Valerie Westland isn't looking for love when she ends up on a date with Cressida Davis, despite the instant attraction or her inability to stop flirting with her. With a past she can't move on from and a heart she doesn't deem worthy of giving away, can the pair find a way to each other, or are opportunities gone forever when one refuses to seize the moment?
Warnings: 1) This is book 3 in the Velvet Series. It is highly recommended that you read the first two installments, so you'll have a firm grasp on secondary characters and their experiences up to this point.
2) This is a F/F romance novel. There are explicit sex scenes in this book! If you are offended by anything in the previous sentence, then this is not a book you will enjoy.
Author of book detailing the lives and loves of women loving women. The characters are saucy, sassy and hopefully relatable as they travel through life.
Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Diana,just keep doing what you're doing and I will keeping reading them. You are such a great storyteller, your books makes me feel good about myself. I can put myself in the story and go off on a wonderful adventure. I have enjoyed each and every book in this series. I am definitely looking forward to your stand alone book coming up next. I can recommend this book, you won't want to miss an excellently written and entertaining read.
Now read all three and all are 5*. Very few achieve that on a three books plus series - Jae, of course, Harper Bliss (Diss The Pink Bean series as your own risk) Kate Christie, Lynn Galli, Melissa Brayden and Radclyffe (natch) - OK, OK, so quite a lot do. But I love the Velvet series and try the others!
Although I felt like shaking Valerie a couple of times, overall I truly enjoyed this book. The build up wasn't drawn out and it didn't take until the end for the couple to get together. Those books frustrate me. Even better is the diverse MC. As a black female pansexual, Its great to be represented.
Absolutely loved this book. I enjoyed reading about Cressida and Valerie. Also catching up with the rest of the gang from the previous books. This entire series is a must read. Looking forward to this authors next book.
Dr. Valerie Westland and Cressida Davis share something very personal. They shared a lover named Jamie without ever knowing it. One steamy afternoon, they find out about their unfaithful partner and she quickly becomes their shared ex. Escaping her bedroom betrayal, Valerie heads over to The Velvet and tries to drink her romantic problems away. Cressida had the same idea and they meet again this time on neighbouring bar stools.
After the passage of months, Valerie's friends set her up on a blind date. The matchmakers don't know about Jamie's cheating ways and set her up with Cressida. Valerie is fighting multiple demons as she begins to imagine moving on from her cheating ex. She likes Cressida and is attracted to her, but she can't let go of how they met. Cressida has no such reservations. Valerie suffered a severely traumatizing childhood. Her mother hated her for being gay and worked hard to make her feel unlovable. Her father didn't left a hand to help his daughter. She survived with the help of her friend Matt's parents. His father stepped in to fill the parental void. Valerie overcame her debilitating upbringing to become a successful surgeon, but she lives with lingering self hatred.
Metamorphosis keeps finding ways to bring Valerie and Cressida together only to pull them apart. They struggle along treading the line between friendship and intimacy. Erasing the line is all up to Valerie, because only she can bridge the divide that she'd imposed on Cressida. Reading Metamorphosis, I wasn't overly impressed by either of these main characters. The plotline was fairly predictable, but the book was very well written. I've read all three books in The Velvet series and I'll probably read the next one. I like this writer and look forward to future published books.
Dr. Valerie Westland and Cressida Davis had an instant connection but Valerie was afraid of the connection. You see, Valerie had a past, that included an unfortunate family life. Cressida was kind, patient and understanding. They fall in love, but communication and issues from Valerie’s past cause major issues in the relationship. Will Valerie come to her senses and let the past be in the past? Will she realize that sometimes you have to let your family go? You should read this incredible story to find out.
Metamorphosis by Diana Kane is a well-written, very slow-burn romance between Valerie and Cressida, a former business woman, turned director of an LGBTQ+ youth center. It’s mostly expressed from the point-of-view of Valerie, who, though she is a plastic surgeon, has body image issues, and believes she is not worthy of love. This is what causes the slow-burn. It’s interesting to see how someone can miss out on finding that person who holds the key to their heart. It’s extra special that this is an inter-racial romance, but without directly targeting their racial differences as anything other than normal. The differences come in how they approach each other, and how they each deal with obstacles. It’s almost an enemies-to-lovers romance, but the author only tables this point as an introduction, and centers on the anguish of the real obstacles to their relationship. Valerie and Cressida are greatly supported by a group of women, and a few men, who bring volume to the, already strong, main story. I listened to the audiobook, which was adeptly voiced by Abby Craden, my favorite narrator. She brings even more depth to the characterizations of these main characters, and the supporting ones. Needless to say, I loved this story. Thankyou.
Undoubtedly this BOOK needs more than five stars because it was a great love story with the type of obstacles that you know could have been prevented if the upbringing of a child was full of love and acceptance. I found that I couldn't put this Kindle down for the last two days because this book was so freaking good to read. I love that Valerie found love where she least expected to find it and with whom is gonna freak you out. I was sad when she was and hopeful when she was happy that she'd stay happy. Did I say I was so upset when Cressida started dating? Well let me tell you you will be too. That also made me love this book more. I'm happy for Sara even though I was not too happy with her book but I have since come around to accept it. I can't wait for the next book in this series. Yes buy this series and you will love it too!!
To be honest, I liked the previous books better, but it's a worth reading. I wish to see more of them, all the characters are really amazing. I loved how Cressida is sure of what she want and it was hard for me to understand Valerie's issues. I kinda wish Valerie wanted so many rooms for other stuff than what she said, but well. The sex scenes are really hot, no so much as the other, but it was really good. I kinda think that or I got Alex all wrong, or she's different on this book, more childish, I don't know, it's funny but it feels like a different Alex. Anyway, all the series is an amazing adventure and I supper recommend to read all of them.
I have enjoyed this series even though there were times I wanted to walk away. I love the Friendship, Fondness and Love between the core group of women, the fact that no matter were you are in life they will be there in your time of need. What i enjoyed most about this book (though there was not a lot of it) was how Valerie was able to connect with Zoe and help her feel less alone, I know the feeling as I was told to leave when I was 16. It would be nice to read more on these Ladies and what they're getting into.
There are so many layers to Valerie and Cressida's story. You have the unfortunate situation that introduces them, Valerie's relationship with her parents, and the negative effects it has in her adult life. Valerie must figure out how to overcome the obstacles while also trying to figure out how to let Cres in. This is more than just a romance. I definitely recommend the entire Velvet Series. Enjoy!!
Being inside a character's head can be daunting. Valerie's insecurities and self-doubt are a bit much to take in at times. Cressida's sexual fluid character adds a welcome racial/ethnic mix into the story line. The second story line about a youth LGBTQ center was interesting. An all around good story about sticking with someone when they balk at any self-doubt. Nice to see the growth of Valerie's fellow surgeons.
Diana Kane has done it again! Phenomenal book. I appreciate the diversity ( selecting a woman of color as a lead character) in her storyline, showcasing that love comes in different packages.
I wrote what essentially ended up being a long ass stream of consciousness on this book rather than a review…so, I’m just going to leave some bullet points here until I can form my thoughts in a coherent manner:
-There are still proofing issues, but not nearly as many as book 1.
-This is written in first person, but there are POV changes that aren’t noted at the beginning of chapters, so if you haven’t read ‘Metamorphosis’ yet (but are planning to), know that chapters without a character title are told from Valerie’s POV and chapters with a title are from Cressida’s POV. This knowledge will, hopefully, save you from having to re-start chapter 9 like I did.
-I feel like chapter 7 and 8 are from two different books; the end of chapter 7 leaves our characters in one phase of a relationship, but chapter 8 starts them at a completely different level than where I thought they agreed they were going. It just felt a little disjointed and like something was missing here, like there should have been a chapter 7.5.
-I would definitely recommend this to anyone who liked the first two in the series and anyone who can overlook some basic writing issues to get at the meat of a good story.
-Unlike what the synopsis states, I think this can be read independently if you don’t mind not knowing the backstory of some minor characters. If you plan on reading book 1 or 2 and don't want spoilers, though, I would start from the beginning.
-I have a lot of gripes for a book that I gave 4 stars, I know. This is one of those books that I'm teetering between a 3 and 4, but I'm marking up because of noticeable improvement in the author's writing and proofreading. Kane is a great storyteller, though, and she's also really good at character development. I liked both MCs a lot despite their flaws and loved reading their slow burn that turned into a full-on bonfire.
-Themes: insecurity, childhood scars, friends to lovers. (I’ve read a lot of reviews with people disliking insecure characters. If that puts you off, I’d say move on because it is a major theme in this book and it will drive you crazy. I personally think the insecurity here was portrayed really well and that the author did a great job getting into her character's head to show us exactly how she feels and why she reacts to certain things the way she does).
-Sex: yes, and as with the other books, once it starts, it continues to be sprinkled into the fabric of the storyline until the very end.
This is my first review even though I have read all three and look forward itobanother. These are books that are about very complex feeling and life's. I enjoyed every one of them but this was my favourite. I will try and explain why.. No spoilers. Perhaps because I am an older reader with a very happy thirty one year relationship I found my one a long time ago she is still the same as I first set eyes on her all those years ago.she rocked my word then and still does. In the first two book I felt the minute the love scenes were introduced as great as they were sometimes it took away from getting to know the depth of the characters this book was just as good but it explored the love between the couple in a more rounded way. The sex did not become the story the giving and sharing of there love and all that went with it was much more intense because you understood the characters better. I am sure lots of people will disagree but I felt this book really let me in and did not leave me wondering who the characters were it was more sensual I guess. I know sex in books is a very individual thing and the author goes out of her way to let people know so no complaints just this book was my favourite. Cannot recommend the books highly enough thank you very much for such great hope look forward to the next.
I wanted to like this book more than I did. The two best things about this book were that there was an interracial couple and that the main character had anxiety about her self worth. That's a nice change of pace from the perfectly beautiful people that inhabit most of these romances.
What I didn't like was that Valerie ghosts Cressida at one point and overall doesn't try to get help to overcome her issues. And when she finally goes to get Cressida back, they get together far too easily. It was difficult to see why Cressida fell for Valerie.
There were more than a few typos that were highly distracting, too, such as "cotton fabric of her shit" (vs. shirt) and the always annoying "your" vs. "you're." The sex is also very meh in this book vs. the first two in the series.
The beautiful part about Diana Kane’s writing is she tells an amazing story of love in all of her books. But furthermore, she depicts these beautiful stories through intricate and unique characters. These characters all have different backgrounds, different races, different ages, and different quirks that make them into the character they are. They are not perfect women by any means and they have their insecurities just like the rest of us but that is what makes them so authentic. I encourage anyone to read her books to experience the beautiful journey of love with no limitations that Diana Kane takes you on.
I read books one and two of the Velvet series and didn't think any other books could equal them--they have been my standard to judge others by for quite a while. However, Metamorphosis does just that. It is a great love story, with tension and heartache enough to make the love scenes especially fulfilling--and hot! Another great book by Diana Kane.
I love how these series each can stand on their own. As a 3rd installation of the ever evolving world of Velvet, it’s nice to see the character development find their way into realistic internal struggles of how trauma affects each individual and relationships that follow. Still, this book, possesses steamy chapters that doesn’t disappoint and again you fall in love with the sensitivity both characters have.
I think this was my favorite in the series. We got to catch up with all the other characters. We were able to see Dr. Valerie Westland through her love journey. Plus, there were a lot of heartwarming moments throughout the story.
Valerie and Cressida - just as hot a couple as the others, but there was such a tenderness there as well from the start. Especially given the way they initially met! 🙈 They were truly fun to read, though... such a beautiful couple❤️🥰
Really like this series and this author. Valerie made me shake my head but all things considered kept me turning the pages. Now want to go back and read the first two books again.
This story like all the others in this series. Was well composed. She has a knack for blending her stories with a style that keeps her followers, informed of how the others in the previous books lives are progressing !😍
Overall 3.5/5. This book is so much better than the first two books. No icky feeling about their power dynamics. Their first meeting was hilarious even though it probably wasn't at that moment. The plot was interesting and even when I was annoyed with Cressida and Valerie for being dumbasses, I still liked them and wanted to scold them in an endearing way so they would finally get together. There were a few things that annoyed me like the lack of transitions between scenes and POVs, since it's in 1st POV, it sometimes took a while for me to reorientate whose POV it was. Another annoying thing was the overwhelming amount of characters. I couldn't care less about Sara and Isabella, I hated their book and didn't finish reading it before Sara and Katrina got together so I didn't even know Isabella. I feel neutral about Catherine and Alexis, so they were the background characters as they were meant to be. I liked the kids at the LGBTQ+ center so I wished there were more scenes about them. This reminded that I hate the time skip. I was so confused when Valerie and Cressida barely knew each other then suddenly Valrie was already falling and I seriously thought I spaced out and missed a chunk of the book when in actuality, things just happened behind the scenes I guess. The time was a tad confusing too, I could not compare any event to each other besides which happened before and after. Overall, a much improvement from the 1st two in the series plus Abby Craden's narration probably increased my enjoyment of this book a lot.
I have waited on the release of this novel every since I read Providence. Yes. This means checking the authors twitter feed a few times a week for any updated information. No. I am not ashamed. Providence just captured me. Fusion was good too but Isabella and Sara definitely had heat. They had passion. So of course I purchased this book as soon as it hit Amazon. Only to be utterly disappointed. I felt no chemistry between Valerie and Cressida. It was like the author told herself "I promised a third book so might as well throw something, anything, together." I mean jeez. I even skimmed over the sexual scenes because I just wasn't invested. I didn't care if they got together, stayed together, or what. All of that twitter action for nothing. Grrr.