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Winters Solace
Katlynn Walker thought she had it all: a dream job in Silicon Valley. A beautiful California beach house. The love of her life. But her world crumbled beneath her feet the moment she found her best friend in bed with her fiancé.
Desperate to escape her harsh new realities, Katlynn flees to her Massachusetts hometown of Wellesley, to spend Christmas at her sister's cottage. Finding a new love was the last thing on her agenda, but when Katlynn reconnects with an old friend, everything she thought she knew about herself and her future is called into question.
Iris' life changed the minute her mother got sick. With her quiet, cozy world in Wellesley suddenly turned upside-down, there's no room for more complications -- especially not the resurgence of a college crush she thought she'd put out of her mind long ago. But when she finds herself spending the holidays next door to her old classmate Katlynn, Iris can't ignore the chemistry between them.
As the two women navigate their separate heartaches, will they crack under the pressures of life around them? Or can their new bond save them both?
A steamy contemporary lesbian romance novella with a satisfying HEA ending you’ll love!
96 pages, Paperback
First published September 2, 2017
25 people are currently reading
51 people want to read
About the author
Magnolia Robbins
19 books121 followersMaggie is a bestselling queer romance author from the west coast. When she isn't writing, you'll almost always find a cup of coffee in her hands.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
December 4, 2019
4.25 ★
This follows Iris and Katlynn. Katlynn goes back to her hometown for the holidays after finding her fiancé and best friend in bed together. When she gets there she runs into Iris, her collage best friend. Iris had a crush on Katlynn all through collage and now that she’s back she realizes maybe she never got over her.
I’ve read a lot of short stories/novellas and I always feel like they’re a bit rushed. I didn’t get that feeling reading this though. I think it might’ve been because the two characters knew each other beforehand and didn’t just met for the first time. It felt just like watching a Christmas movie in some ways and I really enjoyed it.
It was just what I needed at the moment, it was a light, cute, holiday read with some steamy moments and little to no angst. I really enjoyed reading from both characters POV.
I’ve read a story by Robbins before that I wasn’t the biggest fan of, but after reading this I’m really excited to pick up some of her other works in the future.
This follows Iris and Katlynn. Katlynn goes back to her hometown for the holidays after finding her fiancé and best friend in bed together. When she gets there she runs into Iris, her collage best friend. Iris had a crush on Katlynn all through collage and now that she’s back she realizes maybe she never got over her.
I’ve read a lot of short stories/novellas and I always feel like they’re a bit rushed. I didn’t get that feeling reading this though. I think it might’ve been because the two characters knew each other beforehand and didn’t just met for the first time. It felt just like watching a Christmas movie in some ways and I really enjoyed it.
It was just what I needed at the moment, it was a light, cute, holiday read with some steamy moments and little to no angst. I really enjoyed reading from both characters POV.
I’ve read a story by Robbins before that I wasn’t the biggest fan of, but after reading this I’m really excited to pick up some of her other works in the future.
December 19, 2017
Cute Christmas read :)
September 26, 2017
A very cute read
This is the second book I have read by this author and I will say I liked it as much as the first. Her writing is cute and happy with little angst and likable characters. It brought a smile to my face more than once. Worth the easy read and free on kindleUnlimited so always a plus.
This is the second book I have read by this author and I will say I liked it as much as the first. Her writing is cute and happy with little angst and likable characters. It brought a smile to my face more than once. Worth the easy read and free on kindleUnlimited so always a plus.
September 19, 2018
- Sweet like the Hallmark Christmas+Romance movie.
- O angst
- Quite steamy love scenes
- One of the h pulled a "Love Actually" scene to reconfess her love.
- Available on KU
- Kindle price USD3.99
- O angst
- Quite steamy love scenes
- One of the h pulled a "Love Actually" scene to reconfess her love.
- Available on KU
- Kindle price USD3.99
September 27, 2018
Nice happy story.
September 14, 2017
To sum it up in a few words, Winters Solace was cute!
It was a sweet, enjoyable Christmasy kind of novella with the sweetest characters ever.
It was real sweet to read about the high school crush that Iris had on Katlyn and Katlyn's instant attraction towards her.
I'm so glad that I'm a part of the author's ARC reviewers team and got the chance to read Winters Solace.
In a few words, Winters Solace was cuteness overload!
It was a sweet, enjoyable Christmasy kind of novella with the sweetest characters ever.
It was real sweet to read about the high school crush that Iris had on Katlyn and Katlyn's instant attraction towards her.
I'm so glad that I'm a part of the author's ARC reviewers team and got the chance to read Winters Solace.
In a few words, Winters Solace was cuteness overload!
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December 8, 2017
Confession 1: I read this one because of the cover. It's pretty.
Confession 2: The cover was pretty enough to distract me from the fact that the title is missing an apostrophe, which...well. An error in the title is usually a Very Bad Sign.
Confession 3: I have my eye on some more Kindle Unlimited lesbian romance with similar, and similarly pretty, covers, and I spent most of this book thinking those books were also by Robbins. Even as I was disappointed by Winters Solace, I was planning to read the other books anyway, based on the prettiness of their covers.
Confession 4: Yes, I am that shallow.
----
Anyway. It's a short, fluffy, bite-sized piece of f/f romance. Too short, honestly; Katlynn & Iris aren't distinguished well enough for me to tell their voices apart, and a lot of things are glossed over (e.g., how Katlynn feels about falling for a woman when she's never, presumably, been interested in a woman before). But it's generally sweet.
The real killer is the tense shifts. Oh god the tense shifts. There are a lot of other little errors (problems with dialogue tags, I vs. me, apostrophes, etc.) that should have been picked up by a proofreader, and I'm guessing that a proofreader wasn't in the author's budget for this. But the tense shifts. The book is nominally in the present tense, but it slides in and out of present and past simple and past perfect (between paragraphs, between sentences, in the middle of sentences) without any regard for the conventions of grammar. There are other issues (although also potential for a cute read), but the tense problems really make the seams show.
Confession 2: The cover was pretty enough to distract me from the fact that the title is missing an apostrophe, which...well. An error in the title is usually a Very Bad Sign.
Confession 3: I have my eye on some more Kindle Unlimited lesbian romance with similar, and similarly pretty, covers, and I spent most of this book thinking those books were also by Robbins. Even as I was disappointed by Winters Solace, I was planning to read the other books anyway, based on the prettiness of their covers.
Confession 4: Yes, I am that shallow.
----
Anyway. It's a short, fluffy, bite-sized piece of f/f romance. Too short, honestly; Katlynn & Iris aren't distinguished well enough for me to tell their voices apart, and a lot of things are glossed over (e.g., how Katlynn feels about falling for a woman when she's never, presumably, been interested in a woman before). But it's generally sweet.
The real killer is the tense shifts. Oh god the tense shifts. There are a lot of other little errors (problems with dialogue tags, I vs. me, apostrophes, etc.) that should have been picked up by a proofreader, and I'm guessing that a proofreader wasn't in the author's budget for this. But the tense shifts. The book is nominally in the present tense, but it slides in and out of present and past simple and past perfect (between paragraphs, between sentences, in the middle of sentences) without any regard for the conventions of grammar. There are other issues (although also potential for a cute read), but the tense problems really make the seams show.
October 16, 2017
Cute quick read, but needed more work
I was looking for a Kindle Unlimited book to read (I spend so much on books every month that I need to mix some free ones in there as well) and this short book piqued my interest. It was cute and to the point, which is what I wanted for a quick read. I didn't have high expectations, so I'm not disappointed. It pretty much delivered what I expected. Unfortunately, short Kindle Unlimited books also tend to have a hefty share of grammatical errors, pronoun inaccuracies, phonetical mishaps, etc. This book also fell into that category. In addition, the transitions in time and scenes were choppy and hard to follow. The tense in which the narration was told also kept switching, sometimes in the same sentence. Overall, if you don't pay close attention to the actual writing and just take it for a cute story then it's satisfactory.
I was looking for a Kindle Unlimited book to read (I spend so much on books every month that I need to mix some free ones in there as well) and this short book piqued my interest. It was cute and to the point, which is what I wanted for a quick read. I didn't have high expectations, so I'm not disappointed. It pretty much delivered what I expected. Unfortunately, short Kindle Unlimited books also tend to have a hefty share of grammatical errors, pronoun inaccuracies, phonetical mishaps, etc. This book also fell into that category. In addition, the transitions in time and scenes were choppy and hard to follow. The tense in which the narration was told also kept switching, sometimes in the same sentence. Overall, if you don't pay close attention to the actual writing and just take it for a cute story then it's satisfactory.
February 23, 2018
Quick read...
A quick and easy ready, pretty easy to get into. The story is based around Katlynn's return to her hometown, after discovering that her husband was cheating with her best friend. Katlynn bumps into an old Iris, they reconnect and spend the holidays together.
Only downfall is that I felt as if the storyline moved a little too quickly for my liking. Would have been nice to have a bit of an insight into Iris and Katlynn relationship, as it felt as if it all just started out of the blue. Maybe exploring Katlynn back story would have been a nice addition, I was a
Iittle confused as to whether katlynn was bi before she got married to her husband or after.
A quick and easy ready, pretty easy to get into. The story is based around Katlynn's return to her hometown, after discovering that her husband was cheating with her best friend. Katlynn bumps into an old Iris, they reconnect and spend the holidays together.
Only downfall is that I felt as if the storyline moved a little too quickly for my liking. Would have been nice to have a bit of an insight into Iris and Katlynn relationship, as it felt as if it all just started out of the blue. Maybe exploring Katlynn back story would have been a nice addition, I was a
Iittle confused as to whether katlynn was bi before she got married to her husband or after.
September 19, 2017
This was cute
The writing style was little awkward for me. Maybe I'm just not used to reading much, but it was awkward for at least me. I loved the characters and kind of wanted more. There was a lot of detail just left out by simplifying them, and I think I would have appreciated the details. There was far less drama than I expected because every time they showed up they were easily gotten over, which is great, but also makes it a little anticlimactic. All in all, it was super cute, and I rate it a 4.5 stars.
The writing style was little awkward for me. Maybe I'm just not used to reading much, but it was awkward for at least me. I loved the characters and kind of wanted more. There was a lot of detail just left out by simplifying them, and I think I would have appreciated the details. There was far less drama than I expected because every time they showed up they were easily gotten over, which is great, but also makes it a little anticlimactic. All in all, it was super cute, and I rate it a 4.5 stars.
October 7, 2017
This book, or rather, novella, was just okay. I was not blown away by anything that happened in this story, and I felt like everything was rushed. As much as I love cute and fluffy romance, this was actually too much for me. This came off like a hallmark movie which don't get me wrong, I love those during the Christmas season, but the tiny drama that did happen in here came off super fake. The two women were cute together, but overall, I did not really connect with their ship.
October 26, 2017
A Fully Satisfying, Heartwarming Holiday Romance!
If you're like me, a sucker for a good holiday romance, then Winters Solace is for you! A quirky story about how it's never too late for your first love, I especially enjoyed the shifting first-person narrative between the lead characters. This book was a joy to read.
If you're like me, a sucker for a good holiday romance, then Winters Solace is for you! A quirky story about how it's never too late for your first love, I especially enjoyed the shifting first-person narrative between the lead characters. This book was a joy to read.
September 7, 2018
Hard to believe this is the same author as Forbidden Melody. The writing was quite lacking. The tense changes were painful and annoying. I stick with it because I liked Forbidden Melody so much. I give Magnolia props for improving so dramatically as a writer.
May 28, 2021
Cute!
This was a very light, happy and exciting story. Love when it hits can turn your world upside down. That was what it did to Iris and Katlynn. Sometimes you need to go with it.
This was a very light, happy and exciting story. Love when it hits can turn your world upside down. That was what it did to Iris and Katlynn. Sometimes you need to go with it.
November 17, 2017
Adorable love story
Adorable love story about two long time friends!! Super cute book and even better ending. Love should always win in the end.
Adorable love story about two long time friends!! Super cute book and even better ending. Love should always win in the end.
December 5, 2017
Really sweet story!
Very sweet story! The two main characters were very endearing. Very well developed plot. Very nicely done! Liked it a lot!!
Very sweet story! The two main characters were very endearing. Very well developed plot. Very nicely done! Liked it a lot!!
December 24, 2017
Good reading
This is a soft, romantic reading. Iris and Kaytlynn are so good together. I recommend this enchanting and sweet story.
This is a soft, romantic reading. Iris and Kaytlynn are so good together. I recommend this enchanting and sweet story.
July 3, 2018
This was adorable. Feel good read. HEA
July 5, 2018
🌈EVERLASTING🌈
WOW! What a tale of love 💘 that though not realized early in life. Was still present when realized later.
WOW! What a tale of love 💘 that though not realized early in life. Was still present when realized later.
December 8, 2017
Very cute!!! Just the festive f/f love story i needed to earn my heart. Made me both laugh and cry. Will definitely look into more work by this author.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews