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Coming to Terms

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Coming to Terms is a love story—and so much more. It’s a story of the impact of sexual abuse and addiction. It’s a story of the hunt for a serial rapist, turned murderer. Mainly though, it’s a story of Sawyer’s journey to forgive—another and herself.
Sawyer James is a cop. It’s who she is and all she ever wanted to be. The job is all she has. Sawyer’s alone, not necessarily because she wants to be, but because horrors in her past have left her drifting in seething waters. To move forward into a fulfilling relationship, Sawyer must come to terms.
Sage Carson is a clinical social worker. She’s divorced and alone. Alone, is definitely preferable to being married. At almost forty, she comes to realize that her marital problems weren’t due to a lack of sexual desire, but rather, her lack of sexual desire for a man. Sage’s attraction to Sawyer is an awakening. To move forward, to not spend her life alone, Sage must come to terms—with her own sexuality and with Sawyer.
In their struggle—to love—to forgive—to survive—Sage and Sawyer risk everything.
But is everything enough?

288 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 5, 2015

67 people are currently reading
87 people want to read

About the author

K.A. Moll

22 books68 followers
K.A. Moll is a best-selling author of lesbian fiction. She writes stories about lesbians, burdened by past trauma, who find healing in the love of a soul mate. K.A. holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Illinois. Also, she holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling from Eastern Illinois University. Her professional background is in mental health and child abuse investigations. She enjoys golf, bridge, and of course, reading and writing lesbian fiction.

see also: Cade Brogan

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5 stars
88 (40%)
4 stars
67 (30%)
3 stars
47 (21%)
2 stars
12 (5%)
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4 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
Profile Image for Book Worm.
120 reviews32 followers
September 19, 2018
This is a review for the audio version of the book. I feel like this is a really intense book to listen to. The narrator did a great job in depicting the different personalities with their voices.
The topics this book deals with are however quite terrible. We have rape, attempted rape, sexual abuse of children, murder ... And it is all on a very personal level.
We have a criminal case and two psychological cases (or are there three?). So this is really heavy stuff. Intermingled in this are two quite cute love stories.
In the beginning I thought that the love story between Sawyer and Sage was too rushed, or maybe there were just details missing. They meet. Sage is inexplicably and surprisingly instantly smitten with the gruff Sawyer. Sage didn't even know that she leaned that way in the first place. Because Sawyer wants to help her sister Amber with therapy she opens up to Sage, who is Amber's therapist. Sawyer breaks down in Sage's arms and suddenly Sage is attacked - Sawyer saves her and they talk about having sex. I was like: What? Where did this come from? Whoah! Slow down.
I'd have really liked to know more about Sage's and Sawyer's thoughts about their budding relationship. I would have liked to listen to Sage's talk with her mother about her attraction to another woman. I just would have liked for Sage to show a little bit more insecurity (I mean she is 39 and the thought of being lesbian had never crossed her mind before.), just so she is not this super therapist all the time.
The rest of the tale is very detailed and not this jumpy, going over the different steps of Sawyer's coming to terms very slowly.
There is loads of suspense and deep insightful conversations as well as light banter.
The message is also quite beautiful: We are not the sum of all our past hurts. We are more. We can overcome terrible things and find love, if we're strong enough to face our demons. And if we face them we realize that they are scary, but not as enormous and overwhelming as our fear of them.
Profile Image for Kelly.
387 reviews25 followers
October 31, 2019
Ok, this book was a damn near did not finish. I persevered only to see if it ever got better. I had never read this author but there a lot of decent reviews for this one.

This book has a multitude of heavy themes/ issues (incest, rapes, domestic abuse, alcoholism, alzheimers, mental illness, & suicide) . The main character SD (Sawyer) is an alcoholic detective, who was abused by father. Her twin Amber was also abused. The book starts with Amber having some sort of psychotic episode/break. She's brought to an institution by paramedics. Although Sawyer ends up getting there around the same time. The counselor Sage, ends up assisting in Amber's intake & treatment.

Sawyer pushes to see her twin. Sage, prevents this as it would affect her care. She realizes the twins were both victims of trauma, & if she can fix/help one, it will be good for both.

In this treatment phase she falls in instalove with Sawyer, despite being previously straight. This sexuality change is presented as fact, without any internal deliberations or reservations.

Sage is also dealing with a father who's battle with Alzheimer is on the descending end. She was also attacked by a would be rapist (coincidentally Sawyer's father). She's saved by Sawyer, but they're then stalked by her father.

Sawyer's old girlfriend Laura was sexually abused by Sawyer after a night of hard drinking. Her current girlfriend is cheating on her, with glimpses of domestic abuse.

This story is super fantastical, highly inconceivable, with characters accepting of deep flaws with no real reservations. The circumstances are at best poorly contrived.
This story was just too much for me to rate any higher.
Read at your own risk.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Loek Krancher.
1,042 reviews66 followers
January 3, 2016
Thumbs up!

This was a very heartbreaking exciting story. Compelling and hard to put down. There are a lot of hurts and past pain to overcome. The struggle of healing from it was a painful journey but with the help of a lover it was manageble. This is a fast paced read with strong protagonists. The tension, the passion, the action, the hunt, the love, the romance, it was all in here. I can not describe it all, you have to read this for yourself. This is ome of the best book in this genre I've ever read.
Profile Image for Kathy Salt.
Author 7 books12 followers
February 16, 2018
This was silly at times and very simplistic at other times. The story isnt silly and simplistic but the way it's been written is. I still give it 3 stars because I enjoyed it anyway.
Profile Image for Charlotte Lowry Glen.
176 reviews
June 6, 2022
Like most of K.A Moll's books I enjoyed the story. It is an insta love book with angst as the twins are forced to come to terms with their abusive past when Amber has a breakdown and Sawyer spends her nights drinking to cope. The breakdown forces Sawyer to admit to Ambers case worker, Sage, their history so she can get the help she needs, whilst also having to deal with a serial rapist case that hits pretty close to home. I loved Sawyer and Jenny, Amber and Laurie their relationships were endearing and just lovely to read.
I did not feel so much for the Sawyer/Sage pairing. On one hand Sage is saying for Sawyer to take her time accepting/resolving her issues and on the other she is getting annoyed with her for not immediately responding in a positive, for her, outlook. This annoyed me a bit.
Profile Image for Kris K.
50 reviews18 followers
May 5, 2023
Ok. I was very close to not finishing this book. I continued, not because it was getting better, but because I was curious as to whether it was getting better, but nothing.

The only good thing about this book was the narrator.

Profile Image for Blink51n.
115 reviews1 follower
Read
March 7, 2017
DNF at 76%. It certainly got better (or less ridiculous at least), but I simply didn't care for the characters. I can't get past the horrible verbal and emotional abuse early on, coupled with instant love and a confession of beating then raping an ex from one mc to the other that isn't discussed again?! Too much yuck.
I can't rightly rate this as I didn't finish.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Danni Mladenovic.
233 reviews29 followers
August 1, 2016
I am very ambivalent about this book. There are moments in this book that are the reason for rating it with 5 stars, and there are lots of moments for rating it 2 stars. I compromised, so it's 3 stars from me. Firstly, I really liked the plot. There are certain things so deep and well written, that I found them brilliant. And - there is the other side as well. For a plot this complicated and topics this sensitive, I found the book to be very pale and not skillfully written. To me, it seemed like the author just had too many complicated plots on her mind and just didn't know how to finish it, so there's certain lack of depth.
Also, I had a problem with Sawyer... It's one thing to be traumatized because of the things that had happened to her in the past, very disturbing things, but it's whole another thing that everybody acts like it's not big deal for the things she herself had done to Laurie. She should've been in prison for that. I also had a problem with their jealousy, both Sawyer and Sage occasionally seem like a bunch of pre-school teenagers, based on their behavior towards each other. These two are women in mid and late 30's, they should've shown more maturity than being jealous of things that are obviously insignificant and completely not important.
Like I said, I really don't know how to feel about this book, considering the fact that it got very high ratings in other reviews, so it might have been me, maybe I'm missing a point, missing something... But from me, 3 stars.
2 reviews
May 18, 2015
I was so touched by this story. These characters were so real in their struggle to deal with issues that you don't often see in lesfic novels, like addiction, temper problems, sexual abuse, and mental illness. There was more to this book than just fluff. It was refreshing to read a book that broke free of the genre mold. I've read both of this new author's books and am really looking forward to her next novel.
Profile Image for Graysen Morgen.
Author 28 books83 followers
May 12, 2015
I enjoyed this story. KA Moll does a great job of making you feel for her characters. Sawyer is so much more than a cop. She's vulnerable, yet strong and committed to her job. She awakens a new side of Sage that brings light to the darkness in Sawyer's past. I recommend this story and I'm looking forward to reading her next one!
145 reviews3 followers
October 29, 2019

Cast of Characters

Sawyer Dane James, a police officer
Sage Carson, a social worker
Amber James, a school teacher and Sawyer's twin sister
Mark James, Sawyer and Amber's father, drunk and abusive
Laurie, Sawyer's ex-lover and present lover of
Jo, a violent drunk
Bob and Jenny, Sage's parents. Bob has Alzheimer's and needs constant care.

************************************

Sawyer James loves her job and everything about being a police officer, but she has more than her share of demons that keep her from having healthy relationships. She drinks heavily when off-duty and her alcoholism interferes with her ability to reason and work on a relationship.

Sawyer meets Sage when Sage is assigned as Amber's social worker after Amber has a psychotic breakdown one day while teaching her class. The attraction is almost instantaneous, but there is Sawyer's pesky demon standing in the way of the furtherance of their relationship. Sawyer has nightmares all the time because of something horrible from her past.

Sawyer's demons are deep-seated and intractable. She has been fighting them for most of her life. Sage came along and decided Sawyer was worth fighting for, that her demons were worth fighting against.

Sawyer's sister Amber also has her own demons and we learn they stem from the same place that Sawyer's do. Sawyer has to go back to her hometown and face these nightmares head-on. In doing so, the scab gets picked off the wound one final time.

I really got into this book, much deeper than other books I've read by this author lately and despite the drama, it was such a well-done story!

Trigger warning: There are references to child sexual abuse, drug and heavy alcohol use and incest.
Profile Image for Char Dafoe.
Author 28 books192 followers
August 20, 2020
This story had the potential to be a home run, five star hit, but unfortunately, the writing seemed juvenile as did the characters.

The first portion of the book had me captivated from the start. I liked seeing life through Sawyer's eyes and all her detective work, and then add the mental breakdown from her twin sister, just added drama and adrenaline. Once Sawyer met the councilor who'd been taking care of Sawyer's twin sister, well, it got bumpy. Again, Moll wrote an insta-love story where I, the reader, never had a chance to get to know either of them. I was more focused on the crime aspect of the story, finding out who the bad guy was killing all these women. The hunt and the chase ended as soon as it started, and once the bad guy was taken down, I forgot, at times, that Sawyer was even a cop until near the end when she and Sage visited her hometown. I think if Moll had drawn out that part of the plot a little more, the story would've had a better foundation to stand on. Afterward, the story was all about Sawyer's past indiscretions, alcoholism, and abuse she suffered at the hands from her father. As for Sage, the councilor, she was a conundrum to me. One minute she was professional at trying to help Sawyer with her problems, the next she was a sulking brat stomping her feet because she couldn't get her way with Sawyer.

Almost every book I've read of Moll's, I've felt like I was watching a movie with scratches on the DVD and it skips and stutters then picks back up at a different scene, having missed a moment in between. 3 stars from me.
Profile Image for Alex Lfr.
252 reviews5 followers
September 14, 2017
The book has a lot of potential and the ideas behind it are really good but there are a lot of things for me that didn't work. First of all, we are talking about mature women (Sage is almost 40) but they act like confused teenagers who deal with their feelings creating more chaos. Their insecurities just don't fit with what we think we were going to find.
Then there is Sawyer's troubled past. Again, a lot of potential because I personally love a very troubled cop who is trying to deal with her demons while catching the bad guy... But Sawyer sometimes is not understandable at all and I couldn't feel sorry for her but wanted to slap her.
There was more detail needed to really feel for the characters and some scenes just didn't make sense, like when Sage is jealous of Laurie or how fast and easily her mother accepts Sage's sexuality.
I expected so much more when I read the blurb.
Profile Image for Jen.
1,300 reviews2 followers
March 23, 2022
Oh wow… freaking awesome!!!!

OMG!!!! What a book!!! Absolutely infuses my belief, faith & hope in true love & the possibility of a ending better than how it started!! This story kept me guessing, blew my mind, broke my heart, pissed me the hell off & even brought me to tears, wrapped in a warm romance while riding this emotional rollercoaster from the prolgue to the epilogue of finding & feeling the safety, power & pleasure in real love!!!

💯 Real talk —it's better than the first book, & I can't imagine to see what the next one brings!!
Profile Image for Cathy R.
233 reviews2 followers
May 29, 2020
It’s OMG Awesome!

Such a great story! It’s characters are so complex, having experienced events seemingly impossible to live through. Their wounds are deep, and their wrenching emotional pain seems impossible to overcome. But for one woman, on her own journey of discovery, who also has the patience and wisdom to help. Even the secondary characters in this wonderful story are well-developed, likable, and sympathetic. This is a compellingly good book - thank you, K.A. Moll!
1,180 reviews
April 14, 2020
WOW!

What a roller coaster of emotions. I loved the story and how it was written. Sawyer and Sage’s relationship had so many hurdles to overcome and you could not help but root for them, for Sawyer. The seriousness of the story plot was interwoven so that it kept you from putting the book down.
Profile Image for Carolyn G. Manuel.
1,070 reviews
August 28, 2024
Dealing With Trauma

Sawyer James is a Detective trying to find a serial rapist. When her twin sister has a psychotic breakdown she knows she has to deal with the trauma they have buried since they were kids. Meeting social worker, Sage Carson, is a life changing moment for both as Sage helps Sawyer and Amber confront their demons. A story of recovery and healing.
Profile Image for j good.
271 reviews4 followers
December 28, 2022
Fantastic

For all of Sawyer's emotional scars, she is awesome, and I think Grace is remarkable.

What Sawyer & Amber indured was horrific, and it's amazing that they survived it to become a successful teacher and Police Officer.
Profile Image for Frances Bell.
434 reviews11 followers
February 11, 2020
Great Book

Loved the characters and the story. I think the subject of child molestation was we'll written. I recommend this book with a box of tissues.
Profile Image for jeanette.
87 reviews
August 29, 2020
Lovely Story

This Story has won my heart. It's a beautiful story , well written. A good read. Recommended to those who love romantic stories.
Profile Image for Megan Kenney.
55 reviews1 follower
June 13, 2023
Good

I really enjoyed this book. I could not put it down. I enjoyed reading the stories of the characters and wanted to see it through to the end.
301 reviews1 follower
May 9, 2024
I am mixed. I like the storylines. I am not sure you I like how it was written. And anyone who thinks this much trauma is immature or unlikely has had a more luckily life than the character. There is past trauma in both characters. Multiple traumas. People who have dealt with childhood trauma don’t age develop at the same pace and developmental stages. It is complex ptsd for a reason. And people with trauma are often drawn to others with trauma. And trauma is usually multi generational.

The author might not be the best to tell the story but the situation exits way more than anyone either a good life wants to believe.

So not the best written but the ideas are things that are important.
Profile Image for Amy.
167 reviews
February 17, 2017
Very strong story, the police story had me not wanting to stop reading. The story slowed down for me once the police story was resolved. The growth of the main character was very intriguing.
48 reviews6 followers
May 18, 2015
Bought based on the good reviews- couldn't make it to the end

I have never heard of this author and bought based on the good reviews. Unfortunately the book did not live up to the positive reviews it received. The characters are very immature and if I didn't know better I would think this was written by someone in their teens. The characters get into the most petty fights and then run off crying or go to the bar to drink. They all act like a bunch of sixteen year olds. The book started out focused on the breakdown of one of the characters yet the first 50% of the book barely mentions it and the two main characters that fall in love seem solely focused on getting together and fighting over the most ridiculous things. Like another reviewer noted it seems like there are pages or paragraphs missing. There are so many instances where the author took the story somewhere else but seemed to forget to loop the readers in on it. I couldn't finish this book. I pretty much gave it up when the detective was in the hospital and her new lover's ex husband ends up being her doctor. Somehow that is the new lover's fault so the detective rips out her IV (after getting shot) and leaves the hospital and goes to the bar. Who acts like this?? Hence why I couldn't finish.
34 reviews
November 15, 2019
Soul touching!

I was immediately drawn into the story of Sawyer and Sage. K.A. Molly tells a story of trauma and the thought one could never come back from something like that. But, shows there is hope in the friends, family that not necessarily is blood. But how life can bring the people you need most into your life to navigate the rough waters. Well written and definitely a book I would read again.
Profile Image for Rolande Vien.
522 reviews1 follower
November 18, 2019
Excellent book really enjoyed the story looking forward to reading other books by this author.
Profile Image for Samie Sands.
Author 61 books304 followers
May 8, 2015
Coming to Terms is a story about love, romance and dealing with past trauma. The plot is well driven by the flawed, but beautifully written, characters. KA Moll has a wonderful writing style that simply grabs you in from the very first page and doesn't let you go until the book is finished. This is an absolutely amazing read and I'd recommend it to anyone. This is an author who is going to go far - keep your eyes out for more from her :)
32 reviews1 follower
May 18, 2015
3 stars

This is my first read by this author and I will read another. I liked this story, the characters and the deep subject matter however I felt like scenes were left out or skipped. For instance the characters would have an issue then all of a sudden everything was fine. It left the reader to assume things got fixed but we didn't get to see the how. Like I said I will read this authors other works but I just found the scene skipping a little annoying.
3 reviews
May 13, 2015
This novel is one of the better reads I've had in this genre. It is a tender love story, but packs excitement within it's covers as well. KA Moll's character's are well developed, interesting, and believable. The story does a good job of holding the reader's attention. This is the first novel I've read by KA Moll. I'm looking forward to reading her next one!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews

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