Looking for Eagles

by Rory Wilde, Savannah Swan

Can a first love stand the test of time after two decades?

At age thirty-five, Maggie Wilson has it all—a beautiful fiancée, a successful career, and a loyal group of friends. But when her fiancée breaks off the engagement, she finds herself completely shattered.

Things get even more confusing when she meets a very familiar stranger in a bar: her high school girlfriend, Jena, who she thought she'd never see again.

Jena Halley has zero emotional intimacy in her life. Her string of casual partners can't fill the void left in her heart by her homophobic parents and the one person she ever truly loved: Maggie.

River Rocks summer camp was where Maggie and Jena met as twelve-year-olds and grew their relationship over their shared summers. But when Jena's's parents kicked her out at age eighteen, they lost touch.

When Jena's company assigns her to a project in Philadelphia, the most she thinks she'll find is another meaningless hook-up. Instead, she finds Maggie—and a whole lot of questions. The sparks are still there, but after so long, neither woman is who she used to be.

Between Jena's short-term work contract and Maggie's fresh break up, neither woman is looking for a relationship, but life doesn't ask if you're ready. Now that they have a second chance, there's only one thing left to decide: are they brave enough to try again?

Looking for Eagles is a steamy contemporary lesbian romance novel with a HEA and no cliffhangers. It includes themes of hurt/comfort and second chances.

Genres: Lesbian, Fiction, M M Romance

236 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 8, 2017

Reviews

[SoCalBookReviews]

**Update: Changing my review, removing rating, because I am annoyed... This Author has the same exact books under the pseudonyms, Savannah Swan & Cora Jay and changed the character Genders From F/F to M/F to M/M. To me personally, it just seems really dishonest to take the exact same books with the exact same wording (basically plagiarizing your own work) and then republishing them all with different gender pronouns, I personally do not feel comfortable reading this authors books and will no longer be purchasing or reviewing them either.***

[Doreen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Previously published as a gay romance by Rory Wilde and called Winter Song. Why won't Amazon disclose this information on their website?

Looking for Eagles uses select memories matched with a second chance romance to tell the love story of Maggie Wilson and Jena Halley. They met at a Christian youth summer camp as teenagers. Jena grew up in a loveless home, with parents who ignored her and forced her to participate in their fundamentalist church. Maggie's childhood was the polar opposite. Her loving parents gave her unconditional support and her religious faith celebrated the miracle of a loving Christian deity. Their coming out stories were also horribly different. At eighteen, Jena was cast off from her family and battled the grim prospect of homelessness. Maggie lost her chance to continue a loving relationship with Jena when summer camp ended, but her parents stood solidly behind her as she started college.

Flashbacks of their high school romance are interspersed with their renewed chance at love after seventeen years spent apart. Jena happens to be in Philadelphia, PA on a temporary work assignment from her job in Austin, TX. She landed in a gay bar called The Eagle's Nest intending to hook up with either an ultra masculine man or a femme lesbian for the night. Casual sex, heavy drinking and cigarettes distract her from chronic loneliness. Maggie showed up at the same bar to spend time with favourite friends. The friends remained close after they graduated from college. Their get together was arranged to help Maggie after a disastrous break up with her fiancee. The last person Maggie ever thought she'd see again was Jena. Jena dropped out of sight without explaining her reasons.

Swan/Wilde tried to create a nuanced lesfic romance from a novel originally written about two men. The main characters aren't believable as thirty five year old women. Based on the storyline, I'd guess their ages were ten years younger. Jena has never had a romantic relationship post Maggie. Casual sex, drinking, smoking and cursing reflect the modus operandi of an emotional insecure, but attractive dude. Endless work hours and money making occupy her days. Nights belong to her desire to keep her heart frozen solid. Maggie loves her friends dearly, but she is the last of her peer group to take the matrimonial plunge. She gets close to the alter, but her dream is crushed by her runaway fiancee. Looking for Eagles aims higher than its ability to reach. It is a less than average lesbian romance and I rate it at 2.75 stars.

[avid reader 1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Possible Spoilers Included**
I always enjoy a good second chance story. The author captured, beautifully, the thoughts and feelings of both Marv and John as they fell in love in high school and many years later after they lost contact.
Marv, outgoing and personable, loved and accepted by his family and friends, has built a good life for himself in Philadelphia. It is a well-rounded life where he and his fiancé can grow and thrive, until his fiancé suddenly changes his mind and ends the engagement. Floundering and in pain, he is shocked and thrilled when John re-enters his life a week later.
John, successful and confident career wise, yet closed off and superficial emotionally, has built a financially secure existence that includes a nice home and healthy portfolio, but has not had any emotional intimacy other that a long string of casual partners that are replaced before anything more than sex can be introduced. His family has rejected him, and he works for a homophobic company that causes him to deny his lifestyle for fear of career ending consequences. He is loveless and alone. He is excited and hopeful when he re-enters Marv’s life unexpectedly.
We see them struggle through the confusing, exciting, uplifting yet debilitating, journey of love both in high school as boys and as adults so many years later.
This story was well told. I got a good sense of how they were feeling and was happy with their HEA.
The religious aspect was handled carefully and showed the difference in the acceptance and persecution of each character in a straightforward manner.
The spicy scenes were nice. There were no hyper sexual scenes. They were respectful and loving. I didn’t feel a “spark” though, which was a disappointment.
I enjoyed this work and will read more from this author.
I voluntarily read an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Love shouldn’t be that hard,” said Imani. “When two people are meant to be together, then things fall into place when you start taking action.”

Excerpt From: Wilde, Rory. “Winter Song.”

The persuasion of this quote stuck with me throughout the story. It's such a simple statement yet the obvious never occurred to me. The wisdom behind this statement serves as a good example of the driving force behind the story.

The descriptions at the beginning of the book, specifically on the beach made for a cozy feel and a great set up. You get the right feel for the relationship between John and Marv. The two men have a powerful history that seeps over the lines of casual, proving more trustworthy with commitment. Their ying-yang personalities make for an interesting balance. Despite John's nihilistic
tendencies, the focus of prolonging happiness and fate are clear elements in the narrative, as exhibited by Marv.

Overall the story had great pacing with a strong plotline. I find the theme of God an interesting choice but one that was well utilized. The topic of religion can be tricky to handle so the inclusion of non religion and the connections with lgbtqa+ characters were a breath of fresh air. I will most definitely find myself going back to read this from the beginning just to immerse myself all over again.

[Anne Marie Crookes · Rating 4 out of 5]

John and Marv's story is told in a series of present and past events. From the time they were children they met every summer, until the end of their high school when they lost touch. Marv has a loving relationship with his family and friends and even though his former fiance left him abruptly, he still has a support system. John, on the other hand, comes from a loveless background, with parents who threw him out when he came out as gay.

When they meet again as adults, they have to reconcile their earlier selves with who they are today, joining the missing pieces to form a whole relationship.

I quite enjoyed the story. It had depth and complex characters.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.

[Ruth Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really well written book and easy to read. The story is set in the past when the two main characters were friends who become so much more. They lost touch and then meet up by accident some years later. The story goes between young love and now. This makes you understand the main characters and their motivation better. Can they make love work this time they didn't in the past. The characters are really likeable and make you want to read on. I suggest you get a copy of this book as its a really enjoyable read.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prayer Answered

An ARC was given to me and I agreed to voluntarily review it. My opinions are my own. This is a sweet story about two guys who met each year at summer camp. In their senior year, John and Marv lost touch with each other because John's parents kicked him out because he told them he was gay. This is about their trials during that time. Enjoy I did

[Fallon Cahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second chances can be a blessing. A real love cannot be denied forever. The story is well written but you need to pay close attention during the time jumps. You see Marv and John overcome obstacles and fall in love all over again. Sweet, loving and can be intense at times. I voluntarily read an Advanced Reader Copy for my honest opinion and review.

[Cindy Stein · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jena and Maggie meet at a Christian summer camp when they are younger and end up as girlfriends, something they have to hide from the camp and from Jena's conservative parents. When they lose touch after high school, they each move forward with their lives. Jena remains in Texas pursuing a career in finance and not pursuing any relationships beyond casual sex. Maggie lives in Philadelphia and has a group of (very diverse) close friends.

When the book opens, Maggie has just been dumped by her fiance and is trying to get over her depression. Her friends take her to a local bar and there she reconnects with Jena, who's in town on a work assignment. The rest of the book chronicles their second chance at romance.

A number of reviewers have remarked on the fact that the book is a re-write of a M/M romance. While that in itself doesn't trouble me if it's done well, there was at least one "his" left in the text that should have been a "hers." Even so, the book feels a bit like a slog. The writing has more telling than showing and the characters don't seem to be in their mid-30s (more like 20s).

While I normally have no problem with flashbacks, this book had too many that felt like they were a distraction from the main story.

[moxieBK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking for Eagles — Savannah Swan (26 chapters) Jan. 15-17, 2019

This was a hard to define book. It has religious overtones in it, but it also involves two consenting women in a relationship, which has very sexy elements in it.

I think this is a fine book for religious queer folk. I even recommend it to religious queer YA readers, but maybe older readers will find this even more delicious, due to the sexual content.

I loved the plot, but I have never gotten into the sexy bits of these stories (unless I am purposely reading it,) so I jumped over those parts. The story still holds up despite this.

Two women who were friends plus at a Christian camp when they were younger drift after high school and then unexpectedly come back together to discover their passion for each other is still smoldering.

I was really hoping there was more to the looking for eagles angle. I understand where the title comes from, but it didn’t get threaded back into the plot until late. Still a fun read. I gave it an extra star for taking on a queer religious couple (even though one had her doubts.)

Four stars.

[FromTheLab · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 65%.

This book was not good. The characters were undeveloped and Marv was so up his own arse it was unbelievable! He seemed to want all of his partners (whether John or Kelvin) to change and go to counselling over their issues yet he was perfect so no changes for him!

For example:

He hated John's smoking.
He didn't like how John had slept around, yet he had also done that himself!
He didn't like John's apartment because it was too 'shiny'.
He didn't like how John didn't believe in God.
He didn't like how John wasn't up to date on LGBTQ terminology.
He didn't like how much John drank alcohol.
He didn't like what John had in his fridge.

These are just a few I can remember and they made me want to scream 'WELL WHAT DO YOU BLOODY LIKE MARV?!'

He was so preachy it was unbelievable.

Gave up because it just became a slog and by the end it felt like a waste of my time trying to push through the bad writing and lack of any meaningful story.

Glad it was on KU so I can just return it and be done.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Looking for Eagles is a nice book, and the characters are ok, but it wrapped up a little too simply. The conflict was resolved with little to no consequence. The flashes between the present and the past were disjointed at times. I feel this is a book that won't stick with me, and I would give it 2 1/2 stars if I could.

[Dontea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute

Would have loved a more climactic ending but very cute story. Took me a while to get into it but again cute.

[Eve Pines]

Special....author is friend!

[Emilie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read an Advance Reader Copy of the book and voluntarily reviewed it.

I liked Marv's circle of friends, and how John learned more about other LGBT people and relationships. Marv's family was good, too. The story hopped between past and present. There was some talk about how the protagonists had to process their feelings, which seemed more suited to a romance between women.

I was interested in how the present-day relationship progressed, though the flashbacks to the past gave context and backstory. There was some discussion of homophobia. I would recommend the book.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a strong story of second chances. The Mcs had a relationship in their youth and fate brought them back together some 18 years later.
This is a well written book with strong Mcs. It's a quick read that has a good connection between the MCs. It's a slightly different writing style to what the author normally writes but I still enjoyed it.

[Kaila · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a sweet and simple read.. I thought it might have more steamy parts but it was still very good. it was a shorter read which is always nice. It was a hea and the different aspects in the story were handled very tastefully. I enjoyed it and am glad i got to review it

[TracyG.]

I'm not rating this one as it's a DNF for me. Most will like this book but I can't read books that are forever jumping timelines it's annoying and confusing. This why it's a DNF