BL Miller offers romance, sizzling passion, humor and great angst all wrapped up in an orginal, well-written story you won't want to put down. The story begins on a cold winter evening in modern day Albany with Rose Grayson on her way home after working her shift as a cashier in a local supermarket. Heading home that evening also, slightly inebriated and in a bad mood after an unpleasant business dinner, is wealthy executive Veronica "Ronnie" Cartwright -- her life about to be forever changed when a fleeing figure suddenly darts in front of her Porsche. Ronnie finds herself falling deeply and completely in love while trying to deal with old fears from the past and with the knowledge that what happened on a cold winter evening may very well come back to haunt her someday.
Ronnie accidentally hits Rose with her car. Due to guilt she moves her into Rose own house pretending to be a good samaritan, while hiding the fact that it was her behind the wheel.
Their romance has such a slow build up. Since it was a long book every small step of their relationship was given time. Rose is the definition of 'Too pure for this world'. Once she spend the whole night crying in pain just so Ronnie won't have to go out at night for her meds. I loved Ronnie most of the time except whenever Rose was in pain I wanted to scream 'Ronnie you jerk look what you did'. Rose's life story was so damn sad. She didn't have anyone who cared about her and then Ronnie(who i love very much and have forgiven since) goes and cripples her. While Ronnie's life is miles better than Rose, most of her family was trash.
The book could be super corny at times, especially towards the end. The excessive use of older/younger woman bothered me a little. Rose calling Ronnie her protector/benefactor felt weird. I wish Rose wasn't completely dependent on Ronnie. I know it made sense but felt a bit wrong. Also I get it! Ronnie's got strong hands, it didn't need to be said 20+ times.
Christ... in some parts, it was so cheesy... but my God, did i like it.... other parts of the story i caught myself thinking 'how old is the author? 15? ' It felt a little childish,in some areas of this book, which got on my nerves slightly,,, I think that's the only part I had an issues with. The characters were likable, a bit far fetched in some places (actually quite a lot). The story as a pretty good plot to it.. a bit too fast at the beginning, then its slow burn book. But I did enjoy it.
How many of us romance readers started with Mills and Boons first before discovering the greener pastures? I have read quite a bit of lesfic and never felt the M&B vibe until Accidental Love and just because of that, it deserved a ✳️. The storyline grabbed my attention immediately - lady and the tramp, sort of. I was thinking that I would connect with the tramp but it was the lady that had me wrapped around her big hands. She had the Ice Queen DNA, always professional, her barks were as bad as her bites and a closeted lesbian. This book was more or less a two ladies show, so if you're the reader who likes such setting, then yippee. Okay, all rainbows and sunshine then why the 2⅔ stars, you wanker!?
Here's why. It got really cheesy. Yes, surprisingly for someone who named cheese as her ICE contact, I got squeamish with such approach. Besides that, Ronnie had this unrelenting urge to protect Rose, to shield her from everything bad, painful or difficult. Even though it was chivalrous, I think it was kind of smothering. I am a believer of human beings need to make their own mistakes, and we need to claim the privilege to fail once in a while as more often than not, we learn through making mistakes.
As for the big secret. Yes, it was big + good and my legs were shaking, waiting for the secret to be revealed. Kudos and curses to Rose as I was hoping for some ninja assassin moves on the perpetrator but nope. However, she did not fall instantly to the "I'm just a woman, standing in front of you, asking you to forgive and love me" act, so well done Rose.
No regrets reading this as it brought back memories of reading M&B with a bonus as this was a wlw but too many " errr, really " scenes that made it impossible to be a favorite.
I know, I know... it's a silly, cheesy and oversweetened story. But since I first read this book for the first time it holds a special place in my heart. Definitely this is comfort read for me.
BL Miller sure knows how to write a dramatic love story. This book has the characteristics of a traditional romance: the heroine growing up under unfortunate circumstances due to status, money, broken family, etc. which leaves her vulnerable, and there’s a Knight in Shining Armor that rides in to save the day. Except, the “Knight” in Accidental Love has a dark secret. You’ll be at the edge of your seat for this one.
This novel is lengthier than most in the genre, and you’ll experience a lot of highs and lows through the past and present of both characters. Financially, the characters are from opposite ends of the spectrum. Veronica’s got the big bucks and Rose hardly has two dimes to rub together. But both have a common history of having people in their lives take advantage of their generosity. This makes the reciprocation of love and affection between Rose and Veronica that much more sweet and genuine. Accidental Love is a novel that’s emotionally rich and readers experience the depth of feeling from both character from the trials and tribulations they face.
Oh, and I’d like to mention that there’s a cute cat in the novel. Everyone knows that lesbians luuuuurve cats. I can say that because I fit that stereotype to the tee. And don’t even get my started on (byname for cat) jokes. I could literally go on forever. Meeeeee-yowwwww!
The story’s great, the characters are well developed, the sex scenes will make you blush, and there are enough twists in the plot line that will keep you interested from Chapter 1 to Chapter 27. Just make sure your air-conditioner works before you turn the cover to the first page.
I can see how this book would have been a swoon making breath of fresh air back when it was first written -- and therefore appreciate multiple reviews listing this one as a (sentimental) favourite. You can almost literally see (modern) history in the making with as this was written before 'rich girl poor girl', 'ice queen exec' and 'toaster oven' were lesrom tropes and were simply just storylines.
Coming at it from fresh eyes, in 2016, though ... This book is dated - not so much in content but style. I don't usually like using this term but another reviewer described the book as 'boring' and I agree -- the book is so long for a book where not much happens between some key dramatic (albeit predictable) events. I found myself skim reading and skipping pages to wade through filler to get to the good bits.
And there are some really nice, sweet bits in amongst it all. We certainly don't have to wait for the end for the 'I love you's' which I appreciated. Even though it got repetitive after a while, the slow build of the relationship between Rose and Ronnie is nicely slow build and we get a couple of actual pwoarrr scenes - not fade to black) - which was the main reason for my round up.
Overall I won't read it again and we now have much better lesrom options out there but a nice read nonetheless.
A really slow book that dealt with the infinite detail of life - how often do we need to know how often an injured woman needs the toilet? Found the family power games more interesting.
I love a good romance and the author delivers with a slow moving yet entertaining story. I enjoyed the bringing together of the have (Veronica) and have not (Rose). In addition to the slow moving romance, I loved the fact they could help each other. Money and stuff does not have to be everything. Conversely, how they get together is a bit unbelievable but in my opinion, different which is a good thing. Veronica family and housekeeper add a nice spice and thought-provoking perspective to the story.
This is a reissue of BL Miller’s 1999 trad romance but a new one for many readers. Despite it’s age it isn't dated in a factual sense and felt as valid as any current romance.
The characters are solid. Well developed and likeable, if a little more m/f in their roles than many more modern stories. Veronica Cartwright is the rich CEO of a large corporation, repressed by family expectations and a promise to her father. Rose Grayson is the poor white trash, product of the fostering system with no prospects and little hope but a heart of gold. When Veronica accidentally plows down Rose as she runs to escape predatory men on a snowy evening, it begins a tale of care giving and growth for both women.
The romance is extremely traditional, with the slow build, the determined stand off by the older, experienced lesbian and the gradual awakening of the younger inexperienced straight woman. There is an element of old an fashioned may/november love story, or the more stereotyped butch/fem roles of the 50’s and 60’s. But that doesn't detract from a well written romance, as long as you like the very traditional story line.
The supporting cast is small, with only sister Susan and housekeeper Maria really filled in, but both are well done and Maria in particular is a charming character who we would all like to have running our homes. Other characters include the jealous and reckless younger brother, the self centred mother and the evil crone foster mother. Again, stereotypical, but well done none the less.
The first edition was criticised for extremely bad editing and print production. This edition is clean, well written, well edited and the e-book, at least, without fault. A charming read of the old school, will definitely appeal to those who like a slow build and happy ending, definitely a good way to spend your evening as the autumn draws in.
But hated the way Susan basically guilted Rose to forgive Ronnie. Like if someone broke both my legs I would at least like a hot minute to be mad! Idc if I loved them or not damn
3.5 I enjoyed the book especially the ending, but not the whole thing. Somehow, the story didn't interested me that much. The dialogues seemed like it came directly straight out of a cliche movie. Noticeably started out with the villain's dialogues: “Well, well, well, what do we have here?”- sounded familiar? Are thugs always started out with that sentence? Then we got Delores Bickering (not sure if the name is right)- the way she wrote her letters to Rose, the way she talked, the way she trying to leech off of Rose, along with Tommy, then Ronnie's mother, all of those antagonists' dialogues are ridiculously unreasonable, exaggerating, and annoying. In which, the author intentionally made them that way. Though, those antagonists' problems got resolved with barely any effort. They are just there to make things unnecessarily complicated. The rest of the story is about those little details between Rose and Ronnie drink coffee, going on with their daily routine, watch movie etc. At some point, I started to get bored.
The near ending is the best part in all of this. Maybe if I read this book during the 2005 or 2006, I would definitely enjoy it more.
If you can manage to suspend disbelief very early on (I'm pretty sure you do not move a person after you ran them over, no matter how cold it is) and accept it is just a device to get the two ladies together, this is quite a lovely story.
It is very predictable, though, and some of the plotlines were there just to try and spice it up (after all, they do nothing much else than watching TV) and were more annoying than anything else. I mean, the whole brother thing seems just filler to me, just as the foster mother was.
At some point, they have "the talk" about what they are exactly feeling for each other, and it it was all shrouded in metaphores. It was both funny and endearing at the same time.
And you know, I usually harp about things that make a book sound dated, but I had to smirk when I read about printed birthday banners. I could hear the sound of that trusty dot matrix printer in my head :)
This read to me like it was written as Xena/Gabrielle uber fiction (not a fandom I was in, but it was pretty obvious) and originally posted and read in serial form. Nothing wrong with that, per se, but I think it could have done with more editing before being presented as a novel. The pacing and structure were really off.
The plot works for Xena and Gabrielle, they are always meant to be, throughout time and regardless of what happens. It stretched credulity for me without that "fated to be together" explanation.
The Gabrielle character drove me round the bend. I know she's sweet and loving and good, but it was just too much.
I have been disappointed by most of the lesbian novels that I have read, and since I want to write novels I haven't found many good examples of work to look up to. This is now THAT book for me. I read it in one sitting and I feel very inspired to write my own novel immediately after I finish writing this review. The way that Rose and Veronica fall in love is believable, beautiful and even tragic. This is now the book that I am holding everything else I read up to in comparison. I am recommending this book to everyone who enjoys lesbian romance.
Had to drop it down from 4 to 3 stars after re-reading it, good storyline and characters but this time around I found myself skipping pages because I was getting bored. Things could have been tied together better as each new turn of events was short-lived and seldom revisited and in some cases (in my opinion) could have added much more to the storyline
This is my absolute favorite lesbian romance book. I have two editions and this is a story I've read countless times over. Often I have skipped over books I haven't even read just to read this one again. The story is sweet, complex, and captivates me every time.
I wish we could give half stars because I would give this one 3.5. I feel that there were some plot issues but, other than that, it's a solid romance.
This is the 3rd time I've read Accidental Love and I think I enjoyed this read the most. I knew what to expect so I could let the BS moments go and let myself get into the story more without getting caught up in the implausible aspects.
If you're a romance fan, I'd recommend this book.
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Was in a mood and decided to read this one again. I'd go with the three stars. The over use of the "blue eyes met green" sort of thing stood out to me a lot this time for some reason. I still enjoy the story, though.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4. Pretty standard as far as plot goes but it's executed well. There are many things I'd like improved - more depth to the characters or less predictable story and so on but overall it reads better than many original but worse written works.
It's just the comfortable read I was looking for and it's kept up well with time. Other than some VCR mentions I don't think anything else felt out of place too much. I can recommend this book.
Solid 3 . Characters are likeable, there's a nice twist in the story. Book is well written. Only problem i faced was that it got a bit boring and I found myself skimming through some pages.. Overall the idea of the book is interesting, had it just been shorter I would've definitely gone up to 3.5/4!
I read this book a very long time ago, back when it was on the internet as a Xena/Gabrielle Uber fic. Having recently read another wlw romance novel, I thought it would be nostalgic fun to reread this.
It was definitely nostalgic, a quick read and I had fun reading it for the most part, but I couldn’t get over how fucked up the situation was. Spoilers ahead:
Ronnie hits Rose with her car while driving recklessly (and under the influence), then takes care of her initially out of guilt and fear, which turns into true affection. However, she enters into a sexual relationship with this poor woman who has become financially dependent on her, while lying about her motives and keeping this huge, life-altering secret from her.
Ronnie initially feels like having a romantic relationship with Rose is inappropriate, given what has transpired, despite their feelings for each other, and she is 100% correct, but that goes by the wayside without any sort of self reflection or explanation why it no longer seems to matter. She never again thinks that what she is doing is morally reprehensible, never realizes she must come clean if she is to have a truly open and honest relationship with Rose. No, instead Rose finds out in her own, leaves Ronnie for maybe a week, then they come back together after a brief talk about how sorry Ronnie is. Sorry for hitting Rose? Yes. Sorry for lying and not telling her? Unclear. As Rose accuses, Ronnie just seems sorry that Rose found out and left her, she would have lied for the rest of their lives if she could.
The book seemed unable to decide how it felt about poverty. The wealthy elite pseudovillians of the story rant about how poor people are lazy moochers, unwilling to work and instead taking advantage of government resources to enable their laziness. This opinion is painted as bad, bigoted, and wrong, and yet the only impoverished person outside of our noble romantic interest behaves in the exact way the wealthy describe. Don’t even get me started on the depiction of addiction and Ronnie’s wildly hypocritical attitudes toward her brother.
Nobody ever really changed over the course of the book, except the side character of Susan, who was by far the most interesting character in the novel
Overall, it was fine as a romance novel and a quick read, but felt a bit dated and I couldn’t get over the uncomfortable power dynamics in the romantic plot line.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This book is corny, down to the last pages but it's just the book I was looking for to help me unwind all the heavy-duty of the week
Veronica Cartwright is the head of the vast family empire and very RICH one day on her way home she hit and crippled Rose Grayson a destitute lonely Young Woman, Veronica took Rose into her home to help her heal and soon guilt turned into something else can they stand a chance to love when Rose doesn't even know it was Veronica who crippled her???
Like I said it's corny, but I love every second of It. both characters are very likeable and kind at first I was very upset with Veronica for keeping it a secret even though I kind of understand her reasons but soon she grew on me, she's truly kind and treats Rose with so much respect and was truly sorry for what she did. Rose is one of those characters you decided is the apple of your heart the moment you are introduced to them. She's a truly sweet girl.
I'm surprised that liked this book since I'm a huge fan of angst and this book has none but I believe the writer did an amazing job of keeping it interesting
I really enjoy this book alot. It is such a heartwarming, sweet and families book. I love both main characters, they are such a sweet couple. I also like how the story start. It just hook me up instantly. Despite a rich mother being a rich mother, the brother and that annoying foster mother (urghhh i just want to choke them), i really love other support characters. The ending is kinda sweet. It made me smile. Actually the whole book made me smile, except when the problem occur. Again, i really enjoy this book and i love it.
I was so engrossed reading this that I skimped on sleep. This is the first book that I've read of B.L. Miller and it won't be the last. I loved this traditional romance and how it was written. It's a medium-almost-long read with captivating main characters and a neat plot. It was a bit late when I realized that this was first published in 1999 and there I was wondering why Rose barely knows how to use a computer. There were also parts that I think could be done without but nonetheless, I really enjoyed this sweet love story.
Perhaps I didn't quite buy the circumstances in which the two main characters Rose and Veronica met or the characterisations of each of them. Veronica who is a CEO of a multi-million dollar business and Rose who barely holds a penny to her name both have personalities which are very unlike the one's expected from the life they lead.
Regardless, the story slowly builds up the romance between the two, which I enjoyed.
************ **spoiler** Okay, so this didn't bother me until the end. I understand they two love each other but how many times must one proclaim "I love you"? I believe there were more than 20 "I love yous" in the last few chapters... It kind of loses it's power after the fifth time.
4.5 but earns the rounding up. I appreciate feeling the emotions rolling off the pages. Didn't really love how the drama was dealt with, and that's why not a solid 5 from me.