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The Open Window
When Morgan O'Brian's mother dies, she leaves an inheritance which finally allows for Morgan to pursue her writing career full time. As she prepares a proposal for one of her largest projects yet, she runs into a black cat on the night of the full moon and knows this is a bad omen-until a cute woman appears and invites her to Chinese food instead. After a magical night, Morgan believes that her luck is about to change.
Valentina Lyall, who also goes by Velouria in her electro-punk band The Asexual Kinks, is almost thirty and often feels as if she's making up for lost time. After leaving a long term relationship and a difficult family behind, Val believes she is finally on the right path in life-especially if Morgan and her band are beside her.
Falling in love is easy and simple for Val and Morgan until a stranger from Val's past emerges and both of their careers begin to change and grow. As Morgan tries to predict the future in bad omens and black cats, Val worries she'll be left behind.
Valentina Lyall, who also goes by Velouria in her electro-punk band The Asexual Kinks, is almost thirty and often feels as if she's making up for lost time. After leaving a long term relationship and a difficult family behind, Val believes she is finally on the right path in life-especially if Morgan and her band are beside her.
Falling in love is easy and simple for Val and Morgan until a stranger from Val's past emerges and both of their careers begin to change and grow. As Morgan tries to predict the future in bad omens and black cats, Val worries she'll be left behind.
- GenresRomance
304 pages, Paperback
First published December 6, 2016
2 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
About the author
Eve Francis
22 books7 followersEve Francis’s short stories have appeared in Wilde Magazine, The Fieldstone Review, Iris New Fiction, MicroHorror, and The Human Echoes Podcast. Romance and horror are her favourite genres to write in because everyone has felt love or fear in some form or another. She lives in Canada, where she often sleeps late, spends too much time online, and repeatedly watches old horror movies and Orange Is The New Black.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 6, 2017
This book didn't grab me from the start however what i have learned is that sometimes stories can pick up after the first quarter as thats when the character introductions normally take place and it can take sometime to settle in. Unfortunately it only picked up slightly for me and just enough to keep reading.
I actually liked the characters but i felt there development into the story was lacking and the chemistry didn't really fit. The main connection between Val and Morgan was built through a series of text/sms messages while Val was on tour and really i needed more intimacy than i got and then when they did finally have time together all seemed to move at hyper speed. Just wasn't realistic enough for me and i have come to realise that in the fantasy i need a little normalcy in reading scenarios.
I reckon that some readers that are looking for something little different from the norm might enjoy this but unfortunately it just wasn't for me.
2 stars
I actually liked the characters but i felt there development into the story was lacking and the chemistry didn't really fit. The main connection between Val and Morgan was built through a series of text/sms messages while Val was on tour and really i needed more intimacy than i got and then when they did finally have time together all seemed to move at hyper speed. Just wasn't realistic enough for me and i have come to realise that in the fantasy i need a little normalcy in reading scenarios.
I reckon that some readers that are looking for something little different from the norm might enjoy this but unfortunately it just wasn't for me.
2 stars
July 18, 2016
Review written & published on Criticalwrit.com
Edit : Changed one case of misgendering of the author. (They/their pronouns preferred)
It’s no use fighting against it, I knew I was going to read this book the moment I saw the cat on the cover. Women who love women and cats, what else does my heart need? (More cats?) Well, let me tell you, this cat only appears towards the last chapters of the book, and that’s a SHAME. But if punk-rock music (and, I guess, Dolly Parton) holds a cherished place in your heart, well, I guess it’ll compensate the near-lack of cat.
Morgan O’Brian is a comic artist who’s trying to get her first big proposal published. A comfortable inheritance from her mother’s passing allows her time to concentrate on her art and on reading books, but when she meets Val (that’s short for Valentina) Lyall, a bassist for an electro-punk band called The Asexual Kinks, the coup de foudre is instantaneous, mutual, and liable to mess with her concentration a bit. When Val goes on a five weeks tour with her band just at the beginning of their relationship, they’ll have to ask themselves how a relationship spent with someone who's often on the road might work.
Eve Francis writes colorful characters that feel like people we know (or would know, for those like me who don’t go out much). Val has just left behind a relationship that would never have worked and she wants to take back the lost time with her band and finally be who she wants to be: a pretty cool punk-rock star. Morgan is a comic artist who draws occult and pagan stuff as well as F/F erotica— while listening to Dolly Parton. Speaking of Dolly Parton, this book has a great soundtrack, with absolutely zero songs I recognized because I have no musical culture beyond what little I know about early 90s hip hop (though I did search the songs, and I like them). Next time I’m reading this book, I’ll try to play the songs as they’re quoted.
I really enjoyed two things about our characters that isn’t that common in F/F fiction : Val identifies clearly as bisexual, and Morgan is fat— there’s a lot of fat positivity in this book, and it’s the first I’ve read in a very long time that has an unapologetically fat character. When you're reading an endless litany of thin and buff characters, it’s so refreshing to see one that isn’t like that at all. It adds realism and body (I’m sorry) to the narrative.
Be warned however that the book features quite a few detailed sex scenes, so if erotica isn’t your taste, this is probably not the book for you. Sex doesn’t usually catch my eyes but I have to say this book has some pretty hot sex. It’s dirty, full of f-words, sometimes on the phone, with talks of bottoming, and, you know, stuff.
All in all, there’s one problem I had with the book—and perhaps the only one I had with it—and it’s that I felt it sometimes lacked focus on where it was trying to go. Their romance is settled very early: by the first quarter of the book, it’s already kind of agreed that they’re attracted to each other and almost had sex. But we have to wait until the last third of the book for problems to actually arise, in a surprising way that felt a bit out-of-character to me. I think one particular scene (the one with a psychic—cookies to the author for not using the G slur!) could have been placed earlier in the book, perhaps only with Morgan as a protagonist.
Still, Eve Francis’s tight prose makes for a very pleasant read and their colorful characters have a fun and sweet romance that I definitely enjoyed despite my nitpicking about the plot.
Edit : Changed one case of misgendering of the author. (They/their pronouns preferred)
It’s no use fighting against it, I knew I was going to read this book the moment I saw the cat on the cover. Women who love women and cats, what else does my heart need? (More cats?) Well, let me tell you, this cat only appears towards the last chapters of the book, and that’s a SHAME. But if punk-rock music (and, I guess, Dolly Parton) holds a cherished place in your heart, well, I guess it’ll compensate the near-lack of cat.
Morgan O’Brian is a comic artist who’s trying to get her first big proposal published. A comfortable inheritance from her mother’s passing allows her time to concentrate on her art and on reading books, but when she meets Val (that’s short for Valentina) Lyall, a bassist for an electro-punk band called The Asexual Kinks, the coup de foudre is instantaneous, mutual, and liable to mess with her concentration a bit. When Val goes on a five weeks tour with her band just at the beginning of their relationship, they’ll have to ask themselves how a relationship spent with someone who's often on the road might work.
Eve Francis writes colorful characters that feel like people we know (or would know, for those like me who don’t go out much). Val has just left behind a relationship that would never have worked and she wants to take back the lost time with her band and finally be who she wants to be: a pretty cool punk-rock star. Morgan is a comic artist who draws occult and pagan stuff as well as F/F erotica— while listening to Dolly Parton. Speaking of Dolly Parton, this book has a great soundtrack, with absolutely zero songs I recognized because I have no musical culture beyond what little I know about early 90s hip hop (though I did search the songs, and I like them). Next time I’m reading this book, I’ll try to play the songs as they’re quoted.
I really enjoyed two things about our characters that isn’t that common in F/F fiction : Val identifies clearly as bisexual, and Morgan is fat— there’s a lot of fat positivity in this book, and it’s the first I’ve read in a very long time that has an unapologetically fat character. When you're reading an endless litany of thin and buff characters, it’s so refreshing to see one that isn’t like that at all. It adds realism and body (I’m sorry) to the narrative.
Be warned however that the book features quite a few detailed sex scenes, so if erotica isn’t your taste, this is probably not the book for you. Sex doesn’t usually catch my eyes but I have to say this book has some pretty hot sex. It’s dirty, full of f-words, sometimes on the phone, with talks of bottoming, and, you know, stuff.
All in all, there’s one problem I had with the book—and perhaps the only one I had with it—and it’s that I felt it sometimes lacked focus on where it was trying to go. Their romance is settled very early: by the first quarter of the book, it’s already kind of agreed that they’re attracted to each other and almost had sex. But we have to wait until the last third of the book for problems to actually arise, in a surprising way that felt a bit out-of-character to me. I think one particular scene (the one with a psychic—cookies to the author for not using the G slur!) could have been placed earlier in the book, perhaps only with Morgan as a protagonist.
Still, Eve Francis’s tight prose makes for a very pleasant read and their colorful characters have a fun and sweet romance that I definitely enjoyed despite my nitpicking about the plot.
January 4, 2017
ETA: It is possible that the version I reviewed is significantly different than whatever got published since the book I reviewed had an intended publication date sometime closer to June 6 2016. Then got pulled from publication. And now has been published in early December. So my review might be based on an earlier draft than what was eventually published.
ETA2: sample looked at on Amazon - the book opens completely differently than the copy I have. For one, it opens outdoors in the published book, but indoors in the ARC. And there's the immediate presence of a cat in the published book, but no cat in the ARC (as in, a black cat walks away from the main character at the start of the published book which causes her to examine spells and stuff; while in the ARC, the book opens with the woman spilling ink on her pants, which causes her to immediately do laundry - whereupon she meet a woman; in the published book that woman is meet on the street not in a laundry room. So, as said, opened differently.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Less Than Three Press in exchange for an honest review.
This is my first book by this author that I’ve read. Though I’ve seen the author’s name pop up here and there a few times now. I’ve always avoided any and everything by the author. This was bad for two reasons. (1) I’ve made a rule for myself that I will not allow one story/book/whatever be my end-all-be-all reaction to an author – as in, if I give something 5 stars, I’m not going to assume everything by them I’ll love; if I give something by them 1 star, I’m not going to assume that everything by them I’ll hate. I failed this time, as I only gave one short story be my guide. (2) And that short story was by a completely different author with a similar name. So I’ve been avoiding this author for a while now, stupidly.
Characters
This book has two main characters and two point of views (happily with the two main characters, so that wasn’t a weird bit, eh?)
Morgan O’Brian is a self-described chubby girl, one who requires shirts that come XXL, and who may or may not be in her 30s (I had a vague feeling somewhere that she was, then realized later that I might have been confused by all the 30 year olds I’ve read recently). Regardless, she’s either late 20s or somewhere in her 30s. Her mother recently died, she has no connection to her father, and has one brother who has ‘grown up’. Morgan is someone who beats themselves up, emotionally, and has something like low self-esteem. She likes seeing signs to help her navigate life – though sometimes more as a ‘see, I suck’ excuse.
Morgan is an artist – mostly comic strips/book, though she has some paintings floating around – and designs for things like bands. She currently is, very slowly and somewhat reluctantly, been working on a proposal for a comic book when the book opens.
Her best friend, and apparently only human contact in the outside world (other than her brother, and nieces), is a fella named Reese. Who has a kind of annoyingly stereotypically gay persona, though certain events have him grow on the reader. They meet in art school.
Valentina ‘Val’ Lyall, aka Velouria is a woman on the brink of her 30s who works as a waitress in a crap job to pay the bills, while also being a member of a ‘electro-punk’ band called ‘The Asexual Kinks’. She’s bisexual, had been a member of a band long ago, took a break for an attempt at ‘growing up’, and is now back to being a band member. Velouria is her band name/persona.
Story
Most of the book involves Morgan and Val meeting, Val mentioning she’s going to be going on a road trip shortly, then going on said road trip – ‘road trip’ being a . . . um, six week? music tour with the band. Val and Morgan Skype, text, and (less so) email/phone each other while Val is on tour.
Meanwhile Morgan is lazily working on a proposal for a comic book. The comic book involves Joan of Arc working in a sex shop. And the sex toys talk to her. Actually more of a ‘Joan of Arc’ like person, since her name is Leah.
A few notes:
1) There were several (many?) occasions wherein I thought people were acting a lot more immature than I'd expect for people their stated age - I felt that way off and on; the kind of vaguely naive, vaguely teenage-esque angst; and yet, thinking about it, they kind of did act their ages, albeit kind of immaturely, but you can be mature or immature at any age.
2) There was a weird conflict that popped up in this book. I kind of assumed, from the beginning, that the conflict would be 'signs'/tarot card/psychic mutterings/nonsense that would be the cause of trouble. And . . . I was right. I really really want to lambast and very lowly rate this book because of some of that crap . . . except for two things: (a) the author and characters knew what was occurring, and reacted accordingly (as in everyone yelling at the dimbat, while the dimbat realized they were stupid); (b) I never really liked Reese . . . except these 'issues' brought out a specific side of him that I liked.
3) There is a lot of sex in this book.
4) There were a lot of errors in this book. Missing words or wrongly used words. Most of the time that is something I just overlook, while knowing that others do not over look those things. Well, I note that this is an issue while also noting that I read an advance reader copy, and those errors might be gone in the finished published book. ETA: Hopefully this is one of the things, at least, different with the newly published version of the book.
The errors consist of occasions when:
(a) the wrong word was used, as in:
'The last place Val and the band had placed at was a solo show that literally had six people in the audience.’ When, I'm fairly certain that the sentence was supposed to be
'The last place Val and the band had played at was a solo show that literally had six people in the audience.’ – location 2281 of 3799 – 60% into the book.
(b) missing words, as in: Again, not exact example:
Something similar as to what was in the book: 'Do you the pattern in the stars up in the sky?' What was likely supposed to be there in the book: 'Do you see the pattern in the stars up in the sky?'
(c) mixed up sentences. I have an exact quote from the book for this one:
'The crowd cheered. A few spilled people spilled over onto the stage, but most listened to Denis in awe.' - occurs at location 2153 of 3799 (57% into the book).
A few of the crowd spilled people onto the stage?
Remember – I’m reading an ARC, the errors I noticed might not be in the final released book.
5) It was interesting to see a comic book artist as a character. And one of the two main characters being 'chubby.'
I tentatively recommend the book, though note that the reader might need to be in the right 'mood' to read it.
June 7 2016
ETA2: sample looked at on Amazon - the book opens completely differently than the copy I have. For one, it opens outdoors in the published book, but indoors in the ARC. And there's the immediate presence of a cat in the published book, but no cat in the ARC (as in, a black cat walks away from the main character at the start of the published book which causes her to examine spells and stuff; while in the ARC, the book opens with the woman spilling ink on her pants, which causes her to immediately do laundry - whereupon she meet a woman; in the published book that woman is meet on the street not in a laundry room. So, as said, opened differently.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Less Than Three Press in exchange for an honest review.
This is my first book by this author that I’ve read. Though I’ve seen the author’s name pop up here and there a few times now. I’ve always avoided any and everything by the author. This was bad for two reasons. (1) I’ve made a rule for myself that I will not allow one story/book/whatever be my end-all-be-all reaction to an author – as in, if I give something 5 stars, I’m not going to assume everything by them I’ll love; if I give something by them 1 star, I’m not going to assume that everything by them I’ll hate. I failed this time, as I only gave one short story be my guide. (2) And that short story was by a completely different author with a similar name. So I’ve been avoiding this author for a while now, stupidly.
Characters
This book has two main characters and two point of views (happily with the two main characters, so that wasn’t a weird bit, eh?)
Morgan O’Brian is a self-described chubby girl, one who requires shirts that come XXL, and who may or may not be in her 30s (I had a vague feeling somewhere that she was, then realized later that I might have been confused by all the 30 year olds I’ve read recently). Regardless, she’s either late 20s or somewhere in her 30s. Her mother recently died, she has no connection to her father, and has one brother who has ‘grown up’. Morgan is someone who beats themselves up, emotionally, and has something like low self-esteem. She likes seeing signs to help her navigate life – though sometimes more as a ‘see, I suck’ excuse.
Morgan is an artist – mostly comic strips/book, though she has some paintings floating around – and designs for things like bands. She currently is, very slowly and somewhat reluctantly, been working on a proposal for a comic book when the book opens.
Her best friend, and apparently only human contact in the outside world (other than her brother, and nieces), is a fella named Reese. Who has a kind of annoyingly stereotypically gay persona, though certain events have him grow on the reader. They meet in art school.
Valentina ‘Val’ Lyall, aka Velouria is a woman on the brink of her 30s who works as a waitress in a crap job to pay the bills, while also being a member of a ‘electro-punk’ band called ‘The Asexual Kinks’. She’s bisexual, had been a member of a band long ago, took a break for an attempt at ‘growing up’, and is now back to being a band member. Velouria is her band name/persona.
Story
Most of the book involves Morgan and Val meeting, Val mentioning she’s going to be going on a road trip shortly, then going on said road trip – ‘road trip’ being a . . . um, six week? music tour with the band. Val and Morgan Skype, text, and (less so) email/phone each other while Val is on tour.
Meanwhile Morgan is lazily working on a proposal for a comic book. The comic book involves Joan of Arc working in a sex shop. And the sex toys talk to her. Actually more of a ‘Joan of Arc’ like person, since her name is Leah.
A few notes:
1) There were several (many?) occasions wherein I thought people were acting a lot more immature than I'd expect for people their stated age - I felt that way off and on; the kind of vaguely naive, vaguely teenage-esque angst; and yet, thinking about it, they kind of did act their ages, albeit kind of immaturely, but you can be mature or immature at any age.
2) There was a weird conflict that popped up in this book. I kind of assumed, from the beginning, that the conflict would be 'signs'/tarot card/psychic mutterings/nonsense that would be the cause of trouble. And . . . I was right. I really really want to lambast and very lowly rate this book because of some of that crap . . . except for two things: (a) the author and characters knew what was occurring, and reacted accordingly (as in everyone yelling at the dimbat, while the dimbat realized they were stupid); (b) I never really liked Reese . . . except these 'issues' brought out a specific side of him that I liked.
3) There is a lot of sex in this book.
4) There were a lot of errors in this book. Missing words or wrongly used words. Most of the time that is something I just overlook, while knowing that others do not over look those things. Well, I note that this is an issue while also noting that I read an advance reader copy, and those errors might be gone in the finished published book. ETA: Hopefully this is one of the things, at least, different with the newly published version of the book.
The errors consist of occasions when:
(a) the wrong word was used, as in:
'The last place Val and the band had placed at was a solo show that literally had six people in the audience.’ When, I'm fairly certain that the sentence was supposed to be
'The last place Val and the band had played at was a solo show that literally had six people in the audience.’ – location 2281 of 3799 – 60% into the book.
(b) missing words, as in: Again, not exact example:
Something similar as to what was in the book: 'Do you the pattern in the stars up in the sky?' What was likely supposed to be there in the book: 'Do you see the pattern in the stars up in the sky?'
(c) mixed up sentences. I have an exact quote from the book for this one:
'The crowd cheered. A few spilled people spilled over onto the stage, but most listened to Denis in awe.' - occurs at location 2153 of 3799 (57% into the book).
A few of the crowd spilled people onto the stage?
Remember – I’m reading an ARC, the errors I noticed might not be in the final released book.
5) It was interesting to see a comic book artist as a character. And one of the two main characters being 'chubby.'
I tentatively recommend the book, though note that the reader might need to be in the right 'mood' to read it.
June 7 2016
May 1, 2017
Morgan O'Brian has the luxury of writing full time as she got an inheritance from her mother. Morgan meets Valentina Lyal, a musician in the electro-punk band The Asexual Kinks, while doing laundry. They begin to date after meeting a couple of times but run into some trouble in the present from Val's past.
Morgan and Valentina were interesting characters to read and I enjoyed getting to know them. I especially thought it was interesting to know about Valentina's background and the description of throat singing.
As for the conflict between the two characters, I thought that Morgan overreacted when she saw Val with her ex, she just assumed the worst without having a conversation with her girlfriend.
Overall, I thought this book was an okay read and probably won't go on my reread shelf.
Review also posted here: http://wp.me/p4Pp9O-zb
I was given a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Morgan and Valentina were interesting characters to read and I enjoyed getting to know them. I especially thought it was interesting to know about Valentina's background and the description of throat singing.
As for the conflict between the two characters, I thought that Morgan overreacted when she saw Val with her ex, she just assumed the worst without having a conversation with her girlfriend.
Overall, I thought this book was an okay read and probably won't go on my reread shelf.
Review also posted here: http://wp.me/p4Pp9O-zb
I was given a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
February 25, 2017
(actual rating: 3.5)
A nice and easy read.
I had fun reading The Open Window. Both Morgan and Val are interesting characters with their own quirks and faults, something which makes this romance very believable. I loved how they met and I would love if more people would think like Val. I won't spoiler you so if you are curious now, you have to read this novel. But I can tell you (since it's in the description as well) that Morgan believes in magic and all things related. Since I am working at a publishing house concentrating on spiritual books this was rather interesting to me.
Usually f/f romances are only cute stories but with this one you get some rather sexy sex scenes as well. I have to admit, I wasn't expecting this, but it was a nice surprise.
I do have two regrets about this book though. First one is the asexual side character. Since the band is called The Asexual Kinks I was kinda expecting that asexuality would be a theme in this book. But it's not. One side character is ace but aside from her saying it once there is no mention of this ever again.
The second is the drama. Its resolve was far too quickly done and felt unrealistic because of this.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.
A nice and easy read.
I had fun reading The Open Window. Both Morgan and Val are interesting characters with their own quirks and faults, something which makes this romance very believable. I loved how they met and I would love if more people would think like Val. I won't spoiler you so if you are curious now, you have to read this novel. But I can tell you (since it's in the description as well) that Morgan believes in magic and all things related. Since I am working at a publishing house concentrating on spiritual books this was rather interesting to me.
Usually f/f romances are only cute stories but with this one you get some rather sexy sex scenes as well. I have to admit, I wasn't expecting this, but it was a nice surprise.
I do have two regrets about this book though. First one is the asexual side character. Since the band is called The Asexual Kinks I was kinda expecting that asexuality would be a theme in this book. But it's not. One side character is ace but aside from her saying it once there is no mention of this ever again.
The second is the drama. Its resolve was far too quickly done and felt unrealistic because of this.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.
June 29, 2016
Morgan, an artist lives a quiet life in her small apartment and is quite happy with that until she meets her neighbour, rock chick, Val. They get to know each other and slowly make a connection. This quite ponderous, meandering novel deals with their relationship and how they grow to depend on each other and build a life together. There a lots of music references that the reader might pick up on but if you are not into that punk- type genre it can go over the head a bit. The love scenes start off in the cyber realm but once they become real it's a pretty hot book. It's well written just a wee bit slow for me and the subject matter didn't grip me really. Nevertheless I'm sure it will appeal to a lot of people with an interest in the music scene for up and coming bands.
I was given this ARC free by Inked Rainbow Reads in return for an honest review.
I was given this ARC free by Inked Rainbow Reads in return for an honest review.
June 1, 2019
I *really* enjoyed this book.
I liked both characters a lot, and both were developed really well. The fact that half of the book takes place long-distance is rather interesting, and I liked the personal journeys that both MCs went on. (I particularly enjoyed reading about the "life on the road" aspect of Val's journey, not something I usually see in romance novels.)
My one complaint about the book was (being vague as to avoid spoilers) a minor part near the end that seemed unusually "bad romcom plot", but that didn't diminish the book too poorly in my eyes. I quite liked this book and if you want MCs with interesting quandaries/going through big changes in their lives while finding love, it's a great read!
I liked both characters a lot, and both were developed really well. The fact that half of the book takes place long-distance is rather interesting, and I liked the personal journeys that both MCs went on. (I particularly enjoyed reading about the "life on the road" aspect of Val's journey, not something I usually see in romance novels.)
My one complaint about the book was (being vague as to avoid spoilers) a minor part near the end that seemed unusually "bad romcom plot", but that didn't diminish the book too poorly in my eyes. I quite liked this book and if you want MCs with interesting quandaries/going through big changes in their lives while finding love, it's a great read!
July 10, 2016
I received this book from NetGalley in return for a review, so I'll probably cross-post this review to my blog at some point (with minor changes, probably). I think it's still a fair while until this one comes out but I know if I don't review it immediately I'll forget how I really felt about it, so here goes.
This was actually probably a 2.5 star read, though to be honest I wasn't at all sure how to rate it.
I liked the story itself -- it's an F/F romance between an artist and a musician, and so we get to see their comics and the band and so on. Each of them had a personality and a past and felt real, because although they're not like anybody I've ever met, I sort of get the impression I could meet them one day. The romance, while it progresses reasonably quickly, is based on more than just physicality, because they have a lot of interests and tastes in common, which makes it feel more realistic.
However, I wasn't a huge fan of how the story was told. The writing in places felt somewhat unpolished, exacerbated by a seriously huge number of typos. Of course it's an ARC and hopefully those will be fixed, but some of them were completely the wrong word, which seemed like a massive oversight. A lot of the time, the narrative stated the obvious instead of allowing the reader to make any connection between description and events, and it felt overly wordy for what it was. So while the story it was telling was good, it didn't feel quite finished.
There were some lines I really liked, though --some bits of dialogue that amused me enough to highlight them on my Kindle, particularly observations about life in a band. My brother's a musician, so I could appreciate these remarks about the modern music industry even if my experience is a bit secondhand. The book definitely felt like it had potential to be more finely tuned than it was, because there were some witty insights but they kept getting lost among what seemed to me like fairly mediocre writing. (Argh, that sounds harsh, I'm sorry.)
I wasn't entirely sure about the explicit content. I knew there would be some as there was a warning on NetGalley, and I tend to be very hit and miss when it comes to sex scenes. Most of these didn't really do anything for me, largely due to writing style. (There is nothing sexy about the word "tits" AT ALL.) They're pretty detailed, so if you're into that kind of thing they might be more enjoyable, but I'm not only asexual, I'm also really picky about written sex scenes. So. I wasn't a fan, and there are quite a few of them in the book, which limited my enjoyment.
On the asexual front, though, the drummer of the band is canonically mentioned to be asexual. It doesn't enter the story at all, but a nod to representation is better than nothing, right? Lots of queer characters here.
I wasn't wild about Morgan's interest in pagan and occult things. She kept going on about astrology and there are few things I care less about than star signs and whatnot -- they've always seemed like a load of nonsense to me, and I couldn't help rolling my eyes whenever she started analysing her Scorpio traits. Sometimes tarot and the like can be really effective in books (see: The Raven Cycle), but here it didn't feel meaningful and intense, just a bit silly.
BUT there was a very cute cat that entered near the end of the book, and I've been clamouring for more cats in books, so yay?
On the whole, a pretty mixed response. While it was a reasonably cute romance and I enjoyed the creative side of the characters' personalities, I felt the execution of the ideas was a bit weak, and on the whole, the book didn't click with me. I'm probably being over-generous in giving it 3*s, so you'll have to assume I'm rounding up.
This was actually probably a 2.5 star read, though to be honest I wasn't at all sure how to rate it.
I liked the story itself -- it's an F/F romance between an artist and a musician, and so we get to see their comics and the band and so on. Each of them had a personality and a past and felt real, because although they're not like anybody I've ever met, I sort of get the impression I could meet them one day. The romance, while it progresses reasonably quickly, is based on more than just physicality, because they have a lot of interests and tastes in common, which makes it feel more realistic.
However, I wasn't a huge fan of how the story was told. The writing in places felt somewhat unpolished, exacerbated by a seriously huge number of typos. Of course it's an ARC and hopefully those will be fixed, but some of them were completely the wrong word, which seemed like a massive oversight. A lot of the time, the narrative stated the obvious instead of allowing the reader to make any connection between description and events, and it felt overly wordy for what it was. So while the story it was telling was good, it didn't feel quite finished.
There were some lines I really liked, though --some bits of dialogue that amused me enough to highlight them on my Kindle, particularly observations about life in a band. My brother's a musician, so I could appreciate these remarks about the modern music industry even if my experience is a bit secondhand. The book definitely felt like it had potential to be more finely tuned than it was, because there were some witty insights but they kept getting lost among what seemed to me like fairly mediocre writing. (Argh, that sounds harsh, I'm sorry.)
I wasn't entirely sure about the explicit content. I knew there would be some as there was a warning on NetGalley, and I tend to be very hit and miss when it comes to sex scenes. Most of these didn't really do anything for me, largely due to writing style. (There is nothing sexy about the word "tits" AT ALL.) They're pretty detailed, so if you're into that kind of thing they might be more enjoyable, but I'm not only asexual, I'm also really picky about written sex scenes. So. I wasn't a fan, and there are quite a few of them in the book, which limited my enjoyment.
On the asexual front, though, the drummer of the band is canonically mentioned to be asexual. It doesn't enter the story at all, but a nod to representation is better than nothing, right? Lots of queer characters here.
I wasn't wild about Morgan's interest in pagan and occult things. She kept going on about astrology and there are few things I care less about than star signs and whatnot -- they've always seemed like a load of nonsense to me, and I couldn't help rolling my eyes whenever she started analysing her Scorpio traits. Sometimes tarot and the like can be really effective in books (see: The Raven Cycle), but here it didn't feel meaningful and intense, just a bit silly.
BUT there was a very cute cat that entered near the end of the book, and I've been clamouring for more cats in books, so yay?
On the whole, a pretty mixed response. While it was a reasonably cute romance and I enjoyed the creative side of the characters' personalities, I felt the execution of the ideas was a bit weak, and on the whole, the book didn't click with me. I'm probably being over-generous in giving it 3*s, so you'll have to assume I'm rounding up.
August 20, 2017
Bearing in mind I read this last year, the storyline is still fresh in my mind. Got to be a good thing right? Morgan and Valentina are a classic case of girl meets girl. In this particular instance in the laundry room of their building. Morgan is an aspiring writer whilst Valentina is in an up and coming band.
It certainly at least lust at first sight and the more the girls get to know each other the closer they become. It was lovely to see these two very likeable characters evolve both as individuals and as a couple as the novel went on.
Although described as an erotic novel the only thing that actually let the story down was the love scenes themselves. Believe me, I am no prude and like a bit of kink as much as the next person. However, the author's constant use of the word "tits" in the middle of a love scene seemed completely out of place. To my mind, it sounds like a word kids would scream out in the playground, there's something very childish and juvenile about it. What's wrong with a nice breast? It's almost like the author was embarrassed about what she was writing and decided to assuage her embarrassment by trivialising and making a joke of it with her language choices. This jarred at me in what would have otherwise been a perfectly nice and natural progression to the character's relationship.
This is the only bugbear I have with this otherwise quite beautiful love story between two lovely ladies. 3 stars.
It certainly at least lust at first sight and the more the girls get to know each other the closer they become. It was lovely to see these two very likeable characters evolve both as individuals and as a couple as the novel went on.
Although described as an erotic novel the only thing that actually let the story down was the love scenes themselves. Believe me, I am no prude and like a bit of kink as much as the next person. However, the author's constant use of the word "tits" in the middle of a love scene seemed completely out of place. To my mind, it sounds like a word kids would scream out in the playground, there's something very childish and juvenile about it. What's wrong with a nice breast? It's almost like the author was embarrassed about what she was writing and decided to assuage her embarrassment by trivialising and making a joke of it with her language choices. This jarred at me in what would have otherwise been a perfectly nice and natural progression to the character's relationship.
This is the only bugbear I have with this otherwise quite beautiful love story between two lovely ladies. 3 stars.
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