Discovery

Romantic Interludes #1

by Radclyffe (Editor), Stacia Seaman (Editor)

When just one happy ending is not enough…

An anthology of passionate, sensual love stories about falling in love, being in love, and celebrating the love between women of every age—yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Discover the passion, the thrill, and the heartwarming satisfaction of love time and again with twenty tales from today’s best-selling romance writers.

Genres: Anthologies, Lesbian, Lesbian Romance, Erotica

248 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2008

About the author

Radclyffe has written over forty-five romance and romantic intrigue novels, dozens of short stories, and, writing as L.L. Raand, has authored a paranormal romance series, The Midnight Hunters. She has also edited Best Lesbian Romance 2009 through 2015 as well as multiple other anthologies. She is an eight-time Lambda Literary Award finalist in romance, mystery, and erotica—winning in both romance and erotica. A member of the Saints and Sinners Literary Hall of Fame, she is also an RWA Prism, Lories, Beanpot, Aspen Gold, and Laurel Wreath winner in multiple mainstream romance categories. In 2014, she received the Dr. James Duggins Outstanding Mid-Career Novelist award from the Lambda Literary Foundation. In 2004, she founded Bold Strokes Books, an independent LGBTQ publishing company, and in 2013, she founded the Flax Mill Creek Writers Retreat offering writing workshops to authors in all stages of their careers.

She states, “I began reading lesbian fiction at the age of twelve when I found a copy of Ann Bannon’s Beebo Brinker. That book and others like it convinced me that I was not alone, that there were other women who felt like I did. Our literature provides support and validation and very often, a lifeline, for members of our community throughout the world. I am proud and honored to be able to publish the many fine authors at Bold Strokes Books and to contribute in some small way to the words that celebrate the LGBTQ experience.”

Radclyffe lives with her partner, Lee, in New York state.

Reviews

[lauraღ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to admit, the thing I liked most about about the collection is the cover. It's sooooo pretty. I wish more f/f romances had illustrated covers like this one. So swoon-worthy.

As for the actual content of the stories? It was a mixed bag, as most anthologies tend to be, and I'm sorry to say that while I really liked a few stories in here, most of them were just okay. A couple I flat out disliked. I didn't love much of the writing, not many of the characters stood out to me, a couple were so short and plot-less as to be instantly forgettable. But for the most part there was nothing objectionable here. Just... nothing that wowed me.

I really liked "Seeing Kate", "Baby Steps", "Discovered in Light", and "The Player". They were all either really sweet, sexy, funny, or had characters that I really liked. "Discovered in Light" in particular, by Clifford Henderson, had a great protagonist. This was my first time with Radclyffe (I know, I know; I'm very late to the party) and I liked her story okay too.

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is an anthology of short stories. A lot of the stories needed to go a little farther and ended way too soon. It reminded me of authors who write part by part on the internet and never get back to the story again, so they leave the reader hanging, but these are published. A few of the stories were good, but not enough to say I'll read this book again.

[Pin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The anthology had a bunch of great stories, but my favorites are: Gifts by Lee Lynch (a gem of a short story), Seeing Kate by Meghan O'Brien, Three Minutes by Jove Belle and Rebellious Heart by Merry Shannon.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anthologies are always going to be a bit if a mixed bag but this one was definitely above average. 3.75 rounded up to 4

[Julieta Steyr]

Esta reseña contiene historia por historia su desarrollo. Avisos de spoiler colocados, pueden leer con tranquilidad, pero continúa porque no terminé de leerlas a todas.

ENCONTRANDO MI MUSA. ERIN DUTTON. Ah, me encanta. Según Erin, si uds no tienen sexo no pueden escribir una escena de sexo como si su líbido estuviera directamente relacionada con su musa. Ni hablar que cualquier adolescente podría escribir con la misma calidad que ella. Es una historia tan vanidosa y acomplejada a la vez. ¿A quién le importa que cuando se sentó la otra rodeó el coche? Y un final predecible, sin olvidarnos del cliché del dinero, por supuesto. Calificación: 2 de 10.
VIENDO A KATE. MEGHAN O'BRIEN. Me sorprendió que la O'Brien haya mejorado su escritura, no que dejara a una de sus protagonistas pesada (¿acaso tenía pene?), chorreando e hinchada. Calificación: 5
REDESCUBRIENDO A WILLOW. MJ WILLIAMZ. No sé qué pensar de las lesbianas si están a punto de tener sexo y piensan en cómo se sentiría pasar allí todas las noches. El chiste del camión de U-Haul le sienta de maravilla. Pese a todo, MJ tiene una mejor calidad de escritura que las dos anteriores autoras. Calificación: 4
TOLUCA 9. LISA GIROLAMI. Hilvanó muy bien la historia, al fin una que me pareció aceptablemente real. Calificación: 7
PARAISO ENCONTRADO. KIM BALDWIN. Esta historia es la típica "pongamos a una casi virgen". Como no sería creíble una virgen, ponen a una virgen en lo sáfico y de ahí parten hasta encontrar a la experimentada de siempre que las atemoriza y excita. Trama utilizada mil veces, no engancha ni da ternura. Calificación: 3
6.139. JULIE CANNON. Casi me duermo. Intentó ser detallista para darle ternura, pero a mí me quitó el insomnio por completo. Calificación: 3
PEQUEÑOS PASOS. RACHEL SPANGLER. ¡Pero daaale, garchat*la! ¡Qué tanta vuelta! Me ponen histérica. Esta debe ser la que estás por "comerte el postre" y te empiezan a dar vueltas y describirte toda la escena. Con la excusa del bebé de dos meses... Ah, bueno. La historia es toda igual. Calificación: 2
HIELO Y FUEGO PARISINO. J LEE MEYER. La originalidad al poder cuando estás en la Francia de 1988 y colocás un personaje llamado Pierre... y creen que los parisinos son todos castaños, no hay rubios. No. "Comment vous appelez-vous?", corazón de mamita, ahora todos los idiomas acortan las cosas (ella lo aprendió de Duolingo, pero no digan nada). Ah, sí, trata de una estadounidense que no quiere que sepan dónde está que se obsesiona con una periodista francesa de Reuters (con apellido griego) que visita habitualmente el local donde trabaja (...)

(Continuará)

[Dide · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Secrets and I was just so giddy by all the stories by my fav lesbian writers. This was good just not as great as Secrets ... I do feel each story as you move towards the end ascend readers to maturity in a relationship kind of way.