What do you think?
Rate this book
Give Me a Reason
Intelligent, confident and beautiful, Antoinette Vaughn had it all until one night she went to help a friend and paid for it...with a life sentence in hell.
Four years later, Toni’s judgment is overturned, but the damage is already done. She walks from the prison a free woman, but she’s hardly free. Actually, she’s hardly alive. A prison without rules can do that to a person.
She was raised amidst garden parties, stables and tennis courts, but now a dingy flat in a decrepit building is what Toni calls home. It’s cold, dark and barren just like her heart, but it suits her. She doesn’t want to leave much behind when she’s gone, but the simplicity of her sheltered existence begins to unravel when a beautiful stranger comes into her life.
How does anyone survive in a world that terrifies them? How do you learn to trust again when everyone is your enemy? How do you take your next breath and not wish it were your last? And if your past returned...what would you do?
Author’s Note: Give Me A Reason contains elements of angst, and while it may be found under several genres, its primary listing is lesbian fiction.
Four years later, Toni’s judgment is overturned, but the damage is already done. She walks from the prison a free woman, but she’s hardly free. Actually, she’s hardly alive. A prison without rules can do that to a person.
She was raised amidst garden parties, stables and tennis courts, but now a dingy flat in a decrepit building is what Toni calls home. It’s cold, dark and barren just like her heart, but it suits her. She doesn’t want to leave much behind when she’s gone, but the simplicity of her sheltered existence begins to unravel when a beautiful stranger comes into her life.
How does anyone survive in a world that terrifies them? How do you learn to trust again when everyone is your enemy? How do you take your next breath and not wish it were your last? And if your past returned...what would you do?
Author’s Note: Give Me A Reason contains elements of angst, and while it may be found under several genres, its primary listing is lesbian fiction.
662 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 25, 2013
97 people are currently reading
2052 people want to read
About the author
Lyn Gardner
7 books413 followersI have been a writer of fan fiction for several years, and the numerous responses that I received during that time from my readers, convinced me to try my hand at self-publishing. Originally from Delaware, I now call Florida my home, and when I'm not writing or working... I'm playing golf.
My genre is lesbian fiction. Although my books are adult-rated for the love scenes they contain, they are not merely erotica. They are romance based, and inside you will find all the things that make a love story a love story. Attraction, distraction, lust, angst, comedy, and of course, sex. :)
My genre is lesbian fiction. Although my books are adult-rated for the love scenes they contain, they are not merely erotica. They are romance based, and inside you will find all the things that make a love story a love story. Attraction, distraction, lust, angst, comedy, and of course, sex. :)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 180 reviews
June 10, 2017
An incredible read! if you want epic storytelling,then here it is..a complex journey of sadness,love and other pitfalls in life that one goes through all told by a very skillful author...highly recommend for sure!
November 22, 2013
The last time I read 600+ page lesfic books, they were both fanfiction. Doesn't make them any less enjoyable. Both are on my all-time-favorites list. I guess when the book makes the transition from free to published, they get trimmed down to the usual 200+ pages or so that's become the expected length for lesfic romance readers. I wonder if this a publisher-imposed limit?
Anyway, I'm not sure if this book was originally fanfic, but the resemblances to my fave characters from Bad Girls were uncanny. I'm glad though that the author has chosen the self-publishing route, and as a result this book is not heavily edited to conform to the usual pacing or length of lesfic romance books as 'defined' by an editor. It's almost like a template they follow, especially with the big publishers. That's perfectly fine for thrillers and mysteries where pacing and need to maintain tension is critical but when it comes to romances, I've found myself turning to indie releases more, as they are less predictable (to the extent that romance books can possibly be :)) and oftentimes have more interesting stories to tell.
Tony Vaughn starts the book as a deeply damaged character--after a horrifying stint in an isolated prison where the jailors were allowed to run rampant without supervision. After four years in hell, she came out totally broken and paralyzed with fear. Fortunately, traces of the old Tony Vaughn, vaunted educator and author, survives. Under the auspices of a very understanding boss, she manages to carve a niche and somehow excel in her own little classroom of women ex-cons. In strides Laura, newly hired assistant manager, and Tony's world is turned into chaos.
Their relationship develops naturally--from avoidance, to antagonism, to wariness, to reluctant friendship, and eventually to a tentative romance. The pace is leisurely but realistic. Their journey towards each other is a joy to read and savor. The book might be about a fourth shorter if it was just about the two ladies, but it also meanders a bit around Laura's parents, especially her estranged relationship with her father. This was very well treated though, so no complains there. There were also a couple of coincidences too many, that stretched believability. But all in all, a very good read and worth the premium price the author charges for the ebook.
A friend asked if this book is depressing, as the blurb seems to imply that its all about PTSD. Weird, but this is the third PTSD book i've read in the past month ('Picking Up the Pieces' and 'Show of Force'). Of the three, Tony here suffers the worst case of PTSD, yet, this is actually the least depressing book. There is a lot of humor sprinkled throughout via witty dialogue and repartees, although the overuse of the title of the book got to be over-the-top. At no point did it bring me down (as most of 'Picking up the Pieces' did...and the middle part of 'Show of Force' almost caused me to stop reading). OTOH, this is more of a 'feel good' read, a reaffirmation of the resiliency of the human spirit and the limitless possibilities of hope.
Lastly, one can't review this book and not comment on the ending. You'll either love it or hate it. I don't care for it, but I don't think it is enough of a reason to not read this book. I don't know if a sequel is planned, but if it is, I hope it isn't a rerun of this book.
Anyway, I'm not sure if this book was originally fanfic, but the resemblances to my fave characters from Bad Girls were uncanny. I'm glad though that the author has chosen the self-publishing route, and as a result this book is not heavily edited to conform to the usual pacing or length of lesfic romance books as 'defined' by an editor. It's almost like a template they follow, especially with the big publishers. That's perfectly fine for thrillers and mysteries where pacing and need to maintain tension is critical but when it comes to romances, I've found myself turning to indie releases more, as they are less predictable (to the extent that romance books can possibly be :)) and oftentimes have more interesting stories to tell.
Tony Vaughn starts the book as a deeply damaged character--after a horrifying stint in an isolated prison where the jailors were allowed to run rampant without supervision. After four years in hell, she came out totally broken and paralyzed with fear. Fortunately, traces of the old Tony Vaughn, vaunted educator and author, survives. Under the auspices of a very understanding boss, she manages to carve a niche and somehow excel in her own little classroom of women ex-cons. In strides Laura, newly hired assistant manager, and Tony's world is turned into chaos.
Their relationship develops naturally--from avoidance, to antagonism, to wariness, to reluctant friendship, and eventually to a tentative romance. The pace is leisurely but realistic. Their journey towards each other is a joy to read and savor. The book might be about a fourth shorter if it was just about the two ladies, but it also meanders a bit around Laura's parents, especially her estranged relationship with her father. This was very well treated though, so no complains there. There were also a couple of coincidences too many, that stretched believability. But all in all, a very good read and worth the premium price the author charges for the ebook.
A friend asked if this book is depressing, as the blurb seems to imply that its all about PTSD. Weird, but this is the third PTSD book i've read in the past month ('Picking Up the Pieces' and 'Show of Force'). Of the three, Tony here suffers the worst case of PTSD, yet, this is actually the least depressing book. There is a lot of humor sprinkled throughout via witty dialogue and repartees, although the overuse of the title of the book got to be over-the-top. At no point did it bring me down (as most of 'Picking up the Pieces' did...and the middle part of 'Show of Force' almost caused me to stop reading). OTOH, this is more of a 'feel good' read, a reaffirmation of the resiliency of the human spirit and the limitless possibilities of hope.
Lastly, one can't review this book and not comment on the ending. You'll either love it or hate it. I don't care for it, but I don't think it is enough of a reason to not read this book. I don't know if a sequel is planned, but if it is, I hope it isn't a rerun of this book.
July 25, 2017
Easily one of the best books I've read this year ! Unbelievable! First I couldn't get myself to read it because of its length and by the time I was at 50% I was thinking I hope this book doesn't end soon.
February 27, 2020
This was the first book I’ve read by this author, but certainly not the last one. Mrs. Gardner has a captivating writing style, and after just a few pages I was hooked. It’s not always easy to read about what Toni had to endure, but at the same time, it shows what can be accomplished with love, endurance, and hope. And it is not a new book, it was published in 2013, I’m a little late but luckily Corporate Slave recommended it to me, thank you CS.
For helping a friend in need, Toni has been condemned for a crime she did not commit. Living in prison was the living hell, and when she comes free after some years, she has forgotten how to live a good and normal life. She is absolutely terrified of everybody and everything. Will she ever be able to live again, and to not be dependent on her best friend Krista, the only person she trusts? With her help, she manages to get a job as a teacher at Calloway House. Teaching is the only place where she is alive and can act normally with her students.
Laura is the new teaching administer at Calloway House, an institution that is much more than a hostel. The inhabitants got an education in writing, reading, balancing a checkbook or even fix a car. Laura is happy in her new job, there is just one big challenge, called Toni. The reclusive woman is one of the most popular teachers at Calloway.
When Laura is forced to invade Toni’s sanctuary, her classroom, first she only sees the fearful woman, who is a brilliant teacher but is barely able to look anybody in the eyes. Slowly but steady she brings herself into Toni’s world. And at some point, together they are strong enough and able to fight Toni’s battles.
There are really tough themes addressed and sometimes it was hard to bear what Toni had to endure from the devils in the shape of a warden. More than once I had tears in my eyes, sometimes from sympathy, sometimes from rage about the people who tortured her. But mostly this book is about hope, about the power of love, about the ability to learn to trust again. The characters are extremely well developed and the secondary ones help the story to more depth. This book is intense, a roller coaster ride is nothing against, what Toni has to master. So, be prepared for an emotional journey with Toni and Laura.
This book is very long, about 600 pages, and maybe it could have been written a little bit tighter, and the end suggests that there could be a sequel, I’m not sure is necessary, even though I love series. But this is complaining at a high level.
Take your time and join the two women on their road to happiness.
Highly recommended.
My rating 4.5 stars
For helping a friend in need, Toni has been condemned for a crime she did not commit. Living in prison was the living hell, and when she comes free after some years, she has forgotten how to live a good and normal life. She is absolutely terrified of everybody and everything. Will she ever be able to live again, and to not be dependent on her best friend Krista, the only person she trusts? With her help, she manages to get a job as a teacher at Calloway House. Teaching is the only place where she is alive and can act normally with her students.
Laura is the new teaching administer at Calloway House, an institution that is much more than a hostel. The inhabitants got an education in writing, reading, balancing a checkbook or even fix a car. Laura is happy in her new job, there is just one big challenge, called Toni. The reclusive woman is one of the most popular teachers at Calloway.
When Laura is forced to invade Toni’s sanctuary, her classroom, first she only sees the fearful woman, who is a brilliant teacher but is barely able to look anybody in the eyes. Slowly but steady she brings herself into Toni’s world. And at some point, together they are strong enough and able to fight Toni’s battles.
There are really tough themes addressed and sometimes it was hard to bear what Toni had to endure from the devils in the shape of a warden. More than once I had tears in my eyes, sometimes from sympathy, sometimes from rage about the people who tortured her. But mostly this book is about hope, about the power of love, about the ability to learn to trust again. The characters are extremely well developed and the secondary ones help the story to more depth. This book is intense, a roller coaster ride is nothing against, what Toni has to master. So, be prepared for an emotional journey with Toni and Laura.
This book is very long, about 600 pages, and maybe it could have been written a little bit tighter, and the end suggests that there could be a sequel, I’m not sure is necessary, even though I love series. But this is complaining at a high level.
Take your time and join the two women on their road to happiness.
Highly recommended.
My rating 4.5 stars
September 21, 2023
5 stars
My mind was blown away.
The author threads a fine line between writing a sweet love story and writing a story of chilling psychological trauma and somehow managed to do it in such a way that these two diametrically different genres form a captivating and cohesive storyline.
I'm seriously impressed.
Edit September 2023: still as good as the last time I've read it, can recommend.
My mind was blown away.
The author threads a fine line between writing a sweet love story and writing a story of chilling psychological trauma and somehow managed to do it in such a way that these two diametrically different genres form a captivating and cohesive storyline.
I'm seriously impressed.
Edit September 2023: still as good as the last time I've read it, can recommend.
August 27, 2016
By the time I got to this book, there were a large-ish number of reviews, and all but 24 people 'liked' the book (or 4% of the readers; I'm going with how GoodReads takes everyone that rates a book 3,4,5 and calls them 'like' for % purposes). And so, I'll just tackle a few things here and there.
1) I loved how fully formed the characters were. I'm sure there were things here or there that could be pointed at, probably some of the side characters, but there's even more fully formed side characters going on in this book than is normal in a romance.
2) And we come to the main thing I wanted to mention - the . . .genre of romance novels, I guess I could label the 'thing'. Romance novels, with exceptions, seem to be relatively repetitive in at least one way - they might not all get there the same way, they might have a million and one variations, but they tend to follow a certain path. Two people (occasionally more, but I do not tend to read love triangle books, and rarely poly books) circle each other for most of the book, and even if they 'come together' as a couple fairly early on in the book, that doesn't remove the book from the repetitive cycle. It just means that the couple will probably either have outside forces pound on the relationship (a danger/damsel in distress type situation), or internal forces pound on the relationship (fear, miscommunication, cheating, etc.). And then, as long as the book is actually in the capital R Romance category, then the book ends with a HEA (Happily Ever After) or HFN (hmm, I have the second one wrong, but whatever the letters are, they mean 'Happy for now'). Some include a chapter or two in an epilogue section that follows the couple as a couple. As a fully formed entity. Some don't have that epilogue.
Romance novels tend to get around this relatively repetitive trap of having the majority of the book being about the formation of a couple-hood instead of being about a couple as a combined entity through two to three means - (A) create a series wherein the couple in book 1 can show up as a fully formed entity in book 2 but are not the main characters (see such series like Soho Loft, that Shifter Universe by Jae, the two series by Lynn Galli (Virginia Clan and Aspen Friends) etc.), (B) have a book that's really really long, like, say, this book here. (C) is something like a trick - have romance elements but put the book in a different genre - which the fanfiction by Fletcher DeLancey involving Star Trek Voyager mostly is - Science Fiction with very strong elements of Romance. Or be like two of Galli's books - follow the same couple, but add an element, the second book changes the normal emotional 'things' that wrap themselves around a couple and slam against them, and wrap themselves, instead, around family - so it's a two book series involving a Romance, and something else (Slice of Life?).
I thought, while reading, that the book could have had a great closing roughly around the 56% mark. And when I feared, as I occasionally fear, how this specific author was going to 'mess with' the couple, I kind of wanted it to end there. I'm really really glad that the book did not, in fact, end there, though. But if it had, then it would have been two things - longer than the average romance novel (being, as it is, that 56% of the book would be 371 pages, and most Romance books from 'official channels' in the lesbian genre tend to be closer to 240 to 300 something); and, the second thing, roughly in line with that repetitive thing I mentioned above that Romance books fall into. However they get there, the books are about the formation of a couple, not about a couple living their life after formation of their relationship. Well, this 'formation' didn't end at 56%, but there was enough there for it to close, then have some epilogue tacked on the end. Then spin the second book out as a sequel. I'm, roughly, 100% happy that that isn't the direction this author went.
As I think I mentioned somewhere along the way - this is a fully formed book. A mixture of a Slice of Life book, with a Romance, with a Family novel all rolled into one (with the addition of a 'Holiday' novel slipped inside as well). It even had the element of danger/damsel in distress/etc. mixed in. And no I'm not only talking about flashbacks for that/this point.
Hmms. I just realized that I finished this book in the early morning hours of the 14th. It's one of those books I figured I'd read a little then close it for sleep, glanced at the clock and saw it was 1 am, glanced again when I realized I'd finished the book and noticed it was 3:30 am. *shrug* Back to the 14th - it's a rather good book to read/finish up on/begin the day with on Valentine's Day.
ETA: Oh, right, forgot two elements that I reminded myself of when I glanced at my status updates. This book includes a love scene, and yes I call it love instead of sex, that is arguably the best I've read. And I forgot when I was mentioning things that this book contains - it also contains humor. Bits and pieces here and there.
From my status updates:
- Now that, friends and whatevers, is how you write a love scene. A+ and words like that.
- 'Smiling at her accomplishment, Toni looked over at Laura. “I recommend we don’t open this until Scotland or the bloody thing will projectile vomit all over the motorway.”' - re: filling trunk with luggage. Was funny. I laughed.
February 14 2016
1) I loved how fully formed the characters were. I'm sure there were things here or there that could be pointed at, probably some of the side characters, but there's even more fully formed side characters going on in this book than is normal in a romance.
2) And we come to the main thing I wanted to mention - the . . .genre of romance novels, I guess I could label the 'thing'. Romance novels, with exceptions, seem to be relatively repetitive in at least one way - they might not all get there the same way, they might have a million and one variations, but they tend to follow a certain path. Two people (occasionally more, but I do not tend to read love triangle books, and rarely poly books) circle each other for most of the book, and even if they 'come together' as a couple fairly early on in the book, that doesn't remove the book from the repetitive cycle. It just means that the couple will probably either have outside forces pound on the relationship (a danger/damsel in distress type situation), or internal forces pound on the relationship (fear, miscommunication, cheating, etc.). And then, as long as the book is actually in the capital R Romance category, then the book ends with a HEA (Happily Ever After) or HFN (hmm, I have the second one wrong, but whatever the letters are, they mean 'Happy for now'). Some include a chapter or two in an epilogue section that follows the couple as a couple. As a fully formed entity. Some don't have that epilogue.
Romance novels tend to get around this relatively repetitive trap of having the majority of the book being about the formation of a couple-hood instead of being about a couple as a combined entity through two to three means - (A) create a series wherein the couple in book 1 can show up as a fully formed entity in book 2 but are not the main characters (see such series like Soho Loft, that Shifter Universe by Jae, the two series by Lynn Galli (Virginia Clan and Aspen Friends) etc.), (B) have a book that's really really long, like, say, this book here. (C) is something like a trick - have romance elements but put the book in a different genre - which the fanfiction by Fletcher DeLancey involving Star Trek Voyager mostly is - Science Fiction with very strong elements of Romance. Or be like two of Galli's books - follow the same couple, but add an element, the second book changes the normal emotional 'things' that wrap themselves around a couple and slam against them, and wrap themselves, instead, around family - so it's a two book series involving a Romance, and something else (Slice of Life?).
I thought, while reading, that the book could have had a great closing roughly around the 56% mark. And when I feared, as I occasionally fear, how this specific author was going to 'mess with' the couple, I kind of wanted it to end there. I'm really really glad that the book did not, in fact, end there, though. But if it had, then it would have been two things - longer than the average romance novel (being, as it is, that 56% of the book would be 371 pages, and most Romance books from 'official channels' in the lesbian genre tend to be closer to 240 to 300 something); and, the second thing, roughly in line with that repetitive thing I mentioned above that Romance books fall into. However they get there, the books are about the formation of a couple, not about a couple living their life after formation of their relationship. Well, this 'formation' didn't end at 56%, but there was enough there for it to close, then have some epilogue tacked on the end. Then spin the second book out as a sequel. I'm, roughly, 100% happy that that isn't the direction this author went.
As I think I mentioned somewhere along the way - this is a fully formed book. A mixture of a Slice of Life book, with a Romance, with a Family novel all rolled into one (with the addition of a 'Holiday' novel slipped inside as well). It even had the element of danger/damsel in distress/etc. mixed in. And no I'm not only talking about flashbacks for that/this point.
Hmms. I just realized that I finished this book in the early morning hours of the 14th. It's one of those books I figured I'd read a little then close it for sleep, glanced at the clock and saw it was 1 am, glanced again when I realized I'd finished the book and noticed it was 3:30 am. *shrug* Back to the 14th - it's a rather good book to read/finish up on/begin the day with on Valentine's Day.
ETA: Oh, right, forgot two elements that I reminded myself of when I glanced at my status updates. This book includes a love scene, and yes I call it love instead of sex, that is arguably the best I've read. And I forgot when I was mentioning things that this book contains - it also contains humor. Bits and pieces here and there.
From my status updates:
- Now that, friends and whatevers, is how you write a love scene. A+ and words like that.
- 'Smiling at her accomplishment, Toni looked over at Laura. “I recommend we don’t open this until Scotland or the bloody thing will projectile vomit all over the motorway.”' - re: filling trunk with luggage. Was funny. I laughed.
February 14 2016
June 1, 2022
[2022 EDIT] ; Took me a while to finish this 'cause I forgot how triggering it could be and I had a couple of nightmares here and there. Not that I've ever been in prison, mind you. Anyway, that was a little TMI hehe. I seriously loved this book back in 2016, but I may possibly love it more this time around 'cause I felt all the feels. I really like that Gardner didn't limit her words because it was totally worth the time to read this.
Now I have one question, are we getting a sequel? It ended as though there's more to come. It'd be SO good to hear about Toni and Laura, their six kids and their extended families again. More importantly, I really want Cameron to get his arse kicked.
Now I have one question, are we getting a sequel? It ended as though there's more to come. It'd be SO good to hear about Toni and Laura, their six kids and their extended families again. More importantly, I really want Cameron to get his arse kicked.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 15, 2017
This is an amazing epic story about two very strong women who help each other to be stronger and help themselves. I love how they interact with each other, how they take care of, and how they love each other until insanity. This book can be sometimes hard to read, and can break your heart sometimes, but also can give you the most beautiful and cute moments. Wonderful book!
September 1, 2016
An intense book that I enjoyed thoroughly. Jem wrote an excellent review with which I fully agree.
July 14, 2019
This is by far one off the best books I’ve ever read. The author has taken her time for the bonding and trust between the MC’s. The story touched me deeply and my emotions were all over the place while reading.
I read this book in (I believe) 2016 and again in 2018 on the plane to Uganda. Both times impressed by the book.
If you haven’t read this, you’re missing out on a very good romantic drama.
I read this book in (I believe) 2016 and again in 2018 on the plane to Uganda. Both times impressed by the book.
If you haven’t read this, you’re missing out on a very good romantic drama.
April 2, 2017
Bloody hell.... Didn't want this one to end!
March 19, 2017
5+ STARS!
This has been on my radar and sitting on my iPad for months. The description just didn't appeal to me. But the great reviews from Jem and others and I absolutely loved the author's other book Ice... I finally read the book. I'm so glad I did.
I read in the author's blog (I think it was there) that she decided to self publish because she didn't care for the changes the publishing house wanted her to make. She didn't say, but I bet it was to cut the book and make two. I'm glad it is as long as it is. You throughly get to know these complex characters, especially Toni as she recovers from PTSD with the help from Laura and others. I liked the pacing and development of the relationship between Toni & Laura. It felt realistic and a work in progress. The side characters are also well developed and I liked them as well.
I did not know that the last Chapters take place at Christmas time. I usually read Christmas/holiday themed stories during the holiday season. Little did I know I was continuing this theme when I started this book, I was just thinking a long book would be perfect while on Christmas vacation.
Don't let the length be daunting to you - it didn't feel long at all. In fact I probably could of read it faster (not that I'm a fast reader) but I purposely slowed my pace to savor the book.
Highly recommend this book.
This has been on my radar and sitting on my iPad for months. The description just didn't appeal to me. But the great reviews from Jem and others and I absolutely loved the author's other book Ice... I finally read the book. I'm so glad I did.
I read in the author's blog (I think it was there) that she decided to self publish because she didn't care for the changes the publishing house wanted her to make. She didn't say, but I bet it was to cut the book and make two. I'm glad it is as long as it is. You throughly get to know these complex characters, especially Toni as she recovers from PTSD with the help from Laura and others. I liked the pacing and development of the relationship between Toni & Laura. It felt realistic and a work in progress. The side characters are also well developed and I liked them as well.
I did not know that the last Chapters take place at Christmas time. I usually read Christmas/holiday themed stories during the holiday season. Little did I know I was continuing this theme when I started this book, I was just thinking a long book would be perfect while on Christmas vacation.
Don't let the length be daunting to you - it didn't feel long at all. In fact I probably could of read it faster (not that I'm a fast reader) but I purposely slowed my pace to savor the book.
Highly recommend this book.
April 19, 2016
This is not a light read. This is not a short read. This read focuses on a tough subject matter. The author takes the reader on quite a ride. The story aroused my curiosity and held me captive throughout. The read caused me to react in different ways as I turned page to page. I felt sad, uneasy, horrified, appalled, creeped out and upset. Laura is a women to be reckoned with. What a person to have in your corner. Toni is endearing and as Laura's father Bill says, "As a man, I think myself strong, but I am weak compared to you." No truer words have been spoken about a character. Laura and Toni's love for one another is beautifully paced as the reader walks along with them cheering. Although the ending was not to my liking...I look forward to a possible follow-up story.
November 16, 2025
A new favourite
A really multi-faceted plot, told in a way that keeps you hooked through-out. This book entwines a sweet romance with much grittier, darker aspects that make for a beautifully balanced read.
I've just re-read this and I can't get over how the MC Toni evolves. The pacing and telling of the story is so fantastic that I read virtually all night and all day, then when I finished thought 'I want to read it again!'
A really multi-faceted plot, told in a way that keeps you hooked through-out. This book entwines a sweet romance with much grittier, darker aspects that make for a beautifully balanced read.
I've just re-read this and I can't get over how the MC Toni evolves. The pacing and telling of the story is so fantastic that I read virtually all night and all day, then when I finished thought 'I want to read it again!'
April 20, 2019
Reread - just as great on my second read, if not better. Upping my rating from 4 to 5 stars.
---
Some pacing issues but otherwise a great story. Binged it all in one day, just couldn't put it down.
---
Some pacing issues but otherwise a great story. Binged it all in one day, just couldn't put it down.
April 6, 2017
Wish I had a Goodreads account when I first read this so I could freak out about it properly. Never mind that, I recall that it's story that sucked me in from the very beginning. The slow burn development of Toni and Laura's romance hit all the right buttons until I whipped out pompoms when they finally made love. Antoinette's backstory is so extreme that it could've been mishandled or turned into empty melodrama. Lyn Gardner didn't disappoint in the least and I ate up every bit. The book's length hardly crossed my mind. Worth every cent.
December 11, 2014
This is a story full of challenges, difficulties, sad/dark moments, sensuality, funny parts but above all unconditional love.
The story is well structured, however I think this book was filled with a second story after the middle of the book, which I wouldn't have taken as something disappointing and boring if it hadn't left aside the most relevant subject of the book (the romance between the main characters). I feel the author could have perfectly ended this book at the 70% of its actual length. Even though many things were necessary to be revealed I think it wouldn't have taken more than 50 pages long. In fact, around chapter 33 the book could have ended with some nice epilogue that included the relationship between Laura and Toni and finally Toni's mental state described (hopefully positive). So, in my opinion there was no need for more chapters, however it seems the author needed to focus a bit more on the whole situation that includes the past of one of them and unfortunately the moments between the couple were affected. And though there were some after the middle of the book, it was not the same.
The main characters (Toni and Laura) were well developed and very lovable, both with their own situations and difficulties and one of them with more that any normal person could deal with. The development of their love was sweet and well portrayed. Also since they both are quite stubborn it made the interaction between them really explosive but at the same time sweet and hot.
Nonetheless, I feel the main characters' relationship lost a bit of focus, since the story was focused more on situations of the past of one of them, and though I think it was important to make it clear, I think it wasn't necessary to include so many characters and events in the story, who at the same time play down the importance of the romance and I personally found this quite dissatisfying.
In regards to the secondary characters I feel they had a great importance in the development of the relationship only until the middle of the book. And though from that point the rest of the secondary characters collaborated with the story in general, I think the author focused too much on their own stories, which in my opinion took the place of the relationship of the main characters, so, from that point I'd say this book focused more on a general story about the past of one of the main characters leaving aside the couple (development of the relationship)
One thing to point out is that the relationship between Laura's parents was sweet but I wasn't interested in knowing more details. I guess that's a reason to choose lesbian books isn't it?
A positive thing about the story is that in spite of the tension and complicated situations, I found myself laughing out loud at some of the character occurrences. I think the humor portrayed was really nice and adequate.
About the love/sex scenes, I think they were great, steamy hot, and the flirting between the main characters was really appealing and interesting. In other words, a beautiful couple with great chemistry and a love for each that overcomes any bad situation.
Regarding the epilogue I consider it could have been another chapter of the book as a necessary one for the romance itself, and the actual epilogue could have been about a the new life of the couple, otherwise it gives you the idea that there's a need for a sequel. (not so long)
Finally, I'd have given this book 5 stars if the length of the book hadn't been filled with some unnecessary events and characters, and simply had focused more on the relationship development between the main characters, that even though had been evolved enough, it'd have been nice to know more about their lives together.
All in all, this was a good book with very nice moments and great main characters. So if some of the things pointed out are trivial in your opinion, give it try and enjoy it.
The story is well structured, however I think this book was filled with a second story after the middle of the book, which I wouldn't have taken as something disappointing and boring if it hadn't left aside the most relevant subject of the book (the romance between the main characters). I feel the author could have perfectly ended this book at the 70% of its actual length. Even though many things were necessary to be revealed I think it wouldn't have taken more than 50 pages long. In fact, around chapter 33 the book could have ended with some nice epilogue that included the relationship between Laura and Toni and finally Toni's mental state described (hopefully positive). So, in my opinion there was no need for more chapters, however it seems the author needed to focus a bit more on the whole situation that includes the past of one of them and unfortunately the moments between the couple were affected. And though there were some after the middle of the book, it was not the same.
The main characters (Toni and Laura) were well developed and very lovable, both with their own situations and difficulties and one of them with more that any normal person could deal with. The development of their love was sweet and well portrayed. Also since they both are quite stubborn it made the interaction between them really explosive but at the same time sweet and hot.
Nonetheless, I feel the main characters' relationship lost a bit of focus, since the story was focused more on situations of the past of one of them, and though I think it was important to make it clear, I think it wasn't necessary to include so many characters and events in the story, who at the same time play down the importance of the romance and I personally found this quite dissatisfying.
In regards to the secondary characters I feel they had a great importance in the development of the relationship only until the middle of the book. And though from that point the rest of the secondary characters collaborated with the story in general, I think the author focused too much on their own stories, which in my opinion took the place of the relationship of the main characters, so, from that point I'd say this book focused more on a general story about the past of one of the main characters leaving aside the couple (development of the relationship)
One thing to point out is that the relationship between Laura's parents was sweet but I wasn't interested in knowing more details. I guess that's a reason to choose lesbian books isn't it?
A positive thing about the story is that in spite of the tension and complicated situations, I found myself laughing out loud at some of the character occurrences. I think the humor portrayed was really nice and adequate.
About the love/sex scenes, I think they were great, steamy hot, and the flirting between the main characters was really appealing and interesting. In other words, a beautiful couple with great chemistry and a love for each that overcomes any bad situation.
Regarding the epilogue I consider it could have been another chapter of the book as a necessary one for the romance itself, and the actual epilogue could have been about a the new life of the couple, otherwise it gives you the idea that there's a need for a sequel. (not so long)
Finally, I'd have given this book 5 stars if the length of the book hadn't been filled with some unnecessary events and characters, and simply had focused more on the relationship development between the main characters, that even though had been evolved enough, it'd have been nice to know more about their lives together.
All in all, this was a good book with very nice moments and great main characters. So if some of the things pointed out are trivial in your opinion, give it try and enjoy it.
November 17, 2013
This book engages you in in a way that very few authors can achieve. It is incredibly well written and edited. I didn’t feel like someone reading a story - I felt like I was right there with the characters, laughing, crying and celebrating!
Although this book is long, every page pulls you in and burrows its way into your heart. It is a story about the renewal and healing of a shattered life and most of all it is about love and having a reason to want to move to the light.
I can’t recommend this book enough - it is truly magical! But Lyn, I hate you for the cliffhanger ;) I will just ignore it and make them live happily ever after in my mind ;)) Well done!
Although this book is long, every page pulls you in and burrows its way into your heart. It is a story about the renewal and healing of a shattered life and most of all it is about love and having a reason to want to move to the light.
I can’t recommend this book enough - it is truly magical! But Lyn, I hate you for the cliffhanger ;) I will just ignore it and make them live happily ever after in my mind ;)) Well done!
March 22, 2017
DNF at %20.
I am honestly baffled that this book has so many 4 and 5 star reviews. Do people actually enjoy paying for massive, barely-edited, fanfic-esque monstrosities, or am I the weird one for wanting some quality in my leisure reading? That's not rhetorical, I'm really curious what the reasoning behind it is. God, I hate this.
First off, the perspective switches back and forth mid-scene, which really fucking annoys me. Pick a character and stick with them until the scene ends, and if it's really necessary to head-hop at least have the common courtesy to put a break in the text. Is that so much to ask of a $9.00 ebook? To maybe not be confused as to who's head we're in when?
Second off, this story is set in England yet the effort to make it sound British is token at best. Just because America, Britain, India etc. all speak English doesn't mean the syntax and lexicon are the same. As an American I would only set a book in the other Anglophone countries (even Canada, which can be more different than you might think,) after doing proper research and consulting a native speaker. I wouldn't even be comfortable having a a character with a rural Southern U.S. accent without doing that! I'm a New Yorker, the dialects are completely different! How would I be able to get a Southerner's speech right without being inauthentic or stereotypical? This book is nearly indistinguishable from a book set in America, with only a few words or phrases being obviously not American English. I found it annoying and blatantly wrong but a Brit would probably find it jarring.
Now, this is the story: Toni, a rising star among academics, was wrongfully convicted of a crime and sent to prison for four years before being exonerated. It's been two years since then and she's still scarred by her experience behind bars. She learns how to trust and heals her wounds with the help of Laura, her supposedly-straight new boss, and Krista, her until now apparently useless best friend. Because of course only true love can heal wounds that deep.
My major problem is how little the author seems to know about mental health. I'm no psychologist either, but depression and anxiety run in my family and I have a PTSD diagnosis, so I'm savvy enough for this book to piss me off.
First, I get that Toni's experience in prison was particularly horrible, but how has nothing gotten the slightest bit better in two years? Time isn't a cure-all for PTSD, (which Toni obviously has, but it's never mentioned that that's why she's so broken,) but it really tends to help. If you don't get therapy and/or meds I doubt that you'd ever really get close to better, but after two years how is Toni still misery incarnate? I'd expect her to be depressed, I'd expect her personality to be flat or muted, and I'd expect her to still have some trouble functioning in the world, but not that literally nothing changed for better or worse. That's based on my experience anyway. Toni seems like she has angst for the sake of having angst, and is all the weaker for it.
Second, how is it that Toni never has any flashbacks at all in the entire %20 that I read, despite having several so-called panic attacks? Flashbacks are a big part of PTSD, which again, is probably Toni's major problem, (not that it's ever actually named,) but she somehow doesn't. When you're as bad off as Toni the flashbacks are always on the edge of your subconscious, just waiting for your anxiety to spike so they can take over. The more progress you make, the deeper in your mind the traumatic memories go, the fewer flashbacks you get, generally. (I'm no expert, it's obviously more complicated than that.) We learn absolutely nothing about the nature of Toni's trauma though, and I honestly don't see how that's possible. Her ghosts have to exist somewhere, otherwise why the fuck is she such a mess?
Third, those "panic attacks" that Toni gets aren't actually panic attacks. A true panic attack is almost always random, Toni's always have a trigger. It's almost impossible to stop a panic attack mid-attack, Laura helps Toni through her a few. Toni's having an anxiety attack, which isn't just synonymous to a panic attack. Anxiety attacks have triggers, aren't as intense, only really last as long as the trigger is present, and can be stopped with effort and practice. Normally I wouldn't take points off for getting that mixed up, most people don't know the difference, but Laura's psychologist friend gets it wrong too, which is sloppy. Side note: why is it always hyperventilation? There are lots of different symptoms for panic/anxiety attacks, why does it always have to be hyperventilation?
Fourth, how the hell can Toni teach just fine? I don't think it makes sense at all. Real panic attacks are random, they'd happen during her teaching at least sometimes, and when they didn't happen she'd be really stressed about when the next one will come. That's no state to teach in, you'd be so high-strung. There's no way her teaching wouldn't suffer because of her trauma, at least a little... Although I'm not sure if most people with PTSD get full-blown panic attacks. Still don't buy it though, seems too easy.
Fifth, why isn't Toni seeing a psychologist or psychiatrist or both? Therapy and meds really help a lot, and I'd have expected Krista to have dragged her to one or the other after she got out. Especially after attempting suicide. I might expect Toni to be one of those "I don't need a shrink or any damn happy pills" people, which would explain why she doesn't have those doctors, but to not mention professional help at all? That's just really stupid. People with the best support systems possible still need to see shrinks, adding Laura to Toni's wouldn't cure her the way I'm guessing this book ends.
Sixth, that Laura kept on touching Toni after repeatedly seeing her react badly to it was tiresome and infuriating. I mean really? Does she have short-term memory loss? Don't touch her, she doesn't like it, and you just look like an insensitive ass if you keep it up.
Seventh, why the fuck would Toni go toward that convict fight? She's literally afraid of everything and wasn't teaching at that moment, so even by this book's logic that makes exactly zero sense. And then she tries to break it up?!?! Are you fucking kidding me??? IF THAT FIGHT'S NOT THE LITERAL DEFINITION OF A TRIGGER, THEN I DON'T FUCKING KNOW WHAT IS. If Toni's trauma was at least partially physical or verbal she would have been running away from the noise while fighting off an anxiety attack.
The mental health aspect isn't the only thing I think sucks about this story, but in the interest of my time I'm going to list it right now: why is there no class-action lawsuit against that prison, or at least the English equivalent? I'd say Toni's entitled to some compensation, not to mention for the wrongful conviction. Does Toni have any family at all? Apparently she inherited from a wealthy relative, but any parents or siblings? I'd have expected them to be mentioned by %20 in, at least in passing. Toni's reaction to Laura turning down dates to go to coffee with Toni was completely overblown and contrived. In fact, a lot of actions and reactions seemed contrived and only like that to progress the plot. This plot is the least character-driven book I've read in a while. The characters are two-dimensional, boring, and annoying.
So, I've probably put too much effort into this and I'm guessing it won't get a lot of views anyway, but this is like the 40th lesfic to disappoint me, and I'm fucking sick of it. I swear, I'm never gonna start a lesfic without a personal rec or something, because this shit is maddening.
I am honestly baffled that this book has so many 4 and 5 star reviews. Do people actually enjoy paying for massive, barely-edited, fanfic-esque monstrosities, or am I the weird one for wanting some quality in my leisure reading? That's not rhetorical, I'm really curious what the reasoning behind it is. God, I hate this.
First off, the perspective switches back and forth mid-scene, which really fucking annoys me. Pick a character and stick with them until the scene ends, and if it's really necessary to head-hop at least have the common courtesy to put a break in the text. Is that so much to ask of a $9.00 ebook? To maybe not be confused as to who's head we're in when?
Second off, this story is set in England yet the effort to make it sound British is token at best. Just because America, Britain, India etc. all speak English doesn't mean the syntax and lexicon are the same. As an American I would only set a book in the other Anglophone countries (even Canada, which can be more different than you might think,) after doing proper research and consulting a native speaker. I wouldn't even be comfortable having a a character with a rural Southern U.S. accent without doing that! I'm a New Yorker, the dialects are completely different! How would I be able to get a Southerner's speech right without being inauthentic or stereotypical? This book is nearly indistinguishable from a book set in America, with only a few words or phrases being obviously not American English. I found it annoying and blatantly wrong but a Brit would probably find it jarring.
Now, this is the story: Toni, a rising star among academics, was wrongfully convicted of a crime and sent to prison for four years before being exonerated. It's been two years since then and she's still scarred by her experience behind bars. She learns how to trust and heals her wounds with the help of Laura, her supposedly-straight new boss, and Krista, her until now apparently useless best friend. Because of course only true love can heal wounds that deep.
My major problem is how little the author seems to know about mental health. I'm no psychologist either, but depression and anxiety run in my family and I have a PTSD diagnosis, so I'm savvy enough for this book to piss me off.
First, I get that Toni's experience in prison was particularly horrible, but how has nothing gotten the slightest bit better in two years? Time isn't a cure-all for PTSD, (which Toni obviously has, but it's never mentioned that that's why she's so broken,) but it really tends to help. If you don't get therapy and/or meds I doubt that you'd ever really get close to better, but after two years how is Toni still misery incarnate? I'd expect her to be depressed, I'd expect her personality to be flat or muted, and I'd expect her to still have some trouble functioning in the world, but not that literally nothing changed for better or worse. That's based on my experience anyway. Toni seems like she has angst for the sake of having angst, and is all the weaker for it.
Second, how is it that Toni never has any flashbacks at all in the entire %20 that I read, despite having several so-called panic attacks? Flashbacks are a big part of PTSD, which again, is probably Toni's major problem, (not that it's ever actually named,) but she somehow doesn't. When you're as bad off as Toni the flashbacks are always on the edge of your subconscious, just waiting for your anxiety to spike so they can take over. The more progress you make, the deeper in your mind the traumatic memories go, the fewer flashbacks you get, generally. (I'm no expert, it's obviously more complicated than that.) We learn absolutely nothing about the nature of Toni's trauma though, and I honestly don't see how that's possible. Her ghosts have to exist somewhere, otherwise why the fuck is she such a mess?
Third, those "panic attacks" that Toni gets aren't actually panic attacks. A true panic attack is almost always random, Toni's always have a trigger. It's almost impossible to stop a panic attack mid-attack, Laura helps Toni through her a few. Toni's having an anxiety attack, which isn't just synonymous to a panic attack. Anxiety attacks have triggers, aren't as intense, only really last as long as the trigger is present, and can be stopped with effort and practice. Normally I wouldn't take points off for getting that mixed up, most people don't know the difference, but Laura's psychologist friend gets it wrong too, which is sloppy. Side note: why is it always hyperventilation? There are lots of different symptoms for panic/anxiety attacks, why does it always have to be hyperventilation?
Fourth, how the hell can Toni teach just fine? I don't think it makes sense at all. Real panic attacks are random, they'd happen during her teaching at least sometimes, and when they didn't happen she'd be really stressed about when the next one will come. That's no state to teach in, you'd be so high-strung. There's no way her teaching wouldn't suffer because of her trauma, at least a little... Although I'm not sure if most people with PTSD get full-blown panic attacks. Still don't buy it though, seems too easy.
Fifth, why isn't Toni seeing a psychologist or psychiatrist or both? Therapy and meds really help a lot, and I'd have expected Krista to have dragged her to one or the other after she got out. Especially after attempting suicide. I might expect Toni to be one of those "I don't need a shrink or any damn happy pills" people, which would explain why she doesn't have those doctors, but to not mention professional help at all? That's just really stupid. People with the best support systems possible still need to see shrinks, adding Laura to Toni's wouldn't cure her the way I'm guessing this book ends.
Sixth, that Laura kept on touching Toni after repeatedly seeing her react badly to it was tiresome and infuriating. I mean really? Does she have short-term memory loss? Don't touch her, she doesn't like it, and you just look like an insensitive ass if you keep it up.
Seventh, why the fuck would Toni go toward that convict fight? She's literally afraid of everything and wasn't teaching at that moment, so even by this book's logic that makes exactly zero sense. And then she tries to break it up?!?! Are you fucking kidding me??? IF THAT FIGHT'S NOT THE LITERAL DEFINITION OF A TRIGGER, THEN I DON'T FUCKING KNOW WHAT IS. If Toni's trauma was at least partially physical or verbal she would have been running away from the noise while fighting off an anxiety attack.
The mental health aspect isn't the only thing I think sucks about this story, but in the interest of my time I'm going to list it right now: why is there no class-action lawsuit against that prison, or at least the English equivalent? I'd say Toni's entitled to some compensation, not to mention for the wrongful conviction. Does Toni have any family at all? Apparently she inherited from a wealthy relative, but any parents or siblings? I'd have expected them to be mentioned by %20 in, at least in passing. Toni's reaction to Laura turning down dates to go to coffee with Toni was completely overblown and contrived. In fact, a lot of actions and reactions seemed contrived and only like that to progress the plot. This plot is the least character-driven book I've read in a while. The characters are two-dimensional, boring, and annoying.
So, I've probably put too much effort into this and I'm guessing it won't get a lot of views anyway, but this is like the 40th lesfic to disappoint me, and I'm fucking sick of it. I swear, I'm never gonna start a lesfic without a personal rec or something, because this shit is maddening.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 8, 2015
If you’re an avid reader of books in the lesbian fiction genre, you’ll eventually cross paths with Give Me A Reason. It has the highest number of reviews on Amazon (currently 200), and its rated an average of 5 out of 5 stars. Give Me A Reason was released around the time when everyone and their mama were losing their minds over Orange Is the New Black, which probably contributed to the book’s huge popularity. Talk about being at the right place at the right time… but really, this is a great novel in its own right.
Reading this novel, I assumed the author was English or Scottish (she’s actually an American from Florida) and I don’t know if she’s ever spent any time in the pokey or if she watches a lot of prison shows and documentaries, but her writing is incredibly detailed on both accounts. She has quite an imagination, to say the least. What I like about this story is that it doesn’t lack in originality, and it really draws the reader into its world. My only gripe is that whenever I read the phrase “give me a reason” in the novel, it reminded me of listening to the Fugees’ cover of “Killing Me Softly” on Power 106 in 1996. The song played on the radio 7x per hour, every hour, every day. In other words, “give me a reason” got REALLY old REALLY fast. You can only bounce that ball so many times before it goes completely flat.
The main characters of this story, Toni and Laura, are both FIERY. They’re portrayed as strong women with strong personalities. The beauty in their friendship and eventual romantic relationship is that they allow each other to simply be the individuals that they are. Toni has her episodes, and Laura has her temper tantrums, but they manage through those experiences and move forward together. They don’t view each other as improvement projects, and love joins their lives together like puzzle pieces.
I spent six months stuck on this damn book. I couldn’t stop reading it because I enjoyed it so damn much. At the time, Give Me A Reason was the third lesbian fiction novel I finished reading so I didn’t have a collection of favorites in my re-reading rotation.
This is a great novel to read during the long winter season. I would recommend reading a few chapters a night before going to bed, and savoring and stretching it out as long as you can.
http://lesreadoutloud.com/2015/12/01/...
Reading this novel, I assumed the author was English or Scottish (she’s actually an American from Florida) and I don’t know if she’s ever spent any time in the pokey or if she watches a lot of prison shows and documentaries, but her writing is incredibly detailed on both accounts. She has quite an imagination, to say the least. What I like about this story is that it doesn’t lack in originality, and it really draws the reader into its world. My only gripe is that whenever I read the phrase “give me a reason” in the novel, it reminded me of listening to the Fugees’ cover of “Killing Me Softly” on Power 106 in 1996. The song played on the radio 7x per hour, every hour, every day. In other words, “give me a reason” got REALLY old REALLY fast. You can only bounce that ball so many times before it goes completely flat.
The main characters of this story, Toni and Laura, are both FIERY. They’re portrayed as strong women with strong personalities. The beauty in their friendship and eventual romantic relationship is that they allow each other to simply be the individuals that they are. Toni has her episodes, and Laura has her temper tantrums, but they manage through those experiences and move forward together. They don’t view each other as improvement projects, and love joins their lives together like puzzle pieces.
I spent six months stuck on this damn book. I couldn’t stop reading it because I enjoyed it so damn much. At the time, Give Me A Reason was the third lesbian fiction novel I finished reading so I didn’t have a collection of favorites in my re-reading rotation.
This is a great novel to read during the long winter season. I would recommend reading a few chapters a night before going to bed, and savoring and stretching it out as long as you can.
http://lesreadoutloud.com/2015/12/01/...
June 22, 2014
Ok... I have no idea where to start here.
Let's start with - I started reading this book around 7:30 last night. I just put it down about an hour ago with maybe a couple hours of sleep and errands in between.
Once you get the initial layout in the 1st couple chapters, I dare you to put the book down.
It's such a great story from initial meeting until the end - with a great twist in there that will leave you shaking your book, on Kindle in my case.
The only complain you'll get from me is that in my humble opinion, it went 1 paragraph too long for me...
Just a note to Lyn Gardner...... If you do a sequel, even remotely close to where you seemingly ended the book... I WILL NOT BE HAPPY!!!!!!!! Give the girl a break!!!!!!!
Let's start with - I started reading this book around 7:30 last night. I just put it down about an hour ago with maybe a couple hours of sleep and errands in between.
Once you get the initial layout in the 1st couple chapters, I dare you to put the book down.
It's such a great story from initial meeting until the end - with a great twist in there that will leave you shaking your book, on Kindle in my case.
The only complain you'll get from me is that in my humble opinion, it went 1 paragraph too long for me...
Just a note to Lyn Gardner...... If you do a sequel, even remotely close to where you seemingly ended the book... I WILL NOT BE HAPPY!!!!!!!! Give the girl a break!!!!!!!
January 14, 2015
In just one word: Wow!
April 18, 2017
Looking for some lighter (hah!) reading I turned to this romance novel. It's hardly light, either in terms of physical size, or in terms of content with a difficult recovery from some incredibly brutal trauma on the part of one of the protagonists. It is however a delightful love story.
Laura is a teaching administrator just hired to run the teaching program of a halfway house for women. Toni is a brilliant teacher from a rich background with a bright future up until she was wrongly convicted of murder. She was eventually freed, but only after she spent four years in a brutal prison that has left her with physical and mental scars. Now her entire life is teaching where she remains brilliant, but she's a near catatonic shut-in outside the classroom.
Laura invades Toni's world, first professionally and then outside work as well, slowly bringing her back to life and eventually into a relationship. But with Toni's background it's almost always one step forward and two steps back.
There's a number of things I loved about this book. Toni is just so broken, and her story is depressingly believable (we've got one of these private prison scandals going on in my country at the moment and the parallels are stark). So the way Laura and Toni's friend Krista approach her during the first third of the book is treated carefully and well. Laura's psychologist friend Abbie comes in as well, again both respectfully and believably.
Although it's a bit of a cliche in LGBT fiction, the way that Laura's sexuality is handled going from straight to whatever she is when she's in a relationship with Toni (bi or gay? the book doesn't label) is also well handled, particularly as neither really pursues the other. The sex scenes when they come are pretty good and although explicit aren't particularly gratuitous. It's also nice to see the way that the couple interact with Laura's family and extended family. I'm a bit of a sucker for that sort of thing in romance books, either gay or straight.
The only major issue I had was the huge coincidence that the author uses to resolve the book and cap off Toni's story. I know coincidence is a pretty common tool in the romance writer's toolbox, but I felt this one was a bit over the top. Still, it was a reasonable way to end the story and does close off Toni's journey well.
One small item of warning: we get the worst attack of Toni's time in jail in some pretty graphic detail from both Toni and her attacker's perspectives, and it's brutally graphic. More so than I would typically expect in a romance novel, even with these sort of themes. Survivors of abuse might want to give this book a miss.
Laura is a teaching administrator just hired to run the teaching program of a halfway house for women. Toni is a brilliant teacher from a rich background with a bright future up until she was wrongly convicted of murder. She was eventually freed, but only after she spent four years in a brutal prison that has left her with physical and mental scars. Now her entire life is teaching where she remains brilliant, but she's a near catatonic shut-in outside the classroom.
Laura invades Toni's world, first professionally and then outside work as well, slowly bringing her back to life and eventually into a relationship. But with Toni's background it's almost always one step forward and two steps back.
There's a number of things I loved about this book. Toni is just so broken, and her story is depressingly believable (we've got one of these private prison scandals going on in my country at the moment and the parallels are stark). So the way Laura and Toni's friend Krista approach her during the first third of the book is treated carefully and well. Laura's psychologist friend Abbie comes in as well, again both respectfully and believably.
Although it's a bit of a cliche in LGBT fiction, the way that Laura's sexuality is handled going from straight to whatever she is when she's in a relationship with Toni (bi or gay? the book doesn't label) is also well handled, particularly as neither really pursues the other. The sex scenes when they come are pretty good and although explicit aren't particularly gratuitous. It's also nice to see the way that the couple interact with Laura's family and extended family. I'm a bit of a sucker for that sort of thing in romance books, either gay or straight.
The only major issue I had was the huge coincidence that the author uses to resolve the book and cap off Toni's story. I know coincidence is a pretty common tool in the romance writer's toolbox, but I felt this one was a bit over the top. Still, it was a reasonable way to end the story and does close off Toni's journey well.
One small item of warning: we get the worst attack of Toni's time in jail in some pretty graphic detail from both Toni and her attacker's perspectives, and it's brutally graphic. More so than I would typically expect in a romance novel, even with these sort of themes. Survivors of abuse might want to give this book a miss.
December 11, 2018
There were parts of this story that I really enjoyed, just not enough for me to give anymore than 3 stars (I almost gave just 2). I know I seem to be in the minority on this one, but while there were lots of times my heart went out to Toni and all that she had been through I dont think it was enough for me to overlook or forgive her for a lot of the things she said and did and how she talked to the people around her. It kept me from falling in love with her the way Laura did.
Also, it felt to me that this book could have been 2 maybe even 3 different books. Its like the first story of Toni, Krista, and Laura started out mega strong then faded to black and just cut to the second story line of Toni and Laura's family which consumed a majority of the book. The third story was the last bit that turned all of a sudden into a thriller. It was all just a bit weird to me.
Also, it felt to me that this book could have been 2 maybe even 3 different books. Its like the first story of Toni, Krista, and Laura started out mega strong then faded to black and just cut to the second story line of Toni and Laura's family which consumed a majority of the book. The third story was the last bit that turned all of a sudden into a thriller. It was all just a bit weird to me.
December 27, 2014
I really liked this book. The characters were deep and interesting. The story was believable and not overblown. I was a little worried reading the description of the book...I don't like to read a lot of violence....but while the author makes it obvious what happened to Toni, she doesn't dwell on the details. I wish I could have given it four and a half. It wasn't quite a 5 star for me.... But the things I didn't like we're petty....at times there is just way too much descriptive narrative about non important things that I found distracting. But it is a rare book that can make you cry from sadness AND happiness while making you laugh out loud! Well worth the read!
April 29, 2020
This was a fantastic read. Very emotional without becoming extremely depressing. You follow the journey of Toni, who is a damaged woman suffering from severe PTSD, and Laura, a straight woman who falls in love with Toni. It’s a long book, but I found myself entranced in the story and I could not put it down. With the patience and understanding of Laura, Toni slowly changes throughout the book from someone who is afraid to live to a person embracing life and love again. The only thing that annoyed me is the constant use of the title and the ending that leaves a door open for a sequel that apparently never came. Nevertheless, beautifully written, 4.25 stars.
September 24, 2014
....A fantastic and captivating book, spanning a multitude of emotions, but never losing substance for a second. Yes, it's long, but I never noticed. In fact I could have read more, I seriously didn't want it to end. Definitely going down as an all-time favourite of mine.
July 3, 2023
This book is one of the hardest books I have read in a while and not your typical lesbian romance novel. This story shows that to just never give up. No matter how hard life gets, no matter how much pain you feel. And ultimately, true love conquers all things. Love is patient, kind, always protects and LOVE...NEVER FAILS.
October 23, 2022
3.5 stars
Started off strong with a really damaged and interesting character. Story and development of the friendship and eventual relationship was compelling. I found the middle of the book to be a bit boring, repeating the same kind of scenes and situations a few times. But the book ended strong with a lot of drama and action. And alls well that ends well with a nice HEA.
Started off strong with a really damaged and interesting character. Story and development of the friendship and eventual relationship was compelling. I found the middle of the book to be a bit boring, repeating the same kind of scenes and situations a few times. But the book ended strong with a lot of drama and action. And alls well that ends well with a nice HEA.
May 17, 2015
Jem's review is so accurate that I can't add Anything of value. For me this was the ultimate love story. Never have I read a story that shows so well, that love is unconditional. the way Laura gives Love, makes her one of the most beautiful characters I've ever read. And never have I wished for a character to find love and happiness as i wished for it with Toni. This book has everything, I look for in a book. Great characters, a interesting story, the depth, the rhythm, beautiful en exciting love scenes and realism in everything. This is a book that will always stay with me, and will re-read it a lot. Please Mrs Gardner keep on writing beautiful books! Because this book is an example of why I love to read!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 180 reviews