Unbelievable You

Sapph in the City

by Chelsea M. Cameron

Hunter: Things had been going pretty well for me. My time was filled with my jobs and friends, and my parents seemed to have finally given up on bullying me to go to law school. Then everything changes in the blink of an eye. One minute I’m teaching a yoga class, and the next there’s smoke and then fire and with it comes firefighters. One in particular.

Stace: There are only three things that I take seriously—my job as a volunteer firefighter, my work with the animal shelter, and my family. Everything else? Not so much. And then we get a call and I end up carrying an unbelievably gorgeous woman down the stairs and I feel like my entire world has shifted and nothing will ever be the same.

Hunter: She lifted me like some hero from a romance movie and I couldn’t help but notice how good she looked when she took her helmet off and smiled at me. But that’s neither here nor there. I’ll never pursue someone like Stace. Love doesn’t work out for me, not for any member of my family. It’s just not in our genes. Why would I sign up for the inevitable downfall that will wreck my life? I’ll keep my heart whole and intact, thank you very much. Stace is the kind of person who demands all or nothing, and I have nothing for her.

Stace: Hunter is…complicated. Closed-off. A challenge, not to mention she’s so beautiful that she’d make angels jealous. I’ve never met anyone who deserves to be seduced and spoiled by affection more than her. So that’s what I’m going to do. Because I have to have her.

Genres: Lesbian, Romance, Queer, LGBT, Lesbian Romance, Contemporary, Slow Burn

260 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 16, 2024

About the author

Chelsea M. Cameron is a New York Times/USA Today/Internationally Best Selling author from Maine who now lives and works in Boston. She's a red velvet cake enthusiast, obsessive tea drinker, former cheerleader, and world's worst video gamer. When not writing, she enjoys watching infomercials, eating brunch in bed, tweeting, and playing fetch with her cat, Sassenach. She has a degree in journalism from the University of Maine, Orono that she promptly abandoned to write about the people in her own head. More often than not, these people turn out to be just as weird as she is.

Reviews

[Lyn Denison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every so often you need a book that’s as comforting as a cosy rug, or in this case, someone like Stace. Great characters and storyline as Hunter learns what it means to accept that sometimes someone is exactly what she seems. Nice catchup with characters from the first book in the series, too.

[lauraღ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Hunter. I’m going to fuck you. I promise you that. But if I fuck you right now, you’re going to run home and then I’m never going to hear from you again. You’ll get spooked and I don’t want that. Don’t deny it,” she said as I started to protest. “Yes, I want to fuck you, but even more than that? I want to seduce you.”

Like, 4 stars verging on 4.25 stars. When I first started reading this, I was initially worried that I wouldn't like it as much as the first book. I had a lot of little nitpicks with the writing and some nitpicks with the characters, and I had to wonder if the first book had been a fluke. But then I ended up loving this one even more than the first. Man, I don't know. So far, the books in this series have been relatively simple contemporary romances, with characters and plots and trope-sets that feel very familiar to me. I've read a book with this premise before, and probably so have you. And I can't say the writing was anything that blew my mind. It was good and competent, but not really on the level of my usual 4 star books. But op gosh, there's something about the way this author writes characters and romance and connection that just makes me MELT. I have like 40+ highlights in this book that's just me squealing and giggling about these women.

Hunter is a grumpy trust fund baby trying to distance herself from her overbearing family; she's branched out onto her own and makes her living through various jobs that she loves. She doesn't do relationships. Stace is a sunshine firefighter and animal rescue worker from a large, loving family. She's an absolute sweetheart who loves love. From the moment she and Hunter meet, when Stace saves Hunter from a small fire at her yoga studio, there's a spark, and Stace is immediately all in. That was something I wasn't really so much on board for at first. Stace has this immediate realisation that she wants Hunter to be a part of her life, and it felt a teensy bit forced to me, and I thought that the book was going to be insta-love and insta-lust. I needn't have worried!! This is delicious and slow burn, and Stace woos Hunter as a friend, then romantically, and it's sooooo lovely. The other thing I didn't love at first was Hunter's attitude. Just like I sometimes have trouble with ice-queens who are too mean, or who are mean in an unappealing way (and yes, a woman CAN be mean in an appealing way, don't @ me) I also have trouble with grumpy characters who take out their frustrations in the wrong places. That was Hunter, at first. I didn't love how she kept criticising Eloise (character from the first book, whom I LOVED) and her grumpiness was a little bit obnoxious. But she actually grew on me super quickly, and it wasn't long until I loved all her curmudgeonly ways. It helps that Hunter wasn't unreasonable, and apologised when she needed to.

And I can't overstate how much I loved the romance. These two were LOVELY together. I love a good wooing, and Stace, in all her big, buff, golden retriever glory, wooed the heck out of Hunter. Hunter is resistant at first, even to friendship, but she melts relatively quickly under Stace's charm (I mean, who WOULDN'T). She doesn't lose her personality, but I love the ways she's different around Stace. I loved their pie dates, the yoga sessions, the unique outings they went on. I LOVED the scenes of Hunter bonding with Stace's dog, of Hunter meeting Stace's family, of them both reaching out to comfort the other in moments where they needed it. Stace is the consummate caretaker, and by god, did I love her for it. Dropping everything to go to Hunter when she needs her? Dream woman. And Hunter was just as committed to being good to Stace, even before she was all in on the relationship. The author just did a great job of showing them really building a friendship and romance, in a relatively short book. In a perfect world, this book would have been 100 pages longer, but since it was relatively simple, and pretty low-conflict, I don't mind that it was so short. It still felt just as slow burn as I usually like. And when things finally heated up, ya girl was kicking her feet, ahhhhhh. I liked the little side plots with both their families and friends; it was developped just enough to make the word feel full and well-rounded.

Listened to the audiobook as read by Bailey Carr and and Carly Robbins, and utterly loved it. Both narrators had really great voices, perfect for their characters, but I especially loved whoever voiced Stace. Probably because I just loved Stace so much. Swoon. I will say, because I listened to the audiobook, it helped me not notice a few writing quirks that might have brought my rating down, if I'd read this. Like, the author has this thing about phonetically writing out words that characters draw out. For example: “Fuuuucccckkkkkk,” I drew out the word. If you're telling us that she drew out the word, then adding the extra letters is silly and unnecessary. IMO, anyway. The narrators didn't draw out the words to a silly extent, so I wouldn't have noticed this if I hadn't been occasionally reading along with the audiobook. There were some other little writing things that bugged me, but nothing major enough to really take away from my enjoyment. 

I just loved this couple and this romance SO MUCH. This is exactly how I want to feel when I read a good romance. Even if the writing isn't amazing, the emotional core of the book is so strong, and so lovely. I'm gonna try not to binge the series all at once, because I know I won't continuously be in the mood for short, low-conflict, low-angst romances (which I think most of these will be). But I'm definitely going to continue the series soon. If they can all make me feel this way, I'll be so happy. 

“I’m going to have moments where I’m probably going to run. But chase me, Stace. Chase me and bring me back. Remind me about this. About us.”

[Robin Clairvaux · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hot, slow burn sapphic romance

When Stace and Hunter meet…flames spark, and that’s not just because Stace is the strong and charming firefighter who carries Hunter to safety when her yoga studio catches fire. Hunter has a laundry list of rules against serious relationships, but Stace’s warmth and magnetic personality make her want to forget them all. Will she break her rules or both of their hearts?

Unbelievable You is the second sexy, slow burn sapphic romance in the Sapph in the City series, and it offers heated moments with a hint of angst at every turn. Hunter is a bit of a complicated mess thanks to her unsupportive parents, but her true colors show in her loyal friendship and begrudging openness to Stace’s seduction campaign. Stace devotes her whole self to her firefighting, animal shelter work, and family, but she needs someone to take care of her. Although their spark is immediate, it takes time, tension, and plenty of flirting over diner pie for the romance to fully ignite. The main romance is enhanced by entertaining side characters who form a robust and welcoming community.

If you’re a fan of sapphic romance with hot firefighters and sexy yoga instructors who need a little sizzle to melt the ice protecting their hearts, you’ll love Unbelievable You.

[Chelles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unbelievable You

Chelsea M. Cameron's slow burns hit different. They're not all pining and sexual tension. They just allow the relationship between the FMCs to develop and connect. I really enjoy that because they make the romance feel more relatable.

With that said, Hunter and Stace's first meeting was sort of fairytale like. Damsel in distress getting rescued by a brave, strong firefighter - that's the dream! They were super cute... but not as cute as Buck! 🐶

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me seduce you…

This was a sweet and sexy romp through the coming together of two very different women with two very different views on love and relationships. We met Hunter in the previous Sapph in the City book. She was fierce and loyal. This story lets us deep dive into her life and desires. We get her pov on her past and how she looks to her future (or the here and now). We also get Stace’s pov. Stace is a swoon worthy part time firefighter that is part of a loving healthy larger family. She not only brings the swoon (and does she ever!) but she also brings light and warmth and smiles and care. They compliment each other throughout the story from the fiery rescue to yoga classes and pie to becoming friends and more. This should definitely be on your tbr!

[Rebecca MacAlister · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost didn't finish this one

I had a really hard time getting through this one. I think the only reason why I pushed through is because I've really liked everything else I've read by this author. And, I really enjoyed the first book in the series. But I just had too much of an issue with How arrogant Stace was. I know I probably shouldn't, but I just couldn't get past it.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful

I loved the first book in this series because it featured a writer, something I've recently become. This one? I just fell in love. Hunter is prickly, Stacey is all heat and sweetness, and it makes me yearn for love like theirs in my life. So beautiful.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

pretty much an average romance book

[Kady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not sure how I feel about this one. I LOVED Stace just quietly and consistently perusing Hunter. But I just don't know if I buy Hunter and her point of view.

[Cheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story but it didn't feel fully done. I mean, it seemed thin on relationship building. There was loads of potential but there were a lot of things that weren't addressed - also the very quick and sort of weird introduction of the 4th friend named Jo. Felt like there was a need for a new person to be added to the group because she'll be the focus of another book in the series and her name got tossed in a couple times. 

I love that Hunter and Stace got together, I just wish it had felt like a fully fleshed out novel.

[Jake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, could be better.

There were lots of good things in this book. The MC’s were fairly enjoyable, the side characters were alright.

What was bad:

The relationship is basically 10 pages after they get together. Ok I guess?

But it’s like eating 9 courses of an ok salad to get to the burger and it’s the size of a quarter. Disappointing.

Cameron never really resolved the issues with Eloise and Cade, didn’t resolve the issues with Hunter’s parents.

It feels like Cameron is attempting to be more serious, more sexual, in the writing, but is still writing fluff.

Enjoyable fluff, but definitely missing the parts of the story that would give it more oomph.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it

Another great read from Cameron. I’m really enjoying this new series of books.
The main characters are like chalk and cheese, one being anti relationship and the other going above and beyond to prove it’s worth it. Having already met one main in the previous book you already have an idea of what to expect. I didn’t expect her to be so against being with someone though, until you get a bit of history that is. Then it’s more understandable.
I loved this story, the push and pull added a little something to keep me turning pages.
Seriously looking forward to the next one.

[Minna Perälä · Rating 3 out of 5]

3-3.5 stars. I liked the #1 book in the series a lot (more than this second book). I rated it 4 stars, compared to 3 stars here.

I found the plot of Unbelievable You interesting but I found Stace hard to like. Yes, she was patient and goal oriented but she could have been written to be more pleasant MC. Hunter had her reasons but those could have been described a bit more. Also, she made the 180 turn quite quickly and out of sudden.

Although I know independently published books need to be forgiven when it comes to small mistakes, I found the number of typos/errors distracting. The writing also felt a bit rushed like the author was in a hurry to get the book out and the book lacked the final touch. The first book in the series was more polished.

[Doug Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main couple in Unbelievable You meet dramatically when firefighter Stace rescues yoga instructor Hunter from her burning studio. Once past the initial meet-cute the angst is primarily on Hunter’s side as she has no good role models for a loving relationship. Fortunately for all involved Stace is patient and willing to play the long game. The supporting cast is a mix of new and previously introduced characters. In the best tradition they help provide insights into the main characters. The story arc has relatively little melodrama and comes to a very satisfying conclusion.

[Cara Ramsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Breaking Down Walls

Hunter doesn’t do relationships. She doesn’t do relationships because every relationship she’s ever seen went from love to, at best, apathy, or at worst, hatred and heartbreak. Stacey knows she wants Hunter, from the first time she carried Hunter down a smoke filled stairwell to safety. And this entire novel is how Stacey slowly breaks down Hunter’s walls and worms her way into Hunter’s life and heart.

It’s a slow burn long term seduction and every page is worth it. I recommend this book!

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great characters make a great story

This series is so enjoyable. Book 2 is even better than Book 1. I so enjoy the characters this author creates. She paints them with detail and care and she obviously loves them. It’s amazing to experience. If you want more than superficial simple HEA blah blah and don’t necessarily need to cry before getting to enjoy the HEA, I highly recommend this series. And this book especially. Enjoy!
PS. There’s a few steamy bits but I skip them so can’t comment on steam level. :D

[Barbiegirl24 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes Yes Yes

I didn’t think this was going to be my series. I wasn’t sure about the first book. This one was wonderful! It made me so happy because Stace is exactly the cocky type that I’m attracted to. Well, was, I have been with my wife for 13 yrs now. The book is very well written. I tried to put it down to finish another book I had started but I couldn’t do it. This brought me back to Paige and Ezra and reminded me why I fell in love with Chelsea Cameron’s books!

[EvaLovesRomance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hunter meets Stace when she is rescued by her. I like the way they have kept in each others thoughts until they meet again in the gym where Hunter is teaching yoga. The build up to finally get together felt like forever and would never happen until it did and I love them together. I'm glad not have have seen more of Hunters parents but loved Stace and her parents and siblings around Hunter. lovely story ! well worth the wait for these two to end up together, happily! Read and ENJOY!

[Lyn Denison · Rating 5 out of 5]

comforting

Every so often you need a book that’s as comforting as a cosy rug, or in this case, someone like Stace. Great characters and storyline as Hunter learns what it means to accept that sometimes someone is exactly what she seems. Nice catchup with characters from the first book in the series, too.

[Danyelle Jefferson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow captured again by these unbelievable books!

I absolutely love the characters in this story. It sometimes takes someone to see the dream for you even when you cannot. I love the friendships that are intertwined and the love of dessert. The build up is always perfect with this writer and you are never let down. So ready for the next book!

[Robin Kenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh how I love this story!

Chelsea M. Cameron you are so gifted! I am delighted that I had the time to read this one! The characters really grabbed my attention and it is so well written. There are a few typos butt even that did not deter me. The electricity between the two main characters was perfect, the sex was not over the top but needed. I just so enjoyed this one.

[Toni LibraLover · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet and Sexy 😍

Nothing terribly complex here. Just a joyful story of two women brought together by an accident, who you know from the start, would wind up together for a massive HEA💗.
Looking forward to book 3 in this series.
Thank you Chelsea for an enjoyable ride one again. 😘

[Judy - JC · Rating 3 out of 5]

I absolutely adored Hunter! I need a Hunter in my life.
She's that kind of person (the one not everyone gets to have) - someone who doesn't just want to be with you, but actively shows you it's possible. Not out of whimsy, but from genuine care.

I loved every single interaction with the story's puppy.
I loved Hunter's family.
I loved that we got our HEA.

[claw · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the first one, for me... There were a couple of plot / characterization inconsistencies (in my opinion) and it felt repetitive reading it right after the first one, which happens sometimes with some romance authors. The couple did not captivate me as much as the first one did. But all in all it was alright. Better than a lot of stuff out there.

[priscilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

couldn’t stop reading it …

After reading the first book , I knew I couldn’t stop now .. I told myself if the first one kept me coming back , I most read the second book.. to say did not disappoint at all .. I love how I’m getting to know the life of the three characters n not just one .. truly was great call.. can’t wait to start the next one … thank you for such great read ..

[Bon Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A WONDERFUL STORY

This was sweet, laugh out loud funny and very sexy. Chelsea brings it in this new series. A treatise on how parents can really screw up their kids. I can’t wait for the 3rd book that I’m sure is about cranky Reid.

[Marybeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always enjoy this author. She writes believable characters in realistic situations. So even though it its a trope, it always works. Plus, I love the HEA. Looking forward to book 3. My only complaint is that the editing could have been a little more complete. Missing words distract me.

[Ness Reeve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice read

Beautifully romantic butch, Stace, tells no commitment Hunter she will seduce her and make her swoon. Hunter is adamant that's never going to happen. It's a fun, sexy read.

[Kathe]

Stace reminds me of Cade, in the first book, just more confident. I was prepared for a flaming fight scene between Hunter and her parents. Needless to say, I enjoyed the book and am starting book 3. Good thing there are 7 in the series!

[Susan Ferrante · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great and Different Love Sory

This book was very hard to stop reading. Main characters are unique and you will love them. Chelsea
Cameron is now on my favorite author list.