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On The Record
When DC Loved Iowa
What happens after the morning after? Polar opposites fall in love in this low-angst, ice queen lesbian romance about a DC finance journalist and a cheeky butch flight mechanic.
Cynthia Redwell can’t believe she bedded some ex-softballer/mechanic at her best friend’s Iowa wedding. Worse, the woman has a smart mouth, a cute grin, and a baffling immunity to her fabulously biting barbs.
Suzette Beringer wakes up beside closeted, bitchy, beautiful Cynthia and instantly knows she’s trouble. She should definitely steer clear. So how come they keep reconnecting…to the point she’s just invited Cynthia to meet her parents? And why on earth did Cynthia say yes?
The funny short story from Lee Winter’s Red Files universe has now been expanded into a novella.
Cynthia Redwell can’t believe she bedded some ex-softballer/mechanic at her best friend’s Iowa wedding. Worse, the woman has a smart mouth, a cute grin, and a baffling immunity to her fabulously biting barbs.
Suzette Beringer wakes up beside closeted, bitchy, beautiful Cynthia and instantly knows she’s trouble. She should definitely steer clear. So how come they keep reconnecting…to the point she’s just invited Cynthia to meet her parents? And why on earth did Cynthia say yes?
The funny short story from Lee Winter’s Red Files universe has now been expanded into a novella.
119 pages, ebook
First published July 2, 2025
About the author
Lee Winter
31 books3,154 followersLee Winter is a former award-winning veteran newspaper journalist who has covered courts, crime, news, features and humor writing for almost three decades around Australia. Now a full-time author and part-time editor at Ylva, Lee is also a two-time Lambda Literary Award finalist and a multiple Golden Crown Literary Award winner.
Want to get in touch? Email: Leewinterauthor@gmail.com
Want to get in touch? Email: Leewinterauthor@gmail.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
July 22, 2025
SOOO DARN DARLING. i’ll have 10 more please!
i’ll say…4.75, bc SOOOO many of the sex scenes were fade to black or otherwise implied. i love winter, but most authors know better than to keep it vague after their happy ending.
cynthia and suze are the SWEETEST, i want to keep them safe in my pocket. they’re so giggly and hopelessly romantic despite having that endearing attitude of theirs.
i love the grit that comes with some of winter’s stuff, but this feel-good novella was SUCH a treat and just what i needed after a rough couple of days.
this is definitely a go-to comfort read as from now. PLEASE make more of this type of novella. genuinely the best of winter’s recent works. VPFA and Fixers don’t compare to this delight.
i’ll say…4.75, bc SOOOO many of the sex scenes were fade to black or otherwise implied. i love winter, but most authors know better than to keep it vague after their happy ending.
cynthia and suze are the SWEETEST, i want to keep them safe in my pocket. they’re so giggly and hopelessly romantic despite having that endearing attitude of theirs.
i love the grit that comes with some of winter’s stuff, but this feel-good novella was SUCH a treat and just what i needed after a rough couple of days.
this is definitely a go-to comfort read as from now. PLEASE make more of this type of novella. genuinely the best of winter’s recent works. VPFA and Fixers don’t compare to this delight.
February 1, 2023
➥ 4 Stars *:･ﾟ✧
I LOVE THEM 😭😭😭! These girls get a lil drunk and have a one-night stand...and Cynthia can't remember any of it, but Suze sure does! Something about the uptight city girl (Cynthia) with the soft butch country girl (Suze) that won't take her shit just just does it for me . I'm begging (it's in my planner that I will actually) for Winter to write these side characters a full novel. No mystery nada. Just their dynamic and it's precious addictive nature. Oh and ... the -1 star deduction is because there we were served a fade-to-black reciprocation on a platter. I demand (!) I get more content for this couple, including the steam 💋. Seeing uptight Cynthia have her lil crisis and being at peak discombobulation was just delicious.
"I'm usually so much better at impulse control. Beer pong? Bedding the cute butch at my best friend's wedding? Not so much."
"You think I'm cute then?" Suze grinned.
"Regrettably for my once-stellar straight reputation, you are appallingly cute."
"You're not bad yourself. For a snooty DC bitch."
"You think I'm a bitch?"
"Oh you are. And you love it.
━━━━━━━━━━━ ♡ ━━━━━━━━━━━
I LOVE THEM 😭😭😭! These girls get a lil drunk and have a one-night stand...and Cynthia can't remember any of it, but Suze sure does! Something about the uptight city girl (Cynthia) with the soft butch country girl (Suze) that won't take her shit just just does it for me . I'm begging (it's in my planner that I will actually) for Winter to write these side characters a full novel. No mystery nada. Just their dynamic and it's precious addictive nature. Oh and ... the -1 star deduction is because there we were served a fade-to-black reciprocation on a platter. I demand (!) I get more content for this couple, including the steam 💋. Seeing uptight Cynthia have her lil crisis and being at peak discombobulation was just delicious.
Suze sat up, the sheet falling away, revealing an ample pair of breasts. It curtailed whatever grumpy inner monologue Cynthia was working up to as she stared at the impressive sight. Oh my. Why couldn't she recall playing with those?
━━━━━━━━━━━ ♡ ━━━━━━━━━━━
July 14, 2025
Lee Winter the author that you are. If you wrote a pamphlet on Safety Tips for Employees Working in the MRO Hangar, I’m 100% certain I would laugh and cry reading it and promptly give it 5 stars on Goodreads.
July 14, 2025
Oh, the gift that is the Legendary Angela Dawe! I was saving this audiobook for when I really needed it and this was the week for it.
The moment I heard her voice I knew it was exactly what the doctor ordered. I was smiling, laughing and swooning throughout.
This was a treat indeed! I loved revisiting not just these characters, but old favorites as well. How wonderful to enjoy a Winter-verse crossover like this!
The moment I heard her voice I knew it was exactly what the doctor ordered. I was smiling, laughing and swooning throughout.
This was a treat indeed! I loved revisiting not just these characters, but old favorites as well. How wonderful to enjoy a Winter-verse crossover like this!
July 18, 2025
In 2021, I wrote "Too short! I want a whole novel about them now..."
And I guess with a novella I got close to my wish. Lee Winter never disappoints.
This was a fun, sexy and in a way nerdy short story. And the dog name cracked me up.
And I guess with a novella I got close to my wish. Lee Winter never disappoints.
This was a fun, sexy and in a way nerdy short story. And the dog name cracked me up.
July 31, 2025
Nobody can take an ice queen and thaw them like Lee Winter. Suze? Hell yes. Gimme ten more of her all day. Her confidence and her banter and her family? Sigh.
January 2, 2022
What a great way to start a new year, reading this enjoyable wicked story, set in the Red Files universe the day after Lauren and Catherine’s wedding. Nice.
July 4, 2025
Loved it!
August 8, 2025
Novellas are always hard for me to rate.
Did I like this? Definitely. Was I emotionally invested? Not really, if not at all.
I do love all the recent additions to the Red Files universe, though.
Did I like this? Definitely. Was I emotionally invested? Not really, if not at all.
I do love all the recent additions to the Red Files universe, though.
June 29, 2025
When DC Loved Iowa is an absolute delight! It’s sharp, clever, and crackling with whip-smart dialogue that feels effortlessly real. It dances beautifully between biting humor and raw honesty, serving up laugh-out-loud banter right alongside moments that quietly gut you. The balance of snark and sincerity is done in such a perfect way that it makes the heavier themes of trauma and self-reflection land all the more powerfully. It’s the kind of deceptively light storytelling that sneaks up on you, lingering long after the last page.
Check out my complete review at TheLesbianReview.com,
Check out my complete review at TheLesbianReview.com,
August 17, 2025
4.5 ⭐️. Nice to see the old characters back again. I wish this one was longer
December 27, 2021
Too short! I want a whole novel about them now...
January 14, 2023
really liked this little add-on to the Red Files universe.
July 15, 2025
what a cute story. i can’t wait to read the whole series and the long one. ♡
May 23, 2026
I found this story too short for my taste, and it ended up feeling rushed. The characters didn’t feel distinct enough - after a few pages, they all started to blur together. The “ice queen” type character shifts from cold and distant to completely soft very quickly, which is something I usually enjoy, but here it didn’t feel earned or believable. Overall, the pacing made it hard to connect with the characters, and I was left wishing there had been more development. I had higher expectations for this story.
July 20, 2025
Okay—hands down—this is the hottest novella I’ve read so far this year! No. exaggeration. Plus Cynthia and Suze’s banter? Absolute fire. And their chemistry? Scooooorching! I caught myself breathless *multiple times!*
I’ll admit, I never read the short story ‘When DC Met Iowa’ (I was too salty about what Cynthia did to Lauren in ‘The Red Files’ to even bother with her story. Yes, I am petty like that! I only dived into this because I was hoping my book wifey Catherine Ayers would make an appearance —that was all!), so I wasn’t expecting to cackle through the first chapter or to suddenly “get” Cynthia and find her cockiness… charming. It’s all down to Lee’s writing, I know. It is sharp, funny, addictive—as ever! And Cynthia Redwell, aka my wifey’s bestie (and a boxers thief), turned out to be so much more than her “bitch in heels” exterior. And for someone like me who is still closeted at home and work, her POV hit me harder than I expected.
All in all, this was funny, spicy, and introspective. A solid 5 stars from me—and a reminder to *never* skip a Lee Winter short story.
I’ll admit, I never read the short story ‘When DC Met Iowa’ (I was too salty about what Cynthia did to Lauren in ‘The Red Files’ to even bother with her story. Yes, I am petty like that! I only dived into this because I was hoping my book wifey Catherine Ayers would make an appearance —that was all!), so I wasn’t expecting to cackle through the first chapter or to suddenly “get” Cynthia and find her cockiness… charming. It’s all down to Lee’s writing, I know. It is sharp, funny, addictive—as ever! And Cynthia Redwell, aka my wifey’s bestie (and a boxers thief), turned out to be so much more than her “bitch in heels” exterior. And for someone like me who is still closeted at home and work, her POV hit me harder than I expected.
All in all, this was funny, spicy, and introspective. A solid 5 stars from me—and a reminder to *never* skip a Lee Winter short story.
February 19, 2026
Rating 3.5.
I think of short stories as the extra cherry on top of a beloved novel or series, where supporting characters are given space for their own sapphic love story. If Cynthia Redwell, the best friend of the “great” Catherine Ayers sparked your interest from the Red Files Universe and then again in Sliced Ice where Cynthia meets Suzette Beringer (Lauren King’s best friend), this quick read is for you.
A generous back and forth of banter between Cynthia, a beautifully frigid, razor-edged, unapologetic “I don’t give two fucks” diva, and Suze, simple yet masterful at shoving the ice right back in Cynthia’s face, will have you laughing and falling a little in love with them both.
Here the reader learns about Cynthia’s past and reasons for her guarded and emotionally detached persona while Suze, grabs hold of her insides in the gentlest ways.
Love is found.
I think of short stories as the extra cherry on top of a beloved novel or series, where supporting characters are given space for their own sapphic love story. If Cynthia Redwell, the best friend of the “great” Catherine Ayers sparked your interest from the Red Files Universe and then again in Sliced Ice where Cynthia meets Suzette Beringer (Lauren King’s best friend), this quick read is for you.
A generous back and forth of banter between Cynthia, a beautifully frigid, razor-edged, unapologetic “I don’t give two fucks” diva, and Suze, simple yet masterful at shoving the ice right back in Cynthia’s face, will have you laughing and falling a little in love with them both.
Here the reader learns about Cynthia’s past and reasons for her guarded and emotionally detached persona while Suze, grabs hold of her insides in the gentlest ways.
Love is found.
July 17, 2025
Tying off a loose end…in the best possible way.
And it’s so satisfying to know in most smart-talking, supercilious and patronising ice queens there beats a heart that needs redemption. I’m happy for you, Cynthia Redwell. Well done, Suze.
And it’s so satisfying to know in most smart-talking, supercilious and patronising ice queens there beats a heart that needs redemption. I’m happy for you, Cynthia Redwell. Well done, Suze.
August 16, 2023
I wouldn’t mind reading more about Cynthia 🤣😂
October 12, 2025
Another little 2-3hour read. I needed something baring realism and not fantasy for a quick minute and this did the job. This short story is branching off from the ‘On the Record’ series that I had rated highly back when I read the novels. Can’t say I remembered the series in great details and this story isn’t filled with reminders other than how the few characters relate to on another. But, even so it’s a good, quick thawing for an ‘ice’ queen.
Spice levels I give 1 out of 10 though. It’s very much everything outside the bedroom that has Cynthia melting. Having to take a closer look at her childhood and decide if the cold persona is worth risking a chance at happiness.
If Suze didn’t have such self-assurance and confidence in who she was, Cynthia’s initial comments and descriptors about who she is, where she comes from and what she looks like would’ve be a maaajor issue. Obvs the writing allowed us to skirt over the comments quickly but could’ve been a problem real fast.
Spice levels I give 1 out of 10 though. It’s very much everything outside the bedroom that has Cynthia melting. Having to take a closer look at her childhood and decide if the cold persona is worth risking a chance at happiness.
If Suze didn’t have such self-assurance and confidence in who she was, Cynthia’s initial comments and descriptors about who she is, where she comes from and what she looks like would’ve be a maaajor issue. Obvs the writing allowed us to skirt over the comments quickly but could’ve been a problem real fast.
October 5, 2025
4.5 🌟 Divertido, descarado y lleno de spicy sin saturar en un historia corta.
October 10, 2021
This short story is surprisingly good, given that I actually doesn't really like Cynthia at The Red Files but here, her meeting with this cute butch from Iowa reveals her interesting part and I like it how there are something to learn in this short story.
October 25, 2026
Short and sweet, one night stand to forever sapphic romance, with a closeted ice queen TV host and soft butch star mechanic, one lives in the capital and the other in rural Iowa. I like the author's unique sense of humor, the adorable and imperfect MCs and the heartwarming, feel good story of falling in love despite of long distance and vast different backgrounds.
August 21, 2025
This love; I enjoyed it.
July 15, 2025
I don’t really know what to say. I’ve always adored Lee’s books, but this one simply didn’t sit right with me. I didn’t find Cynthia’s remarks particularly appealing, especially when the adjectives were so strong that it destroyed my view of Suzette. (Since I have a very… vivid imagination.)
Either way, I always love when characters from other Lee Winter’s books are featured. It was a good time to read about Monique or Catherine and Lauren.
Either way, I always love when characters from other Lee Winter’s books are featured. It was a good time to read about Monique or Catherine and Lauren.
December 31, 2025
It was a funny little story with a funny little title but was it a little funny? It was indeed funny with a little funny haha a little funny hehe and a whole lot of funny mwahaha.An amusing little story about falling in love with people and places you absolutely hate.
May 21, 2021
Nice short in the universe of The Red Files.
Lots of snarky dialogue, only 16 pages and it’s great.
Lots of snarky dialogue, only 16 pages and it’s great.
September 28, 2025
4.25 stars
August 25, 2024
This was a nice little short story. Anything by Lee Winter is worth reading and this was no exception. This added a bit of fun extra flavor to the corresponding novel. There weren’t any significant plot-point additions in this one but it was some extra context that I think absolutely contributed to the overall storyline.
This was so short that there wasn’t much to base a rating on. It was fun but nothing significant, so I’m going with 4-stars. These were characters that I didn't particularly care about too much in the original novel, which may have been a contributing factor as to why I didn't go for 5-stars.
This was so short that there wasn’t much to base a rating on. It was fun but nothing significant, so I’m going with 4-stars. These were characters that I didn't particularly care about too much in the original novel, which may have been a contributing factor as to why I didn't go for 5-stars.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews