Fearless Hearts

by Radclyffe

Forest Ranger Nat Evans is perfectly happy with the safe haven she has created in the Adirondack Forest and her life fighting forest fires, aiding stranded and injured hikers, and policing the waters of Lake George, New York. She has a good friend with uncomplicated benefits, and romance with a much younger woman is not on her to-do list.

After losing everything that matters, Vic O’Brien takes a seasonal position on the Water Patrol unit while she figures out her life. Emotionally bereft, when Vic reconnects with Nat over their shared past and the present challenges of keeping the tourists safe on lake and land, she refuses to deny the attraction kindling between them.

One wounded woman, one determined to protect her—and a summertime of risk, danger, and desire.

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

224 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 15, 2025

About the author

Radclyffe has written over forty-five romance and romantic intrigue novels, dozens of short stories, and, writing as L.L. Raand, has authored a paranormal romance series, The Midnight Hunters. She has also edited Best Lesbian Romance 2009 through 2015 as well as multiple other anthologies. She is an eight-time Lambda Literary Award finalist in romance, mystery, and erotica—winning in both romance and erotica. A member of the Saints and Sinners Literary Hall of Fame, she is also an RWA Prism, Lories, Beanpot, Aspen Gold, and Laurel Wreath winner in multiple mainstream romance categories. In 2014, she received the Dr. James Duggins Outstanding Mid-Career Novelist award from the Lambda Literary Foundation. In 2004, she founded Bold Strokes Books, an independent LGBTQ publishing company, and in 2013, she founded the Flax Mill Creek Writers Retreat offering writing workshops to authors in all stages of their careers.

She states, “I began reading lesbian fiction at the age of twelve when I found a copy of Ann Bannon’s Beebo Brinker. That book and others like it convinced me that I was not alone, that there were other women who felt like I did. Our literature provides support and validation and very often, a lifeline, for members of our community throughout the world. I am proud and honored to be able to publish the many fine authors at Bold Strokes Books and to contribute in some small way to the words that celebrate the LGBTQ experience.”

Radclyffe lives with her partner, Lee, in New York state.

Reviews

[Kexx · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story, up to Radclyffe standard, but her endings are abrupt. She is a class storyteller. Loved the characters.

[Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good read

I can always count on this author for a really good book. Excitement,action.and a slow burn love story. The characters are interesting and likable. Thanks for another winner.

[Katie McLennan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. Action & adventure in the wilderness, a great supporting cast of friends and co-workers to knock the MCs heads together when they're being thick. I read the whole thing in a day because I couldn't put it down. Would recommend!

[currentlyreadingbynat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fearless Hearts delivers exactly what you expect from a Radclyffe novel - rugged settings, strong women, simmering chemistry, and plenty of heart. I really enjoyed the Adirondack backdrop and the mix of action, danger, and quiet moments on the lake. Nat and Vic were both compelling leads, and the supporting cast added warmth (and some much-needed perspective) when the angst ran high.

That said, there is a lot of angst - enough that it starts to feel repetitive after a while. The emotional loop between Nat and Vic didn’t always need as many cycles as it got, and the story occasionally sagged under that weight. Still, beneath it all is a solid, engaging adventure-romance, and Radclyffe’s talent for world-building and character dynamics definitely shines.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Lula Larkin, who did a great job bringing the tension and emotion to life. I’d definitely recommend this one in audio.

[JoAnn Greene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading this story. I could really empathize with wanting to protect a safe existence

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about two women - one, Nat, who is closed off and afraid to take a risk, and the other is recovering from the death of her father. The latter, Vic, takes a summer job far away from her Maine home, and rents a small cabin from Nat. Both women soon find the other irresistible.

There is a lot to like about this story. However, there is also a lot not to like about this book. First, and foremost, there is a ton of angst - that, after a little while, becomes boring because it is repeated time after time, nearly the same each time. Page after page goes by, and the story moves along, but it quickly becomes saggy under the weight of all that angst. Beneath the angst is a fascinating story that didn’t need all that fluff.

If you are a lover of angst, this book is for you. If you prefer a well-written, tightly plotted romance, this book is not for you.

My thanks to Bold Strokes Books for an eARC.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had the semi-dated sort of garden-variety, stereotypical lesbians that I love. The story was lovely and simple. All I want, really! (Although, I do typically like a bit more mutual pining with spice, and payoff spice, but still). Ah, Radclyffe, never stop. Also loved the park setting.

[Patricia Iserman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fearless hearts

The action scenes are excellent.
I was holding my breath more than once to see who survived and who landed in the hospital.
Well worth your time and money.

[Coldwonderland · Rating 3 out of 5]

If anyone were to die here, it would be a little girl. If a lesbian couple were to have a child, it would be a little boy.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!!

[Rey Hawke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did not like Nat….