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Warm November
Just out of the closet, Hayley Daniels is excited to start exploring lesbian life in San Francisco. It has its ups and downs, but the one thing she can depend on is the support of her housemate, Merle Craig. Merle’s trying to recover from a broken heart and Hayley is a breath of fresh air, but neither of them is prepared for their attraction to each other. When Hayley falls in love with Merle, she hesitates because she wants to be a free spirit. Merle isn’t ready to dive into a relationship, especially with a brand new lesbian. Can they overcome their misgivings and find true love?
264 pages, Paperback
First published August 11, 2015
2 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
About the author
Kathleen Knowles
10 books20 followersKathleen Knowles grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but has lived in San Francisco for more than thirty years. She finds the city’s combination of history, natural beauty, and multicultural diversity inspiring and endlessly fascinating.
Other than writing, she loves music of all kinds, walking, bicycling, and stamp collecting. LGBT history and politics have commanded her attention for many years, starting with her first Pride march in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1978. She and her partner were married in July, 2008, and live atop one of San Francisco’s many hills with their three pets. She works as a health and safety specialist at the University of California, San Francisco.
She has written short stories, essays, and fan fiction. Awake Unto Me is her first published work. (from the publisher's website)
Other than writing, she loves music of all kinds, walking, bicycling, and stamp collecting. LGBT history and politics have commanded her attention for many years, starting with her first Pride march in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1978. She and her partner were married in July, 2008, and live atop one of San Francisco’s many hills with their three pets. She works as a health and safety specialist at the University of California, San Francisco.
She has written short stories, essays, and fan fiction. Awake Unto Me is her first published work. (from the publisher's website)
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 5, 2019
'NetGalley ARC provided by The Publisher in exchange for a honest review'
**'Research is formalized curiosity.It is poking and prodding with a purpose..'
Commendable story!
About this storyline:- good dialogue right from the start---both women ( Merle & Kay ) had to admit to themselves that they both had lots of problems and issues in their relationship that needed fixing and help with before either tried moving on from each other-which when you/readers read on further after their break-up,we/readers found out all and everything else that happened. The story got a bit longer and much more in its detail sequence which was meaningless to the storyline because of another side story consisting with just the author writing about some women dating other women but eventually the author recovered closer to the ending which made it better for us the readers because only then did a true love story emerge and watch that couple worked their way back together (Merle & Harley) Recommended!
**'Research is formalized curiosity.It is poking and prodding with a purpose..'
Commendable story!
About this storyline:- good dialogue right from the start---both women ( Merle & Kay ) had to admit to themselves that they both had lots of problems and issues in their relationship that needed fixing and help with before either tried moving on from each other-which when you/readers read on further after their break-up,we/readers found out all and everything else that happened. The story got a bit longer and much more in its detail sequence which was meaningless to the storyline because of another side story consisting with just the author writing about some women dating other women but eventually the author recovered closer to the ending which made it better for us the readers because only then did a true love story emerge and watch that couple worked their way back together (Merle & Harley) Recommended!
August 18, 2015
This is an unexpected delight. A coming out story for someone over 50 is quite rare, and this is well handled.
Merle Craig is dealing with the shock of a ten-year relationship disintegrating. Living in the very lesbian Bernal Hill in San Francisco, and still in shock, Merle needs a housemate to help pay the bills. This is a neat narrative device to force Merle to spend some time with Hayley Daniels, a newly divorced woman also in her fifties. Hayley is certain she is a lesbian, but doesn’t have the experience to make things easy.
Knowles handles the character of Hayley with wisdom and tact and yet still gives us the delight of being there with her when she faces some of the problems we all have stepping away from the culturally programmed heterosexuality. Her character Merle is a different story, and her struggles remaining sober during such stressful times could have become very dark, and hard to read in a romance.
The joy of this book is that Knowles steps into the potentially darker territory of alcohol addiction and a coming out story, but by placing the characters in their fifties, she has avoided the pitfalls of creating a depressing drama with a bit of romance. Instead, it is a bona fide romance, but with a bit more heart and a sense of the pragmatic. It makes for a lovely change in a book and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Merle Craig is dealing with the shock of a ten-year relationship disintegrating. Living in the very lesbian Bernal Hill in San Francisco, and still in shock, Merle needs a housemate to help pay the bills. This is a neat narrative device to force Merle to spend some time with Hayley Daniels, a newly divorced woman also in her fifties. Hayley is certain she is a lesbian, but doesn’t have the experience to make things easy.
Knowles handles the character of Hayley with wisdom and tact and yet still gives us the delight of being there with her when she faces some of the problems we all have stepping away from the culturally programmed heterosexuality. Her character Merle is a different story, and her struggles remaining sober during such stressful times could have become very dark, and hard to read in a romance.
The joy of this book is that Knowles steps into the potentially darker territory of alcohol addiction and a coming out story, but by placing the characters in their fifties, she has avoided the pitfalls of creating a depressing drama with a bit of romance. Instead, it is a bona fide romance, but with a bit more heart and a sense of the pragmatic. It makes for a lovely change in a book and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
December 9, 2020
I really loved reading about lesbians later in life, especially Hayley who is just out of the closet at 50+. I came out young, so I'm always intrigued by stories from those who 'discovered' their sexuality later in life. I also really enjoyed the setting of San Francisco - I could visualise it perfectly and I felt as though I was spending time there myself.
I did find the romance itself a bit bland - I think I just couldn't feel the chemistry between our two mains. Did I think they made a lovely couple? Yes, absolutely but I just didn't get that spark between them.
I did find the romance itself a bit bland - I think I just couldn't feel the chemistry between our two mains. Did I think they made a lovely couple? Yes, absolutely but I just didn't get that spark between them.
December 10, 2016
This was an okay book. I especially liked the AA references. That being said, the Merle character was just so so for me and the 180 degree turn she makes in about 3 pages was not believable for me. Still, no regrets for reading this one.
August 21, 2015
Netgalley
What the book has going for it is a cast of characters that is delightfully normal. Not drop dead gorgeous, not stinking rich, just normal. They are also delightfully 'older', as they are in their 50s. Featuring in a contemporary romance that is unfortunately quite average.
Even more unfortunately, the writing just grated on me. This is mainly manifested in the constant self-help terminology that analyzes every situation minutely... Sigrid, a second string character, hardly utters anything else. When not included in dialog, this severely hindered the flow of the storytelling.
What the book has going for it is a cast of characters that is delightfully normal. Not drop dead gorgeous, not stinking rich, just normal. They are also delightfully 'older', as they are in their 50s. Featuring in a contemporary romance that is unfortunately quite average.
Even more unfortunately, the writing just grated on me. This is mainly manifested in the constant self-help terminology that analyzes every situation minutely... Sigrid, a second string character, hardly utters anything else. When not included in dialog, this severely hindered the flow of the storytelling.
August 4, 2015
I was provided with an ARC of this book by Bold Stroke Books via NetGalley
Quick review:
Coming out later in life. If those words have you thinking 'ooohhh yes I love stories about that', then go ahead an pick up a copy of this book. If you are at all ambivalent, then don't bother. 2.5 stars
Longer:
This book is a 'fine', if unremarkable, contemporary romance. Readers familiar with the genre will know exactly where it's going after the first page. So - a book that would get a solid 3 - 3.5 stars.
However there was a feature/theme throughout the book that drove me i n s a n e -- it really drew me out of the story and meant that I found it very difficult to connect with the characters -- constant pop psychology references PLUS the constant overexplaining of same combined with a preachy tone. Clearly the author has a strong knowledge of the AA ethos but constant references to it to explain every single decision/point of angst / character motivation / (supposed) growth point got really grating. Chuck in there a preachy but shallow reference to Kubler-Ross' stages of grief and a last minute reference to 'internalised homophobia' -- please forgive the sarcasm but it was really hard to tell as some points if I was meant to be reading a romance or a self-help guide.
The book also falls into the frequent mistake whereby one of the main characters 'angst' stuff is resolved miraculously as soon as we hit the 90% mark of the book. Ugh.
So, as I indicated in my short review above, unless you have a particular interest in the coming-out experience later in life then, I'm sad to say, you probably want to give this one a miss :(
Quick review:
Coming out later in life. If those words have you thinking 'ooohhh yes I love stories about that', then go ahead an pick up a copy of this book. If you are at all ambivalent, then don't bother. 2.5 stars
Longer:
This book is a 'fine', if unremarkable, contemporary romance. Readers familiar with the genre will know exactly where it's going after the first page. So - a book that would get a solid 3 - 3.5 stars.
However there was a feature/theme throughout the book that drove me i n s a n e -- it really drew me out of the story and meant that I found it very difficult to connect with the characters -- constant pop psychology references PLUS the constant overexplaining of same combined with a preachy tone. Clearly the author has a strong knowledge of the AA ethos but constant references to it to explain every single decision/point of angst / character motivation / (supposed) growth point got really grating. Chuck in there a preachy but shallow reference to Kubler-Ross' stages of grief and a last minute reference to 'internalised homophobia' -- please forgive the sarcasm but it was really hard to tell as some points if I was meant to be reading a romance or a self-help guide.
The book also falls into the frequent mistake whereby one of the main characters 'angst' stuff is resolved miraculously as soon as we hit the 90% mark of the book. Ugh.
So, as I indicated in my short review above, unless you have a particular interest in the coming-out experience later in life then, I'm sad to say, you probably want to give this one a miss :(
September 28, 2015
Reviewed by Destiny McNish for QUEERcentric Books
Warm November by Kathleen Knowles is a lesbian novel that follows the romance between recently-out Hayley Daniels and Merle Craig, a woman fresh out of a ten-year partnership.
The book begins with Merle coping with a separation from her almost-wife of ten years. In these two chapters, Knowles jumps through several different patches of time. By the end, the reader is left disoriented and trying to recall whether the author has even given us a description of our first protagonist. (She hasn’t.)
Further, the book’s loose plot-lines, sloppy descriptors, and poor grammar litter every page. Even the text itself is unreliable, as a description of scenery will occasionally be drawn out for an entire page, while other times it will be entirely excluded...
Read Destiny's full review at QUEERcentric Books
Warm November by Kathleen Knowles is a lesbian novel that follows the romance between recently-out Hayley Daniels and Merle Craig, a woman fresh out of a ten-year partnership.
The book begins with Merle coping with a separation from her almost-wife of ten years. In these two chapters, Knowles jumps through several different patches of time. By the end, the reader is left disoriented and trying to recall whether the author has even given us a description of our first protagonist. (She hasn’t.)
Further, the book’s loose plot-lines, sloppy descriptors, and poor grammar litter every page. Even the text itself is unreliable, as a description of scenery will occasionally be drawn out for an entire page, while other times it will be entirely excluded...
Read Destiny's full review at QUEERcentric Books
October 12, 2015
I am a native San Franciscan, who lives in one of our many delightful neighborhoods. In Warm November, Kathleen captures the essence of Bernal Heights and the women who live there. I felt as though I was sitting in one of my Lesbian friends living rooms, walking a dog on Bernal Hill with my dog walker gal pal or processing with a fellow after a 12 Step Meeting. Fiction? By definition, yes. Real Life? Without a doubt, yes. The uncertainty and fear that is the root emotion of any human being seeking a new relationship, following a break-up or coming out middle age, is captured in the journey of the two main characters, Merle and Haley. I felt warm inside as I turned the final page.
August 27, 2015
great beginning dialog in light of the fact that both ladies needed to concede that they had issues and issues inevitably in their relationship keeping in mind the end goal to move on(Merle & Kay) which when u read on after the separation, we figured out all of it...then the story got somewhat long a definite which was unimportant with such a lot of dating other ladies could have done with..but get to the end yet was alright on the grounds that they wound up together
January 8, 2016
Good contemporary romance featuring, for something different, woman over fifty. Thanks to the author for proving that even women over 30 something can be sexual. Sweet story, terrific characters, the city of San Francisco is so beautifully described it feels like another character. The plot is pretty standard romance fare, but the characters and situations were engaging enough to still make it a compelling read.
June 28, 2016
I know many people dislike stories where the main character (or love interest) is in the process of coming out and/or exploring their first same sex relationship, but I enjoy them. Knowles did a great job exploring Hayley delving into the lesbian dating scene for the first time. I liked her relationship with Merle as well because it felt very natural and was delightful to read.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
March 31, 2017
I wish there had been more showing, and less telling. And I wasn't convinced enough that the particular turning incident with Kay was workable.
I like Sigrid and Clea, and I liked the description of the Bernal Hill community.
I like Sigrid and Clea, and I liked the description of the Bernal Hill community.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews