What do you think?
Rate this book
All The Pretty Things
Revised Edition -- With the launch of her political campaign, the last thing Tess needed was a distraction. She had enough to deal with running as a Republican and a closeted lesbian. But when Special Agent Robin Hart from the FBI arrives in Cincinnati to investigate a corruption case, Tess finds herself spending more time than she should with the attractive woman. Things get a little more complicated when Robin begins to display signs of affection, and Tess fears her own outing might erupt in political scandal and sink all chances of pursuing her dreams.
224 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 6, 2013
12 people are currently reading
280 people want to read
About the author
Rae D. Magdon
28 books281 followersRae D. Magdon is an author of queer lesbian fiction. Her stories celebrate lesbian, bisexual, queer, and trans women falling in love, and she cares deeply about including characters of color in her work. In addition to publishing novels about all kinds of women and their adventures, she has an extensive fanfiction collection available for free online.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
February 22, 2018
All The Pretty Things started out as a political intrigue until the halfway mark when both characters gave into their mutual lusty feelings and just went for it. The tone of the book did a complete 180 after that. Not that it was less interesting, I just needed to adjust.
The writing was good but the plot was thin (I could see the bad guy coming a mile away), the sexy times went from fade to black (between Tess and her sex-worker bff) to full on ‘who’s your daddy’ with Robin. The BDSM is light and experimental on Robin’s part who is new to all that (but she throws herself into it like a good little trooper).
f/f explicit
Themes: Republican lesbians... they do exist, the love that dare not speak its name, I have to say Tess is dedicated… she even keeps her glasses on during sex, it felt like the authors were getting bored with the political/corruption/blackmail plot halfway and decided to bring on the smut, BDSM… well they tried but nothing too outre, still a nice afternoon's read though.
3.5 stars
The writing was good but the plot was thin (I could see the bad guy coming a mile away), the sexy times went from fade to black (between Tess and her sex-worker bff) to full on ‘who’s your daddy’ with Robin. The BDSM is light and experimental on Robin’s part who is new to all that (but she throws herself into it like a good little trooper).
f/f explicit
Themes: Republican lesbians... they do exist, the love that dare not speak its name, I have to say Tess is dedicated… she even keeps her glasses on during sex, it felt like the authors were getting bored with the political/corruption/blackmail plot halfway and decided to bring on the smut, BDSM… well they tried but nothing too outre, still a nice afternoon's read though.
3.5 stars
April 20, 2016
What the hell happened in the last third?
It seemed like a nice romance with a political background and a little mystery and subterfuge.
Then it turned into pure erotica. Now I don't have an issue with erotica, in the right context it is highly enjoyable. However, the story just stopped, the love making (not sure if that is the right word for the BDSM scene played out) took over and the plot lines were wrapped up inside a couple of pages.
It seemed like a nice romance with a political background and a little mystery and subterfuge.
Then it turned into pure erotica. Now I don't have an issue with erotica, in the right context it is highly enjoyable. However, the story just stopped, the love making (not sure if that is the right word for the BDSM scene played out) took over and the plot lines were wrapped up inside a couple of pages.
April 3, 2017
3.85 stars
This is a pretty decent book as a romance if a little anti-climatic as a political or mystery read.
FBI agent Robin Hart is assigned to investigate a Democratic political candidate running for Congress in the state of Ohio. In the midst of her investigation she falls for the Republican candidate, Tess Daubney, and the FBI plot, like Robin's assignment, takes a back seat to the romance that develops between the two. The two leads come together not just through their mutual attraction but through a subplot where Tess is blackmailed by an unknown person.
Initially, because the book is about a woman running for Congress who is also getting blackmailed, the genre feels more like a political story line with some mystery thrown in. However, there is little coverage of the actual campaign and the "mystery" is pretty easy to figure out. Until almost the middle of the book, romance hovers at the surface and any sex scene (which doesn't involve Tess and Robin) is fade to black. Once the blackmail plot gets the leads together, though, the book quickly turns into an erotic romance involving light BDSM. It was kind of a weird switch for me perhaps because the book started out with the fade-to-black sex scenes and was focused less on romance and then moved into the explicit, steamy sex scenes later on.
I did think the characters were interesting, Tess especially. Since the authors hail from Alaska I couldn't help thinking of her as Sarah Palin-esque except, unlike Palin, Tess is blonde, has a brain, class, integrity and, oh yeah, is a lesbian. Robin was an okay character, I thought, and there's this guy Louph who I'm guessing is on the Autism Spectrum that was a unique, fun character to drop into the story.
Overall, the book is well-written. In some ways it feels a bit shallow in that it doesn't go into too much depth in any genre it's falling into, except maybe erotica. However, the book is especially unique highlighting a Republican lesbian character while also shining a light on BDSM in an accepting, non-shameful way. Entertaining read.
This is a pretty decent book as a romance if a little anti-climatic as a political or mystery read.
FBI agent Robin Hart is assigned to investigate a Democratic political candidate running for Congress in the state of Ohio. In the midst of her investigation she falls for the Republican candidate, Tess Daubney, and the FBI plot, like Robin's assignment, takes a back seat to the romance that develops between the two. The two leads come together not just through their mutual attraction but through a subplot where Tess is blackmailed by an unknown person.
Initially, because the book is about a woman running for Congress who is also getting blackmailed, the genre feels more like a political story line with some mystery thrown in. However, there is little coverage of the actual campaign and the "mystery" is pretty easy to figure out. Until almost the middle of the book, romance hovers at the surface and any sex scene (which doesn't involve Tess and Robin) is fade to black. Once the blackmail plot gets the leads together, though, the book quickly turns into an erotic romance involving light BDSM. It was kind of a weird switch for me perhaps because the book started out with the fade-to-black sex scenes and was focused less on romance and then moved into the explicit, steamy sex scenes later on.
I did think the characters were interesting, Tess especially. Since the authors hail from Alaska I couldn't help thinking of her as Sarah Palin-esque except, unlike Palin, Tess is blonde, has a brain, class, integrity and, oh yeah, is a lesbian. Robin was an okay character, I thought, and there's this guy Louph who I'm guessing is on the Autism Spectrum that was a unique, fun character to drop into the story.
Overall, the book is well-written. In some ways it feels a bit shallow in that it doesn't go into too much depth in any genre it's falling into, except maybe erotica. However, the book is especially unique highlighting a Republican lesbian character while also shining a light on BDSM in an accepting, non-shameful way. Entertaining read.
October 8, 2013
Very interesting read...learned some...things lol
July 13, 2019
3.5ish
I was dragging my feet with this because I’m not a fan of republicans or coming out stories. The latter is over done and the former is just depressing. But I’m a fan of Magdon so I thought why not. It wasn’t what I was hoping for but a little of what I was expecting. It’s honestly not their best work but not terrible. Still enjoyed it enough to keep reading and finish it in one go.
Though the premise was there for something deeper, the characters felt rather flat and two dimensional. The investigative angle was more like a CW show...More of a time filler than anything. Definitely no mysteries or edge of your sit thriller one would expect with political blackmail. I could have seriously closed that case in a day - the bad guy was that obvious.
The erotica was kind fun. But Again compared to Magdon‘ other work this was meh. Though that could be because Robin was a novice and was still working out the kinks and getting a handle on the straps (pun intended ;) )
Overall, it wasn’t too bad. Again I would recommend the authors other works first.
I was dragging my feet with this because I’m not a fan of republicans or coming out stories. The latter is over done and the former is just depressing. But I’m a fan of Magdon so I thought why not. It wasn’t what I was hoping for but a little of what I was expecting. It’s honestly not their best work but not terrible. Still enjoyed it enough to keep reading and finish it in one go.
Though the premise was there for something deeper, the characters felt rather flat and two dimensional. The investigative angle was more like a CW show...More of a time filler than anything. Definitely no mysteries or edge of your sit thriller one would expect with political blackmail. I could have seriously closed that case in a day - the bad guy was that obvious.
The erotica was kind fun. But Again compared to Magdon‘ other work this was meh. Though that could be because Robin was a novice and was still working out the kinks and getting a handle on the straps (pun intended ;) )
Overall, it wasn’t too bad. Again I would recommend the authors other works first.
October 23, 2021
A republican?
This is the third book I have read by Magdon and again, I was not disappointed.
I love lesbian political romance novels and this one was a nice addition to that short list.
The adult scenes were really really good, too.
This is the third book I have read by Magdon and again, I was not disappointed.
I love lesbian political romance novels and this one was a nice addition to that short list.
The adult scenes were really really good, too.
May 22, 2017
Great story
I love that is was about a lesbian republican as there aren't enough of them out there. I really enjoyed the story.
I love that is was about a lesbian republican as there aren't enough of them out there. I really enjoyed the story.
January 18, 2021
Unexpected kink.
Nice.
Nice.
May 29, 2021
I find the whole glasses-during-sex thing to be a bit of a turn-off. Other than that, amazing. There aren't many books involving a butch domme and femme sub
June 24, 2025
Great read
Gripping, witty, sexy and in whole enjoyable. I found it hard to put it down.
From someone who reads a lot of LGBT fiction it says something.
Gripping, witty, sexy and in whole enjoyable. I found it hard to put it down.
From someone who reads a lot of LGBT fiction it says something.
May 16, 2015
Today at 12:38 PM
Four stars: f/f mystery
I was sent this book by Inked Rainbow Reads in exchange for an honest review.
Such a very good book. Two strong but very different female lead characters, supported by the humorous and intelligent Samantha.
Together and apart Tess and Robins characters are a dichotomy and I feel this is one of the great strengths of this novel. Not only was the plot well written but this almost played second to the relationship between these two fascinating women.
I felt the turning point of this novel was when the protagonist was finally exposed and the two women concentrated on their own needs and the needs of each other.
If you enjoy a well written mystery and hot sex scenes then this book is a must. This is the first book I have read by these authors but I will certainly be researching further ones.
My only criticism would be that in the beginning Tess says she has no friends, and this is entirely believable given her character, however, a couple of pages later Tess states one of the reasons for not "coming out" would be the reaction of her friends. However I did thoroughly enjoy this book and found it difficult to put down.
May 18, 2015
FourStars
Such a very good book. Two strong but very different female lead characters, supported by the humorous and intelligent Samantha.
Together and apart Tess and Robins characters are a dichotomy and I feel this is one of the great strengths of this novel. Not only was the plot well written but this almost played second to the relationship between these two fascinating women.
I felt the turning point of this novel was when the protagonist was finally exposed and the two women concentrated on their own needs and the needs of each other.
If you enjoy a well written mystery and hot sex scenes then this book is a must. This is the first book I have read by these authors but I will certainly be researching further ones.
My only criticism would be that in the beginning Tess says she has no friends, and this is entirely believable given her character, however, a couple of pages later Tess states one of the reasons for not "coming out" would be the reaction of her friends. However I did thoroughly enjoy reading this book and found it hard to put down.
I was given this in return for an honest review by Inked Rainbow Reads.
Chris
Such a very good book. Two strong but very different female lead characters, supported by the humorous and intelligent Samantha.
Together and apart Tess and Robins characters are a dichotomy and I feel this is one of the great strengths of this novel. Not only was the plot well written but this almost played second to the relationship between these two fascinating women.
I felt the turning point of this novel was when the protagonist was finally exposed and the two women concentrated on their own needs and the needs of each other.
If you enjoy a well written mystery and hot sex scenes then this book is a must. This is the first book I have read by these authors but I will certainly be researching further ones.
My only criticism would be that in the beginning Tess says she has no friends, and this is entirely believable given her character, however, a couple of pages later Tess states one of the reasons for not "coming out" would be the reaction of her friends. However I did thoroughly enjoy reading this book and found it hard to put down.
I was given this in return for an honest review by Inked Rainbow Reads.
Chris
October 23, 2014
If you've read any of Rae's work before, you'll know what to expect. Great writing with realistic, outstanding characters you'll care about and a plot that will keep you reading (as if the characters alone weren't enough already). I really enjoyed this book, even though I've never been much for politics. Thankfully, the politics isn't overbearing in the slightest, and as usual, Rae's focus is on the characters and how they interact with the situation and other characters. If this is what gets you hooked on a book, I'd highly recommend "All The Pretty Things" to you. And even if it isn't, I'd still recommend it to you.
August 10, 2013
Fabulous! Yeah, I know I helped write some of it, but honestly the bulk was done by Rae, and I loved the message she brought in this book, and I am grateful she allowed me to share in such a rich cast of characters.
Do you like lesbians in your fiction? Lesbians with political intrigue and cases to investigate? Possibly steamy romance scenes? Well, that's what this book is.
Do you like lesbians in your fiction? Lesbians with political intrigue and cases to investigate? Possibly steamy romance scenes? Well, that's what this book is.
December 2, 2015
modern lesbian romance between a butch FBI agent and a femme Republican, who's afraid of coming out, and has never had a 'real' loving relationship where money or alcohol wasn't involved.
I would've liked to have seen the FBI agent go through more of an inner personal change, it was more all about the Republican.
I would've liked to have seen the FBI agent go through more of an inner personal change, it was more all about the Republican.
August 20, 2013
I loved this book. I have had it for three days and have read it twice. There are so many things that I could say I loved about this book. I loved the characters and the emotion in the book. It was very well written. LOVED IT. Can't wait for the authors to come out with more.
June 4, 2014
Pretty
First book I read by this author and must say I truly enjoyed it. I enjoyed Samantha's character she was enjoyable at being Tess friend. Her wit was refreshing and knew what buttons to push without even trying. I will be looking forward to reading more by this author.
First book I read by this author and must say I truly enjoyed it. I enjoyed Samantha's character she was enjoyable at being Tess friend. Her wit was refreshing and knew what buttons to push without even trying. I will be looking forward to reading more by this author.
August 31, 2013
it reads more like a harlequin novel than anything else... disapointing
September 27, 2013
Really enjoyed this! Cool storyline and the relationship between the two women was well-developed and believable.
April 7, 2015
My first Rae D. Magdon book and I really enjoyed it. Story was good and the relevant bits hot and well written.
November 11, 2015
I enjoyed this book. I own the revised edition and even though I'm not into lawyer themed stories I found this book to be an enjoyable read.
April 17, 2017
I loved this! Tess and Robin were such interesting characters, and I really enjoyed watching them grow closer, despite the difficulties they faced. The mystery portion of the plot was also very interesting, although I must admit that I felt like the climax fell a bit flat. Towards the end, it felt like the mystery plot was pushed to the side in favor of their romance. While I'm all for their romance, I would have liked it to be a bit more balanced and for there to have bit a bit more time spent on the blackmail storyline. I'd probably take off half a star as a result of this.
I also really enjoyed how the BDSM elements were included. I don't see the Domme being the inexperienced one in the relationship all too often; it's usually the submissive that is new to everything. It was nice to see that switched up from the usual. I was glad that Robin enjoyed taking control. Initially, I though Robin would only be doing it to make Tess happy (which I wouldn't have cared for), but I was pleased by how it turned out.
I also really enjoyed how the BDSM elements were included. I don't see the Domme being the inexperienced one in the relationship all too often; it's usually the submissive that is new to everything. It was nice to see that switched up from the usual. I was glad that Robin enjoyed taking control. Initially, I though Robin would only be doing it to make Tess happy (which I wouldn't have cared for), but I was pleased by how it turned out.
May 2, 2017
All the Pretty Things is a very well written character driven romance with a mystery plot to add suspense.
The strengths of this work are in the characters, romance and erotic elements. The mystery elements of the plot enrich the experience, but any fan of popular TV mystery series will quickly put together the end game. This does not reduce the enjoyment of the experience of the book as a whole, as the romance portion rather quickly becomes the most drawing feature of the novel.
Overall a fantastic showing that it worth the money.
The strengths of this work are in the characters, romance and erotic elements. The mystery elements of the plot enrich the experience, but any fan of popular TV mystery series will quickly put together the end game. This does not reduce the enjoyment of the experience of the book as a whole, as the romance portion rather quickly becomes the most drawing feature of the novel.
Overall a fantastic showing that it worth the money.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews