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Venus in Love
Ainsley “Lee” Dencourt was born with her future drawn out as heir of the Dencourt Gallery in Washington, DC. She has mastered both fine art and the art of brushing off the responsibilities of her life. When the death of her father shatters her carefree world, Lee is caught between her decisions and her desires as she struggles to preserve his life’s legacy. For Morgan, the only thing more important than her family is art. Morgan has put her heart and soul into her education and her future—it’s what got her to Yale and to Paris. She can’t allow anything or anyone to come between her and her dreams of success. So why is it that every time Morgan gets a handle on life a dangerously sexy and hopelessly frustrating woman from her past appears and turns her world upside down? From the City of Lights to the Nation’s Capital, Lee and Morgan search for their place in the world of art. Is that place together—or will fear, pride, and deceit destroy what they’ve found with each other?
264 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 15, 2014
7 people are currently reading
69 people want to read
About the author
Tina Michele
9 books18 followersTina Michele is a Florida girl living on the banks of the Indian River Lagoon in the biggest small town on the Space Coast. She enjoys all the benefits of living in the Sunshine State. During the day, she pretends to do what they pay her for but really spends most of that time daydreaming and plotting some wild adventure. She graduated from the University of Central Florida with her BA in interdisciplinary studies—the most liberal of the liberal arts degrees—majoring in fine art and writing with a minor in women’s studies. To say she is motivated by her Right brain is a major understatement. Afflicted with self-diagnosed Sagittarian Attention Deficit Disorder, she spends a lot of time starting projects that she may, possibly, one day, probably finish. When she isn’t writing, playing, drawing, painting, or creating something of some sort, she feeds and waters the three dogs that are permanently tethered to her hindquarters.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 12, 2018
I just couldn't really connect with the characters, and the book was okay, but it barely held my attention. Could be I just wasn't in the right frame of mind for this book when I read it.
July 1, 2015
This review was made possible by receiving an advanced copy of the novel from the publisher via NetGalley, and can also be found on my FarNerdy blog.
Diving into the lush world of gallery art, debut author Tina Michele's new novel finds two beautiful and young women realizing a genuine love between them that they believed never existed outside their artistic education.
Ainsley "Lee" Dencourt, a young woman born to a wealthy gallery family, has been cultivated to become the reigning heir to the establishment that put her father on the creative art world map. Morgan Blake, a young daughter of a farm raising family from the country, has spent years studying her passion of the famed art of the world, striving to take her place among the great curators without the ease of an already established network. Meeting at the end of their university years, Lee and Morgan immediately take a note of each other, both with plans to investigate the potential of each other. When a radical event thwarts their plans, each woman falls into their new lives and moves away from the prospect. But each one still continues to regard the other as a subject of personal, and intimate, fantasy.
The culture, references, and complete immersion of the artistic gallery world, ranging from Paris, France back to the States, was the most significant reason for my desire to read this novel. Thankfully, I was thoroughly rewarded in this aspect. The novel was well developed, taking the time and energy to describe the characters and their personalities to provide a comprehensive view of each individual and their place among the others. It was also full of references, examples, and traits known only to the art world, which provided a satisfaction knowing that the author took the time to research the setting of the novel to all lengths. Each character was skillfully scripted, providing nuances and distinctions that expanded beyond the usual descriptions of written roles. In addition, the flow of the novel was exquisite, offering crescendos at the most opportune times, and keeping the reader (i.e. myself) turning the pages over and over again to continue the discovery of the story.
I would give this novel 4.5 out of 5 stars. The reason for being just under 5 stars would be because of the ending and the ending alone. Though a beautifully written finale to a novel I will most definitely read again in my lifetime, I felt that the conclusion lacked the same luster that was found throughout the rest of the novel that I had grown to love and appreciate. That same flow that I praised and adored about this novel seemed to fall short in the final pages. As I was getting closer to the end of the novel, I started to realize that the ending would only be abrupt due to the number of pages I had remaining, and it did seem to do just that. Though I will reiterate again that the ending was still enjoyable, I felt that the style of the author made it seem short of what it really could have been. Aside from this one attribute though, I found it exceeding all of my expectations, prompting me to give the book the higher 5-star rating.
If you're searching for a beautifully written lesbian romance novel that will engage all of your senses and well worth the read, look no further than Tina Michele's newest contribution. I recommend this to all of my favorite lesbian romance readers, as well as anyone looking for an alluring novel to keep them warm in front of the fire for the holidays.
Diving into the lush world of gallery art, debut author Tina Michele's new novel finds two beautiful and young women realizing a genuine love between them that they believed never existed outside their artistic education.
Ainsley "Lee" Dencourt, a young woman born to a wealthy gallery family, has been cultivated to become the reigning heir to the establishment that put her father on the creative art world map. Morgan Blake, a young daughter of a farm raising family from the country, has spent years studying her passion of the famed art of the world, striving to take her place among the great curators without the ease of an already established network. Meeting at the end of their university years, Lee and Morgan immediately take a note of each other, both with plans to investigate the potential of each other. When a radical event thwarts their plans, each woman falls into their new lives and moves away from the prospect. But each one still continues to regard the other as a subject of personal, and intimate, fantasy.
The culture, references, and complete immersion of the artistic gallery world, ranging from Paris, France back to the States, was the most significant reason for my desire to read this novel. Thankfully, I was thoroughly rewarded in this aspect. The novel was well developed, taking the time and energy to describe the characters and their personalities to provide a comprehensive view of each individual and their place among the others. It was also full of references, examples, and traits known only to the art world, which provided a satisfaction knowing that the author took the time to research the setting of the novel to all lengths. Each character was skillfully scripted, providing nuances and distinctions that expanded beyond the usual descriptions of written roles. In addition, the flow of the novel was exquisite, offering crescendos at the most opportune times, and keeping the reader (i.e. myself) turning the pages over and over again to continue the discovery of the story.
I would give this novel 4.5 out of 5 stars. The reason for being just under 5 stars would be because of the ending and the ending alone. Though a beautifully written finale to a novel I will most definitely read again in my lifetime, I felt that the conclusion lacked the same luster that was found throughout the rest of the novel that I had grown to love and appreciate. That same flow that I praised and adored about this novel seemed to fall short in the final pages. As I was getting closer to the end of the novel, I started to realize that the ending would only be abrupt due to the number of pages I had remaining, and it did seem to do just that. Though I will reiterate again that the ending was still enjoyable, I felt that the style of the author made it seem short of what it really could have been. Aside from this one attribute though, I found it exceeding all of my expectations, prompting me to give the book the higher 5-star rating.
If you're searching for a beautifully written lesbian romance novel that will engage all of your senses and well worth the read, look no further than Tina Michele's newest contribution. I recommend this to all of my favorite lesbian romance readers, as well as anyone looking for an alluring novel to keep them warm in front of the fire for the holidays.
February 20, 2015
Art Lover in the Making...
This book is very well written and fits the Bold Strokes Books brand perfectly!
I am not into art really but the story moved me so much, was so descriptive and sensual that I had to look up some of the artwork the author so lovingly refers to. I can see how they would be inspirational.
The characters are believable. I liked how they had realistic self doubts, were not afraid to cuss when necessary and were not perfect. Very refreshing. The sex was yummy and a part of the story, not just tossed in for the sake of having a sex scene.
The whole book felt very present, now, real....I'm not really sure how to explain it, just like it could be happening in this place in time... The descriptions were vivid, great story line, likable characters, a solid 5 stars and one of the best romances I've read this year.
Original review with Prism Book Alliance
This book is very well written and fits the Bold Strokes Books brand perfectly!
I am not into art really but the story moved me so much, was so descriptive and sensual that I had to look up some of the artwork the author so lovingly refers to. I can see how they would be inspirational.
The characters are believable. I liked how they had realistic self doubts, were not afraid to cuss when necessary and were not perfect. Very refreshing. The sex was yummy and a part of the story, not just tossed in for the sake of having a sex scene.
The whole book felt very present, now, real....I'm not really sure how to explain it, just like it could be happening in this place in time... The descriptions were vivid, great story line, likable characters, a solid 5 stars and one of the best romances I've read this year.
Original review with Prism Book Alliance
December 5, 2014
There is a lot to love about this book. Ainsley “Lee” Dencourt is one of those fabulously wealthy, gorgeous lesbians who has the power and the dosh to do what she wants. Fortunately for us, she wants to run the family art gallery, which leads her to employing a talented new curator, Morgan Blake. The fact that Lee has fantasized about Morgan since she first met her in art school is not entirely incidental, but therein lies the joy of the romance. Tina Michele throws in lots of obstacles, most of which are generated by her young characters working out who they are and how they fit into the world. It is lots of fun, but as an artist, I had trouble believing the two main characters would be doing all this at such a young age. It lost half a star for that from me.
January 1, 2015
It wasn't perfect but I really enjoyed this book especially the chemistry between the main characters. I would have liked a prologue at the end and I based some of my feeling for the book based on seeing these characters again in the future. I would love to see another book with Alex as the main character and Morgan & Lee as supporting characters. This would be a perfect way to get a look into their life after the exhibit as well has developing the friendship with the group (like Radclyffe does with most of her books). If not, a least a follow up short story down the road. I was impressed that this was her first published book and the cover was great.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 30, 2014
Wasn't bad. A little predictible at times, but overall an okay read.
December 30, 2014
Very little happens in this book, and what happens is a series of unbelievable decisions and disappearances of one of the main characters. It gets my three stars because it has its moments.
December 20, 2024
I enjoy reading anything Tina writes because her character development is impeccable. As a debut novel, this is sweet and funny and a quick and easy read. Loved it.
May 23, 2015
No chemistry. Things just happen with no real logic behind them. There is no build up. I'm thinking I won't end up finishing this book.
September 15, 2015
I liked this book. It's not extraordinary, but good nonetheless.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews