Staying True

by Suzie Carr

Free-spirited masseuse Ruby Clark treasures her independence, refusing to allow anyone to encroach on her sense of control. She succeeds at remaining unaffected until she meets Nadia Chase, a self-assured, sexy new client who sets Ruby's heart in motion. The two develop a connection that drips with chemistry. As Ruby struggles to maintain her autonomy amidst the fervent attraction, Nadia reveals a secret that threatens to derail both their professional relationship and their blossoming love. Seeking guidance and support from Shawna, their transgendered friend who struggles with her own issues of self-worth, and Ruby's grampa, a wise storyteller who raised Ruby in the aftermath of a childhood tragedy, the unlikely foursome embarks on a quest to learn the meaning of love, letting go, and staying true.

Genres: Lesbian, Romance, Lesbian Romance, LGBT, Transgender, Fiction

280 pages, Paperback

First published June 20, 2013

About the author

Suzie Carr is a contemporary novelist, podcaster on the Lesbian Talk Show, avid blogger, and Director of Membership for the Golden Crown Literary Society. When she's not writing, conducting hands-on research, exercising, or blending a green smoothie concoction, she's likely engaged in the sweet memory of her beloved boxers, Sunshine and Bumblebee, enjoying a few giggles over their funny antics and embracing their loving spirit as they undeniably watch over her from the Rainbow Bridge.

Whether it's writing fiction books about love and life, inspiring new authors, advocating for LGBT equality and animal welfare or blogging about community awareness, positive living, taking action and inspiration, Suzie remains passionate in her beliefs!

Suzie's love for the written word started back when she was a child. She enjoyed visiting the library every Saturday to spend hours reading. Books quickly became a constant companion to her and remained as such throughout her childhood.

Soon after graduating from Rhode Island College, Suzie wrote her first novel, The Fiche Room, a coming-of-age novel about two women falling in love. Over the years The Fiche Room grew from its humble e-book origins to an Amazon Kindle best seller receiving glowing reviews. Her upcoming novel, The Pet Boutique, revisits with Emma, Haley, and Goldie from The Fiche Room as they join a new cast of characters in their cameo roles.

With twelve bestsellers on Amazon Kindle, Suzie continues to enjoy writing about the beauty of love and life.

Suzie Carr believes strongly in giving back to the community. She donates a portion of book sale proceeds to the Hearts United for Animals.

Reviews

[Arn · Rating 1 out of 5]

1st person storytelling just doesn't work in this instance.

[Alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the reasons I love Suzie Carr is because her books are so relate-able no matter who you are. Yes, her books are about love between women but you don't have to be a lesbian to relate to her books. As someone who doesn't label my sexuality I can read her books and apply so much of the stories to my life, regardless if I am with a man or a woman. "Staying True" revolves around the characters Ruby and Nadia. Nadia, a married woman, can't deny the feelings that come upon her once she meets the sexy, free spirited masseuse Ruby. The first meeting was a bit startling for Nadia, being it was a bit unexpected for her in the way Ruby approached her. Nadia's marriage is very strained due to her wife being incarcerated. Due to the strain of her wife being in jail, Nadia has free reign to spend time with Ruby , her best friend Shawna ( the beautiful, transgendered bartender at the hotel which Nadia oversees ) and Ruby's adorable , storytelling grandfather. Nadia struggles with her feelings for Ruby - she is married but the woman she married - Jessica - is changing more and more that Nadia doesn't feel like they are right for each other anymore. Staying True asks the questions about what do you do if you are in a marriage that is obviously not what is was, do you try to fix it , do you work on sustaining it to the point where it's almost a job to stay together ? Nadia also figures out things about herself, the fact that she likes to fix broken people, that she was more attracted to her wife when she was in her self destructive phase, she found Jessica more fun and sexy when she was a raging alcoholic. I love the built up sexual tension Suzie Carr has in her books. The desire and need that builds up between these 2 women ( in other books as well ) always has my heart racing. Do you stay true to someone you promised your life to? Do you remain committed even if the person you marry does something horrific ? Do you break the fidelity rule with someone you have amazing chemistry with? I am sorry about my paragraph formats , I have never been good with breaking reviews down in a proper way. This was a great book that I highly recommend. Suzie Carr has a way of making you feel you know these characters and you always leave her books feeling like you are friends with these women , men etc. It is a book that a lot of people can relate to. She is an amazing writer and I hope to read many more of her books in the future.

[Danie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Won this via Goodread's First Reads.

This was an interesting book. I thought it sorta started out as a typical lesbian fiction romance book, two females get together, there are problems and twists, then a happy ending. But, at some point it seemed to change a bit into more of a family and friends piece of literature with lesbian (and a transgendered) characters.

It had four main characters. Nadia, a hotel manager in Rhode Island who lives in Connecticut. Shawna, a bartender at Nadia's hotel, who I think has the most interesting story and story arc of all the novel's characters. Ruby, a newly fired masseuse who stumbles into the bar of Nadia's hotel and Gramps, who's Ruby's grandfather and my favorite character of the novel. He's sort of the lynch pin of the entire novel and of almost everyone's stories.

It takes place mostly in a hotel near Providence Rhode Island, although some of it takes place in Connecticut as well. I really liked the fact that it was set in New England and I thought that the New England parts, Interstate 95, amongst other references were well done by Carr. One of my pet peeves is setting something somewhere and then getting everything wrong (and I've read more than one book by supposed 'famous' authors who have gotten nearly everything about the New England/Massachusetts/Rhode Island area totally and utterly wrong).

I thought that when Ruby was searching for a job, that futility was captured pretty perfectly by Carr. I also don't think that I've ever read a novel that explained transgender information and stuff quite so much (obviously I've been reading the wrong books huh?) For me, most of the information wasn't surprising or new, but everyone knows different stuff, so, for some it might be a small education about being transgendered.

I do have to say that in some places sprinkled throughout the novel the writing seemed a bit cumbersome and I was pulled from the story, but, in general the novel smoothed out as it went on and overall it flowed pretty well.

A good solid read with lots of interesting things going on.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't find many books or short stories that create a beautiful plot of women who are homosexuals; I usually come across books dealing with male who are homosexuals. I personally have not defined myself in any way but reading this novel has opened my eyes a little. I have read one short story before hand, whose title I seemed to have forgotten, that resembled the main plot line of this novel which was one of the reasons why this book by Suzie Carr intrigued me. Needless to say, I was ecstatic to find that I had won the Goodreads contest. I finished this book in less than a week and I am thoroughly satisfied. I haven't cried after reading book since J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows". Mr. Clark, Ruby's grandpa, is a man to be admired and remembered. One of my favourite settings in the book is The Rafters. The Rafters put me into a mental state of comfort and longing for a place that does not exist in real life but it makes me crave and hope that some time later in my life, I can find a place just as amazing. What really sold me on this book wasn't necessarily the plot line but the characters. Shawna and Grace were excellent sub-characters. I don't want to reveal too much about the book because it's best if the reader discovers the little details by himself or herself. I can only strongly recommend a reader to read this fantastic book.

**received the book for free via Goodreads First Reads**

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this latest offering by Suzie Carr. This is my favorite book by this author so far, and it was very hard to put down. It's a beautiful story of two women, perhaps destined to be together, but faced with many obstacles. Ruby is a free-spirited woman who doesn't want to be tied down, and Nadia has committed herself to another. The buildup of the emotions between these two women is very enticing and believable. Also added to the mix are the lovable Grampa and Shawna, who is dealing with her own heartbreak. This book is one for the "read again soon" stack for sure. I definitely want to see a sequel of this one!

[Bib · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are parts which I don't like but there are also parts which touched me to tears. It is definitely better than the books which I give 3 stars to, hence the four stars rating.

[Laure · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG it’s very good !!!
I really and deeply loved it … Fright of loving for not suffer, fright of not to be needed which push you to bend to mend all the time, the daily struggle of a (very touching) transgender character who must stop to run, the art of let go are the main themes aborded in this book I've noticed : They are all interesting and related => in the personal work they all lead to the mean for us to learn becoming and .... STAYING TRUE !!! I've recognized myself during my travel in several paths of my own life. (ok, not in the transgender way … Luckily, I was born in the right body)
Seriously, through the story and with the help of all the characters, it mended my soul … So … I wanted to say the following thing to Suzie : « Thank you so much for this very amazing story and all the positive vibes which it supplies
If you don’t know Suzie Carr’s work I recommand you this excellent novel.
I bet you’ll also love her other books

[charles clayson · Rating 5 out of 5]

🌈TEAR JERKER🌈
This story was spattered with tearful episodes ! But one of the most moving ones is when Ruby and Nadia have recovered the time capsule that Grampa left for Ruby ! There are two handwritten documents . One a story the other the farewell letter to his gran daughter Ruby ! Be fore warned that moment will touch you deeply !
BELIEVE ME !😘

[Karen Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow- one of my fav Carr's

The complexity of the two main characters is deep- very nice story. Well thought out and thought provoking. Loved the sexual chemistry.

[Lady Avalon · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5

[asmalldyke · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read & dropped this one a while ago, can't really remember the specifics but the Trans is its only selling point and she's a side character, so y'know.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a romance reader. Let me get that out of the way right up front. Sure, I enjoy the occasional historical, but contemporary romance, meh. Mostly, the stories are rather trite and predictable, and there's way too many pages of sex (which I have nothing against, but it's really kind of a "you had to be there" thing, isn't it?) But, it was free to borrow on Kindle, so I had nothing to lose by giving something new a try.

I'm so glad I did! The story is well plotted, and doesn't fall into the usual "romantic ingenue falls for the jaded ("My former partner broke my heart so badly, nothing in this world could ever make me whole, again!") bad boy/girl rut. The characters are likable, relatable, and face genuine problems with a reasonable amount of grace and intelligence. Even the secondary characters are well-done, and came to life in my imagination. There was very little pining or whining, and quite a lot of emotional intelligence on display. In my opinion, those are good and rare qualities in romance fiction!

On top of those stylistic qualities, the writing flowed really nicely. Sometimes, especially with new novelists, the writing is stilted and awkward, but not here. I did have a few quibbles with the editing -- some language use issues that should have been edited out, to be specific. They were enough to knock me out of "willing suspension of disbelief" mode, but not enough to make me not want to continue reading. If she continues to write (and I hope she does,) a more "technical" editor might help her recognize and avoid those little mistakes that irritate picky readers like me. Or not! Goodness knows, if Laurell K. Hamilton can make a fortune without fixing her language use issues, other people can, too!

Edited to add: Oh, nice! I just looked at Ms. Carr's page and realised she has a number of other titles to be read. Yay!

[UnicornMurphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

While reading this book, there was a LOT of eye-rolling and skimming through ridiculous parts. My 3-star rating is really more of a 3.5. I love the Grandpa character. He was written perfectly. And when the other characters interacted with his character, they were better written as well.

As an overall unit though, this book is a bit more than just "meh" for me but not quite "awesome" though.

I kinda found it odd that Ruby kept calling her Darling and they weren't in Texas. It was awkward each time. I am really thankful that this wasn't another one of those "she was straight and she was also straight and now they're gay for each other" types of lesbian romance books. However, I just couldn't love this book no matter how hard I tried.

Like I said, for me, the Grandpa character was the best written and just overall perfection. But...I didn't buy a lesbian romance novel for a great Grandpa character, y'know? And then there were passages where it seemed like the author was trying to be, I dunno, poetic maybe? I remember one scene in particular that said something along the lines of "...she touched me with the artistic touch of an artist..." wow! great way to describe an artist's touch! To sum up, I loved some of the characters like the G-pa and I loved that it was better written than most of the books in this genre. I'd recommend it overall, just not enthusiastically.

[Iris Nevers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll be honest, when I first started this book almost a year ago, I was taken back by the course it was going down. I felt a little uncomfortable with how the point of view would switch back and forth every so often and it was a little difficult until I gained a feeling for the characters and their lives. This book then opened itself up to me and I loved it. I look forward to reading other books by Carr.

I was given this book free for reviewing purposes by Goodreads and was not required to give a positive review. Any views expressed are those of the reviewer and not the publisher.

[CJ Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome

This story would make a great movie. Loved the story so much. Very enlightening. Thank you, can't wait to read the next.

[Jedi Sheriff · Rating 4 out of 5]

When i first started this book, i have to say , it took a while to gel with the charachters. I have to admit, im a fan of Suzie's but i do prefer a more 'butch' protagonist, i.e the local sheriff, dog handler, police officer, local female soccer star. However, after sticking with it , i changed my mind. Really good story and some very sweet moments throughout. I would def reccomend this book .

[Janet Logan]

I loved this story. The characters were believable, strong, loving women. Nadia and Ruby share an incredible love. Shawna is transgender, but it's not her only reason for existing. She is strong as well, and that is good. If you like a good cry, this book will give you that too at some points. 5 stars!

[Nka300 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately this is not my preferred style. Others might like this book but i found it a bit dragging. It could've been because of the writing style (pov), but cant pin point for sure what i dont like about it.

[Diana P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Elisa Rolle · Rating 5 out of 5]

2013 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention (5* from at least 1 judge)

[Starsandsun18 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of angst. I really like how the Author explained each character. Looking forward to read more books from her.



Note: Contains cheating.