Fearless

by Shira Glassman

A newly out-of-the-closet band mom falls for an orchestra teacher while snowed in at All-State. Lana Novak hasn’t played violin in over twenty years, her musical life these days confined to being a devoted band mom to her clarinet whiz daughter Robin. She didn’t think she could get back into it after this long, but Melanie Feinberg, the outgoing, enthusiastic, and very cute butch orchestra director from Robin’s school, has other ideas.

Genres: Romance, LGBT, Contemporary, Lesbian, Queer, Short Stories, Fiction

30 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2016

About the author

Shira Glassman is a bisexual Jewish violinist passionately inspired by German and French opera and Agatha Christie novels.

She lives in north central Florida, where the alligators are mostly harmless because they're too lazy to be bothered.

A note on my reviewing style: I read lots of books, but writing reviews is work and I only really do them to endorse books that I enjoyed enough to signal boost. That's why my reviews are mostly positive. It's not that I like every book ever :P

Reviews

[✨ jami ✨]

This was short and sweet! It follows a woman named Lana who's daughter Robin is attending a band practice. Lana is a lesbian woman recently out the closet, and she falls for Robin's band teacher, who's a butch lesbian.

I think this was so cute, I loved that it was so tender and fluffy and positively represented older lesbian woman The romance was really nice and I think this would be an amazing book if it was longer. I also liked that there was such good friendly interactions between Lana and her child, and the other kids at the practice. Plus the music jokes were funny, I say this as an ex band nerd

SapphicAThon Read 3/16

[Shira Glassman]

I hope y'all like this because it was really rewarding to write. Violin has been such a big part of my life for the past thirty years and this story is a celebration of everything that music means to me. Also, it has ladies kissing. :P

Edited: I've self-published this now that I have my rights back from Torquere Press.

[Tara]

Fearless might be a short story, but it does a good job of letting us know who each of the characters are, especially Mel, Lana, and Lana’s daughter Robin. They’re likeable, relatable, and Lana and Mel are very sweet together.

Full review: http://www.thelesbianreview.com/fearl...

[Corrie]

Fearless is an adorably sweet little novella. I loved main character Lana Novak, a band mom accompanying her teenage daughter and clarinet whiz Robin on a 3-day music competition. When she meets cute, butch orchestra director Melanie (Mel) Feinberg she can't help but develop a full blown crush. And then they get snowed in at the hotel.

My second Shira Glassman story today and I really enjoyed this one. It's sweet, well-written, heartwarming short story about two women in their early 40ies sharing their love for music or... the violin to be more precise.

No sex.
Themes: 40-somethings, snowed in, music, violins, crush, chocolate.

4 stars

[BookishKB]

Sapphic Romance

Fearless is a short and sweet novella! An adorable sapphic workplace romance. I enjoyed it for what it was. And I do recommend the audiobook.

[laura (bbliophile)]

This was SO CUTE! Might write a full review for this one (:

[Kay read by Gloria]

Fearless by Shira Glassman is 30 pages and was published in 2016. This book focuses on two women Melanie Feinberg and Lana Novak a recently out mom who realized a bit late that she did not need to marry the man because it was the right thing to do for everyone else. Now Lana finds herself looking at a new path and maybe a new companion and not a male. Seeing someone find her way later in life is such a joy. This made me happy so 5 stars.

[Ceillie Simkiss]

This was adorable as hell! I highly recommend it!
Read my full review here!

[. (not active on this account stop adding me)]

"Lana knew she didn’t sound like Mel, or even like Mel’s students, but she was making music. The song that had wrapped itself around her heart like a ribbon ever since first meeting Mel—no, before, ever since coming out and deciding to be her own brave self—was finally escaping with each breath, confined no longer."

Fearless is a short novella about a recently-out-lesbian falling for her daughter's butch music teacher. It's a sweet, quick read about fumbling with flirting like a teenager and bravery after coming out. Despite there only being a 3 star rating, there's nothing inherently wrong with this. It's just missing something to make me love it. Not to mention, it's an incredibly brief read with little room for development or a full story. I'd recommend if you need a quick f/f read, or want to support a bi, Jewish author!

[Jennifer Linsky]

The only way this could have been better is if it were longer!

Adult women falling in love with each other at a hotel during a blizzard! Sign me up for that weekend retreat!

[J.L. Douglas]

A short, satisfying romance about the connection between a teacher and a band mom during their time snowed-in at a hotel.

WHAT I LOVED:

- Great dialogue. Every character feels real, from the main romantic leads to the main character's daughter to the other mothers in the group. Everyone sounds like someone you'd hear out in the real world, and most of the time I just nodded at everything everyone was saying.

- The chemistry between the main characters. Lana and Mel have a really believable, immediate connection. It's clear that they enjoy each other's company, and it's adorable how they navigate finding some alone time to explore it while stuck in a hotel with band kids and other parents.

- Lana has an emotional arc that isn't just about falling for Mel. I won't spoil it, but the title is significant to her journey. For such a short story, it's impressive but she really does develop as a character.

WHAT I LIKED:

- Robin's daughter was so clearly drawn, even though she really didn't need to be for such a short story. She needs her own spinoff. She's got that YA heroine charm. Chicken zombies and all.

- The author captures some of the nuances of lesbian dating that come across as totally honest and relatable.

OTHER THINGS:

- You will believe that superheroes wear poufy winter jackets.

- The food descriptions are unnecessarily delicious.

OVERALL:

Excellent lesbian romance between two fortysomethings, about how it's never too late to overcome your fears. The dialogue crackles, you'll see your friends and neighbors in it, and you'll wish it was longer. Go read it!

[Mariam]

This is so incredibly sweet. I enjoyed the romance between two forty-somethings who shared the love for music. Also, I kept imagining Stephanie Beatriz as Mel for some reason. Maybe cos they're both cool as heck? Also, enjoyed the fact that Lana came out later in life and that both she and her husband embraced their sexualities. Super soft. Wish it was longer though. Would be so cool to read more about them doing cute stuff.

[M. Hollis]

A sweet and short read about a newly out gay mom getting a crush on her kid's teacher. If this didn't sell this story to you already, I don't know what else will. Fearless is exactly the kind of lesfic I love to read.

If you want to spend half an hour reading a super cute F/F story, I definitely recommend this one.

[Anniek]

Very cute and fun, and a perfect winter read!

[Althea]

Much like the other novella by Shira Glassman I've read, this was just okay, nothing to write home about!

Read for the 12 Days of Queermas Readathon!

[halfirishgrin]

This was very short, sweet, and fluffy. I really liked the way Lana and Mel's relationship develops. Even though it happens over the course of a very short story, it's pretty natural and feels realistic.

My only complaint might be that at the beginning there are a lot of names for a lot of characters so I was lost trying to figure out who was who. But I eventually got the hang of the most significant characters.

[Iben]

This little story made me smile. It also made me slightly hungry with the food similes. Shira Glassman's language is so poetic and just damned wholesome, I enjoy every moment of being in her universe.

[Jamie (TheRebelliousReader)]

3 stars. This was such a sweet and pleasant little novella. I liked Mel and Lana a lot and they were adorable together. The writing was good and this made me wish that this were a full length novel because I would love to see more of these characters and their budding romance.

[Aleksandra]

This was cute. I don't often read romance novellas about two sapphic 40 year old women. It was lovely.

[Marianne (Boricuan Bookworms)]

3.5 stars

Short and sweet. Really cute. I just wish it could have been longer, to see more of the relationship.

[Sasha Elise]

THIS WAS SO CUTE! It was short and cozy and thankfully not angsty without being boring. Everything is sapphic and nothing hurts

[Raegan]

Nothing to write home about.

[Laura]

Quite cute, very short though...

[Caisin]

i've been looking for more books to read that have a romance between older queer women. i love how many ya books have been coming out with wlw main characters, but i'm 31 now and it's not as easy to get invested in a teen romance as it used to be. this one really hit that spot i've been looking for! honestly, the only thing i wish was different is that it was longer!

it was wonderful to read about a lesbian who came out later in life and the challenges this created for her when it came to finding community and relationships. something that really impressed me about it was that this wasn't Lana's coming out story. i might grumble about wishing it were longer, but the way the story is contained allows it to not be an angst-filled coming out narrative that we have trudge through to get to the happy ending. getting to see a woman in her 40s have a crush on another woman and flirt awkwardly and not feel self loathing over it is a blessing. and that last scene just made me melt. i need more books like this in my life!

[Samantha]

Another cute example of sweet f/f candy from Shira Glassman. Reading it is like eating ice cream--or chocolate, maybe? ;) This story is very low-key, with realistic dialogue and enough vivid little details to remind me of my days in symphonic band. It was nice to see an example of a teen relying on medication to succeed too (something many teens experience, but few like to talk openly about). I was very glad to read about older women finding love, while still maintaining a sort of "youthful" confidence and hopefulness about their future with each other. I would've liked to see more obvious hesitancy on Lana's part, especially when it came to picking up the violin again, but overall a very cute read, especially for a night of being snowed-in!

[Domina Alexandra]

Sweet and lovely

I found this short story adorable and heartwarming. I wish it was a bit longer but that only means it kept me reading and wanting more!

[A.M. Leibowitz]

What a great story. I love music, and the setting brought back my own memories of playing in those big events. Mercifully, we never got snowed in! I loved the chemistry between Mel and Lana, and I loved the promise of something more for them beyond their weekend trapped in the hotel with the kids. Excellently written, a combination of sweet and fun.

[C.B. Lee]

ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE. A sweet morsel of a novella, you'll absolutely fall in love with band mom Lana as she crushes on Mel during a snowed-in music competition. Filled with lush longing and all the wonderfulness of remembering skills in music, Fearless is a lovely, heartwarming piece.

[ReadKnitHoard]

Very cute. Sweet. Short. Happy-making. *happy sigh*

[evelyn hugo’s #1 fan]

this was so cute n pure for 23 pages!!!