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Scout and the Lavender Girl
Scout Martinez, retired WNBA star, just moved back to Austin to put her life back together after her health, love life, and investments have all taken a beating, and she has no time for a curvy, lavender-haired bisexual with a big mouth and zero girl experience. Not. Going. To. Happen.
If it weren't for bad luck, Evie Koenig would have no luck at all. Her ex-husband stole thousands of dollars from her college fund, she's barely scraping by with three jobs, and now she's buried her car under the back end of a huge moving truck. Which, by the way, just happens to be driven by one of her sports heroes and the architect of her bisexual awakening. #fml
It's too bad, really, that they keep on running into one another.
81,000 words
If it weren't for bad luck, Evie Koenig would have no luck at all. Her ex-husband stole thousands of dollars from her college fund, she's barely scraping by with three jobs, and now she's buried her car under the back end of a huge moving truck. Which, by the way, just happens to be driven by one of her sports heroes and the architect of her bisexual awakening. #fml
It's too bad, really, that they keep on running into one another.
81,000 words
286 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 9, 2019
96 people are currently reading
190 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
June 24, 2019
So here's what I don't really get about this book: why you would pair an extremely biphobic lesbian with a bisexual. Because while I don't get the sense that the text approves of Scout's (and her families) feelings about bisexuals, it's there, unrelenting on the page, forever. (That's not even counting the super mean fat joke at the beginning.) But despite all that, I do actually like the relationship between Scout and Evie, I just hated most of what I had to read to get them there. And that's not cool.
(That cover is so gorgeous. I wish it got a better book.)
**Read for Ripped Bodice Bingo 2019, F/F Contemporary**
(That cover is so gorgeous. I wish it got a better book.)
**Read for Ripped Bodice Bingo 2019, F/F Contemporary**
June 24, 2019
Does contemporary f/f know they don't have to be biphobic as hell? Like, no one is forcing you to hate bisexuals. You could just... not do that. It's prevalent and pervasive and it does. not. end. I don't even think the love interest "learned" in the end. Not sure how you could be with someone who hated you so much, but the book seems to want us to believe it's possible.
It's unfortunate because I think Scout and Evie were still a pretty enjoyable couple. And yet. And yet.
Oh yeah, and there's one of the meanest fatphobic comments I've ever encountered in a book too.
It's unfortunate because I think Scout and Evie were still a pretty enjoyable couple. And yet. And yet.
Oh yeah, and there's one of the meanest fatphobic comments I've ever encountered in a book too.
June 11, 2019
The beginning of this book is a little rocky. Exposition dumps, some wooden-seeming stretches, and a few lesbian-community insider references interfere with the pacing and dump the reader out of the story. I nearly DNF'd in the first few chapters as a result. I'm glad I didn't.
I really loved Evie and once the pace smoothed out and the story got going, she was a great character to spend some time with. I loved her personality and determination and kindness. Most of all, though, I liked that she stuck up for herself despite a definite yearning for her long-time crush who comes suddenly into reach. Oh, and her comfort in her own skin was just awesome. In the beginning, she calls Scout on condemning her "fat ass" saying that it's not because she was hurt by the comment and she's perfectly content owning her fat ass but rather, it's because Scout was the kind of person who would reach for that as a way to be mean.
Scout was harder to engage with. She's prickly and, in the beginning, kind of a jerk to Evie. And even though her motivations make sense, I felt it was a bit exaggerated and/or overplayed. Her evil ex is, indeed, evil (okay, destructively selfish). But that means Scout's reluctance to engage with another bisexual partner was so much negative* drag on the plot/relationship. And is drawn out way past it being interesting as a source of conflict.
I kept going because Evie, who had her own craptastic past dragging her down, was such a source of optimistic, but tough, kindness. Really, she's just so sweet and seeing her navigate her way through the shoals left by her own evil (okay, destructively selfish) ex was an excellent contrast and highlight.
So this gets an engaged 3½ stars for the rough start, minor craft issues, and negative motivation*. But I'm rounding up for Evie and the unexpectedly outstanding businessy bits that were accurately and yet interestingly portrayed. It's so rare that writers nail the business ins and outs that I found that it's own level of engagement.
A note about LGBT: This has a strong in-community feel to the LGBT elements. A lot of assumed shared knowledge is simply background, including the tension with bisexuals in that community that is at the heart of the plot. Some of that is eventually explored, but not in the kind of depth it'd need for those completely unfamiliar with the community. Outsiders will likely find some moments of confusion and/or missing information, I think.
A note about production: Littleton does a lot right, including a well-edited production with a cover that reflects Evie's character extremely well. A very professional debut that is marred by little things like obvious editors' notes included as footnotes in the final version of the text. It's early days yet in this writer's career but it's a good start and I hope those minor craft and production issues get smoothed out.
A note about Steamy: There are four or five explicit sex scenes and they go on for pages. So this is on the high side of my steam tolerance and frankly, I skimmed through the last three. Some important character moments happened in the middle of one of those and I had to backtrack a bit, which was surprising in a not-entirely-unwelcome way.
* Negative Motivations: I kind of hate that the term "negative motivation" isn't widespread, yet. Since it isn't, I'm going to save off this little jag to append to my reviews that feature the term. Jennifer Crusie blogged about it a bit back and it changed how I understand story. The problem with the term is that if you've never heard it before, you'd assume it meant motivations that are harmful or immoral. Not so. What it refers to is motivations not to do something. The thing is that many of us are motivated to not do things for a lot of different, perfectly valid and reasonable, reasons. The problem is that in a story motivations to not do things are a huge drag on the plot—particularly considering the fact that most negative motivations are overcome by the character simply deciding they don't care any more (or, rather, that they do care and are now motivated to do the thing). So not only do you have a counter to action but you also have a situation where to overcome it, all a character has to do is change their mind. Which means eventually, the reader is rooting for the character to get over him/herself already and do the thing we want them to do. Conflict drives story. Conflict between a reader and a main character drives readers away from story.
I really loved Evie and once the pace smoothed out and the story got going, she was a great character to spend some time with. I loved her personality and determination and kindness. Most of all, though, I liked that she stuck up for herself despite a definite yearning for her long-time crush who comes suddenly into reach. Oh, and her comfort in her own skin was just awesome. In the beginning, she calls Scout on condemning her "fat ass" saying that it's not because she was hurt by the comment and she's perfectly content owning her fat ass but rather, it's because Scout was the kind of person who would reach for that as a way to be mean.
Scout was harder to engage with. She's prickly and, in the beginning, kind of a jerk to Evie. And even though her motivations make sense, I felt it was a bit exaggerated and/or overplayed. Her evil ex is, indeed, evil (okay, destructively selfish). But that means Scout's reluctance to engage with another bisexual partner was so much negative* drag on the plot/relationship. And is drawn out way past it being interesting as a source of conflict.
I kept going because Evie, who had her own craptastic past dragging her down, was such a source of optimistic, but tough, kindness. Really, she's just so sweet and seeing her navigate her way through the shoals left by her own evil (okay, destructively selfish) ex was an excellent contrast and highlight.
So this gets an engaged 3½ stars for the rough start, minor craft issues, and negative motivation*. But I'm rounding up for Evie and the unexpectedly outstanding businessy bits that were accurately and yet interestingly portrayed. It's so rare that writers nail the business ins and outs that I found that it's own level of engagement.
A note about LGBT: This has a strong in-community feel to the LGBT elements. A lot of assumed shared knowledge is simply background, including the tension with bisexuals in that community that is at the heart of the plot. Some of that is eventually explored, but not in the kind of depth it'd need for those completely unfamiliar with the community. Outsiders will likely find some moments of confusion and/or missing information, I think.
A note about production: Littleton does a lot right, including a well-edited production with a cover that reflects Evie's character extremely well. A very professional debut that is marred by little things like obvious editors' notes included as footnotes in the final version of the text. It's early days yet in this writer's career but it's a good start and I hope those minor craft and production issues get smoothed out.
A note about Steamy: There are four or five explicit sex scenes and they go on for pages. So this is on the high side of my steam tolerance and frankly, I skimmed through the last three. Some important character moments happened in the middle of one of those and I had to backtrack a bit, which was surprising in a not-entirely-unwelcome way.
* Negative Motivations: I kind of hate that the term "negative motivation" isn't widespread, yet. Since it isn't, I'm going to save off this little jag to append to my reviews that feature the term. Jennifer Crusie blogged about it a bit back and it changed how I understand story. The problem with the term is that if you've never heard it before, you'd assume it meant motivations that are harmful or immoral. Not so. What it refers to is motivations not to do something. The thing is that many of us are motivated to not do things for a lot of different, perfectly valid and reasonable, reasons. The problem is that in a story motivations to not do things are a huge drag on the plot—particularly considering the fact that most negative motivations are overcome by the character simply deciding they don't care any more (or, rather, that they do care and are now motivated to do the thing). So not only do you have a counter to action but you also have a situation where to overcome it, all a character has to do is change their mind. Which means eventually, the reader is rooting for the character to get over him/herself already and do the thing we want them to do. Conflict drives story. Conflict between a reader and a main character drives readers away from story.
October 31, 2021
Uhhh... the beginning of Scout and the Lavender Girl was hard to get through. I'm just going to say that right now because I'm sure everyone else who didn't like this book felt the same. In this, you will meet some interesting characters. They are interesting because one is dealing with a lot of shit happening at once while the other starts their point of viewing stating they hate bisexuals.
Honestly, it was interesting and rubbed me the wrong way. I'm not bisexual in any way but I don't hate them either. So I wasn't expecting one character to be finding her identity and the other just being like nope, no likey. As for what happened after that? Eh, I could like it somewhat but couldn't get over the first introduction.
By the end of the book, there was a little redemption for a certain someone but I still didn't like them. I'm not even sorry for saying it. I will also not be continuing with the series if it's about these two. I just have zero interest in getting more of this.
Honestly, it was interesting and rubbed me the wrong way. I'm not bisexual in any way but I don't hate them either. So I wasn't expecting one character to be finding her identity and the other just being like nope, no likey. As for what happened after that? Eh, I could like it somewhat but couldn't get over the first introduction.
By the end of the book, there was a little redemption for a certain someone but I still didn't like them. I'm not even sorry for saying it. I will also not be continuing with the series if it's about these two. I just have zero interest in getting more of this.
November 10, 2019
Other than the first 35%, which I seem to have gobbled in a quick fun gulp, I found this very tough to continue and then complete.
Both main characters were quite .... batty.
And then that sudden turn into a South Florida style comic caper novel near the end .... bah.
Rating: 2.3
August 19 2019
Both main characters were quite .... batty.
And then that sudden turn into a South Florida style comic caper novel near the end .... bah.
Rating: 2.3
August 19 2019
did-not-finish
August 7, 2023DNF @ 12%
I knew going into SCOUT AND THE LAVENDER GIRL that Scout was going to be a prickly and grumpy character and that a large part of the book was going to be about Scout confronting her biphobia but whew this was a lot. Throw in some fat shaming and asshole behavior (all from Scout) and I just don't want to read it.
Content Warning: biphobia, fatphobia/ fat shaming, chronic pain
I knew going into SCOUT AND THE LAVENDER GIRL that Scout was going to be a prickly and grumpy character and that a large part of the book was going to be about Scout confronting her biphobia but whew this was a lot. Throw in some fat shaming and asshole behavior (all from Scout) and I just don't want to read it.
Content Warning: biphobia, fatphobia/ fat shaming, chronic pain
June 24, 2019
2.75 stars, I had many feelings whilst reading this book & trying to give it a fair rating. The 2 main characters Scout, a retired WNBA star & Evie a cook/ project manager. There are a lot of stereotypes & cliches in this book. Scout is a lesbian & Evie is bisexual(but not yet been with a woman) which is held against her. Her ex husband is a Charlie Hunham knockoff. There is a ton of biphobia which both main characters complain about from the different sides. Evie's brother is also gay, & there is a coming out moment for both of them to their Christian family cue homophobic response. Did I also mention that Scout's former fiance & WNBA teammate Carla was also a closeted bisexual who left her for a man? Therefore all prejudices are justified. Evie also is initially against toys because if she wanted that then she could get it from a man. This book tries to play on cliches & ripping them apart but falters. There is some redeeming qualities in the story line about their businesses.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
no-thank-you
June 28, 2019I simply could not handle the hatred for bisexuals here. I had really been looking forward to trying this new-to-me author and I was so disappointed to run right into so much biphobia.
April 3, 2021
There was so much to love about this book. Both of these women were deliciously complex and felt so real. I love when a grumpy character just cannot resist falling for an effervescent love interest. These characters’ strengths and weaknesses complimented one another so perfectly. I loved Evie’s family dynamic and was excited to see her brother has an M/M story. This story has my favorite trifecta—heart, humor, and heat—in spades. I can see this being a cherished comfort read.
November 16, 2020
I picked this book up on a recommendation from another reader. It looked cute, so I figured I’d give it a go. I’m so glad I took a chance on a new-to-me author.
This was everything I’ve been looking for in a great women-loving-women romance. Funny, sweet, and sexy as all get-out, plus a great plot. It’s exceptionally well-written with likable characters.
I absolutely adored Evie. She’s smart and sassy and in-your-face femme. The descriptions of her style were well placed with just the right amount of detail. Her life is complicated and messy at the start of the story, but she’s doing her best to keep her head above water. Even so, she’s a woman who knows what she wants, and she’s not afraid to go for it.
Scout is fantastic. There were times I wanted to slam my head against the wall in frustration over her lack of communication. But I understand her motivations, and she does eventually come around.
There’s a lot of great myth busting about bi women in here. Part of me wishes that we could have bi romances where that simply isn’t a factor between the women, but part of me is glad that books are willing to go there. In the end, the issue was Scout’s insecurity about something else rather than about who Evie’s been with.
All in all, this is what a great feel-good romance looks like. If you’re in the mood for something lighthearted and fun, this is one to pick up.
This was everything I’ve been looking for in a great women-loving-women romance. Funny, sweet, and sexy as all get-out, plus a great plot. It’s exceptionally well-written with likable characters.
I absolutely adored Evie. She’s smart and sassy and in-your-face femme. The descriptions of her style were well placed with just the right amount of detail. Her life is complicated and messy at the start of the story, but she’s doing her best to keep her head above water. Even so, she’s a woman who knows what she wants, and she’s not afraid to go for it.
Scout is fantastic. There were times I wanted to slam my head against the wall in frustration over her lack of communication. But I understand her motivations, and she does eventually come around.
There’s a lot of great myth busting about bi women in here. Part of me wishes that we could have bi romances where that simply isn’t a factor between the women, but part of me is glad that books are willing to go there. In the end, the issue was Scout’s insecurity about something else rather than about who Evie’s been with.
All in all, this is what a great feel-good romance looks like. If you’re in the mood for something lighthearted and fun, this is one to pick up.
February 29, 2024
A very cute read! I read this after reading most of Kelly Fox's books even though it would have been much much better to read it when you're supposed to in the line up, lol. But it was still a really fun read and the characters were hilarious.
January 16, 2020
Now this is a true enemies to lovers 😍
This high heat (seriously 🔥AF) book is full of all the sexual tension you would expect from an enemies to lovers romance. I love that their hot and cold goes through a large portion of the book. The tension between the MCs is INSANE. I absolutely loved everything about this story and can not wait for more from the author.
This high heat (seriously 🔥AF) book is full of all the sexual tension you would expect from an enemies to lovers romance. I love that their hot and cold goes through a large portion of the book. The tension between the MCs is INSANE. I absolutely loved everything about this story and can not wait for more from the author.
April 18, 2021
I'm in love!
I'm a fan of Kelly Fox's MM work and have read all of the Wrecked and Wrecked Guardians series. I am not sure why I put off reading this book for so long, but I loved it as much as the rest of Kelly's work. The characters are vivid, the story is compelling, and the sex is hot.
That's reducing a delightful and, at times, poignant book to a handful of adjectives, but they are all apt. Just read it. You'll be glad you did!
I'm a fan of Kelly Fox's MM work and have read all of the Wrecked and Wrecked Guardians series. I am not sure why I put off reading this book for so long, but I loved it as much as the rest of Kelly's work. The characters are vivid, the story is compelling, and the sex is hot.
That's reducing a delightful and, at times, poignant book to a handful of adjectives, but they are all apt. Just read it. You'll be glad you did!
February 20, 2024
Scout and the Lavender Girl is fun, heartfelt sapphic romance that does under-deliver on the steam.
October 13, 2024
I've been trying to find some good f/f novels and this rly didn't hit the spot :/ chemistry was not that great
August 9, 2019
Surprise!!!
I wasn’t too sure what I would think about this book but it really surprised me and I totally fell in love with it! It didn’t hurt that the book was set in one of my favourite places, Austin Texas and the surrounding Hill Country. Anyway, Evie and Scout are AMAZING women. I love them both and am so in lust with them…. Sigh! The struggles they have to overcome, the problems they face, the drama and pain, my heart bled for them and I was so into the story I didn’t even come up for air. I just read and cried and laughed and lusted till the very end. I even managed to dream about them that night! This book is going right into my Must Read Again pile and will be put into my All Time Favourite file! DO not miss out on this one!
I wasn’t too sure what I would think about this book but it really surprised me and I totally fell in love with it! It didn’t hurt that the book was set in one of my favourite places, Austin Texas and the surrounding Hill Country. Anyway, Evie and Scout are AMAZING women. I love them both and am so in lust with them…. Sigh! The struggles they have to overcome, the problems they face, the drama and pain, my heart bled for them and I was so into the story I didn’t even come up for air. I just read and cried and laughed and lusted till the very end. I even managed to dream about them that night! This book is going right into my Must Read Again pile and will be put into my All Time Favourite file! DO not miss out on this one!
June 26, 2019
Immediate hatred of bi people was really off putting. Especially since there's no way either of them would have known each other's sexuality from one hitting the other's car. I had high hopes for the book because it sounded really cute.
Literally Scout's first line: "I. Do. Not. Like. Bisexuals. They are so fucking unreliable."
Way to make shitty assumptions. Based on the way she looks and is dressed? And from other reviews if I'd kept reading I'd have some fat shaming to look forward too as well? Not cool.
Didn't Finish.
Literally Scout's first line: "I. Do. Not. Like. Bisexuals. They are so fucking unreliable."
Way to make shitty assumptions. Based on the way she looks and is dressed? And from other reviews if I'd kept reading I'd have some fat shaming to look forward too as well? Not cool.
Didn't Finish.
September 20, 2020
I went back and forth with this one. I liked their overall story, but some of the moving parts weren't to my taste.
I really liked both characters and their backstories. I liked Scout's history in the WNBA, her personal struggles, and how much her current business investments impacted the events of the story. I liked both their families, though there is obvious work to be done with Evie's. I liked Evie's grit and style, her personal struggles, and how open, idealistic, and intuitive she was. When they were getting along, (and sometimes when they were snarky with each other), and when they were working together to deal with some of the conflicts thrown in their path ... they were great. No complaints with the story.
Where things kind of fell apart for me is how much time was dedicated to the push-and-pull. As the reader privy to both POVs, we knew how each woman felt. We knew there was something more going on with Scout, even if we didn't know the specifics. However, almost every on-page interaction between the two for the first 2/3rds of the book was an interesting plot set-up that lead to some romantic/sexual contact, then Scout would say or do something insensitive or rude, in which Evie would be hurt while also trying to be understanding, and then they would avoid each other for days or weeks at a time. Rinse and repeat. And the times when they did interact in their working life without any relationship content, it was summarized in a sentence of two, almost as an afterthought to note the passage of time. That last 1/3rd of the book included 2 big plot points (1 for each woman) but then it was mainly multiple sex scenes, probably to make up for all the stop-and-go from everything up until that point.
And because I was not fully committed to how the story was being told, I ended up noticing how many people in their lives overlapped before they even met. While some are expected, some pushed the boundaries between coincidence and convenience.
Overall, I feel the story would have benefited by more on-page comradery as they built their relationship, but what I will remember most about the book is the highlights ... when they got along and how they worked together to overcome their personal conflicts.
I really liked both characters and their backstories. I liked Scout's history in the WNBA, her personal struggles, and how much her current business investments impacted the events of the story. I liked both their families, though there is obvious work to be done with Evie's. I liked Evie's grit and style, her personal struggles, and how open, idealistic, and intuitive she was. When they were getting along, (and sometimes when they were snarky with each other), and when they were working together to deal with some of the conflicts thrown in their path ... they were great. No complaints with the story.
Where things kind of fell apart for me is how much time was dedicated to the push-and-pull. As the reader privy to both POVs, we knew how each woman felt. We knew there was something more going on with Scout, even if we didn't know the specifics. However, almost every on-page interaction between the two for the first 2/3rds of the book was an interesting plot set-up that lead to some romantic/sexual contact, then Scout would say or do something insensitive or rude, in which Evie would be hurt while also trying to be understanding, and then they would avoid each other for days or weeks at a time. Rinse and repeat. And the times when they did interact in their working life without any relationship content, it was summarized in a sentence of two, almost as an afterthought to note the passage of time. That last 1/3rd of the book included 2 big plot points (1 for each woman) but then it was mainly multiple sex scenes, probably to make up for all the stop-and-go from everything up until that point.
And because I was not fully committed to how the story was being told, I ended up noticing how many people in their lives overlapped before they even met. While some are expected, some pushed the boundaries between coincidence and convenience.
Overall, I feel the story would have benefited by more on-page comradery as they built their relationship, but what I will remember most about the book is the highlights ... when they got along and how they worked together to overcome their personal conflicts.
October 14, 2019
Four stars because Evie is a muthaeffing bawse! She’s sounds sexy AF, she’s kind, intelligent, loyal to the core and she’s bloody hilarious!
I found it hard to like Scout at the start but then after learning what she’s been through and why she’s protecting herself I KINDA understood, but man... for Scout to compare her ex to Evie, why it’s like comparing apples and oranges. Evie’s everything! I grew to love Scout though... and was glad to see her take down her walls and let herself be happy and love.
I found it hard to like Scout at the start but then after learning what she’s been through and why she’s protecting herself I KINDA understood, but man... for Scout to compare her ex to Evie, why it’s like comparing apples and oranges. Evie’s everything! I grew to love Scout though... and was glad to see her take down her walls and let herself be happy and love.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 15, 2021
loved it
Ok this story was awesome. It made me laugh, but it also got me right in the feels with the way this author writes these amazing characters. I was already a fan because of the Wrecked series and it’s spin-off Wrecked:Guardians and just had to read the story of how Scout and Evie met. I am not disappointed in the least. While writing a great story, the author also manages to take a shot at some hurtful stereotypes. A very worthwhile read!
Ok this story was awesome. It made me laugh, but it also got me right in the feels with the way this author writes these amazing characters. I was already a fan because of the Wrecked series and it’s spin-off Wrecked:Guardians and just had to read the story of how Scout and Evie met. I am not disappointed in the least. While writing a great story, the author also manages to take a shot at some hurtful stereotypes. A very worthwhile read!
November 11, 2024
I loved both Scout and Evie. Their relationship was cute and both of their backstories were interesting. The thing I couldn’t get past was the biphobia here. I get that Scout was previously hurt by a bisexual woman but that the way it was written just feeds into the stigmas surrounding bisexuality. Also the fat phobic joke was really distasteful and unnecessary, even if it didn’t affect Evie.
February 10, 2020
Absolutely adored Evie from the first minute but Scout took a little longer. Could have done without the almost continual biphobia and fatshaming though.
May 17, 2020
Kinda had to slog through this one. There were some truly entertaining moments and delicious sexual tension, but at the end? Just glad to be done with it.
July 10, 2019
Loved it
Litteton does a great job of showing the stigma that the LGTBQ community places on bisexuals. Littleton does a great job at showing the insecurities behind these feelings. Hopefully this will open the eyes of some that have been closed minded about bisexuals in the past.
Scout's past relationship is dictating how she responds to meeting the enigmatic Evie. She must deal with the past or risk losing everything.
Evie's life is a hot mess! As she is trying to figure things out she runs into the woman of her dreams..literally. As their lives become intertwined professionally a spark is ignited personally. Something is preventing is Scout from taking that step with Evie. Will these two figure things out or will the past claim both as victims?
Litteton does a great job of showing the stigma that the LGTBQ community places on bisexuals. Littleton does a great job at showing the insecurities behind these feelings. Hopefully this will open the eyes of some that have been closed minded about bisexuals in the past.
Scout's past relationship is dictating how she responds to meeting the enigmatic Evie. She must deal with the past or risk losing everything.
Evie's life is a hot mess! As she is trying to figure things out she runs into the woman of her dreams..literally. As their lives become intertwined professionally a spark is ignited personally. Something is preventing is Scout from taking that step with Evie. Will these two figure things out or will the past claim both as victims?
August 21, 2022
I first want to say that I usually love this author’s work. Which is why I was so struck that this book was so biphobic. While I understand that the main character ,Scout, was cheated on by a bisexual. The whole book had a negative slant towards bisexual individuals. Reinforcing, negative stereotypes (Unreliable, more willing to cheat, risky to date) It really put me off this book because the take away was that Evie was an outliner in the bisexual community not the norm.
April 27, 2022
This is a tough one to review. I really enjoyed Scout and Evie as characters and their romance. It was really cute and steamy.
However, there was fat-shaming from Scout to Evie (she does apologize for it, but still) and rampant biphobia. Those parts weren't easy to get through.
So I guess 3 stars? Very torn.
However, there was fat-shaming from Scout to Evie (she does apologize for it, but still) and rampant biphobia. Those parts weren't easy to get through.
So I guess 3 stars? Very torn.
September 27, 2020
This wasn't one of my preferred genres, but author's notes in the Kelly Fox (https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...) books said that many of the characters in their "Wrecked" series were introduced and developed in this book. The gist was that that many of the characters' histories and other aspects of that series would make far more sense if a reader read this book first. After reading this one and restarting book 1 in that series, Sanctuary, I will say this is very true.
I didn't relate to the protagonists and their plights like other readers might, and didn't share their interests. Scout stereotyped all bisexual women as evil due to the actions of one, and her trust issues had trust issues. She did the attracted/repelled dance with the other protagonist, Evie, for much of the book. I got very tired of it pretty quickly, much more quickly than Evie did.
Scout had been a very famous basketball player. Well, famous for the WNBA, which apparently has much less attention paid to it than the NBA, and far less in the way of finances. But Evie's whole family are huge basketball fans, and had followed Scout's career since her college days, if I understood correctly. "Since Scout was in pigtails" was the timeline they agreed on. So Scout is very famous in certain circles.
I'm not interested in basketball, so a lot of that was lost on me. But after Scout had retired, she'd apparently joined an investment group that focused on businesses run by women. She hadn't been able to pay attention to the investments of her own through that group for many months, and then she'd drained much of her bank accounts in an effort to disentangle her finances from those of Carla, the evil bisexual woman. Her San Antonio investments had been run into the ground by inefficient and/or outright money-grubbing managers. Evie's family were working to turn a lot of this around, but they'd just recently gotten hired to do that.
Evie meets Scout by rear-ending Scout's U-Haul, and then Scout runs into Evie everywhere that she goes to check on her businesses. Evie turns out to be the cook who has managed to pull Scout's pizza place investment into breaking even. Scout's friend Kimberly had the pizza restaurant dream, but Kimberly is not a good businessperson.
Evie is a femme who pays a lot of attention to her appearance, from makeup to getting the curls in her hair just right to every detail of the fashion style she's wearing. They're not super-expensive designer fashion looks, but styles like pin-up girl, rockabilly, and so on. I didn't relate. Although I liked the idea of Evie having her hair colored lavender and also rocking the retro looks.
Evie has lost the college money that she'd saved to complete her MBA to her unscrupulous ex-husband and his equally unscrupulous family. She's working three jobs to try to get out of the financial hole they put her in. So both women have had issues with bad relationships and troubled finances. Evie pretty much tries to stay cheerful, though. Scout has reasons to be bitter, but she takes a fair amount of it out on Evie, when Evie has not been the direct cause of most of Scout's issues. It's more that Scout sees Evie as a representation of several of Scout's problems, without seeing the ways in which Evie is different from the stereotypes that Scout is laying on her. I did not warm to Scout when she continually behaved like that.
I don't have an interest in business management or project management, which was where Evie's real interests and skills were. Some of Evie's creative pizza recipes made me hungry, but the talk about investment groups and the right and wrong ways to run businesses was totally lost on me, just as much as the basketball was.
So, the book put a good amount of focus on topics that don't interest me, and I truly didn't enjoy reading about a bitter lesbian taking her prejudices out on a woman who hadn't wronged her. I was really not the target audience for this book. I could see other readers starting the "Wrecked" series the author wrote under the pen name Kelly Fox and just accepting not knowing many of the characters' backgrounds and situations. On the other hand, if a reader is into f/f relationships, the topics of investment and project management, and a big fan of women's basketball, this would be a wonderful book for that person, and I'd highly recommend it to those readers.
I didn't relate to the protagonists and their plights like other readers might, and didn't share their interests. Scout stereotyped all bisexual women as evil due to the actions of one, and her trust issues had trust issues. She did the attracted/repelled dance with the other protagonist, Evie, for much of the book. I got very tired of it pretty quickly, much more quickly than Evie did.
Scout had been a very famous basketball player. Well, famous for the WNBA, which apparently has much less attention paid to it than the NBA, and far less in the way of finances. But Evie's whole family are huge basketball fans, and had followed Scout's career since her college days, if I understood correctly. "Since Scout was in pigtails" was the timeline they agreed on. So Scout is very famous in certain circles.
I'm not interested in basketball, so a lot of that was lost on me. But after Scout had retired, she'd apparently joined an investment group that focused on businesses run by women. She hadn't been able to pay attention to the investments of her own through that group for many months, and then she'd drained much of her bank accounts in an effort to disentangle her finances from those of Carla, the evil bisexual woman. Her San Antonio investments had been run into the ground by inefficient and/or outright money-grubbing managers. Evie's family were working to turn a lot of this around, but they'd just recently gotten hired to do that.
Evie meets Scout by rear-ending Scout's U-Haul, and then Scout runs into Evie everywhere that she goes to check on her businesses. Evie turns out to be the cook who has managed to pull Scout's pizza place investment into breaking even. Scout's friend Kimberly had the pizza restaurant dream, but Kimberly is not a good businessperson.
Evie is a femme who pays a lot of attention to her appearance, from makeup to getting the curls in her hair just right to every detail of the fashion style she's wearing. They're not super-expensive designer fashion looks, but styles like pin-up girl, rockabilly, and so on. I didn't relate. Although I liked the idea of Evie having her hair colored lavender and also rocking the retro looks.
Evie has lost the college money that she'd saved to complete her MBA to her unscrupulous ex-husband and his equally unscrupulous family. She's working three jobs to try to get out of the financial hole they put her in. So both women have had issues with bad relationships and troubled finances. Evie pretty much tries to stay cheerful, though. Scout has reasons to be bitter, but she takes a fair amount of it out on Evie, when Evie has not been the direct cause of most of Scout's issues. It's more that Scout sees Evie as a representation of several of Scout's problems, without seeing the ways in which Evie is different from the stereotypes that Scout is laying on her. I did not warm to Scout when she continually behaved like that.
I don't have an interest in business management or project management, which was where Evie's real interests and skills were. Some of Evie's creative pizza recipes made me hungry, but the talk about investment groups and the right and wrong ways to run businesses was totally lost on me, just as much as the basketball was.
So, the book put a good amount of focus on topics that don't interest me, and I truly didn't enjoy reading about a bitter lesbian taking her prejudices out on a woman who hadn't wronged her. I was really not the target audience for this book. I could see other readers starting the "Wrecked" series the author wrote under the pen name Kelly Fox and just accepting not knowing many of the characters' backgrounds and situations. On the other hand, if a reader is into f/f relationships, the topics of investment and project management, and a big fan of women's basketball, this would be a wonderful book for that person, and I'd highly recommend it to those readers.
June 24, 2020
I liked this book, but I didn’t love this book. The main reason I didn’t love this book? Scout. She just came off as so unlikable for so much of the book. Evie was darling and brash and stood up for herself and Scout took the opportunity to knock her down every chance.
I read the Wrecked series first and found Evie and Scout a lovely couple in those books, but their origin story left a lot to be desired. The bi-phobia and fat jokes have already been covered in other reviews so I won’t go in depth there but I will say this: considering Scout’s issues with her own body image, it seemed ignorant AF for her to make some of her comments to Evie.
While I was happy to see Scout come around toward the end and maybe redeem herself a bit, I was left with this question: do lesbians really think that way about so-called LITs? I mean, that wasn’t a very good portrayal of someone handling a lesbian or bi person trying to have their first experiences. That’s already an intimidating and terrifying time and to have someone basically hold your inexperience against you would be downright depressing.
Overall, the book was okay, but not nearly my favorite from this author.
I read the Wrecked series first and found Evie and Scout a lovely couple in those books, but their origin story left a lot to be desired. The bi-phobia and fat jokes have already been covered in other reviews so I won’t go in depth there but I will say this: considering Scout’s issues with her own body image, it seemed ignorant AF for her to make some of her comments to Evie.
While I was happy to see Scout come around toward the end and maybe redeem herself a bit, I was left with this question: do lesbians really think that way about so-called LITs? I mean, that wasn’t a very good portrayal of someone handling a lesbian or bi person trying to have their first experiences. That’s already an intimidating and terrifying time and to have someone basically hold your inexperience against you would be downright depressing.
Overall, the book was okay, but not nearly my favorite from this author.
November 30, 2021
My First
This was my first bi/lesbian book I've ever read. That being said and out of the way. I Love, Love, Loved this book. I started this "series" with Rafi's book. And have read a bunch but thankfully not through them all. I finished the Guardian series and was so sad! Didn't want to say goodbye. So i cannot express how happy I am to find the back stories of everyone. One of the things I enjoy so much about your books is that they have some meat ( no pun intended) to the story line. Yes there is some smoking hot sexual scenes. But that not all these books are. You get to know the character, their lives ect really well before the sex scenes. That makes such a difference between a hot book and a good and hot book! You have a new fan for life! You keep writing and I'll keep reading. Side note. I don't actually like to write reviews. I don't think I'm very good at it. It always becomes more like a letter to the author, than a review. In this case I simply Had to! Thanks for sharing your stories with all of us.
This was my first bi/lesbian book I've ever read. That being said and out of the way. I Love, Love, Loved this book. I started this "series" with Rafi's book. And have read a bunch but thankfully not through them all. I finished the Guardian series and was so sad! Didn't want to say goodbye. So i cannot express how happy I am to find the back stories of everyone. One of the things I enjoy so much about your books is that they have some meat ( no pun intended) to the story line. Yes there is some smoking hot sexual scenes. But that not all these books are. You get to know the character, their lives ect really well before the sex scenes. That makes such a difference between a hot book and a good and hot book! You have a new fan for life! You keep writing and I'll keep reading. Side note. I don't actually like to write reviews. I don't think I'm very good at it. It always becomes more like a letter to the author, than a review. In this case I simply Had to! Thanks for sharing your stories with all of us.
June 16, 2020
Great story that hits all the emotional buttons
Really enjoyed this book. I found it after reading Kelly Fox’s three book m/m series in which Evie and Scout play a secondary role. Knowing I enjoyed the writing style I downloaded this book to get further information about the people in this universe. I haven’t read a lot of f/f romance before but a great story and great writing works no matter the genre.
Evie and Scout are MCs that grab you right from the beginning, each with their own forms of baggage. At various points in the story you will laugh, you will cry, you will want to throat punch people. That’s a good book!
I would have liked a little more detail on Evie’s background and how she got to where she is when the book begins. And I’d love to have had a further down the road epilogue to see the fallout from the ending, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Strongly recommend.
Really enjoyed this book. I found it after reading Kelly Fox’s three book m/m series in which Evie and Scout play a secondary role. Knowing I enjoyed the writing style I downloaded this book to get further information about the people in this universe. I haven’t read a lot of f/f romance before but a great story and great writing works no matter the genre.
Evie and Scout are MCs that grab you right from the beginning, each with their own forms of baggage. At various points in the story you will laugh, you will cry, you will want to throat punch people. That’s a good book!
I would have liked a little more detail on Evie’s background and how she got to where she is when the book begins. And I’d love to have had a further down the road epilogue to see the fallout from the ending, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Strongly recommend.
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