you like really slow-paced romances.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 18, 2015
I really disliked this book -- from the use of the shortened therefore male name, to the fact that the sex is almost the last thing that happens, to the really late reveal about the story of Steve. Everything about this book bugged me -- I didn't connect to any of the characters and didn't really care for the story. By the end I was just reading to finish, and even glossed over the one sex scene that was there. The interactions between the main protagonists were flat and uninteresting. Everyone around them is bending over backwards to give them money and secure jobs and though both do everything they can to prevent it, other people insist on it -- totally unrealistic and idiotic. And I know that this story would go nowhere romance wise if both weren't into women, but there was never any discussion between them about their potential attraction. I've been out for nearly 20 years and I rarely assume that a woman I have just met, in a context other than a queer event or bar, would be a potential romantic partner. There was not even an ounce of hesitation about that aspect, making this really a hetero story with female names. Pass
March 18, 2014
Ken is an architect. She builds boxes with carefully crafted bland detail on tract housing. She lives a carefully crafted life; smart, unremarkable clothes, unemotional relationships, uninvolved job. But flashes of rebellion emerge like her restored ’56 Corvette, and the purchase of an acre of land on the remote Olympic Peninsula. When she finds and injured bird and delivers it to raptor specialist Dr Bailey Chase, Ken opens the door to change she neither expects or wants.
Bailey has her own issues. Emotionally and physically withdrawn after a difficult childhood she shields herself and her bird sanctuary from the outside world. Hiding behind the need to give her raptors protection she resists change as much as she resists intrusion.
The two women are bound to clash as they bristle with defenses. But are either of them prepared to change. Prepared to start really living?
------------
As with All Karis Walsh’s wonderful books the characters are the story. Multifaceted, layered and beautifully drawn, Ken and Bailey hold our attention from the start. Their clashes, their attraction and the personal and shared development are what draw us in and hold us.
The surrounding scenery, the wild rugged landscape and the birds at the center of the story are exquisitely drawn. The life of an obsessed animal rescue vet shows us in loving detail the raptors and the care and attention needed to save them. We are given an insight into the pain and joy of rehabilitating wild birds.
Ken and Baileys history is explored in a slow, book long, reveal. The back-history fills in their characters while explaining their behaviours and deepening our understanding of how and why they have become the women we are shown. Each has a difficult youth. One a sensitive soul whose emotionally distant parents left the child scared and scarred of emotion, the other the edgy warrior whose inability to save her friends from bullying has left her unable to risk real connections and scared of revealing her creative nature.
The pace is gentle, the writing is beautifully crafted and the story a wonderful exploration of how childhood events can shape our lives. The challenge is to outgrow the childhood fears and find freedom from our fears.
Karis Walsh’s latest book follows on from her earlier successes and adds to a growing shelf of books I will always be happy to re-read.
Bailey has her own issues. Emotionally and physically withdrawn after a difficult childhood she shields herself and her bird sanctuary from the outside world. Hiding behind the need to give her raptors protection she resists change as much as she resists intrusion.
The two women are bound to clash as they bristle with defenses. But are either of them prepared to change. Prepared to start really living?
------------
As with All Karis Walsh’s wonderful books the characters are the story. Multifaceted, layered and beautifully drawn, Ken and Bailey hold our attention from the start. Their clashes, their attraction and the personal and shared development are what draw us in and hold us.
The surrounding scenery, the wild rugged landscape and the birds at the center of the story are exquisitely drawn. The life of an obsessed animal rescue vet shows us in loving detail the raptors and the care and attention needed to save them. We are given an insight into the pain and joy of rehabilitating wild birds.
Ken and Baileys history is explored in a slow, book long, reveal. The back-history fills in their characters while explaining their behaviours and deepening our understanding of how and why they have become the women we are shown. Each has a difficult youth. One a sensitive soul whose emotionally distant parents left the child scared and scarred of emotion, the other the edgy warrior whose inability to save her friends from bullying has left her unable to risk real connections and scared of revealing her creative nature.
The pace is gentle, the writing is beautifully crafted and the story a wonderful exploration of how childhood events can shape our lives. The challenge is to outgrow the childhood fears and find freedom from our fears.
Karis Walsh’s latest book follows on from her earlier successes and adds to a growing shelf of books I will always be happy to re-read.
January 6, 2016
I really enjoy Karis Walsh's work. She writes wonderful novels that have interesting characters who aren't perfect, but they are likable. This book pulls you into the story right from the beginning. The setting is the beautiful Olympic Peninsula and you can't help but want to go there as you read Wingspan.
The book follows, Ken, an architect who is wonderfully talented but suppresses all of her uniqueness to fit in and not be noticed. Our other main character is the quirky, wild bird rescuer Bailey. The two mains meet up by chance when Ken rescues an Osprey with a broken wing and takes it to Bailey's center to be fixed. Both women find each other very attractive right from their initial meeting, but both come with a lot of baggage so they deny the attraction.
The beginning or the book is very engaging, I was hooked. I adored Bailey, and all of her goofiness. Ken, was not my favorite. It took almost the entire book to find out where her hangups were coming from. The middle of the book got bogged down in my opinion, not enough romance and to many details about buildings and birds. The ending came to fast, and I felt disappointed. I felt like we needed another 1,000 words to really make this a great book.
The book follows, Ken, an architect who is wonderfully talented but suppresses all of her uniqueness to fit in and not be noticed. Our other main character is the quirky, wild bird rescuer Bailey. The two mains meet up by chance when Ken rescues an Osprey with a broken wing and takes it to Bailey's center to be fixed. Both women find each other very attractive right from their initial meeting, but both come with a lot of baggage so they deny the attraction.
The beginning or the book is very engaging, I was hooked. I adored Bailey, and all of her goofiness. Ken, was not my favorite. It took almost the entire book to find out where her hangups were coming from. The middle of the book got bogged down in my opinion, not enough romance and to many details about buildings and birds. The ending came to fast, and I felt disappointed. I felt like we needed another 1,000 words to really make this a great book.
September 8, 2016
3.5 stars maybe? I would have liked this more because I liked both the character and the premise. But I had two fundamental problems as I was reading. One, the author withheld her main character's demons from the reader a bit too long. There's always a fine line when withholding something from your audience. It either engages the reader more because they want to know, or it frustrates the reader because they feel the story is stagnating without the information. This book fell just over the wrong side of that line for me. My second issue is that it was a bit too introspective. The relationship between these two women happened more inside their heads than it did within their interactions, which made the story lack authenticity for me. I still really like this author though.
February 21, 2014
This story really pulls you in at the beginning. The information about the birds and the descriptions of the scenery is beautiful. I also like the back story on both Kendall and Bailey but think it lingered too long before the walls started to crumble. The ending picked up again and I liked to see Kendall breech her walls and soar in her design capacity.
March 24, 2014
Karis Walsh has written a wonderful book. The plot, themes,and characters really were great. Wingspan will pull you in and take you on a wonderful journey.
December 25, 2016
Kendall finds an injured bird -- an osprey, she decides to take it to a wild bird rescue/rehab center. She thought that would be the end of that experience except she is attracted to Bailey bailey has her issues and wants to be alone. Will that happen?
The book is a contemporary lesbian novel. The author explores how being unsure of their decisions that they have made in life. Love comes when unexpected or given up on it. There are lesbian sex scenes in the book. It is an excellent read!
Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book free from the author/publisher from Netgalley. I was not obliged to write a favorable review, or even any review at all. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.
The book is a contemporary lesbian novel. The author explores how being unsure of their decisions that they have made in life. Love comes when unexpected or given up on it. There are lesbian sex scenes in the book. It is an excellent read!
Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book free from the author/publisher from Netgalley. I was not obliged to write a favorable review, or even any review at all. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.
December 28, 2023
Simple fun romance that I enjoyed primarily because birding was a central feature (particularly swooned at the beach scene when Bailey teaches Ken the basics of bird ID... The dream) and because it was a million times better than the last romance/erotica book I read (that one didn't have any character development - this one did). I was glad that the conflicts were not overblown or due to extreme miscommunication & the characters apologized when needed. There were some very cheesy lines, and the characters were maybe a bit dramatic/exaggerated in their flaws, but overall it was a quick, entertaining read and I enjoyed it as a vacation book. I do wish there had been more sex scenes though/that this had leaned more on the erotica side than romance :P
January 1, 2018
3.5 stars
July 1, 2020
Not my favorite. Seemed rushed and not developed enough between Ken and Bailey
December 6, 2020
read it some month ago, can't remember when exactly. Interesting piece
February 17, 2021
Great.
I really enjoyed Wingspan. It’s a great romance story. But you’ll also learn about rehabbing wild birds. It adds to the romance and the drama.
I really enjoyed Wingspan. It’s a great romance story. But you’ll also learn about rehabbing wild birds. It adds to the romance and the drama.
January 24, 2023
I enjoyed this, different, but entertaining story. Yes, not for everyone, but I like reading about things and places I don't know much about, so this fit to a T.
Take a chance.
Take a chance.
September 17, 2025
She writes really well which, added to a great story, makes a winning contribution. Buy into the full scenario. Recommended.
PS: Love the cover!
PS: Love the cover!
October 23, 2023
Weak characters, boring story line, and completely uninteresting. Absolutely nothing worth following in the whole book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 24, 2015
I like Karis Walsh as a writer and found Sea Glass Inn to be highly evocative. I feel like she was going for the same style and atmosphere in this novel, but I was distracted by the romance. I felt like the central couple fell in love very quickly and even SAID that to one another before they'd even really kissed and absolutely before they'd ever slept together. I enjoy a romance that isn't always focused solely on the physical, but, considering these two women are in their early thirties, the chaste way in which their relationship evolves seemed unrealistic, to me.
I also felt like the characterisations and descriptions of the main couple followed a rather tropey, cliched image of what lesbians look like. It's true that many people conform to a stereotype, but in the queer world I can't help feeling like actual queers are a lot more diverse and multi-faceted than the characters we got here, especially with reference to behavioural traits and attitudes.
That said, I feel like Walsh is a talented enough writer to evoke a tone and this book felt almost mournful, in a sense, which I think fits with the pathetic fallacy of the writing overall.
I also felt like the characterisations and descriptions of the main couple followed a rather tropey, cliched image of what lesbians look like. It's true that many people conform to a stereotype, but in the queer world I can't help feeling like actual queers are a lot more diverse and multi-faceted than the characters we got here, especially with reference to behavioural traits and attitudes.
That said, I feel like Walsh is a talented enough writer to evoke a tone and this book felt almost mournful, in a sense, which I think fits with the pathetic fallacy of the writing overall.
August 6, 2014
Should be 4.5 stars
A good read!
A good read!
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews