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Desert Places
The dry, wide plains of the high desert are a mirror to the barren places in Jean McAllister's heart. With a new home in southern Colorado, and an ideal job as a Deputy County Attorney, she hopes to overcome a painful past.
Jean meets the dedicated yet charming Sheriff Lea Hawkins when she defends the Sheriff’s Office in a lawsuit. Just as Jean begins to wonder if love can thrive in the desert, the murder of a colleague shatters her cautious happiness and casts doubt over everyone, including Lea.
Caught between a scorched past and the dangerous heat that Lea awakens, can Jean find the truth and save their chance for a future together?
Jean meets the dedicated yet charming Sheriff Lea Hawkins when she defends the Sheriff’s Office in a lawsuit. Just as Jean begins to wonder if love can thrive in the desert, the murder of a colleague shatters her cautious happiness and casts doubt over everyone, including Lea.
Caught between a scorched past and the dangerous heat that Lea awakens, can Jean find the truth and save their chance for a future together?
240 pages, Paperback
First published June 30, 2015
4 people are currently reading
65 people want to read
About the author
Erica Abbott
13 books41 followersErica Abbott had been an attorney for nearly thirty years, many spent working with law enforcement and local government as a prosecutor. She had also taught legal courses, studied bridge and golf—mastering neither—and had appeared as a performer and singer in numerous local community theater productions in her beloved Denver, Colorado.
Erica Abbott's debut novel, Fragmentary Blue, was awarded an Alice B. Lavender Certificate for 2013.
GCLS Goldie Awards:
Taken In, Finalist, Mystery/Thriller
Desert Places, Finalist, Romantic Suspense/Intrigue/Adventure
One Fine Day, Finalist in Lesbian Contemporary Romance
Fragmentary Blue, Finalist in Lesbian Debut Author
Certain Dark Things, Finalist in Lesbian Mystery/Thriller.
Erica Abbott passed away on the 4th of July, 2020—just a few weeks before her last book [Un]Common Ground was released.
Erica Abbott's debut novel, Fragmentary Blue, was awarded an Alice B. Lavender Certificate for 2013.
GCLS Goldie Awards:
Taken In, Finalist, Mystery/Thriller
Desert Places, Finalist, Romantic Suspense/Intrigue/Adventure
One Fine Day, Finalist in Lesbian Contemporary Romance
Fragmentary Blue, Finalist in Lesbian Debut Author
Certain Dark Things, Finalist in Lesbian Mystery/Thriller.
Erica Abbott passed away on the 4th of July, 2020—just a few weeks before her last book [Un]Common Ground was released.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 8, 2017
This book was really down the middle for me, not great, not bad either. While, I enjoyed reading it, there is nothing about this book that would stick out in my mind. I know I will forget about it shortly. The characters where both pretty plain for me, nothing to make them stand out. When I think about Abbott's other books, her characters of Alex and CJ, where great. In fact I would put CJ in my top 10 favorite characters in Lesfic. Therefore, I'm just so surprised I was so disconnected to the two mains in Desert Places.
The mystery was OK. It did draw you in a bit, but it was pretty obvious who the "bad guy" was. The main character, is an attorney, that deals with things like her towns planning and workers compensation lawsuits. Not a very exciting subject. I didn't have a problem with it as I used to have family members that worked on Planning Commissions, so I have a bit of knowledge. If you don't really know or care about planning, it can be very boring.(Heck, even knowing about it doesn't stop it from being boring.)
I can't really recommended this book, but I wouldn't tell you to stay away either.
The mystery was OK. It did draw you in a bit, but it was pretty obvious who the "bad guy" was. The main character, is an attorney, that deals with things like her towns planning and workers compensation lawsuits. Not a very exciting subject. I didn't have a problem with it as I used to have family members that worked on Planning Commissions, so I have a bit of knowledge. If you don't really know or care about planning, it can be very boring.(Heck, even knowing about it doesn't stop it from being boring.)
I can't really recommended this book, but I wouldn't tell you to stay away either.
July 27, 2018
Erica Abbott really took me by surprise. Because at each re-reading, she's slowly but surely becoming one of my favorites lesfic writer.
There may be small mistakes here and there but her books are truly charming stories, with enticing main characters and nice secondary ones. She even succeed in making old trope looks convincing.
This story feels homey.
Which is weird because I sure as hell never have been in this parts of America, never worked in a county, had an alcoholic parent and so on.
But I have enjoyed moving to and learning about new places, met bullies at work, politicians of corporate persuasion in my case, had similarly wrong relationship with birth family members, and so on.
And I did fell head over heels for a coworker and decided her family was way much nicer that the one I first got.
The romance and mystery are almost secondary to the simple fact of the main character getting on with her life. That works surprinsingly well for me.
There may be small mistakes here and there but her books are truly charming stories, with enticing main characters and nice secondary ones. She even succeed in making old trope looks convincing.
This story feels homey.
Which is weird because I sure as hell never have been in this parts of America, never worked in a county, had an alcoholic parent and so on.
But I have enjoyed moving to and learning about new places, met bullies at work, politicians of corporate persuasion in my case, had similarly wrong relationship with birth family members, and so on.
And I did fell head over heels for a coworker and decided her family was way much nicer that the one I first got.
The romance and mystery are almost secondary to the simple fact of the main character getting on with her life. That works surprinsingly well for me.
July 19, 2016
Mmm, I give this book three stars with reservations.
The story is set in Pueblo, Colorado - oh, err, I mean Tesoro ;) - and that, above all else, was what I enjoyed about this book. I lived in the high desert of Colorado (although on the other side of the divide) for four and a half years, and reading this book made me miss it terribly. There's a lot of "place" here in the book - those gorgeous night skies, the low humidity, even the chili festival - and that is what I liked above all else.
Abbott, at least in the two books (and one novella) that I've read by her, tends to tell and not show, and that really prevents me from immersing myself in the story. This book isn't an exception, unfortunately. Instead of actually feeling the characters' emotions, I just get told about them. And I don't like it. When I read books in this genre, I want to feel and experience. Make me laugh, make me cry, make me do both at the same time - whatever. Just don't make me bored. And even though there were some great aspects that could, and honestly should, have made me feel something - it just didn't click at all.
And Jean, who is the deputy County Attorney, tends to go overboard with the legal mumbo jumbo. I seriously almost set the book down, never to be picked up, because of the tsunami of legal jargon in the first few chapters (hang on, readers, the book does get better from there). I know that the author was (or is?) an attorney, so I get that she knows her stuff, etc, etc, but...summarize. I don't need a textbook or an in-depth treatise on county law.
I'm not sure if I will pick up something else by this author again, but, as I said, I did enjoy the Colorado authenticity that this book has to it.
The story is set in Pueblo, Colorado - oh, err, I mean Tesoro ;) - and that, above all else, was what I enjoyed about this book. I lived in the high desert of Colorado (although on the other side of the divide) for four and a half years, and reading this book made me miss it terribly. There's a lot of "place" here in the book - those gorgeous night skies, the low humidity, even the chili festival - and that is what I liked above all else.
Abbott, at least in the two books (and one novella) that I've read by her, tends to tell and not show, and that really prevents me from immersing myself in the story. This book isn't an exception, unfortunately. Instead of actually feeling the characters' emotions, I just get told about them. And I don't like it. When I read books in this genre, I want to feel and experience. Make me laugh, make me cry, make me do both at the same time - whatever. Just don't make me bored. And even though there were some great aspects that could, and honestly should, have made me feel something - it just didn't click at all.
And Jean, who is the deputy County Attorney, tends to go overboard with the legal mumbo jumbo. I seriously almost set the book down, never to be picked up, because of the tsunami of legal jargon in the first few chapters (hang on, readers, the book does get better from there). I know that the author was (or is?) an attorney, so I get that she knows her stuff, etc, etc, but...summarize. I don't need a textbook or an in-depth treatise on county law.
I'm not sure if I will pick up something else by this author again, but, as I said, I did enjoy the Colorado authenticity that this book has to it.
April 28, 2016
It was too obvious and naive.
August 31, 2016
I liked the main characters, Deputy County Attorney Jean McAllister and Sherriff Lea Hawkins’s, both strong independent and well established women. I particularly enjoyed meeting the Hawkins family, whose warmth and welcome were charming. For once the wicked homophobic family members (Jeans’ mother and brother) get their due comeuppance.
The mystery is not hard to solve, but adds layer of storyline which intertwines neatly with the gentle romance and family relationships. We certainly know who the nasties are.. but whether they are the baddies and how far their perfidy has spread makes enough of an mystery to keep the pages turning.
Ms Abbott uses her native Colorado to great effect with stunning scenery, moonlight walks and sunset rides. The love of place is evident and adds a depth to the story, where the Hawkins are firmly rooted in the land and the community.
Good storytelling, likeable characters and a charming romance…I thoroughly enjoyed this, a light and fast read, perfect for a summers day in the garden.
The mystery is not hard to solve, but adds layer of storyline which intertwines neatly with the gentle romance and family relationships. We certainly know who the nasties are.. but whether they are the baddies and how far their perfidy has spread makes enough of an mystery to keep the pages turning.
Ms Abbott uses her native Colorado to great effect with stunning scenery, moonlight walks and sunset rides. The love of place is evident and adds a depth to the story, where the Hawkins are firmly rooted in the land and the community.
Good storytelling, likeable characters and a charming romance…I thoroughly enjoyed this, a light and fast read, perfect for a summers day in the garden.
July 6, 2016
Other than some zombie short story I have no idea how to find, I've apparently just completed the last thing currently published by Abbott. That was a quickish leap through her work. I seem to be on something of a run here. At least in terms of 'completing' authors who I had just started. I recall two of the top of my head, at least. Well, three now with Abbott. J.A. Armstrong, and Lynn Galli being the other two I started and completed relatively quickly. Well, there is that one short story collection by Galli I haven't yet read.
This specific book here: the book was interesting and kept my attention throughout most of it. Though, oddly, I got kind of bored when all the various threads - the mystery, and the romantic ones, started to get wrapped up.
I was thinking while reading the book, that it had something of a mixture of Abbott's prior works. Both her romance, and her three book romantic intrigue series. I believe they are all in Colorado, but I don't mean that. The characters were mostly unique, as in no repeats. Which is good. I'm not really sure what I mean by 'a mixture', but it was a vibe I had picked up along the way.
I do know, though, that in terms of the mystery, this book here is less of a mystery than a romance. Compared with the CJ & Alex series. And much more of a mystery than the one romance book. Oh, and that's another thing. I entered my reading of Abbott with the odd thought that she normally wrote romances, but turned towards adding mystery to her books. When I was looking over her books today, or yesterday, I was actually shocked when I realized that there is actually only one out-and-out romance. Well, the mysteries have romances, but I mean that there's just one book that's purely romance.
Now in terms of ratings. Hmms. I was thinking that the book seemed like a solid enough four star book. Though, it started to slip there. I'll go ahead and give it four stars now, while leaving myself the option of rethinking my rating. Heh, I say that as if I don't always reserve the right to fiddle with my ratings.
Mmphs. Now I have to find yet another author to tackle, subdue, and gobble all of their books. Mmphs. Well, it's not like I'll ever come close to running out of possible books.
(by the way, I felt the need to write that above stuff while I was actually still reading the book. Maybe the last four percent will move the rating one way or another, eh? heh. Unlikely, that. I just felt the need to write right then and there (actually, it turns out that the last four percent did solidify my decision to rate this 4 stars)).
This specific book here: the book was interesting and kept my attention throughout most of it. Though, oddly, I got kind of bored when all the various threads - the mystery, and the romantic ones, started to get wrapped up.
I was thinking while reading the book, that it had something of a mixture of Abbott's prior works. Both her romance, and her three book romantic intrigue series. I believe they are all in Colorado, but I don't mean that. The characters were mostly unique, as in no repeats. Which is good. I'm not really sure what I mean by 'a mixture', but it was a vibe I had picked up along the way.
I do know, though, that in terms of the mystery, this book here is less of a mystery than a romance. Compared with the CJ & Alex series. And much more of a mystery than the one romance book. Oh, and that's another thing. I entered my reading of Abbott with the odd thought that she normally wrote romances, but turned towards adding mystery to her books. When I was looking over her books today, or yesterday, I was actually shocked when I realized that there is actually only one out-and-out romance. Well, the mysteries have romances, but I mean that there's just one book that's purely romance.
Now in terms of ratings. Hmms. I was thinking that the book seemed like a solid enough four star book. Though, it started to slip there. I'll go ahead and give it four stars now, while leaving myself the option of rethinking my rating. Heh, I say that as if I don't always reserve the right to fiddle with my ratings.
Mmphs. Now I have to find yet another author to tackle, subdue, and gobble all of their books. Mmphs. Well, it's not like I'll ever come close to running out of possible books.
(by the way, I felt the need to write that above stuff while I was actually still reading the book. Maybe the last four percent will move the rating one way or another, eh? heh. Unlikely, that. I just felt the need to write right then and there (actually, it turns out that the last four percent did solidify my decision to rate this 4 stars)).
February 19, 2017
Good book
I really liked this story. Very good character development. Was hooked with plot from the start till the finish. A well done story.
I really liked this story. Very good character development. Was hooked with plot from the start till the finish. A well done story.
June 15, 2015
The new book by the author of the superb Alex and CJ series! I was really anticipating this (the only thing that would make me more excited would be a fourth Alex and CJ book since I absolutely adore them! *fingers tightly crossed* :D), and it was a good and enjoyable read from start to end.
I felt it was slightly different from her other books (this leans more towards One Fine Day than Fragmentary Blue) in two areas, in that the focus here is more on the mystery rather than the romance, and we see the whole story singularly via Jean's view. It's quite interesting in that we never know what the other characters are thinking, although I would definitely enjoy reading more of Jean's inner thoughts as well as more of her backstory elaborated. Though I did really enjoy the lawyer-ly portions just like I did in One Fine Day. :)
All in all, this was a good, fun and enjoyable read. Now... the wait begins for the fourth Alex and CJ book! xD
I felt it was slightly different from her other books (this leans more towards One Fine Day than Fragmentary Blue) in two areas, in that the focus here is more on the mystery rather than the romance, and we see the whole story singularly via Jean's view. It's quite interesting in that we never know what the other characters are thinking, although I would definitely enjoy reading more of Jean's inner thoughts as well as more of her backstory elaborated. Though I did really enjoy the lawyer-ly portions just like I did in One Fine Day. :)
All in all, this was a good, fun and enjoyable read. Now... the wait begins for the fourth Alex and CJ book! xD
June 8, 2018
With not enough lesbian mystery books written to compare it to, all I can say is that I enjoyed this book quite a bit. One of the several things that I particularly liked was the contrast in the families attitudes (with the sherriff's family winning, of course). Two emotionally strong, healthy women at the center make the book a delight.
September 11, 2021
4 Stars I'm a huge fan of Erica Abbott since CJ&alex series I enjoy her approach to Romance so realistic and Amazing. She knows how to capture moments and tell amazing stories. I hope she continue to give us amazing
April 29, 2021
It was okay. Just okay. Nothing more, nothing less.
July 3, 2015
This was average, not bad and not great.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews