Exchange

by C.F. Frizzell

Shay Maguire doesn’t realize how much of a fresh start she wants until she meets local newspaper editor Mel Baker in rural Tomson, Montana. But can she swallow being on the “dark side” of a town-wide development controversy if Mel sees her as the enemy? Jeopardizing revenue with her anti-development crusade, Mel earns Shay’s respect and empathy, but frustration mounts when Shay learns fear of devastating financial loss keeps Mel from revealing her lesbianism.

What Shay doesn’t know is that Mel’s life is controlled by a much stronger family secret. With both her newspaper and her love hanging in the balance, Mel is put to the test. Should she stand her ground? And will Shay still be there when the dust settles?

Genres: Lesbian, Lesbian Romance, Romance, Lesbian Fiction

240 pages, Paperback

First published July 12, 2016

About the author

A life-long Massachusetts resident, CF Frizzell (“Friz”) endures the telecom industry in Boston for a living but dreams of retirement days spent writing at the seashore or in an Adirondack cabin. She grew up in community newspapers and established an award-winning twenty-two-year career that culminated in the role of founder/publisher. Friz discovered her passion for writing in high school, but credits powerhouse authors Lee Lynch, Radclyffe, and the generous family that is Bold Strokes Books for inspiration. She’s into history, acoustic guitar, New England pro sports—and, most of all, her partner, Kathy, with whom she makes a home in Sandwich on Cape Cod.

Reviews

[Diane Wallace · Rating 2 out of 5]

'NetGalley ARC provided by The Publisher in exchange for an unbiased review'

**'Be willing and unafraid to write badly,because often the bad stuff clears the way for good or forms a base on which to build something better later..'

An Okay story!
It took me skipping and skimming so many pages & chapters of this book for me to get through to the ending-- because i had way too many issues with both the storylines and the topic. It was so much of a struggle from the start and nothing stayed on coast whenever it came to the writing or storytelling then another thing that played out in this story was the author trying to pack all this plot twist & more into the first few chapters without any kind of broad storyline build-up -- it just did not make any sense plus it felt more like being inside a newsroom & having everything thrown out (ouch!). In addition,the dialogue was just blase',no fireworks,sexual energy or chemistry between either of the two leading ladies because the love story just was not there plus this book was full of way too conflicting things from beginning to end.

[AnnMaree Of Oz · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars for "Just Okay" - this was one of Bold Strokes Books Daily sales, so I'm glad I got it at a discount.

My biggest issue was the connection between the two women was fairly insta-attraction and no real groundwork was put in to make me believe the connection.

Also most of the plot is centered on small American town bigotries, with one woman being closeted and the other being a very obvious butch dyke (the characters own words) and the gossip chain that happens when the latter moves to town and begins working for a big developer, that also has controversy around it.

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is actually a good old fashioned butch/femme romance set in rural Montana with the classic issues of homophobia and escaping the closet.

Shay is totally too good to be true, but that's kind of how I like it ;). Melissa is nice and classically hiding in the closet with a secret about why she's so closeted.

Secondary characters are drawn with varying degrees of dimension from the good - Mike, and the bad - Angelo.

So nothing groundbreaking about the characters or indeed the setting, but I really actually enjoyed this book. The romance is well judged and honest, the love scenes are HOT! and there is a HEA. Not sure I'll be moving to Tomson anytime soon.

The ending was rather abrupt and Melissa's father was a totally OTT douche but still a nice read.

Book provided by the publisher for an honest review.

[Delitealex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shay moves to Montana for a new start. She also finds herself in the middle of a development dispute that's going on. Shay meets Mel the owner of the local newspaper. Mel writes a lot about the impact of development on the town and angers some people.

I loved the characters and was very interested in knowing more about them. The story kept my attention. I wanted to know what was going to happen next with Shay and Mel also how things were going to end with the newspaper.

Received book from Bold Strokes Books via netgalley for an honest review.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely story, with family drama. Intense and hard to put down....

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoy reading butch/femme romances. However, I really struggled with this one. I typically fly through books. At the most it usually takes me two days to finish a book. This one just didn’t motivate me to come back and pick it up. Shay just didn’t pull me in as a reader. I really love butch characters (I feel like I say this so often, but it is true) but for me Shay was 100% forgettable. The same goes for Mel though. Other than being attractive nothing about her character stood out to me. The author used a lot of names of random town folk and at times it made it a bit confusing. Just took a moment for me to figure out if I should remember who they actually are and what their role was in the story. This got old pretty fast. The story had a lot of potential and I am willing to give the author a chance in future books. This book just didn’t win me over.

[Penelope · Rating 4 out of 5]

An honest review thanks to NetGalley. Wow, this book was amazing. The chemistry of all the characters jumped out of the book from the very first page to the last. Chemistry is a very important aspect, and the whole town was alive with it. I found myself loving Mel and Shay, and the secondary characters were amazingly written and incorporated into the story. I find myself wanting to hear about Misty and Colby next!

[Mirtha Siblesz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well done!

This book was very well done! I'm coming to really enjoy the quality of writing by this author very much. The story line is so well done and characters so well developed you feel like you are in the middle of this small town in Montana with all the detailed descriptions of the sceneries and the characters. Really liked this book. Very well done!

[Margaret L. Hedman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

I loved "Exchange". Absolutely a great book. One can hope that small, narrow minded people can be enlightened. Great characters. I love the titles that CF Frizzell comes up with. They really, truly tell you what you are going to find in the book.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a thoroughly enjoyable read. I really liked the unabashed way Shay presented herself - butch and unapologetic about it, and I also liked the way Mel was into the way Shay looked. The big problem is the small town setting, and the small minds inhabiting it. Definitely a place where gossip thrives and everybody seems to know everybody else's business. Mel has a lot to lose by accepting her attraction to Shay, but she's lived without love or passion for so long that she can't help but be drawn in. Their attraction for each other keeps drawing them closer and closer. After the first rumor starts, Mel decides that she might as well go for it. As a backdrop to this, there is the issue of commercial development in the town, and Mel's fight for oversight to make sure construction is being done safely and according to code. Her expose on some shortcuts have resulted in some hard feelings and threats. Add in a family that is extremely conservative and not open to her sexuality at all and things are set for an epic showdown. When Shay finds out how much Mel actually risked and lost, she feels angry and hurt that Mel didn't tell her, and doesn't expect Mel to stand by her at all. It was interesting to see how things were resolved, and what community actually means when people stand up for each other. The story kept me engaged and turning pages, and I really enjoyed it.
I received a copy of this book from Inked Rainbow Reads in return for an honest review.